I am very blessed in that my husband does most of the cooking for our family. I enjoy cooking, but working evenings does not lend itself to fixing dinner for the family. It was one of the beautiful aspects of the shutdown last Spring, getting to cook for my family and have dinner with them each night. 

My husband is an awesome cook. He finds new ways to make even the same meal unique and delicious. He has a knack for finding the right spices to add an extra boost to a meal. 

Even with the blessing of him cooking and him being great at it; it does my heart well to be able to cook a meal for my family. I try to do this at least a couple times a week but mostly it turns into quick meals. 

Today I had the time to make Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole! It was a new recipe for us but in optimistic fashion I made a double batch for an extra casserole to freeze for the future. (This is generally how I am able to "make" dinner for my family- by pre-making and freezing.) 

It fills my heart to make good, healthy food for my family. It fills me with joy when my kids actually like and eat the recipe! Tonight I got both. It was a beautiful gift!

I'm grateful for these little blessings. I'm grateful to feel the blessing of this simple act filling my heart. I'm grateful to try to consciously choose actions that will fill my "cup". I'm grateful my kids both liked tonight's meal. I'm grateful for a fun new recipe with our favorite, quinoa! I'm grateful to have an extra casserole to look forward to in a few weeks. I'm grateful for Autumn and all the great recipes, casseroles, and soups that come with it. I'm grateful to share love through good food.

What are some of your favorite recipes? What do you like to cook? How do you share love?

May we choose things that fill our heart and soul. May we find healthy ways to show our love and delicious food to share. Have a beautiful day!

Recently I have started re-learning how to sit with discomfort. As this pandemic has poked along I find myself more and more trying to escape the uncomfortable feelings of stress or anxiety by ignoring them. This doesn't work. Stuffing it down and deep has just left other discomforts and more reaction-based behaviors to minor plot-twists. 

So I am starting the uncomfortable, yet very healing work of feeling. As someone who is sensitive and highly emotional it definitely takes some processing time. Already I am noticing differences in not only how I feel but how I respond to life. 

Today I faced one of my most uncomfortable situations. Both of my girls were due for shots and I was the sole parent able to take them...at the same time. My oldest LOVES her doctor and doctor's visits but she was a little nervous about the idea of shots because it has been two years since she had to get any. The little one is avidly and vocally against even going near the doctor's office. I'm talking it took three whole minutes just to get her weight because she fought so hard against being put in (and staying in) the baby scale seat. 

Needless to say the nurse and doctor were so awesome and patient as always but it was an emotional challenge for me and the girls. Since the little one was struggling so much with the whole situation and already revved up, they suggested doing her shots first. As you might imagine, my oldest who is also very sensitive (both emotionally and to noises like a screaming sister) suddenly decided her nervousness about a shot was absolutely validated and she started freaking out about having to get one next. 

I will admit that in my own frazzled, broken-heart-because-my-babies-are-crying state of mind part of me wanted to just brush all the emotions away. Find a quick fix and get everyone back to quiet and happy. But I also recognized this was a perfect test to the work I have been doing AND a very important teaching moment for the girls.

We did hugs. I took LOTS of deep breaths. I offered that idea to my preschooler a few times who was having none of it. So we sat it out for a few minutes. Then I started doing a body scan out loud for myself. This is when you check in with each part of your body to try to identify how each area is feeling and see if any of it can be shifted. 

Out loud I said, "Wow, that was overwhelming and a little scary. Let me check. My head has a little headache. My jaw is a little tight (rubbing it with a free finger). Whew! My shoulders are pulled up and my heart is feeling sad to see my girls sad. What about you?" I walked my preschooler through thinking about each area of her body which gave her a way to move away from the upset of the shot but still stay in tune with how she was feeling. As she calmed down and our voices went back and forth I could feel the baby calming in my arms as well. 

My preschoolers tears still came and went for the next couple hours. The baby moved on pretty quickly as she tends to do once we had left the doors of the building. And I was able to stay in the conscious response level of my emotions without ignoring them OR letting them overwhelm me. It was a beautiful win. I won't say it was perfect, it is a work in progress, but I walked out feeling like I had just passed the national exams again. 

