Have you ever heard the little rhyme about girls being made of sugar and spice and everything nice while boys are made of snails and puppy dog tails? Like most things, this "one box fits all" saying doesn't seem to sit well with me. It's not that I don't like the rhyme or that I think my girls aren't sweet and nice (though there is maybe a couple extra dashes of spice in them); it just doesn't seem to fit their personalities in the rounder view. 

Today I was reading Sugar and Snails by Sarah Tsiang to my daughter. It had a cute take on different little rhymes to fit different personalities. I was a fan of little girls being made of snails and rocks and butterfly socks as the book offers. Maybe dresses and snails and racing down trails would be a good rhyme for my oldest. Instead she chose out of each rhyme (as is her personality to a T) so she said she is made of dresses and snails and race cars. It is more fitting that she chose her own path and doesn't care that it doesn't rhyme. And that is good too, it's her. 

My little one is still emerging as her personality unfolds for us. Some days she seems so laid back but man other days she can throw a fit for the world to hear. She loves to swing and gets shy around people other than her immediate family. Maybe acorns and swings and firefly wings would work for her for now, until she can choose her own style like her big sister. I'm sure each day she will teach us more and more about just what makes her.

The best thing about it is that not only do we not have to fit in the box, or in someone's stereotype of us, we also have the option to change it up every day, every moment, whenever we want. We are fluid people, ever changing. We can change whenever we want. And for me it is fun to think up some little rhymes to go with it.

Today maybe I am cuddly and calm with some cherry lip balm. Tomorrow perhaps I will be adventurous and crazy in something lacy. I like the idea that I'm part owl, part monkey, and a little bit spunky. Or maybe since it's Fall, my favorite season, I am pumpkin spice and fall leaves and cozy blankets please.

I'm grateful to be playful and test my mind with rhyme. I'm grateful to get creative. I'm grateful for Sarah Tsiang's spin on the old rhyme. I'm grateful for the idea that boys can be "flowers and swings and bumblebee wings" and girls can be "snails and rocks and butterfly socks". I'm grateful to know we can be whatever we want to be. I'm grateful to know we can change that as we see fit whenever we want. And I'm grateful to honor everyone as they are, even if it doesn't rhyme.

So what are you "made of"? Who do you choose to be tomorrow? How will you honor yourself exactly as you are this week?

May today remind us we are beautiful expressions of our uniqueness. May we let our quirks shine and be authentically our own beings. 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!

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!

Today's high is seventy-six degrees while tomorrow is supposed to be nearly fifteen degrees cooler. It was a no-brainer to make sure we got some time outdoors this morning.

Rather than walk the neighborhood or find a park trail I decided to give the playground a try. One benefit of homeschooling while most kids have returned to school is that on weekdays the park is like a ghost town. The mom in me a year ago would have preferred to find a park with lots of kids for my daughter to interact with and socialize. These days with the pandemic we seek playgrounds that are devoid of all other people. 

The sunshine itself kills the virus pretty quickly and being outside in the midwest wind to begin with does a pretty good job of making me feel comfortable at the playground if no one else is there. And today was the perfect combination of beautiful sunny day and open playground to run and be silly. (I will admit the other benefit of not having kids her age to play with there means I have an excuse to play on the slides and equipment too!)

It still is hard to watch how my little one struggles with these new situations. She doesn't remember playing at the park a year ago, mostly because she was about four months old and in a stroller while we followed her sister around. She is a fairly cautious baby anyway so it takes her a bit to warm up. Today she was really getting the hang of climbing up and going down the slide by herself, after her sister went first of course.

It did my heart good to see them playing together. It did my soul good to be out in the sunshine and wind, playing and being silly. It did my mind good to know this opportunity hadn't been missed and these memories will be enjoyed. 

Even as we loaded into the car and I sanitized their sweet little hands (something I never would have bothered with a year ago) I could dispel my worries. I was using every precaution. And the joys and benefits were worth the minute risk. 

I'm grateful to get outside today. I'm grateful to get to play with my girls. I'm grateful to watch as my oldest blossoms as a big sister, teaching the baby how to be brave and try new things. I'm grateful for these moments. I'm grateful for sunshine on my face and wind in my hair. I'm grateful for time to be silly. I'm grateful to let go of all the craziness going on right now and just be there having fun. (I'm also beyond grateful that we were able to walk away when the timer went off with no meltdowns!)

