The bitter temperatures have mostly kept us inside this week. I haven't even taken my daughter out when the dogs potty.  Plus all her activities from swim lessons to story time and even her play group are on break for another week.

Yesterday my daughter brought me my coat and then proceeded to sing bye bye to herself. She was very distraught when I put my jacket back. Several times she went to the door asking to go but we had nowhere we needed to go. 

As we face another day of bitter temperatures and nowhere we need to go I have found some options. Today we face the cold head on. If nap time falls as planned we will go to the library and to the rec. center to get some energy out and replenish our reading materials. 

I'm grateful to live in an area with so many options to pass the time. I'm grateful for a wonderful library system. I'm grateful for the new recreational center. I'm grateful for the play groups and other activities that usually fill our days. I'm grateful for a warm house to snuggle up in on these cold days but I'm grateful to brave the cold when we get a little stir crazy as well.

What do you like to do on cold days? What activities are worth bundling up and getting out for when it's bitter?

​May today support us whether we need to snuggle in or venture out. May we find warmth in our heart no matter the temperatures outside. Have a beautiful day!

My whole family has been in need of extra sleep the last few days. I don't know if it was the array of viruses we were exposed to at the numerous holiday parties we went to or simply just the dark and cold of winter reminding us to rest. Either way, I'm happy to have the ability to listen and allow us all some extra sleep.

The cloud dimming the rising sun and the crisp blanket of snow on the ground assist in keeping us tucked warm in our beds. The sun, while up a little longer each day now, is still retiring early each night. Many animals have either headed south or are tucked in to await warmer temperatures. So I take a tip from nature and I go to bed early, sleep in a little later, and enjoy walking around in my warm pajamas just a little later than usual.

I'm grateful for these days. I'm grateful that my husband has time off so he can participate in our winter slumber. I'm grateful for the extra sleep for myself but also for our daughter that is finally getting the hang of sleeping longer stretches. I'm grateful for a strong immune system and oils and vitamins to help give it a boost. And I'm grateful for this time of year and all the reminders to rest and take it slow and easy.

What is your favorite reminder this time of year? What is your favorite thing about winter?

May today keep us warm. May we find simple ways to support ourselves and give a little extra love to ourselves and our family. Have a beautiful day!

For Christmas I got a Zen painting board. It is a great meditative aide as I paint with the water across the board then watch it fade away as it dries. 

It is also great for me because I tend to hold on to things, giving emotional value to objects that then become difficult to throw away. The only way to keep this is to snap a quick picture. After capturing a few though it was a great reminder for me to just let them go. This is meant to be a release and how can I truly release if I am holding on?

After that, rather than continuing to paint as the previous design faded, I would paint then just sit and watch as it slowly disappeared. It provided a different lesson as I felt different thoughts come up and allowed them to drift by. Letting go has never been my strong suit but it is so healing.

I'm grateful for this gift and all the ways it helps center me. I'm grateful for all the symbolism that came to me yesterday while painting and I look forward to trying it again today. I'm grateful to let go and just watch it fade. I'm grateful for this amazing, reusable, meditative creation. And I'm grateful for the release I now feel as I watch the picture fade. 

What helps you to let go? What do you hold on to most?

May today help us find balance in letting go. May we choose what is truly important and hold on to it, letting the rest fade. Have a beautiful day!  

This Christmas was full of beautiful self-care items.  I got several items to support me in my quest for balance. I love that my family knows me so well! 

From candles to zen painting supplies, a necklace reminder to a reusable notebook; I am ready to build a fun new self-care routine. And complete with new toys perhaps my daughter will even be busy enough to lend me the time. If not there is always nap time.

I'm grateful for a beautiful and blessed Christmas. I'm grateful for smiles all around as everyone opened their gifts. I'm grateful for the thought put into my gifts and to have gotten all I asked for and so much more. I'm grateful for my daughter's excitement as she got into opening presents and testing out new toys. And I'm grateful to have a laid back Christmas day to balance the crazy, rushed Christmas Eve.