I'm grateful for this win. I'm grateful to do the work. I'm grateful to be taking time to tune in each day and see what I need emotionally. I'm grateful to be taking a more active and conscious approach to my mental health. I'm grateful for the podcasts and resources I have to support me in this journey. I'm grateful to be there for my girls physically and emotionally. I'm grateful for having a great pediatrician that really connects with my preschooler. I'm grateful to have two sweet kids that are so very very different from each other. 

What was your win today? How do you take time to process pain, discomfort, and emotions? What is your favorite technique for staying present?

May today give us the courage for growth. May we do the hard work now to move us forward. Have a beautiful day!

Today has been filled with the strange messages that I look forward to sitting down with to dissect tonight. In the meantime they are good for a chuckle. 

This morning I woke from a dream that I had gone to the doctor. While there the doctor told me that my last two eggs were ready. One egg was cracked and misshapen but the doctor reassured me this was because it was ready to hatch. We put it in warm water and out "hatched" an eight month old little girl with brown hair. Then the doctor put the other egg in the warm water and it hatched into a two month old little blonde boy that looked a lot my youngest daughter. The doctor said congratulations and people showed up with odd gifts like a hover car for kids and barbecue. 

As I said, I will have a lot of fun when I get a chance to sit down and dissect all the elements of that dream! 

In the meantime my preschooler keeps telling me today that she wants to be a grandma, but not just any grandma; she wants to be a farmor. Farmor is Swedish for father's mother. She has a farmor who is very dear to her so it only makes sense that she would want to be one. But she wants to be one right now. 

I suppose if children can hatch out of eggs at various stages of infancy and if hover cars are an approved baby shower gift then it could be completely plausible that a preschooler could be a farmor. Isn't the land of imagination and subconscious messages so interesting? 

I'm grateful to find humor in the messages today. I'm grateful to see some obvious symbolism and inner thoughts manifesting in the dreams and conversations. I'm grateful for my mother-in-law that is such a great farmor to my daughters. I'm grateful to think that someday I could get to be a grandma. I'm grateful to be right here in this place with my two girls and my life. I'm grateful to see my daughter's love through her words as she expresses her wishes. 

What strange dreams or messages have you been receiving? Have you taken the time to sit and translate it? Who is special in your life? Have you told them lately?

There is something so beautiful and special both in babies and in grandmas. They possess a special power to love even more deeply, I think.

May today remind us who is important in our lives. May we recognize the little messages we receive and take the time to sit with them. Have a beautiful day!

We talk about training our pets. We talk about training our kids. And some of us talk about training as in exercising or preparing for a competition. The reality is, we are in training every day.

Every decision we make is training our brain. We are creating habits, reinforcing habits, or working to break habits with every choice. This isn't a bad thing, at least most of the time. The more automated our routine stuff can be the easier it is to focus on the things that truly need our attention. 

Yet sometimes we fall into habits that don't support our true desires and goals. We get out of the habit of working out or getting enough sleep or whatever it may be. Perhaps that habit is reacting to the kids instead of responding. Perhaps it is getting in a routine that puts you in a rush to get to work. We all have some habits we created that we want to shift. 

The thing is, changing a habit takes commitment and conscious attention. Thirty days is a good start but it isn't going to become a new HABIT until at least sixty days of continuous follow through. In fact, depending on how long we have held the current habit, it could take longer even. 

I don't say this to be discouraging. I say this because today is National Train Your Brain Day and the whole thing about old dogs and new tricks, it's a bunch of bologna. Anyone can be taught if your are using the method that speaks to them. And any habit can be redirected and recreated into something healthier when needed. But we have to be committed and knowing the process can help remind us to stick it out for success. 

I'm in training. Each day I do my best to make conscious choices. Some days that is more apparent than others and more successful than other days. 

I'm grateful to realize the power of my choices. I'm grateful to recognize the days when I need to give myself grace and back off and the days I can push for making positive changes. I'm grateful to know change doesn't happen overnight so that I can mentally commit to the long run. I'm grateful for all the changes I have seen succeed. I'm grateful for the ones that I still struggle with that keep me humble. I'm grateful to practice gratitude and keep training my brain to see the positive. 

What changes do you want to see? How many consecutive days have you committed to this change? How are you gaging your progress?

May today remind us to give ourselves grace for the missteps and celebrate the progress. May we always be committed to being in training and growing. Have a beautiful day!

