Last night I came home from work feeling pretty stressed. My engine light had come on and with a little inspection the oil was low. I take good care of my car. I never miss a service and if it weren't against the rules of my warranty I'd just service it myself. What was going on?

After talking to my husband and the dealership it was agreed that I could simply top off the oil until my service in a few hundred miles. So my husband, being the sweetheart-white-knight that he is, ran out to pick me up some motor oil. 

This morning before taking the girls to school I opened up the hood to give her a drink. I was a little flustered because of the rush for time but then my daughter said something that made me pause. "WOW, Mom! I didn't know you were a real life mechanic! What is that? What does that do? What's that hole?" 

The pride and excitement in her voice over something so normal to me gave me pause. It brought me joy! I got to tell her how her Papa used to be a mechanic and how he had taught me everything I know. We explored some under the hood and talked about why the car needs oil. I couldn't help but love this beautiful moment between mother and daughter. 

When I got back from dropping her off at school my little one and I planted some daffodils. Daffodils always bring me such joy in the Spring. It was nice to dig in the dirt together. Again I found myself just in love with this beautiful, dirty moment with my other daughter. She asked questions and I explained why we have to cover the bulb with dirt and mulch and water it. Then we watched a large grasshopper as he wandered by. 

I may not be able to teach my girls the best way to put on eyeshadow as they get older. I can mostly manage my way through a french braid if they sit still for me. And it is a rare site for me to be in a dress. But stereotypes and meant to be broken. Women are more than just being dolled up. And for me a little motor oil and playing in the dirt is just about the best day I can picture for a regular Tuesday morning. 

I'm grateful to show my girls that girls can do anything. I'm grateful to pause and answer their questions. I'm so grateful to let the pride in my daughter's voice fill my heart. I'm grateful to teach and to learn every day. I'm grateful my car let me know something was wrong before any damage was done. I'm grateful for the smell of motor oil that brings back so many memories. I'm grateful to get my hands dirty. I'm grateful to know there will be new daffodils in the Spring. 

Where do you shine? What stereotypes do you break? When do you feel proud and happy?

May we break out of the box. May we quit building the stereotypes that need to be broken. And may we find joy and pride in doing what we love. Have a beautiful day!

This weekend was the beginning of my birthday celebrations as I spend time with my parents and siblings as well as a date night with my husband. My mom made one of my favorite lunches. My dad did a mini hayride for me and the kids. And everyone shared the dessert.

I love this time of year. I love all the Fall Festivals, pumpkins, hayrides, and bonfires. I love getting to be near my family so we can celebrate together. And the weather this weekend was perfect for sweatshirts in the morning and t-shirts in the afternoon.

I'm grateful my birthday falls at such a fun time of year. I'm grateful for all the celebrations in the Fall. I'm grateful to kick of birthday celebrations early with my wonderful family. I'm grateful to get a date night with my husband. I'm grateful for my dad's thoughtfulness in his little mini wagon rides. I'm grateful for all the effort my mom goes to to make everyone's favorite birthday foods. I'm grateful to be silly and celebrate with my kids. I'm grateful to be coming up on another birthday and another beautiful year to come.

What is your favorite Autumn activity? When was the last time you took a hayride or wandered through a pumpkin patch? How do you like to celebrate your birthday?

​May today be a celebration for all. May we find what we love and add it into our daily lives as much as possible. Have a beautiful day!

Grandmas are such amazing forces in a child's life. They can make you feel like the most important person in the world. They can sneak you treats that your parents would never let you have, or at least not in the bulk a grandma can provide. And hopefully, they are someone you can turn to if you need to talk something out that maybe you can't say to your mom.

There was a time when I was a Grandma's girl. When I was too shy to be the center of attention, she stood with me. We went camping. She made me the most personal homemade gifts. There were times that I would call her from college and ask her to tell me stories just so I could hear what it was like when she was my age. 

I will never forget the day she was pulled away so unexpectedly. But I will also never forget all the love she shared with me while she was here. Today is her birthday and no matter how many years pass, I will always remember. 

I watch my girls building this same beautiful bond with my mom. I watch her step into the role of grandma so beautifully and gracefully. I watch them camp and pretend not to see the extra treats that get slipped to them. It takes me back to that bond I had and I am so grateful they have that relationship too.

I'm grateful for all the beautiful moments I had with my grandma. I'm grateful to celebrate her today. I'm grateful my own daughters have two amazing grandmas. I'm grateful to watch my mom move into the grandma role and fulfill that dream of hers. I'm grateful for all the memories they are creating. I'm grateful to focus on the beauty and blessings today.

