Children are such a great way to get a better look at ourselves. Not only do they provide a physical reflection but also chances to hear our own words coming back at us. They model themselves after us and we get to take a very real, very raw look at our own habits, words, and interactions through this imitation.

Sometimes this reflection is hard to witness, like when an irritated tone snaps back words I know I have said. Other times this reflection gives us a glimpse of what we're doing right, like my three year old saying "oh, excuse me." at the store when she realizes she's in the way of a shopper. There are moments of denial when I say "nah, she must get that from her dad." And then there are moments like this afternoon when all I can do is laugh because this beautiful mess is so much her mama. 

In the middle of dancing this afternoon my daughter realized she had to go potty. She was running in to the bathroom but turned back to tell me something and ran right into the doorway. Whimpering she came walking back because she needed a hug only to stop two feet from me because she saw a piece of glitter! I could only laugh at what a perfect mini mirror she is of myself and laughed harder at her sweet confusion as she asked why I was laughing. How many times have I asked that? Oh how I love this child!

Children give us the mirror for the ability to choose what we want to change and what we want to love and accept as is. I want to teach her to have good self-care, self-esteem, and self-control but I do this by modeling not by talking about it. So these have become my own priority as well.

Children provide a glimpse of our own imperfect perfection so we can embrace being ourselves. We can laugh at ourselves when we do something silly and we can bask in our own weirdness. 

I'm grateful for this beautiful mirror. I'm grateful how accurate a reflection she is for me. I'm grateful to see where I need to take more time to model virtues. I'm grateful to laugh at my own follies. I'm grateful to have a tough child to balance the doorway crashes and stubbed toes. I'm grateful to love this child so much and to learn how to give this same love to myself. I'm grateful to do my best and give myself space to change as well.

What does your mirror show? Who provides the best glimpse of you? How do you embrace this gift?

​May we see the beauty in our own reflection. May we change the world by changing ourselves. Have a beautiful day!

I recently got a new rug for under our table in the kitchen. Yesterday I finally got around to cleaning the floor and putting the new rug down. I love how much better it compliments the curtains than the old rug and as a bonus it now matches the rug by the sink and one by the back door. 

I didn't think too much about it as we ate lunch yesterday and then we were gone at dinnertime. This morning at breakfast my daughter asked for cereal with milk, which I give to her in a cup so she can pour it in her bowl herself.

As she went to pour the milk her aim was a little off and a little splashed out onto her chair. A few drips made it down to the rug so after handing her a towel to clean up the chair I dabbed at the couple drips on the rug. In my mind I was thinking, "wow, glad it was just a few drips since the rug hasn't even been down twenty-four hours." 

Just then a bowlful of milk and cereal came pouring down onto my head, my clothes, and yes, the rug. Apparently as my daughter was turned to wipe the chair she hit the bowl with her elbow. I couldn't help but recognize the humor in how the universe had responded to my thought. I mean it was only a matter of time, especially with two young children. 

A rug is just a rug. While I would love to keep things clean, it isn't worth crying over spilt milk. Besides, I would much rather have a lived in and loved in home that an immaculate one. My daughter seems to feel the same as we cleaned jasmine rice off it after dinner.

I'm grateful for the lessons my daughter continues to teach me. I'm grateful to know my child is much much more important than a clean rug, even as I work to instill some cleanliness practices in her. I'm grateful to have the rug christened on the first day so there is no built up suspense as to what will happen tomorrow. I'm grateful to let it go. I'm grateful for my new rugs and to make these little touches and changes to our home. I'm grateful for the "never a dull moment" that life brings with kids.

What stories do you have about kid christening moments? What thoughts is the universe helping you explore? 

May today be created consciously with love ,laughter, and maybe a few shrugs. May we let go of the small stuff and focus on what's truly important. Have a beautiful day!

Haha! Well for all my "success" yesterday in parenting and managing my time, the pendulum swung the other way today. I managed to get a couple things crossed off my list but overwhelmingly the list was left undone. Also, the baby got a bruise on her head and my older daughter had a meltdown that I squished a bug, her friend. 

I won't say today was unsuccessful. There were several things I did get done and many great interactions with my girls. But it was definitely not the smooth sailing of yesterday.

It isn't just part of parenting, it is part of life to have the pendulum sway. We get to have a say in how far it swings in either direction by how we choose to view it all. 

