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!

Last night a friend shared a podcast link with me. This morning I listened to it while I was working out. It was about happiness and adding more play into your life. Obviously this resonated very well with me and she touched on two specific things that really stood out to me. 

The first thing she said that really grabbed my attention was that even though she was a happiness expert, she was feeling like she was in a slump. I have been living my own version of this. I am a gratitude coach that writes a gratitude blog and yet there have been quite a few times over the last couple years that my own practice hits a slump. Even experts are human who go through ups and downs.

The second thing that grabbed my attention was her talking to an author about his essay writing on delights. Delights can be anything that catch your attention and bring you joy. That spark of good feeling something brings is delight. The challenge the podcaster was giving herself was to find at least one delight every day.

By this point I had finished my exercise routine but I wasn't ready to pause the podcast. I wanted to hear more from the author and from this speaker. I also know myself enough to know I hear better if I am fidgeting with something non-distracting. (I realize to some this may not make sense...but to some people it will completely make sense.) So during the podcast commercial I asked myself, "what would bring me some delight as I listened?" Out came my markers and owl coloring book!

As I colored I listened to more about delight and the ending thoughts. I enjoyed the tip that when you find a delight you say "delight!" out loud. I can also see the benefit of their suggestion to write down a quick blurb by hand about what the delight was each day. There is actually real benefit (shown in studies) in writing things with pen and paper for processing emotions, building self-esteem, and growing gratitude and joy in your life.

Thankfully I already take time in the morning to write four gratitudes in a journal and then in the evening write at least 4 gratitudes about my day as well as the best thing to happen that day in another journal. It would take a mere few seconds more to write my day's delights!

I'm grateful for a new word for expanding my daily practice. I'm grateful for the word delight. I'm grateful to find delight in coloring this morning. I'm grateful to have woke early enough to work out and still have time to color! I'm grateful for my friend sharing this podcast and for the woman sharing her vulnerability and process with the world. I'm grateful to also find delight in the stop light turning green the second I arrived, the colors beginning to change on the trees, and deeply defined clouds in the sky this morning. I'm grateful to share this message with you in hopes you find some delight in today as well.

What brings you joy? What delights may be waiting for you to discover today? 

May today inspire us to look for the beauty in each day. May we be delighted by the little things. Have a beautiful day!

In the busy schedules of the day it is easy to feel like I don't have time. I don't have time to do that one more thing off the list. I don't have time to read one more book to my pleading kid. I don't have time to actually SIT and eat with my family. But mostly this feeling of "not enough time" is not true.

I have been trying to be more conscious of how I am spending my ten minutes. I don't like to be late so often times I arrive ten minutes early. But ten minutes early could have been five minutes early and five minutes of reading a book. So I am observing where I can adjust and where I can use ten minutes in a more productive way. 

We bring books in the car so as we wait in the carpool line, early as always, we can spend the time reading together. When we walk through the store, does it really hurt to stop for those few minutes so my kids can be in awe of the lighting section? Do I really want to model eating on the run or do I want to consciously choose to sit with my kids and slow down? As it turns out, I have plenty of time for ten minutes in my day to connect, to slow down, to be in the moment. Some days I even have time for multiple ten minute adjustments and other days I can add in a handful of two minute adjustments to get to ten by the end.

I'm grateful to give myself these little challenges that help me grow. I'm grateful to see what a difference it makes for all of us when I can take just a few minutes here and there. I'm grateful my girls love to read as much as I do. I'm grateful to keep seeking balance. I'm grateful to recognize my own mindset and bring in the woosah when needed. 

Where could you make ten minutes in your day to consciously connect? How can you add a few minutes here or there to keep your day more balanced?

May we never stop learning and growing. May we choose connection over chaos and always seek balance. Have a beautiful day!

Yesterday we gathered to watch football with the family. It has been a while since the family got together like this. Even though our team lost it still felt good to spend the day together.

Family is a big part of my life. I know not all families are that way, but I am still very close with mine. I hope to raise my girls the same way, with celebrations at each holiday and lots of time shared laughing together. 

It is good to have a family, whether born into or found later. It provides security. It gives you people to lean on when life throws a curveball. Win or lose, family has your back. 

There are people whose family has not acted like family. Hopefully everyone can identify some person that has become their family; someone who has their back no matter what. 

Maybe the place to start with world peace is right there with the idea of family. If we treat each other as family should, always there to help someone up or offer love rather than judgment; that is a good step toward peace. I can't say it is always easy. I can't even say I am great at doing this for people outside my family. But I can try. I can put in that effort and so can you.

I'm grateful to know that win or lose my family is here for me. I'm grateful for all the love and support I grew up surrounded by. I'm grateful to have a large extended family. I'm grateful for the wonderful family I gained through marriage. I'm grateful to give love as often as I can and keep watch on judgments that I feel creeping in. I'm grateful for a day spent with family yesterday. I'm grateful for many more of those days to come.

Who is in your family? How can you take steps today to treat those you meet as family?

May today bring less judgment and more love. May we love each other and always support each other. Have a beautiful day!

Yesterday was officially the first day of Autumn and Mother Nature is in agreement. The temperatures have been blissfully cooler in the morning and while we still have a few ninety degree days coming; it has been a beautiful taste of what is to come. 

This morning I was pulling out of the driveway when I saw the most beautiful sight! The first red leaf on our Maple tree! I hope my kids continue to be as excited about this as I am as they get older. And like any important milestone, pictures were needed of this little beauty.

I am so grateful to welcome Autumn. I'm so grateful for another year of watching this beautiful change all around me. I'm grateful to be coming up on another birthday. I'm grateful for pumpkin spice and everything nice! I'm grateful for beautiful, cool mornings and warmer afternoons, the perfect sweatshirt weather. I'm grateful to just float on this wonderlust high as it carries me into this season. I'm grateful for each season and the change it brings but I sure do love Autumn!

What is your favorite part of Autumn? Which season do you resonate with most? 

May today give us moments to pause and soak in the beauty all around us. May we notice these beautiful little shifts in the seasons as they are just beginning. Have a beautiful day!