How are you getting fresh air these days? What risks are worth it for your sanity? How are you connecting with the moment and practicing being present?

May the sunshine feed our soul. May we find opportunities to step away from the weight of the world. And may we take every opportunity to play. Have a beautiful day!

Today was one of those days that plans seemed to get thwarted at each turn. It just wasn't going as I pictured it in my mind. Each redirection seemed to hit its own snag.

Even when I tried to get us outside for a reset we only made it four houses down the street in twenty minutes with one child repeatedly lying down on the sidewalk or refusing to walk, the other one trying to run off ahead, and the dog stopping to poop three times and pee another four. Needless to say when we arrived home I did not feel reset, only annoyed. 

Lunch went well and we had a few minutes of nice playtime. Then it was time for my preschooler and my special time while her sister started her nap. She picked painting only to meltdown multiple times about accidentally putting the wrong colors in the wrong places, but then couldn't even decide which color was in the wrong place. Oy. 

After cuddling up with some books and sending her off to her own quiet time I had to just pause and laugh. No seriously, Laughter Yoga is pretty essential on days like this for my own sanity. After that it was time to let go of what my mind pictured for the day and let my "eye" seek the successes. I have gotten a little rusty at this practice but I'm determined to bring it back and keep positive spirits.

So, what was a success? My daughter's writing practice was beautiful today and she smiled while she practiced. She was so proud of herself! Our egg experiment got the point across, if not as dramatically as I'd hoped. We had a silly time coloring in outlines of the girls on giant paper...and even more fun taping it up for display. (It was the baby's first experience with tape, pretty fun and her big sister tried to show her how to use it.)

Our walk did get us out of the house. The dog's colon is cleaner and healthier than ever it seems. My littlest is finding ways to express herself and gaining new words. 

I got to paint. I love to paint! My colors ended up where I wanted them and the beauty of painting with my daughter is that I'm getting pretty good and letting go of my own perfectionism and just plopping paint wherever I feel like it. Is that a blue leaf? Why yes, because there were already red, orange, yellow, and green leaves...that one felt like it needed some blue. Why not?

Now that I think about it, it was a pretty great day! We got everything done, at least to some degree that I wanted to do and that in itself is a huge success. We still had time to play and paint and read which are staples of joy in our house. Guess my mind didn't get the memo, but in the eye of the beholder this day was exactly how it was meant to be.

I'm grateful to let go of the ideas I created and step into the positive. I'm grateful to take the time to express these positive points to my daughters. I'm grateful to do my best to model being positive and I'm grateful to definitely nail the way I model being human. I'm grateful to admit when I'm wrong, apologize when I'm crabby, and celebrate whole heartedly when we turn it around. I'm grateful to pause the mental dialogue on the "shoulds" and reroute it to all the successes we had. 

How do you turn the day around when it is going awry? How do you move from the mind to the eye?

May today be lived from the heart. May we find the beauty in the moments and the success in the big picture. Have a beautiful day!

This weekend was full of loved ones' birthdays. There were cousins that celebrated birthdays in their corners of the pandemic world. My grandpa had a forever birthday up in heaven.

The most fun for me personally was watching my big brother turn forty. I have always looked up to him in some ways and rivaled against him in other ways. This year, with everything going on, I got to really sit and cherish all the great traits he holds and the lessons he has taught me.

Age is truly just a number. It says little in comparison to how you act. My brother seems to find a way to work hard and play hard with a pretty good balance. He takes care of himself by working out and eating right. (I mean he is a personal trainer with his own gym, but he really does walk the walk.) He meets goals, makes time for date nights, and still has time to spend with his nieces. 

In the past I have wondered if I hold people up on too much of a pedestal. My memories of my Grandpa are mostly held in his wisdom and ability to be goofy. I adored him and I miss him a lot. I know he was human and made mistakes. He spoke to me about some of them during our lone evening chats together after my grandma passed. But he had a good heart and did his best. 

As I think about my brother I realize they have a lot in common. Their knowledge base is very different but temperament and charisma are alike in many ways. So it only makes sense that I would adore my brother too. Yes, he is human. He has made mistakes and as a big brother has annoyed or disappointed me plenty of times. But I couldn't have asked for a better brother to prepare me for life as an adult. 