I'm grateful for the humbling reminder to choose my focus. I'm grateful to change a lightbulb, literally and figuratively. I'm grateful for cherished moments one on one with each of my girls. I'm grateful for practicing mindfulness. I'm grateful for sweet smiles on my girls' faces. I'm grateful to know even on the days I don't feel as successful, I still succeed in being me and taking steps forward in one way or another. I'm grateful to use laughter and humor to fill in the gaps. I'm grateful to end the day with a nice salad.

How is your pendulum swinging today? What perspective will you find on your journey?

May we find the positive in each day. May we choose to ride the swing and choose how far the pendulum goes consciously. Have a beautiful day!

As I reflect back over the day I can honestly say I mom-ed like a boss. I really felt like I had it together today.

I kept my cool through many, many crabby remarks and three-nager attitude from my preschooler. I shoveled the front steps and a path of the driveway for visitors to make their way up even as the snow was still falling. I hosted a playdate with four other kiddos, made everyone breakfast, and had activities prepared.

After that I fed my girls and got them both down for nap, got the house picked up, ran the dishwasher, then prepared the "snowman" eggs (hardboiled egg with black olive eyes and carrot nose) my daughter requested for her snack day at school tomorrow. I followed that up by a quick workout and then collected the trash and recycling and took it to the curb before heading out to work.

Am I bragging? Yeah, I guess I am a little bit. I have had several "parenting fail" moments in the last couple weeks and I have been honest about the missteps so I'm definitely taking credit for this "success". But what is success really?

When it comes to being a parent there isn't really a clear line of success and failure. The "scoring" line is in our own mind. What I have found is that success is more in how it feels. It wasn't the volume of stuff I got done today that made it a success, it was doing it and not feeling overwhelmed or overly stressed. Success was going through the day feeling good about the flow I was in and catching some adult conversation time with mom friends in the process. 

I'm grateful for a successful day. I'm grateful to say "I'll do that if..." and the Universe offered it to me as asked. I'm grateful to get some perspective from my friends. I'm grateful to keep my calm with my daughter while mentally observing and trying to find long term solutions. I'm grateful to get to host friends. I'm grateful my daughter did a pretty good job with sharing and playing with her friends. I'm grateful for a little mess in the name of art. I'm grateful to be in the flow and just try to stay in the moment and do whatever I could do. 

How do you gauge your success? How does success feel?

May we celebrate the "wins" in each situation. May we gauge our successes only on ourselves and how it makes us feel and let comparisons go. Have a beautiful day!

Today was a great manifestation of time being on my side. I have a tendency to feel rushed and that stresses me out. I don't like being late and yet sometimes I get caught up in the go, go, go lifestyle. Add a preschooler in the mix and some days it feels like we are running in slow motion. 

This morning, despite some significant delays, I stayed calm and trusted things to get done. Not only did everything on my list get done but it was much more enjoyable. I had a great morning with my preschooler. We got to school early enough for me to read her two books while we waited on the bench. My baby girl took her shots in stride and grocery shopping went smooth despite the store under construction. 

Nap times went smooth and I took some me time while the girls slept. It was much needed. I definitely felt rejuvenated by being able to just sit.

The evening topped off by being family dinner night. We got to enjoy a fun, relaxing evening at my parents' house. It was the perfect end to a great time-managed day. 

I'm grateful for the reminder that time is abundant. I'm grateful to go with the flow and keep calm even in the delays. I'm grateful to get to spend some one on one time with each of my daughters today. I'm grateful to get to spend time with my husband and parents. I'm grateful to feel time was "on my side". I'm grateful to just slow down and enjoy the day. I'm grateful how everything lined up just right. I'm grateful for a day in the "flow".

What makes you feel in the "flow"? How do you keep your schedule moving forward but relaxed?

May we see time in its fluidity. May we consciously construct our day and find plenty of time in the process. Have a beautiful day!

On my way home from work tonight I decided I needed to do a gratitude challenge tonight. It is a good way for me to overload myself with the beauty of my life. In overloading myself with the positive it leaves little room to focus on what may not be going as perfectly.

I have seen how the shadows help me to appreciate the sunshine. And I have a respect and appreciation for the shadows in and of themselves. Tonight I needed to bathe in some self-made light.

When I arrived home my eldest daughter asked me to read her a book. I said yes. She asked me to read her another and I said yes. She asked me to lay with her in her bed for a few minutes and so I did. 