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm so grateful to just sit here in this moment of silence and contemplate what is going right today. I say this because for the last hour my baby girl has been screaming without me being able to translate what is wrong and help her. It is the part of motherhood that truly rattles me to my core. Now that she is asleep, the silence really is golden.

The weather is beautiful today. We were able to get outside twice, once for a nature walk to collect leaves and once for a picnic lunch. I am so grateful we are able to be outside in short sleeves for a few more days. I'm grateful for all the Autumn foliage. I'm grateful for the beautiful colors and variety of shapes in the leaves we found on the ground. Even though Sycamore trees are my favorite, I LOVE Maple leaves this time of year!

I got to hear the beautiful sound of my girls giggling and playing together this morning. It is a rare gift for my preschooler to get ready quickly and easily so that we have time to eat AND play before the baby's nap. Today provided that gift. I'm so grateful for these little blessings, these little moments that fill my heart.

I'm grateful to take control of my thoughts today through exhaustion and feeling frazzled and keep focused on the positive. I'm grateful for this moment of silence (yes, again, because this blog has already been interrupted twice and it is once again blissfully quiet). I'm grateful for the beauty of nature, nurturing me today. I'm grateful my husband took the time to point out the moon to me today as it hung right above our house mid-morning. I'm grateful for fun books to read and a very hands-on-nature theme this week for homeschool lessons. I'm grateful to watch my preschooler making huge progress in some skills already after only about a month of school. I'm grateful for my dog who is content to just lie next to me and rest as I soak up these quiet moments.

What are you grateful for today? What gifts did this Monday provide? What do you look forward to each week?

​May today remind us there is beauty in each day. May we take time to enjoy the pauses and the quiet and just soak in the blessings around us. Have a beautiful day!

Today was a beautiful reminder to make room, to allow space for things to happen. It started when my mom surprised me by picking up the kids in the morning, allowing me a full hour to get stuff done. Let me tell you, it is AMAZING the amount of stuff I can get accomplished in one hour without two kids underfoot! 

Then during family time at my parents' house in the afternoon my oldest child was in one of her "crap on mommy" moods. She was saying hurtful things and try as I may my poker face is nonexistent. I walked away to take a little time to regroup and instead I hear her telling my sister-in-law that I was sad and she didn't know why. My first instinct was to be embarrassed and try to "suck it up" and go back to the family room and play it off like nothing was wrong. But instead I just sat still and let myself continue to process the feelings. 

My sister-in-law, who is amazing, came back to check on me. She knows my preschooler has a knack for finding the right words to break my heart. We talked it over and she provided kind words and support. It was actually really nice to talk it out and not try to fake it through. It was nice to allow that space for someone to come in and be with me. 

Later I had to go to the bathroom and jokingly I told my preschooler I needed her to come read me a book. She always asks for books to be read to her while she goes to the bathroom, even though half the time she is done before we even open a book. Much to my surprise, since it hadn't been that long and we hadn't really spoken since the hurtful words she had said, she jumped up and ran and brought a book. She sat on the stool in front of me like I do for her and she told me the story as best she could from memory, pointing out the important pictures on the page. In and of itself that made me happy that she was taking time with me. 

The book she chose was "Room on the Broom" by Julia Donaldson. It is a really cute, kind book that is perfect this time of year as we approach Halloween. In the book the witch always makes room on the broom for whoever is in need of a ride. As my daughter finished reading she said, "I would make room on the broom for you, Mommy, right here." What had started as a joking comment had made room for this adorable and endearing reconnection for us. It reminded me how important it is to just make room and allow space for the beautiful things in life to come in.

I'm grateful my daughter would make room for me. I'm grateful for her kind words and to know that ultimately she is a kind soul. I'm grateful to be her mom. I'm grateful to make room for these special connections. I'm grateful for my sister-in-law who has been so amazing during the the good times and bumpy ones. I'm grateful for all my parents do to help my husband and I get things done. I'm grateful for family time and seeing the love shared. I'm grateful to make space for the beauty to come in to my life.

How do you make space? What would you make room for in your life? How much space would you give to allow beauty to come in?

May today fill the space with gratitude and beauty. May we remember to let go and allow space for it to flow into our lives. Have a beautiful day!

On a rare occasion my littlest will sleep in. This is never on the weekends and really even if it were I'd be awake anyway. Sleeping in is any time after 6:30. Today she slept in until 7:30...but today is Thursday.

