In the modern, privileged life there is a lot that often gets taken for granted. Things like fresh water to drink at the turn of a handle and a roof over our heads are so used that we can forget that there are people that do not have these luxuries. There are other things that we may not think of too.

Last night I parked on the street. It was supposed to snow a couple inches overnight again and I had an early doctor appointment for my daughter. Our driveway is very steep with the electric boxes seated right at the outside edge. Not knowing if I would be able to get out and shovel the driveway early enough, it made more sense to park on the street. 

This morning as I stood outside scraping my windows and allowing extra time for my car to warm up it occurred to me how spoiled I am most days. There are people that have to scrape and warm their car every time it snows. Being able to park in the garage is often something I take for granted. Today reminded me what a huge blessing it is to have this option. 

It isn't just stuff we have that gets taken for granted. As I look out the window at the paw prints in the snow I am reminded that our sweet dog is getting older. There have been several times in the last couple years we thought we were going to lose her but she has held on. It is easy to take for granted that she is over sleeping on her dog bed (what she does most of the time these days) and just let her be. Yet when I think about a day in the future when I won't here her soft snores or be able to snuggle her; I wonder why I am taking these moments for granted when she is right here to pet.

What gets taken for granted in your life? Is it your spouse that does something to help your day go a little smoother? Is it your pet running to greet you when you come home? Is it the kids banging on the door while you try to use the restroom? 

Even the things that may seem annoying at times can become something we miss down the road. If you can, take five minutes today to truly look around you. Think about all the things in your life that get taken for granted. If it is a person or pet, let them know. Take a moment to just be in awe of all the blessings you have each day.

I'm so grateful for soft dog snores. I'm grateful for the way my dog grinds her head on my leg to claim me. I'm grateful for my kids and these precious moments of them being young. I'm grateful to get the opportunity to scrape my car windows this morning to remind me how privileged I am. I'm grateful to my husband for getting up early to shovel the driveway so I could walk to my car a little safer. I'm grateful for the million things he does every day to make like go a little smoother. I'm grateful for my car and my home. I'm grateful for my laptop. I'm grateful for the soft old sofa that I like to sit on to unwind in the evening. I'm grateful for so many things I couldn't possibly write them all out in a blog. But I'm grateful to take more time to just sit and bask in the beauty of them all.

May today remind us of our blessings. May we take a moment to see what we take for granted with fresh eyes. Have a beautiful day!

I really enjoy color. When I bought my first house I went though and painted each room. I didn't want white walls or even beige, I wanted that soft wheat yellow and autumn reds and deep welcoming blues! While in this brief description it may sound like a lot, it came together beautifully. When I moved, the people actually asked the walls be kept their rich hues and kept the curtains too. 

While I have not made my mark on this house as much, I am comforted by the deep autumn orange of the dining room and the deep wine purple of my office sunroom. There are soft greens and even one wheat yellow room and one deep ocean blue room. 

As I look around the mess of toys, schoolwork, throw blankets, and other things it would be easy to let myself get a little stressed and feel the need to tidy up. Today that is not on my list of things that need done so instead I will blur the mess by focusing on the splash of color everywhere.

There is a hot pink Barbie Jeep and a yellow giraffe. There is a white and purple unicorn and a National Parks blanket of tans and oranges and sunsets. There is a blue ball and a red barn. I could keep going because the beauty of children is that they leave a colorful explosion wherever they play. They definitely make my life and my world more colorful in so many ways.

I'm grateful my kids have thoughtfully splashed color around for me to enjoy. I'm grateful for the wide variety of colors that exist. I'm grateful for fun color words like chartreuse, periwinkle, and cerulean. I'm grateful to see where color is important to me. I'm grateful to plan some splashes of color that I could add easily to my home. I'm grateful to see some other places where I could use a little less clutter of color. I'm grateful to enjoy color and so very grateful for the privilege to see color! I'm grateful for all the nuances of the different shades. 

What is your favorite color? Has it always been your favorite color or has it recently changed? Do you use different colors depending on your mood?