I watched my youngest daughter as she nursed before bed. I watched as her eyes explored every thread of my shirt and her fingers traced it gently. I smiled at the intensity of her eyes and the cute way her tongue sticks out of her mouth as she explores everything. 

I listened to my husband chat with our oldest daughter, patiently. He is such a great dad. I thought about how he had texted me throughout the day because he knew I had a rough morning. He is such a great husband and person. And I'm excited to nerd it up as we plan his birthday party. 

I'm grateful for all these beautiful moments and so much more. I'm grateful how just being present can make the abundance of gratitude flow. I'm grateful to satisfy with challenge without it being a challenge at all. I'm grateful for my girls' blue eyes. I'm grateful for my oldest's precocious nature and love of reading. I'm grateful for all the questions she thinks to ask and the insight into the inner workings of her mind. I'm grateful to get to see the world new and fresh again through my baby's eyes. I'm grateful for the beautiful bonding time we get during feedings. I'm grateful to just hold her and be in this fleeting moment of her being so small. I'm grateful for my husband for a million reasons but mostly for his huge heart. I'm grateful for his protective and supportive nature. And I'm grateful for his inner nerd. I'm grateful for this life. I'm grateful for the shadows and I'm grateful to know I have only to look as far as the current moment to find the light.

What are you grateful for? Can you find ten gratitudes in five minutes or less? What brings you light?

​May today be lived in the moment. May we seek to find the beauty that is always right in front of us. May we tell the ones we love how much they mean to us. Have a beautiful day!

Today we began routine reprogramming. Being out of town for a week also meant being out of routine. While I was impressed and proud with how well my girls handled the complete upheaval of their schedules, it also meant they relied a lot more on me (and my husband) for reassurances.

For the preschooler this was a more subtle form of seeking reassurance. It came in testing some regularly established boundaries and extra physical touch. 

For the baby it was more obvious as her separation anxiety and a need to be held at all times. Sleeping within arms reach and even being within sight for the car ride were included in the need for reassurance with the little one. 

We went from full vacation mode, sleeping in and doing our own thing yesterday on the road to tossed back into full daily grind today. I thought the sound of my alarm clock this morning would be an unwelcome sound to practice redirecting my mind to gratitude. Instead I was awake thirty minutes before the alarm after a night of multiple reassurances for the baby as she transitioned back to her crib.

My preschooler on the other hand was back and forth between not wanting to leave me and wanting to see her friends and tell them all about her trip. She bucked against the idea of having nap time reinstated then promptly passed out from exhaustion less than two minutes after I left. 

The baby on the other hand struggled with nap time alone in her crib again and woke crying several times. At one point I could feel my anxiety and impatience growing as I tried again to settle her in. But reprogramming back into the routine requires me to have stable and calm energy to help her transition so a few deep breaths brought my resolve and patience back. 

As the girls both slept I was tempted to just curl up to a show or take a nap myself. Instead I worked on getting myself back into routine as well. I worked in my rowing workout and still had time to fold the three loads of laundry I had washed last night and today. 

It's funny how what is routine still needs reprogrammed back into the mind after a long break. The blessing is it also gives the ability to make small shifts to improve the routine. 

Everything we do programs us in one way or another. Each choice we make, whether it be in our response or plan, begins creating a routine. 

I'm grateful for routines that help things run smoothly. I'm grateful to throw routines out the window to enjoy a fun vacation. I'm grateful my daughters are secure in their trust and look to me (and their dad) to follow along with change. I'm grateful for how great they each did on their trip and how they are readjusting to our regular lifestyle. I'm grateful for all the extra snuggles and special moments created both by the trip and by our return. I'm grateful to see some of their personality emerge in the ways they transition. I'm grateful to keep my own patience and calm as I help them transition. I'm grateful to be making tweaks to the routine to help us all grow as we move forward.

What is your routine? How does it serve you? How do you transition in and out of your routine? Is your routine in need of any shifts?

May we find the best routine to serve us in the present and in our growth for the future. May we be open to shifts as they need to be made. May we all find our own groove as we balance between routine and free-flow. Have a beautiful day!

If you are a regular follower of this blog you may have noticed my absence. It turns out the app has some glitches and I could not get a regular blog post out while I was gone. After my third attempt I decided it was best to keep my sanity and positivity and to do so meant letting go of the idea of posting. 

