Among the things this pandemic has taught me is that we don't need a place to go as long as we have a place to BE. We need a place to be accepted. We need a place to be silly and let loose. We need a place to be understood. We need a place to be whatever we need to be in that moment. 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE traveling. I especially love traveling to places far away from city lights and bustle. But one thing I have been aware of for over a decade is that I use travel as an escape. I use it most when I am feeling too boxed in and suffocated at home. Yet over the course of this pandemic I have realized that if I create space within my home and my schedule to have that retreat every day, I do not need to escape my life. I can BE, right here. Which means when I do get away on vacation; it is truly vacation.

I'm grateful for all the lessons the pandemic has taught me. I'm grateful to be adding more play and imagination into my day. I'm grateful to be reconnecting on a deeper level to my spiritual side. I'm grateful to just lie on the floor and watch a ladybug wander across. I'm grateful my girls we as excited to see a winter ladybug as I was. I'm grateful to be creating more space at home to BE and I'm grateful to know that gives more space for my kids to just be also.

What do you do to help your home be a haven? What helps you "vacation" at home? How does it feel when you have the chance to just be?

​May we all take time to renew. May we have a safe place to be ourselves. Have a beautiful day!

On Monday my oldest was home because school was out for Martin Luther King Day. We read books, did some crafts, and talked about how we can do our part to make the world a better place.

Tuesday my oldest was home from school because she still had a cough and sore throat left over from the weekend. Her covid test was negative but we definitely wanted her to be healthy before returning her to school. We read some books but mostly her and her sister just played quietly.

Now we have reached Wednesday. My oldest didn't want to go to school today because she would rather be home learning as we did last year. Because she still had a cough and possible sore throat we allowed her one more day of rest. Then spent all morning trying to find a balance in connecting but not having too much fun as she needed to rest and will have to return to school tomorrow.

Then there is my little one, who has now missed three days of having her special mommy time. It is easy to see she is over having her big sister home during HER time with me. We had to carve out some snuggle time and special activities to reconnect. 

It can be a hard balance. We all need connection. We need to feel seen and heard. We all benefit from some time spent with someone special. But we also need space to grow. We need space to be alone and contemplate. We need space to reach out and try something new. We need support and love but also wings.

I'm grateful for these extra days with my oldest daughter. I'm grateful to hear she enjoys spending time with me still. I'm grateful to carve out some special time for my little one. I'm grateful to try and honor their needs even as I seek balance of my own. I'm grateful to connect. I'm grateful they enjoy games and crafts. I'm grateful to remember to give love first.

How do you connect? What is your favorite activity to do with a friend?

May we take time to connect. May we feed the piece of our soul that is in need. May we also take time to reflect and grow. Have a beautiful day!

This weekend we got several inches of snow. As I wrapped up work on Saturday, I suddenly felt the call to play. It is not a new call for me, of course, I tend to be a pretty playful person. Usually I carry out my playfulness with me kids. But my kids were off at my parents' house this weekend.

Rather than ignore the need for play, I followed my heart. I popped into the store to by a sled and rushed home. Our home is built on a fairly steep hill. As I stood on the sled (yes, I bought a stand on kind) and looked down the hill I felt a rush!

I wiped out four or five times going down the hill as I tried to maintain balance and steer between our garden lined with rocks and our neighbor's garden lined with pavers. Even as I crashed face first in snow over and over I couldn't help giggling with joy. This is living. This is play. This is my heart-space.

When we are doing what our heart desires, it doesn't have to go well to be enjoyable. Whatever play you enjoy that puts you in this joyous space, find a way to do it as often as possible.

I'm grateful to listen to my heart. I'm grateful to play. I'm grateful for plenty of snow to play in. I'm grateful to go for it and laugh the whole way. I'm grateful to share my sled with my kids when they got home and watch their joy too. I'm grateful for these beautiful moments.

May we all take time to play the way it speaks to our hearts. Have a beautiful day!

Today was a beautiful change of scenery. My family has pretty much kept to our own space as the covid numbers once again soar. But today I was invited to have tea with just a couple close friends and the benefit of social connection was too important to pass up. 

I'm so grateful to have this connection. I'm so grateful for the beauty of blooming tea. I'm so grateful to catch up on what is happening with friends. I'm grateful for connections that last even through pauses and changes. I'm grateful to leave the solo (family only) existence for a couple hours to spend time with friends. I'm grateful for my little one's easy-going personality as she tagged along and kept herself occupied. I'm grateful for this beautiful day!

How are you getting the connection you need these days? What little things bring beauty and light to your week?

May we all take time to nourish our soul. May we make time for the people who are important. Have a beautiful day!

It is hard to tell how good a day will be by getting a glimpse of a few minutes. There are always better parts of the day and more challenging parts. The day overall is decided when the day is over, and all those pieces are added up. (I would add perspective plays a big role in how you choose to define it too because even challenging days can be great.)

The same is true for success. Often as a parent I get hung up on what I feel like I am doing right or wrong. But this is just the beginning of the "puzzle". And unlike the beauty pictured above, I have no pre-drawn picture of how this journey will look. 

Instead of deciding failure or success for my life, I can focus on progress. Am I engaging with my goals? Am I learning and growing? Am I moving? Preferably moving in the forward direction but I have definitely learned the direction doesn't always matter as much as movement itself. And most importantly, what does success even look like by my own terms?

I'm grateful to pause and evaluate. I'm grateful to be moving forward. I'm grateful to see successful moments and moments of progress. I'm grateful to be working out my own definition of how success looks. I'm grateful to focus on progress. I'm grateful to see the steps I take and the progress I make each week. I'm grateful to be on this beautiful journey of parenthood. I'm grateful to be on the adventure of entrepreneurship again too.