​May we pause to take in all the colors we can see. May we find ways to add our favorite colors into our everyday lives. Have a beautifully colorful day! 

Life can be unpredictable to say the least. I think this last year has taught us all quite a bit about that and about the need to be flexible.

I am a planner. I like things to go according to plan. Things rarely go according to plan! Ha! 

In the past I have really struggled with change. It felt like a loss of control, even though in reality that control was out of my hands from the start. But what if I just changed my focus? 

I can still plan. Instead of having a backup plan, perhaps I can just have a mood plan. I cannot control what will happen but I can control my response. If plan A doesn't work out, I will plan to laugh it off. I will plan to make the most of it and find some good in the alternative. 

We have a trip planned that is balancing on what the weather will end up being. I have no control over that. I can plan to have fun whether we are home or on the road. 

I enrolled my daughter for school next year even as the pandemic numbers are the worst they have been over the last year. There is a vaccine but I have no idea if or when my family will receive it. I enrolled my daughter anyway because even though it will be a big change for us, it will be a good one. 

Then I ask myself, what determines a good change versus a bad one? Sure there are changes that hurt, like the loss of a loved one. Most changes are not so big and can easily have good elements. Sometimes we don't realize that a change is actually leading us toward a good outcome because we are busy focusing on what we didn't want to let go of or change. 

A few weeks ago I said that perhaps this year would be about letting go, for me. Perhaps that is only one part of the bigger theme of embracing change. And the change I am most eager to embrace is letting go of the need to control and seeing the beauty in the things that don't go as planned.

I'm grateful to do this for myself and for my family. I'm grateful to take lots of breaths today and focus on smiling. I'm grateful to focus on options rather than what is no longer an option. I'm grateful to have taken the leap of faith and enrolled my daughter in school next year. I'm grateful to know there is still flexibility. I'm grateful to look at what is best in the long term. I'm grateful to take a quick trip to the playground today on a whim. I'm grateful to entertain the idea of a new favorite color. I'm grateful for the last year that has taught me so much and for the year ahead for me to learn and grow in new ways.

What will the theme of this year be for you? What areas do you like to plan and what areas of life do you just wing it? What helps you embrace change?

​May we recognize the need for change. May we find grace moving through any and all transitions this year. Have a beautiful day!

Every day history is made in one way or another, some days we move forward while some days feel like perhaps we are going back. Not every moment of history is momentous but it writes history and paves the future either way.

Today I was hit by an unexpected wave of emotion as I watched Kamala Harris being sworn in as the first woman to hold the Vice-Presidency. I sat there with my two daughters watching as Sonia Sotomayor voiced the oath for VP Harris to vow. 

While I tend to be an emotional person, I am not usually emotionally moved by important moments like these. I am grateful and pleased most definitely, but rarely emotional. 

I watched Christina Koch and Jessica Meir perform the first all female spacewalk in 2019. At the time my daughter asked why hadn't girls done that before and that resonated with how I generally feel about such events. It is great that it is happening but why has it taken so long and why is it still so rare for these special events for women that we have to make note that it is a woman? 

Something about watching these two amazing and powerful women today though, made me well up a little. These are the barriers I want to watch crumble. I want my girls to grow up in a world where truly any dream is possible. I want them to shoot for the stars, for whatever their hearts desire and not be held back by something so simple-minded as being born a woman. 

I'm grateful for the emotion I experienced today. I'm grateful to get to witness so many amazing women in my lifetime. I'm grateful for my girls, young as they are, watching this process with me. I'm grateful to see them enthralled by the beautiful young poet Amanda Gorman and I'm grateful for her powerful words. I'm grateful for a peaceful process today. I'm grateful for the sun shining. I'm grateful to feel like a new leaf is being turned over and while there will always be some days forward and potentially some back I am grateful to feel a new hope for love and unity. 

What moves you? What mark are you making in history today, even if it is seemingly that in "just" your own story? How do you imagine your life and your story impacting the world around you? How can you make a beautiful mark in history?