Now that we are a homeschooling family I try to keep to some sort of schedule to make sure we actually commit to school time. Mondays and Thursdays are our "big" school days with circle time and several activities, you get the point. Tuesdays and Wednesdays have a few things to get done and Fridays are the catch what we missed or just get out of the house day. No matter which day it is we do school during my littlest's morning nap. 

When the little cuddle bug sleeps in, there is no morning nap. While this has only happened a couple times I am starting to get better at improvising. The baby wandered around us while we did circle time. She interjected some baby talk 101 while we did our Spanish and Sign Language practice. I helped her do her own baby friendly sorting activity while her sister did the cool one I had prepared for school. Then it came to our art project...

The plan had been to finger paint an apple tree as we hadn't done much sensory stuff this week. While I LOVE finger painting, and painting of any sort, and getting messy in general...Mama only has so much sanity and today's did not stretch to having two kids and most likely a dog covered in finger paint. Luckily my preschooler asked if we had apple stickers and it turns out we have an odd abundance of them so the girls both got to do some sticker apple trees while I prepped the cooking segment of school.

Having two kids underfoot with a hot oven, apple peeler, and knives is pretty much a safety nightmare. When in doubt, bring the toys out. I led them over to the several "centers" of play and let them have at it which gave me a whole, nearly, five more minutes. I can't really blame them, apples are awesome.

My preschooler helped me stuff some apples with raisins and syrup and spices (did I mention we enjoy messy?) while I finished peeling some additional apples to bake for applesauce tomorrow. It all finished just in time for my husband to come up for lunch and help pull it all out of the oven. 

(Now, to all the moms out there: If it seems like I'm super-mom, well I am, because we all are. This job, if you show up and try, you're super mom. But if it seems like I have it all together and things are all rosy that would be a BIG stretch! I just simply omitted the tantrums, baby eating unknown things off the floor, preschooler sticking stickers to her baby sister's face, losing my patience during circle time when my preschooler had to run to the window for the fourth time because she thought she heard the trash truck...you get the idea. I add this because social media does enough to warp us into thinking we "should" be doing a better job and this blog is NOT about that at all. You are doing awesome. Keep on mom-ing like a boss.)

I'm grateful to roll with it. (No seriously, this is not my strong suit so when I do it with some grace I get very excited.) I'm grateful to have it go fairly smoothly. I'm grateful for the apple theme and all the fun things we can do with it. I'm grateful for the fun farm and apple tree toys I bought back when I was a nanny and para nearly a decade ago that have come in handy with my own kids. I'm grateful to have toy rotation which keeps half or more of the toys off my floor and makes them new again when they return. I'm grateful for this homeschool journey that is helping teach me and my daughters so much! I'm grateful my little one is catching up on sleep. I'm grateful to know that teething has an end date. I'm grateful to simplify today and still feel like we covered everything.

How do you best roll with changes to your plan? How do you simplify when it starts to go awry? What was your "win" today?

May we find the little wins in each day. May we learn to be flexible while still pushing for what is important. Have a beautiful day!

October seventh may seem like an ordinary day, but it is a very special one to me. It is an important anniversary. It is the anniversary of my parents getting married. 

Maybe at first glance that doesn't seem like anything unusual. It is a little sad that this has seemingly become unusual but...my parents are STILL MARRIED! When divorces seem a dime a dozen it is reassuring and heartwarming seeing the couples who truly live the words they spoke during their vows. It is beautiful to see the couples who have been together, happily, for ten, twenty, forty, sixty years.

I think what I love most is having the inside window having grown up in this loving home. Yes there were disagreements and they were handled respectfully with healthy, calm communication. More often in my memories there were tickle fights and laughter and fun. There were tough times and my parents got through them together.

Don't get me wrong, there are important reasons for divorce. I, myself have been divorced and my husband had a previous marriage as well. Perhaps that is what makes us more cognizant of not just saying the words but doing the work. 

Love is a verb. It isn't something you feel and then fall out of feeling. It isn't a passing emotion. It is an action, a million little actions even, that you do each and every day. Every day, every disagreement, every challenge is a choice to pick love or to bypass it. It isn't always easy. We don't always make the right choice in the moment. But love is coming back to try again, to make amends, to figure it out together. 