How was your weekend? What did you do for self-care? How do the people in your life help support your self-care routine?

May today provide time for balance. May we take time for the practices that center us. Have a beautiful day!

Yesterday marked the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of light of the year. While I did not do my usual celebration and ceremony with friends I definitely took note of this special day.

Some people do not believe in celebration the natural holidays of the moon or the solstices of the sun. I do not judge if these things do not hold significance for you. For me they are a reminder that everything is a cycle; that the rough times will always pass and good times will return. Winter Solstice holds particularly strong symbolism for me.

Winter Solstice is the shortest day of daylight of the year. It is dark and, here in the midwest, generally cold. Both darkness and cold I have found challenge with throughout my life as I try to remain positive and cheerful. This solstice reassures me that now we will begin crawling back toward full, bright days. It reminds me that warmth will return. 

I'm so very grateful for the symbolism of Winter Solstice. I'm grateful for these natural holidays that come from the cycles we move through. I'm grateful to see it as one more universal thing that bonds the people of this earth whether they celebrate it with me or not, we travel this journey together. I'm grateful for the promise of the returning light. I'm grateful for having had a fairly mild winter so far, though I know the cold is said to move in today. I'm grateful to have such a wonderful family that is strong enough in each of their individual faiths that we can support each other in our own as well. 

What brings symbolism of hope for you? What holidays will you choose to celebrate and what meaning do they hold for you?

May today remind us that we all spin together on this beautiful globe. May we celebrate the things that bring hope. Have a beautiful day!

Today is the beginning of our holiday celebrations as we kick off with the arrival of my mother-in-law this afternoon. There is still much to be done but the excitement is creeping in!

In the passed I have struggled with the Christmas holiday. Seasonal depression and the stress in the passed has dulled the fun and some years even caused dread. Perhaps this year is different because I see the excitement on my daughter's face each time she comes downstairs and sees the tree or talks about Santa and snowmen. She is not even 16 months old so she doesn't fully understand what is coming over the next several days but I am betting she will be thrilled.

I'm so grateful to be kicking off the holiday early. I'm grateful to extend the celebration. I'm grateful to get to host my mother-in-law and even have some time off work to get to cook a holiday dinner. I'm grateful for all my husband's help with getting the house clean. I'm grateful for the excitement I feel and to be able to celebrate this year. 

What is your favorite tradition? How will you kick off the holidays this year?

May today bring joy. May we enjoy the traditions and holidays no matter which religion or background. Have a beautiful day!

I've heard the sayings "Happy wife, happy life." and "If Mama ain't happy, nobody's happy." Mostly I don't resonate with sayings like that because I feel mom's and wives, at least that I know, sacrifice a lot including their own needs and sometimes happiness to help the family. 

Last night as the stress and hustle of the holidays surrounded me and the exhaustion of several days' lack of sleep came crashing around me as my daughter got mad at me at bedtime and looking me right in the face, peed on me. I would love to say I took a calm breath and handled the situation with grace. In reality I jumped up in anger and surprise, took her toy away, took her to her room while calling for my husband for assistance then left her crying there on her floor while I stomped down the hall to change my pants. It is not how I prefer to handle situations and I found myself in tears later at the disappointment on the gap between how I wanted to handle it and how I responded.

Sometimes as a mom I fall short of my own expectations. Partly because my expectations do not fluctuate to account for exhaustion and other factors. But it was once again a reminder of the need for self-care. Yes, yes, I know, I say this every couple months and every couple months I rebuild a practice just to have it fall off when new demands (like Christmas) are introduced. Somehow, even after all these lessons, my own self-care is the first thing I drop from my list. 

Last night I realized that taking a breath for me is truly taking a breath for my family. They rely on my so much that if I am not calm the whole system quickly comes crashing down. And as my dog's wheezing increases as she struggles to gain her own deep breath, I need to be taking more breaths for myself to brace my heart for the day when she gives in to eternal rest. Even as I type I feel my heart shatter and resist this thought and I have to pause to take several deep breaths.