May today remind us we all have the power to inspire and bring change. May we use our powers to bring positive, loving change. May we take the time to consciously choose how we will make our mark in history. Have a beautiful day!

During the typical busy Monday morning I do not usually have time to sit and reflect. In fact that is what this quiet period of time during my kids' nap times is for. 

Today we had a fun surprise video call from my girls' grandma. As she attempted to speak to them while they crawled all over me and the sofa telling her their own thought bubbles all at once and hyped up on excitement she said something I could not even imagine. She said that even though she knew she lived through a similar busy-ness she really doesn't remember it that way.

I hear that a lot as a mom of young kids. People say, "oh, I forgot about the being up all night." I have heard, "I'm sure my kids went through that stage but I really don't remember those details." I have even heard, "I don't remember if my kids had trouble potty training." 

I'm in what people refer to as "the thick of it". There are days I completely feel that expression and other days that it doesn't feel that way at all. Yet it does make me wonder what I will remember as my kids grow up. Will I remember how my now 18 month old loves to meditate and do a very dramatic breath in and out? I hope so and yet as I try to think back to when my four year old was that age there are only little snippets of memories. Honestly, most of the memories from her being that age are from the quote book and journal I kept of her that I have not been as diligent with for my younger daughter. 

The moments fade. The days fade. Time passes. The things that drove me crazy once are forgotten. I try to think back to my pre-child days and I think, "how did I pass the time each day?" Obviously a good portion of it was that I worked a lot more hours, but on my days off? What did I do? It doesn't seem half as important as soaking up these fun, chaotic, and even the frustrating moments of my girls growing up. 

I'm so grateful for these beautiful blessings. I'm grateful for my mother-in-laws comment that made me pause and remember to cherish these moments, no matter how chaotic. I'm grateful for a walk this morning even if we barely made it a few houses away. I'm grateful to watch as my toddler tried to participate in her big sister's homeschooling today. I'm grateful to see their kind souls and hope that I am doing a good job nourishing them. I'm grateful to know I am doing my best and how that looks is ever evolving as I grow too. I'm grateful to take a moment and reflect back. I'm grateful for the realization of the many moments I have forgotten to I can make sure I am focusing on what is most important in each moment. I'm grateful to release the little frustrations as I realize those will not be the moments I choose to remember anyway. I'm grateful. I'm grateful for this beautiful gift and all the change and excitement it has brought to my life.

Which memories have you chosen to keep? What do you remember about five years ago? Ten years ago? What about 20 or 30 years ago? If there were one thing from today that you would want to remember, what would it be? For me it would be the love of a grandma that calls for a special surprise and her grandkids being so excited they can't even sit still. 

May today provide us with an overall feeling a love to remember. May we choose to carry the best memories forward and let the rest blend to a fuzzy message of deep love. Have a beautiful day!

I have been reflecting on the word "Love" quite a bit lately. There are so many kinds of love that it seems odd we only have one word for it. The way I love my siblings is different from the way I love my parents or spouse or child. There are friends that are like family that I love and yet I hold a form of love for clients and even people I have never met. 

My creative mind wants to define love as some acronym, something bigger than just one word. Let's see what comes...

L- Lean in
O- Open your heart
V- Vulnerability is important
E- Engage with each other

L- Look inside
O- Offer to all
V- Value every life
E- Encircle the world

L- Lasting
O- Offering
V- Validating
E- Empathy

Even giving "Love" four words and even doing that multiple times it barely scrapes the surface of what the word means. What words can you come up with? 

Love is waking in the middle of the night to be there for my girls. Love is cooking for my family. Love is the laughter shared around the table and welcoming parents and siblings even during a pandemic. Love is the little smooches that my husband and I sneak during the day and ignoring the snores during the night. Love is giving even if you don't have much to give. Love is offering understanding. Love is listening even if you cannot fully understand the other person's perspective. Love is a million things from the biggest gestures to the smallest glances. Love is all around us. Love is the best gift that anyone can give and everyone wants to receive. 