I'm grateful to celebrate my parents anniversary. I'm grateful to have had such great guides. I'm grateful to see some of the actions they took that worked and made their relationship grow stronger. I'm grateful for all the love they have given me as I have made my own missteps. I'm grateful to keep doing my best to model myself knowing love is an action. I'm grateful for all the couples who have made it, all the couples who are trying, and all the couples who knew enough about healthy relationships to exit the ones that were not. I'm grateful for love.

Who do you love? How do you show that in actions each day? How do you show respect?

May love be the first action we give in the morning and the first action we receive. May we carry these actions of spreading love to everyone we meet. May we make the world a better place by these simple actions. And when it comes to the ones we love the most, may we always remember to do the work and share love. Have a beautiful day! 

Today my kids and I got around early for our first homeschool field trip. We drove out into the country about thirty minutes to visit the cider mill. It was a blast!

First we stopped in the store and grabbed some apple cider donuts, my favorite! Then we toured how the apples are washed and processed. We talked about all the things that can be made from apples as we nibbled our donuts.

Then we went to the other side of the property for a hay ride, giant slide, mini petting farm, and corn maze. There was so much to do and we had a lot of fun just being out exploring. It was a good change of scenery for all of us.

Getting there early meant that we were one of only three little families out exploring. We had plenty of space to play at the different attractions. By the time we found our way back to the front of the property there were van-loads of people pouring in. It was easy to see why this place was so popular. 

I'm so grateful to get out early so we could have time to play and explore at our own pace. I'm grateful for a good field trip location. I'm grateful for delicious apple cider donuts. I'm grateful for the baby being a trooper and keeping up with her big sister until we got back to the car. I'm grateful for a beautiful day! I'm grateful for the hay ride driver that allowed me to bring the wagon with us. I'm grateful for fun Fall activities. I'm grateful to share these moments with my kids. I'm grateful to see other ways, in hindsight, I could have used other spots as teaching tools; but grateful to have just played all the same.

Did you get to go on field trips as a kid? Where was your favorite field trip? If you could go on an adult field trip, where would you go and what would you learn about?

May today remind us the joys of learning. May we take time to learn in fun and explorative ways no matter what age. Have a beautiful day!

Today is a great combination of noteworthy days. It is National Do Something Nice Day, which probably should be a goal every day but it is a good reminder all the same. It is also National Child Health day. The beauty of this combination is that doing something nice for a child also supports their mental health. 

Obviously it is Monday, so a homeschool day. Our theme this week is Apples so we have all sorts of fun activities planned. We had a lot of fun snuggling up and reading some books about apple trees and picking apples. We made a Family (Apple) Tree, did some finger painting, and worked on writing the letter T. But what could be more fun than picking "apples" ourselves? So we taped some apples up to the frame of our indoor swing and jumped around trying to pick them off. Of course we couldn't eat all those "apples" so we fed them to the rocking horse. 

In the spirit of apple week we also got out our farm toy set with the apple tree that magically dumps its apples into the wagon below. And we spent some time playing non-apple games as well. 

Doing something nice doesn't have to be a big ordeal. It doesn't have to be a grand gesture. It does even have to be (and I definitely don't suggest this) caving to a child's every whim. 

Nice can be a simple hello. It can be holding the door for a stranger or leaving the change in the spare pennies jar for someone to use. It can be letting someone else go first. And when it comes to kids, nice is even easier. It can be reading them their favorite book or even just letting them tell you their story without being distracted by the dishes. It can be taking a few extra minutes to give those extra dozen hugs before you leave. And if you can be silly with them and let yourself loose to play, all the better. 

Mental health can be just as important as physical health. It is the challenge we all face during these pandemic times. It is important to find a balance. 

I'm grateful to get to homeschool my daughter this year. I'm grateful for all the people who have assisted in helping me find safer outings and playdates so my daughters can still be social. I'm grateful to take time to play today. I'm grateful to recognize when my daughter is truly just needing me to stop and listen (and really isn't that what we ask of kids all the time?). I'm grateful for some fun activities with the apple theme this week. I'm grateful to get creative. I'm grateful for this particular combination of days to celebrate. I'm grateful for each day I get to spend with my girls.

What nice thing can you do today? How can you help support a child's health? How can you support your own health today?

May today remind us to take care of ourselves and those around us. May we recognize the power of just listening. May we find something nice to do others (and for ourselves) each day. Have a beautiful day!