I'm grateful to celebrate the amazing people in my life as they celebrate another year of their lives. I'm grateful to spend time to remember and reflect on my grandpa. I'm grateful to have ways to reach out to those celebrating their birthdays at a distance here on earth. I'm grateful for an awesome big brother. I'm grateful to know we are given the people in our lives for a reason. I'm grateful to adore and look up to while maintaining the piece of me that knows my loved ones are human too. I'm grateful for a day to celebrate my brother.

How do you celebrate birthdays? Who do you look up to and how do maintain the balance? 

May today remind us to celebrate with the ones we love while we can. May we focus on the positive while keeping the pedestal human. Have a beautiful day!

One of the best skills we have worked on with my preschooler during Covid is how to ride her bike. It is a balance bike that she has had since she was two and a half.

She used to toddle around with it inside the house but once her sister was born and she was beginning to ride faster, it moved outside. The struggle with that is our driveway is not exactly bike friendly. There is a small flat area at the top surrounded by garage, 5 foot rock ledge (followed by garden and then another one), and the steep decent to the street. 

Our neighborhood is not bike friendly for young learners either with steep hills in all directions. In fact, until camping this summer, she had only been on her bike maybe five times since it had been moved outside. At the campground she enjoyed riding and getting more comfortable on it. 

Today we did something rare and wonderful for us, we went on a playdate. We were definitely in need of some social time and a bike ride with friends seemed the perfect way to do that safely. 

While I didn't get to participate in the actual bike riding, as I was pushing a stroller with the baby, I enjoyed watching her and her little friends cruise at their different levels of comfort on their bikes. They were so happy to see each other and ride together.

We saw a group of young women out riding together on our way back. I asked my daughter if she thought that when her and her friends were that age they might still enjoy riding their bikes together. "Definitely!" 

I look forward to the day when we can have playdates of any variety. In the meantime I'm happy to have found a fun, active way to hang out with friends while still being safe.

I'm grateful to get out for some fresh air and exercise. I'm grateful to see our friends. I'm grateful to watch my daughter fall into sync with her playmates even with so much time between visits. I'm grateful for lovely parks and trail system throughout our area. I'm grateful for the understanding and care taken by friends to meet each of us at our own comfort levels. I'm grateful for kind friends for my daughter. I'm grateful for great moms to have as my own friends. I'm grateful for the beautiful day and the ability to build our physical and emotional health.

What are your favorite socially-distanced activities right now? How do you keep your physical and mental health?

May today be the fresh breath we all needed. May we keep focused on the light at the end of the tunnel and until then be safe and happy. Have a beautiful day!

My preschool is a master at getting my attention. We have a lot of fun together. It helps that the baby still naps twice a day so there is some one on one time for us.

At the end of the day I often find myself realizing that I get very little time with my precious baby without distraction. She is growing and changing so fast and I feel like we just don't get enough time together.

I made the intention today to find time for my little one. I talked it up to my preschooler about how she was the big sister and I needed her help teaching her little sister about colors and such. So we made a game with the colorful ball pit balls and played it for the couple minutes her sister's attention span lasted. It was fun!

Then I made a point to take time to read a book to the baby and enticed my preschooler with a sticker book she could do on her own. She gets a lot of individualized time anyway and now with homeschool she gets even more so I wasn't too worried about encouraging her to entertain herself. 

The baby ate it up. She loved having my attention and interaction which reinforced how important it is for me to make this commitment. She loved it so much she decided to claim a little more time for herself by waking up forty minutes early from her afternoon nap.

While I will admit there were moments of "ahh, now I don't have time to get any of MY stuff done" it was mostly a positive experience. It kept bringing me back to the moment and back to what I had asked the universe for; more time with my sweet baby. This was what I asked for and it was a great time to bond more with my sweet little one. I even heard her say a few words I hadn't heard her say before!

I'm grateful for the universe answering my request. I'm grateful for the reminder to be grateful for the answer even if it looks different than planned. I'm grateful for this beautiful time with my daughter. I'm grateful to have had a lot of time with each child today. I'm grateful for the way it filled my heart getting to play with each of my girls one on one. I'm grateful to bring myself back to the moment and enjoy my time. I'm grateful for the hope that maybe this will be part of our new normal.

What are you asking for? How is it showing up? If it shows up differently than you expect, is it still what you want?