I'm grateful for love. I'm grateful to not be able to fully define it. I'm grateful for the magnitude of the millions of things we refer to as love. I'm grateful to love so many people. I'm grateful to be loved by so many. I'm grateful for the fun of using my creative mind even as my logical mind tries to "explain". I'm grateful this word is above the mere words we have to describe it. 

What do you love? Who do you love? Who gives you love? How can you give more love to the world? Love is so powerful and it is free, so let's give!

​May today remind us love is unlimited. May we give it freely and feel the return of that love as it travels all around the world and back to us. Have a beautiful day!

Sometimes I forget just how easy it is to travel without a care. Luckily I have a four year old to help remind me. In a few hours time we managed to visit a bear cave, have a snowball fight indoors, and go camping with about twelve animals ranging from hedgehog to unicorn. 

I have wrote in the past about the studies that show planning a trip can elevate your mood. In the studies it was found that while planning a trip increases happiness, sometimes actually taking the trip decreased that same happiness due to stress and logistics. It is sometimes more fun to plan the perfect vacation that actually take it.

This study suits me well as I do absolutely love planning trips. I enjoy researching what the best off-the-beaten-path activities are and imagining how fun it would be. Yet it is also true that I do tend to stress and overpack in the days or hours before the actual trip. It is always still well worth the getaway but skipping the stressing part is definitely a fine goal for me. 

My four year old has the solution. Even if we are camping on the moon and we forget something, we just grab it. It is like we never forgot it at all. Plus when I camp with her the s'mores are always perfect looking and I never end up sticky. It is no problem to climb a mountain and cuddle in with some hibernating bears. And if something better comes along, you just change the scenery of your mind. 

I'm grateful for a day of play. I'm grateful for our fun snowball fight that didn't even require a jacket. I'm grateful to get to go camping and even get to hold the special lantern. I'm grateful for the delicious s'mores that left no mess. I'm grateful to watch my daughter's mind at work as she spins the story for me and navigates me to which role I am supposed to play. I'm grateful to get to be the "kid" and let her handle all the cooking and camp set up. I'm especially grateful for sweet laughs and hugs shared. 

Where would you go if you were planning a trip in real life? Where would you go if just in your imagination? What wild activities would you dare to do in your fantasies? Which of those things would you be willing to push your comfort zone and try in real life?

May today open up our possibilities if even just in our imaginations. May we remember how important the mind is in creating our life and world. Have a beautiful day!

Today nature was calling. It is rare to get a day in the fifties in January. Even though it hadn't neared its peak temperature and the clouds were heavily in place, we decided to get outside and go to the park today.

My little one woke early so she was pretty tired and mostly observed from the stroller. My oldest cruised the whole time on her bike. Some places were still a bit icy where the shadow of trees hadn't melted it away but really that just added to the adventure. My preschooler really enjoyed trying to ride on the ice. And we all got to take in the beauty of Canadian Geese, Mallard Ducks, assorted other small wildlife, and even saw two trains up close! 

It was a so refreshing to be outside. Usually in the winter I am snuggled up in layers avoiding going out. I'm still not a fan of being cold but I made a mental commitment this year to see if getting outside more in the winter would also help the seasonal affective disorder. It really does seem to make a big difference! There is always a nice warm home to come back to, thankfully, to thaw in later. 

What elevates your mood? What invigorates you? What motivates you to try something new or do something you normally wouldn't? 

I'm grateful to get outside today. I'm grateful to be keeping my commitment to get outdoors this winter. I'm grateful my girls love being outside and the cold doesn't seem to bother them. I'm grateful for warm hats and coats. I'm grateful for a cute knitted hat. I'm grateful for a warm fuzzy blanket now that I am back inside. I'm grateful for strollers that allow tired little ones to cruise along and keep up. I'm equally grateful to slow down a bit when they want to walk and participate more fully. I'm grateful and proud for how well my preschooler is doing with her bike. I'm grateful for the multitude of questions she can come up with that make me slow down and really see things I otherwise would have missed. I'm grateful for so many beautiful parks to choose from in our area. I'm grateful for some that even have some flatter trails for beginner bikers. I'm grateful for the fresh air and feeling the coolness as it went into my lungs. I'm grateful to watch my breath as it curled and floated back out into the world. I'm grateful for these beautiful little moments.