May today redefine our criteria on a good (or great) day. May we focus on progress and the beautiful moments of the journey. Have a beautiful day!

One of the things my family wrote on our 2022 bucket list is to try at least one new food each month. This month we decided to help the girls explore new fruits.

Dragonfruit was an easy choice being its exotic look and fun name. The girls were so excited making their predictions on what color it would be inside and how it might taste. It was definitely a hit for both of them which is a bonus for me!

Watching my two little eaters exploring with such excitement made me remember how great new experiences can be. This pandemic has changed a lot of things. In some ways it has removed a lot of the experiences and opportunities that we used to take for granted. In other ways it has given us new adventures and new opportunities that we wouldn't have gotten creative and explored without our normal routine being in upheaval. 

I found myself complaining the other day about the lack of things to do. Then I stopped myself mid-complain and said, "actually, I'm more creative than this. Time to stop complaining and find or create something new to do!" 

It is easy to get in a rut. Routines can be so comfortable. But there is a lot to learn about and explore in this world and even if that adventure looks a little different than it used to does not mean the adventure is over. I, for one, plan to be an explorer every day of my life. So now is a great time to get back to it!

I'm grateful to catch myself and the silly box I created around my view. I'm grateful to burst out of that box and start searching for new ways to explore. I'm grateful for my sweet girls who are always great teachers. I'm grateful for their natural explorative nature. I'm grateful for dragonfruit to get us started on our food journey. I'm grateful to be researching and exploring new ways to adventure.

What will you create this week? What will you explore this month?

May we keep our nature to explore and learn no matter our age. May we adapt when needed and keep moving forward. Have a beautiful day!

Okay, so day two of back to school was a bit rocky. Clearly we need a little bit more time to get back into our groove, especially my oldest who is the one actually going to school. But a bumpy start is still a start!

I think we often forget that just because things aren't going smooth it doesn't necessarily mean it isn't working. New starts can be bumpy. There is an adjustment period. The key is to keep moving forward, keep trying, and give it a little time to smooth out. 

I'm grateful to keep my cool when the kids are melting down around me. (This has been one of the hardest parts of parenting for me, so I definitely celebrate these wins.) I'm grateful to strive to improve my parenting as I grow with my children. I'm grateful for the bumps that remind me to slow down and reconnect. I'm grateful my kids have their own rooms so they can take a quiet break when needed. I'm grateful for all the teachers out there dealing with the transition back all in the midst of the pandemic. I'm grateful for an evening out of the house tonight as a family.

What do you do when you hit a bump? How do you like to balance yourself when things around you may be bumpy?

May we remember the transition is part of the adventure. May we keep our eye on the goal and move forward. Have a beautiful day!

There are a lot of things I want to do this year, like hike barefoot with my family and camp under the stars in a new place. There are a lot of things I have to do this year, like keep up with my licenses and pay bills. Then there are things that have to be done but not necessarily by me. 

I will be the first to admit I'm not the best at delegating. If there are six bags of groceries to carry in, I got it. If both kids are too tired to make it back from the hike, I got it. If...well you get the point. My husband is forever reminding me to let him, or someone, help.

This year I am feeling the draw to jump on board this delegating thing. My schedule has been packed. As I feel myself getting stressed as I try to work out taxes on a new business, I am reminded that we each specialize in something for a reason. This is not mine. I can figure it out, but is it really worth my time and stress? Now is the perfect time to put this concept into practice. And there are a dozen other things on the list that I could probably let go too.

I'm grateful for my husband and all the help and balance he helps bring to my life. I'm grateful to be mindful of how my breathing feels which is usually my first indication of stress. I'm grateful to put to practice this idea of delegating. I'm grateful to seek balance. I'm grateful to know of several places that can take care of taxes for me. I'm grateful to focus on the to do list that brings me joy.

What do you delegate? Which things do you choose to keep on your list?

May we remember to seek balance in all roles. Have a beautiful day!

The new year has arrived with new weather, new computer, and new hope. I took several days off to focus on myself and my family which was much needed. Then I took yesterday to focus on shoveling the driveway!

My husband went back to work this week after a couple weeks off. My oldest daughter will return to school tomorrow and we will be back to the normal routine. As much as we loved our time together, I think we will all benefit from having a little routine back. 

As we hop into this new year there are still a lot of external influences with the pandemic continuing and all the usual post-holiday hullabaloo. I highly recommend carving some time out for yourself to just sit and listen and ask yourself, "how do I want this year to look?". 

In our home, we sit down with the kids and make a bucket list for the year. We all have input in what things we want to try to experience in the year to come. We do our best to accomplish most if not all of it. Looking over the list gives us a good idea of what our goals are and this year the overwhelming theme seems to be getting out of the house! I'm sure a lot of people are feeling that this year. 

I'm grateful to be adapting to all the change. I'm grateful to have figured out how to use most features on my computer. (haha, I am not the most tech savvy person) I'm grateful for all the time with family. I'm grateful to launch into another prosperous year. I'm grateful to see our family goals in alignment with one another's which makes it that much more fun to accomplish. I'm grateful for the excitement the bucket list gives me as we plan for how to check everything off. I'm grateful for so much new but even more so for the steady friends and family in my life that are a solid base for me. I'm even grateful for some snow and the reminder of which muscles could use a little more action in my daily workout.

What will your year bring? What will you do or create? 

May we move into this year with hope and confidence. May we create with love. Have a beautiful day!