May today remind us to be flexible and grateful. May we cherish the opportunities that come our way even if they look different than imagined. Have a beautiful day!

We decided to go on a short weekend camping trip. Isn't that the whole beauty of owning a camper? So off we went, just the five of us, on a little getaway just an hour away. 

It was only our second time camping with our little camper so there were still a few kinks to work out. We are figuring out a routine of how things need loaded and what needs brought along. There were a couple hiccups as things got forgotten, but nothing we couldn't make do without. 

I managed to get us ninety percent packed Friday so that when my husband got off work we could head out quickly. We knew we needed to be home before noon Sunday so that we could still meet up for family lunch. It gave us all day Saturday to just enjoy nature and family time.

When we camp we all get less sleep. We are up later but usually wake at the same time, sometimes earlier. We skip the baby's morning nap unless she grabs it as we hike but we do still try to take some time to rest in the afternoon. 

This trip we got to explore and play in a lake. I hadn't thought about it but it was my preschooler's first time in a lake. Having grown up around a lake it hadn't occurred to me the newness of seeing it through my kids' eyes as they experienced it for the first time. There was sand! There were waves! Look at the boats! 

Even making the hike back to the campground solo, carrying two crying kids and our stuff was still a memory worth making. (One kiddo got sand in her eye, the other cut her hand on a rock, and Dad was back at camp already making dinner.) We got to see a whole group of deer eating, take evening walks, and even took a whole family, snuggly nap. 

We got home, unloaded in record time, showered and made it to family lunch just a few minutes behind schedule. There is no question that I am completely exhausted. But it is the best kind of tired I could ask for at the end of a weekend. It is a tired full of memories made, moments shared, and treasures to cherish. 

I'm so grateful for our camper. I'm grateful for this trip. I'm grateful for the beautiful memories we made and will be able to keep making. I'm grateful for my girls' love of nature and getting dirty. I'm grateful the baby can be entertained for hours with just the gravel of the camp pad. I'm grateful for the renewed life our trips have brought out in my sweet dog, who is 14 years old. I'm grateful my preschooler is so inquisitive and wants to learn about everything. I'm grateful for my husband's sense of adventure that equals my own. I'm grateful to just say, "let's do it." whether "it" is a last minute trip or swimming even when I forgot a suit for myself. I'm grateful to seize the moment and live fully.

What is your best tired? What is your favorite way to seize the moment? How are you finding ways to live fully even in these odd times?

May we find plenty of moments to live fully. May we embrace the moment and float on the waves. Have a beautiful day!

This morning provided the most beautiful gift. My youngest daughter woke up first, as usual. We played in her room for a little while and then went downstairs. We ate breakfast but the rest of the family was still sound asleep. 

My youngest loves being outside. She quickly worked her way passed the table and looked out the windows at the trees. We watched through the window as one of the small branches began twitching and bobbing erratically, definitely not from wind. After a moment a young cardinal appeared. My daughter was so ecstatic she began chirping and "whoo whoo" and any flight-animal sounds she knows trying to pair one to this bird. 

I decided to move us outside for a better view. Rather than sit on the deck's built in benches which face you toward the house, we plopped right on the deck by the windows to gaze out and up at the yard. It took a few moments for the wildlife to settle back into their routines. Soon a squirrel ran passed on the rail of the deck. The cardinal returned as well as several small birds. 

In one particularly quiet, still moment a hummingbird came and hovered, peering at us curiously. It darted back and forth watching us before it flew away. It was such a magical moment! I think even my infant daughter could tell just how special it was because she sat perfectly still watching and as soon as it was gone turned to me with her face pure glee. It was priceless.

I'm grateful for these quiet moments. I'm grateful to cherish this time not only in nature but together. I'm grateful for our woodland visitors. I'm grateful to have this beautiful slice of nature in the city. I'm grateful for the squirrels that are always active and entertaining. I'm grateful for the bountiful bird population, especially the cardinals that hold special significance for me. I'm beyond grateful to get to see a hummingbird and be fully in the moment as we studied each other. I'm grateful for my youngest daughter and her quiet, gentle personality. 

What gifts did you receive today? What moments were offered to cherish?

​May today remind us to pause and take in each moment. May we be rewarded for being present. May we cherish the memories these moments provide. Have a beautiful day!