May today be the breath of fresh air we needed. May we choose to push ourselves to grow and love each minute of the process. Have a beautiful day!

This year I have challenged myself to read at least ten minutes each day. It seemed like an achievable goal that would bring me some joy and so far it is working. To add to the pleasure I have chosen a book called A Complaint Free World by Will Bowen. 

I will admit this book has been on my "want to read" list for a couple years now. The Complaint Free World movement started not too far from my hometown which makes it even more special!

The choice to start with this book came from a feeling of not really feeling like a gratitude "coach" anymore. I am great at digging gratitude out of regular days or even rough days but it was feeling like a lot of my words were negative. Even here in this blog I have noticed it goes something like "this went wrong and this went wrong and this went wrong but I am still grateful". While this ability is an important practical step of any gratitude practice, it is better if we focus on what is going RIGHT to begin with; as you may imagine this makes gratitude even easier to find too.

So I am taking the beautiful challenge to make it 21 days without complaining! According to the book this takes people, on average, four to eight months to be able to go 21 consecutive days without complaining. A reminder bracelet is worn and each time a complaint is voiced, the bracelet is moved to the other hand. It trains us to recognize when we are complaining. I imagine this also does a good job of making us mindful of the triggers or situations where we complain most.

Today I have moved my bracelet no less that six times. The eye opening part for me is that a lot of my complaining is actually to my preschooler. I am certain we will both benefit from my commitment to this challenge. I'm excited to bring more positive messages back into my conversations!

I'm grateful for this book. I'm grateful for Will Bowen that started this hoping to impact his community. I'm grateful to hear that so many people worldwide have now taken the challenge. I'm grateful to be learning about my communication. I'm grateful to be gaining mindfulness about my triggers. I'm grateful to see how it plays out within different relationships. I'm grateful to be taking simple steps to be changing my life, holding my power, and voicing my beauty. 

​What goals have you set for yourself lately? Are you interested in raising the vibration of your life? Are you ready to find more beauty, more joy, and more gratitude in 2021? 

​No matter what this year brings, I believe, there is beauty to be found. May we choose to view and voice our story in a positive light. Have a beautiful day!

Today has been a beautiful day! It has been full of some of my favorite "s" words.

It started off with SLEEPing in! This is rare in my family, especially on a day when my husband has to get up for work. 

Then my daughters and I sat on my preschooler's bed and had some SUNRISE SNUGGLES! I love those two words individually anyway but when they are together it makes for a pretty perfect start to the day.

Now that my little one isn't taking a morning nap most days we have had to get a little creative with schooling my preschooler. Luckily the SISTERS were happy to help each other learn today. Overall it went really smoothly!

While we were playing playdoh a deer came walking through our backyard. I think I was even more excited than the kids. We used to have lots of deer come through but it has been a while since we've seen one. I sat there SMILING and gazing out the window. I couldn't help thinking to myself, "it really is the SIMPLE pleasures in life that mean the most." 

When I am in the moment and focusing on the beautiful moments of life, it is easy to SOAR. It makes any little bumps so much easier to just float passed. 

I'm grateful for these wonderful "S" words that help describe my joy. I'm grateful to have enjoyed so many simple pleasures in one day! I'm grateful for the new book I have started reading to help me be more mindful of my words and focus on the positive. I'm grateful to feel my SPIRIT lifting. I'm grateful to witness the sweet bond that is forming between my girls. I'm grateful to have this time with them.

What are your favorite simple pleasures? What "S" words are your favorite? What letter is helping you describe the best parts of your day?

May we give credit to the little things that bring us joy. May we express our gratitude in whatever way fills our cup. Have a beautiful day!