Did you have a relationship with your grandma? Did you have a person in your life that filled this role for you? 

May every child know the beauty of unconditional love. May we take the time to find someone who fills the grandma role for us and may we be that person for someone younger as well. Have a beautiful day!

This morning was another rainy, thunder-filled morning. While I absolutely love these kind of mornings, my girls were thinking it maybe wasn't their favorites. For my older daughter it meant darkness, indoor recess, and just wanting to have a movie day rather than go to school. For my little one it meant scary thunder and flashes outside the window and the sun was "missing". 

Some days need a little turn-around right at the beginning. I could tell that this may be one of those days. I told them how much I like rain but also how much I like rainy music. We put on some of our favorite dance tunes, starting with a little Eddie Rabbit, "I Love a Rainy Night". My little one decided she needed her rain boots on in the house to dance to rainy day music. Then my older daughter decided we should turn off the lights so the rain boots really stood out when they flashed and lit up. We had a blast dancing around to the light-up boots and tunes!

I love how just five to ten minutes of silliness and play can turn the day around. I'm grateful to have such a fun morning. I'm grateful to have woke a little early so we could have a few minutes in our schedule for this silliness. I'm grateful for the storm that inspired us. I'm grateful for Eddie Rabbit whose voice encouraged us. I'm grateful to have these beautiful moments with my girls. I'm grateful to watch the storm rolling out and the sun peeking through the clouds. I'm grateful to know the plants have had a good drink.

What do you do to turn your day around when it starts to go sideways? What is something fun and silly you enjoy? How can you build in time in your day for play?

May we connect to our child-like heart. May we take time to play and never stop dancing! Have a beautiful day!

If a puzzle piece isn't fitting we try it in a different spot. If there is a wall, we walk around it. Every day in a dozen or more ways we adapt or change our plan to get something to work. So if the routine isn't working, why not try something new?

I'm trying to mix things up a little this week to see if some little changes to routine can help my routine go more smoothly. Perhaps just a small change is what is needed to provide that little bump of self-care. 

I'm grateful to try some new habits. I'm grateful to let go of some that may not be serving me as well as I thought. I'm grateful for dark showers. I'm grateful to let go of "time". I'm grateful to move through the morning with trust and listen to my body. I'm grateful to put other priorities first.

What is something new you have tried lately? How did it feel to change something? Did you end up incorporating it into your life or let it go?

May we always be open to trying something new. May we explore and learn. Have a beautiful day!

I talk a lot about balance and being balanced. Lately that has not been the case and I've been feeling more resonance toward a different word, planted or even rooted. 

The act of balancing is continuous work. If one thing lands out of place the whole balance can be shifted and topple. Which is exactly how it felt like things were going last week. The balance was off and when I tried to compensate, it ended up feeling like I was toppling a different way. 

We did some yard work this weekend. Our yard has been mostly taken over by honeysuckle. We cleared a couple sections and my husband planted a few little trees in one of the areas. 

Besides it looking nice, it really felt good to get out and work in the dirt. As I worked to uproot the large weeds a new resonance started forming. Honeysuckle is neat in that it's roots are connected to many plants. It is very strong and stable. While this is not great for the plans we have for our yard, it gave me a good metaphor for what I was looking for in my life. It wasn't balance so much as to be planted with roots deep and connected. 

This is exactly what I found this weekend. I drew on my "root system", my family and friends. I focused on being grounded. I looked at the nurturing we were giving to our new baby trees and I gave myself nurturing too. I am growing my roots deeper and wider to regain that stable foundation that has seemed rocked lately. I have planted myself.

I'm grateful for a new visual. I'm grateful to have some baby trees to show me the way. I'm grateful to feel more steady again. I'm grateful for all the wonderful friends and family that I get to see each week. I'm grateful for last minute zoom calls to have a quick chat. I'm grateful for the wonderful wisdom shared from all around. I'm grateful to start at the ground and work my way up.

What words are resonating with you right now? Perhaps these words have been ones you have used for a while or maybe there are new words calling to you. What shifts are you feeling? What helps you get back to balance or a sense of being planted securely?

May we take time to get our hands in the dirt. May we reconnect with nature. May we listen to the words that are resonating and let it guide us. Have a beautiful day!

Today I woke up telling myself I was going to have a great day. I was determined to do things better than yesterday, kick the funk to the curb, and enjoy the day. 