I will admit I had a bit of a struggle with the idea of not posting right at the beginning of the new year. I mean even though I keep saying it is just a date and any time can be created into a new beginning, it felt odd to jump into a beautiful new year without posting my gratitude. 

It turned out to be a blessing, as usual. It turns out I needed that positivity and focus to shine on my own life rather than publishing for the public. 

I will admit I had been a bit stressed about this trip out of town. It was a big trip with plenty of foreseeable challenges so I was really determined to try to keep positive. The blog was only the first little hurdle but in letting this one thing go it helped to also help me go with the flow on the other bumps along the way.

Overall it was a beautiful trip and a great way to kick off the New Year. From homemade ravioli to a five story kids museum and even kid free time with some hilarious adult games; the vacation was wonderful! I'm also so pleased to have gotten to know my brother-in-law and sister-in-law a little better and be a guest in their beautiful home.

I'm grateful for this trip. I'm grateful to make a commitment to a positive attitude. I'm grateful for all the bumps that turned into blessings and even the ones that didn't. I'm grateful we took the time to connect with family. I'm grateful for how well the girls did out of routine and in completely new surroundings. I'm grateful for delicious food and fun activities to pass the time. I'm grateful to even have some kid-free time to connect to family and have some laughs. I'm grateful to get to kick off a new year with a focus on perspective and letting the little things go. 

How has your 2020 started? When were you able to let go of some "hiccups" in the plan and have a beautiful experience?

May we take time this year to find the beautiful in the ordinary. May we focus on all that is right and let the bumps bring more blessings. Have a beautiful day!

Well tonight is New Year's Eve. It feels a little surreal because there is not the usual mingling of friends and food or games being played. There will be no countdown at midnight although I have lived in this neighborhood long enough to know I will wake at midnight to the neighbor's fireworks. 

Why is this year so different? First, I am still taking extra care to try to kick this congestion bug. Second, the evening was spent packing and trying to prep for a trip that got moved up by a full day. 

I started making changes for the new year a couple weeks ago. Today I was faced with my first test to my new goals and much to my disappointment I did not hold up to the standards and goals I had set. My initial reaction was being hard on myself and thoroughly bummed. But this reaction in and of itself is part of the changes I am trying to make for the new year. 

Instead I am using this test as a practice run. It showed me where I need to "break down" my goals a little further to help myself succeed and create a new habit.

Stepping into tomorrow may be a new year and new goals but it is part of the same, ever-changing story. Each little step I take is moulding a new me for the future. As part of this, I am choosing self-care tonight and getting some sleep. There will be plenty of celebrations in the days to come.

I'm grateful for a practice test. I'm grateful to have fallen on my face and observed the feelings and reactions it brought. I'm grateful to see how my goals need tweaked and shifted to make the changes I want to see. I'm grateful to allow myself to feel all my feelings and to have a wonderful husband to talk it out with as I process. I'm grateful for ideals and lofty goals but I'm more grateful to respect and honor my humanness and take it one baby step at a time. I'm grateful for a new year and many new adventures.

What goals and changes do you want to make? How do you set yourself up for success? How to you process the missteps?

May today remind us to proceed with grace. May we see the beauty in our success and stumbles as we navigate the year to come. Have a beautiful day!

When it comes to support there are different types for different situations. As a parent (especially) I get to practice all the different types.

I love accompanying my preschooler as she tries new things. I love exploring the world by her side and seeing it through her eyes. It is so fun to jump in the puddles or dance like no one is watching. And secretly I also find courage in doing some of these things together.

I love hanging back and watching my little explorer, daredevil, test out her limits. I love celebrating with her when it ends well and helping her get back up when it doesn't.

Every once in a while my daughter asks me to go first. Sometimes she needs to witness it to have the courage to try it herself. Today was one of those days and I was honored to get to be a part of her first haircut. We both walked away with cute bobs and each left about eight inches of hair on the floor. 

I'm grateful for a fun mommy daughter day with my preschooler. I'm grateful for the trust she has in me when trying new things. I'm grateful for her courage and spunk. I'm grateful to have no attachment to my hairstyle and not think twice to having it chopped to show my daughter it doesn't hurt. I'm even grateful to have cute matching bobs. I'm grateful to look forward to easy brushing tomorrow.

Who do you support by accompaniment? Who do you support by leading or having their back? And when do you need each of these types of support?

May we always find the support we need. May we give the support our loved ones need. And may we find the balance in leading, accompanying, and following. Have a beautiful day!