I'm grateful to take time to breathe. I'm grateful that my family understands when I react less than gracefully. I'm grateful to have their forgiveness and patience when mine has run out. I'm grateful to forgive myself for being human. I'm grateful to have a heart that feels so much and for all the years I have had with my sweet dog. And I'm grateful to see, now more than ever, how I need to be taking the time for self-care and deep breaths for myself and my family.

Who are you breathing "for"? How can you find ways to add self-care into your day? For the moms out there, how do you find balance?

​May today provide forgiveness and second chances. May we find balance and deep breaths. Have a beautiful day!

Last night was our monthly date night for me and my husband. We were lucky enough to have gotten tickets from a friend to see Funny Money at the dinner theater. 

As we waited for the show we sat talking about the pop art painting I had done of our dog. We decided we should do one for our other dog as well as his dog that passed away. We looked through our phones comparing dog photos to see which ones would be good.

The lady at the table next to us could not resist. She pulled out her phone and started showing us pictures of her dogs. We laughed and shared dog stories. There is just something about fellow dog lovers that makes such an easy connection.

I'm grateful to bond over our dogs. I'm grateful for the laughs we shared. I'm grateful for a night out with my husband. I'm grateful for our beautiful, sweet dogs. I'm grateful for dogs' ability to bring people together and spread joy.

What have you found in common with strangers? Have your pets helped introduce you to strangers?

May today help us realize our commonality with those around us. May we be brought together by our love of animals. Have a beautiful day!

Last night I went with a friend to paint pop art pictures of our dogs. We emailed the picture a couple weeks ago and the artist sketches it onto the canvas for us to paint. 

At the time we sent in the photos my dog, Austin, was having a particularly rough week. I was not sure she was going to make it and I wanted to paint her as I wished to remember her. I sent in a picture of her jumping up to eat a noodle. It is one of my favorite pictures of her even with all the beautiful regal pictures I have of her over the years.

Austin is still with me which made painting a lot easier. But the fact remains that she is older, her cancer has returned, and my time with her is running out. As I painted I couldn't help feeling I wasn't doing her justice. It began looking like an abstract blob. My friend and several others in the room voiced the same concern. When time was up and I took a step back I finally saw the whole picture.

It may not be perfect but that in itself is fitting. I have never been a perfect dog-mom and she has loved me anyway. She hasn't been a perfect dog, though I still believe she is as close as a dog can get, and I love her as my child. This rendition isn't perfect but it captures her playfulness and the love we share.

I'm so grateful my friend found this class. I'm grateful for her sharing it with me. I'm so grateful to have a beautiful painting of my first baby. I'm grateful that Austin is still here and stands a chance at making it through Christmas. I'm grateful to get one more day, and one more holiday with my sweet Austin. I'm grateful for the bond her and my daughter have built. I'm grateful for her patience even in her old age. And I'm grateful that my dogs have taken to snuggling as Pippin, my younger dog, gives and gains comfort with some intuition of what is coming. I'm grateful to paint with love.

If you could make a pop art painting of something in your life that means a lot to you, what would you paint?

May today remind us to live from the heart. May we "paint" our day with the priorities that truly matter. Have a beautiful day!

Today is a Mom-Daughter-Granddaughter Day! I love these days where my mom and I take the day off work and just do girl stuff. Sometimes we craft, sometimes we shop, other times we just hang out and talk or watch movies; no matter what it is a great day!

I'm grateful my mom is one of my best friends. I'm grateful she put in the work being a great mom when I was a kid so that we can be friends today. I'm grateful to be doing my best with my daughter to bond and establish respect while also being playful and loving. I'm grateful to be a daughter and I'm grateful to be a mom. I'm so grateful for a special day to make memories, no matter what we end up doing.

Who do you enjoy making special memories with these days? Has it changed over the years? What would you do with a whole day with a friend?

May today bless us with letting go of expectation and simply enjoying what unfolds. May we celebrate making special memories. Have a beautiful day!