I pushed myself to get up too early and work out while having a fussy little one join me because she couldn't sleep. I pushed myself to be silly and playful when I just wanted to sit. I pushed my body to its limit fasting because I had a blood draw today. And then I pushed myself some more when my body just wanted to crash. 

There were plenty of beautiful moments today. But it really should not come as a surprise that I wiped out hard on my goal to do things better. I lost my temper with my kids, which always breaks my heart. I broke down in tears multiple times throughout the morning. 

I was so focused on pushing myself to have a better day that I forgot to just listen to what I actually needed to make that possible. So now I get to pick up the pieces of my crash. I get to find space to forgive myself as well as asking forgiveness from my children. I get to walk that harder lesson on listening to what I actually need and trying to turn this day back around. 

I am human. It is sometimes hard to admit. I am a gratitude coach. But I am also a person who is working through trauma, PTSD, and occasional depression. I struggle with anxiety and with guilt. Gratitude does not make the world a magical place of no pain or struggle. It takes the real life things we are experiencing and helps us find a little piece of light. It helps us find the good so we can keep moving forward. 

Each day I write this blog it is in the hopes that someone who is struggling can get a small glimpse of light. It is the hope that someone out there will be encouraged to find gratitude in their day and that maybe it will help them in times of challenge. This blog is not my gratitude practice. My gratitude practice is the same as what I recommend to everyone else. I wake up and write four things I am grateful for that are truly from the heart. They are different every day. Before I go to bed I write down the best thing that happened that day and at least four more things I am grateful for about that day. When sh!t goes sideways I try to pause and remember there is a lesson in it and find gratitude for something, anything. And when I crash and burn and fall into dysregulation and funk, I use these same practices to pull myself back up. 

I'm grateful to question why I chose to push myself rather than let myself be. I'm grateful to ponder that and let the judgment fall away. I'm grateful to see where I can grow from this moment. I'm grateful to take a long pause and just let the tears flow unhindered. I'm grateful to be able to tell my kids I messed up and ask for their forgiveness. I'm grateful to be raw and honest with you so there can be no pedestal, no pressure, just gratitude practice. I'm grateful to hold the hope and belief that this honesty makes a difference. I'm grateful to believe gratitude is powerful.

When have you had a wipe out? How do you rebuild? What practices help you learn and move forward?

May we always keep learning and growing. May we find forgiveness for our stumbles and gratitude in every turn. Have a beautiful day!

I woke up in a funk today. I'm sure there are several factors at play but the most important is always my outlook. I have the power to shift this, if I choose. I have the power to let go of frustration and other feelings I'm holding.

I'm grateful to recognize all the emotions behind my funk today. I'm grateful to cut this blog short to actually take time to process and move forward. I'm grateful for days like today that remind me the power is mine o choose how I respond. I'm also grateful for less than sunny days that make the bright days even brighter. I'm grateful to take some time for myself.

What do you like to do to clear yourself from a funk? Do you endure and ride it out or do you consciously choose to shift it quickly? 

May we feel what we feel, heal what needs healed, and always remember our power to choose. Have a beautiful day!

I spent a good portion of my younger years searching for my voice. I mostly have a pretty good grasp on it these days. Kids have a good way of helping teach, both in projection and in voicing boundaries. 

Lately though, as I find myself rambling away with friends, I feel a longing to just listen. It took so long to get my voice going that now it feels like a runaway cart sometimes. I miss all that I learned and heard by just being quiet. 

In everything there is a balance to seek. This is mine for now. The pendulum has swung a little too far and I focus on bringing in back. 

It is interesting the thoughts and fears that come up as I lean toward this shift. It shows things I thought I had healed, still wounded on one level or another. It shows the challenge in this age of either overly engaging or completely checking out via media. 

But I feel the stillness calling me. I feel the quiet opening its arms to welcome me. And I notice the reactions of others as I do this. They have their own internal story, as I do, that gives them a context whether true or not. 

I'm grateful for the void of voices. I'm grateful to witness the pull and push of these two options. I'm grateful to have the different perspectives even as I move toward shifting to a place of better balance. I'm grateful to know my silence will be filled with beautiful sounds of the heart. I'm grateful to listen. I'm grateful for this practice that pairs so well with witnessing my breath. 

One of my favorite quotes is "Talk low, talk slow, and don't talk too much." Time to ease back in to that resonance. 

When do you find yourself talking more? When do you speak little? How do you find your balance in expressing yourself.

May we speak knowing we are heard and may we listen to gift others this same respect. Have a beautiful day!