This weekend was a busy one. We spent a whole day at the zoo walking the different continents to see the animals. Then the following day my oldest daughter and I spent a few hours at the Ethnic Festival, watching performances and tasting the food. We stayed within an hour of home, but it felt like we traveled for the weekend. 

I love experiencing other cultures. I love seeing the beautiful animals of the world. I love making donations that I feel make the world a better place. And I love sharing these experiences with my kids.

I'm grateful for a wonderful local zoo. I'm grateful for the care they are taking in updating their habitats to make the animals more comfortable. I'm grateful to take time to walk all around and share time with friends and family. I'm grateful for events like the Ethnic Festival that help spread knowledge about the different cultures and traditions. I'm grateful to watch some traditional dances from around the world. I'm grateful for representation for Ukraine at the festival. I'm grateful for good food. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to get up on stage and take a hula dancing lesson.

Where would you love to visit? Which cultures call to you? What are your own favorite traditions?

May we celebrate our differences together. May we share the beauty of our cultures and build a word of understanding and respect. Have a beautiful day!

This weekend brought good news, celebration, and laughter. It was also shared with our core family as we celebrated Easter. While it wasn't the lively party full of extended family, it was still full of joy.

I'm grateful for the good news I received at the end of last week. I'm grateful for burdens being lightened and new perspectives in place. I'm grateful to be seeing colors a little brighter and pausing to take time to enjoy the little things. I'm grateful for time with family. I'm grateful to celebrate the holiday. I'm grateful to have renewed faith that whatever bumps come; we will overcome them. I'm grateful for delicious food and abundance to share. I'm grateful to celebrate Smigus Dyngus (Wet Monday) in our small way this morning. I'm grateful for play.

Some weeks can feel heavy and grey. When we emerge from beneath the weight and regain our broader perspective there is plenty of things to celebrate. I hope wherever you are today, you can see the beauty and brightness around you. Have a beautiful day!

I generally do not follow the news. I have a news feed that I read that keeps me up to date on coronavirus, weather, and scientific discoveries. I have found reading the news disrupts my sleep less and my husband will fill me in on any other pertinent information. And that was fine, until recently. 

The war going on against Ukraine right now is an assault on humanity. I have been keeping up to date as much as my psyche can allow. I find myself fearful and in tear and then angry and ready to fight. I do not have loved ones there. But I have fellow humans there. 

Today I just want to take a moment to remind us all to pause and be grateful for what we have. There are so many tiny blessings that get overlooked in the day to day. Here are some of the things I am grateful for, though it is far from a complete list written here.

I'm grateful for a roof over my head. I'm grateful to feel safe in my home. I'm grateful the distant booms and noise is from the construction of progress and not war. I'm grateful to be able to tuck my children in at night to sleep peacefully. I'm grateful they do not know the terror of war. I'm grateful to sit in my own space with access to internet. I'm grateful to trust in my liberties and those that protect them. I'm grateful for fresh water and plenty of food. I'm grateful to be able to sit with lights on and windows open. I'm grateful to be able to call my family at the touch of a button and know they are nearby. I'm grateful to give what I can and do what I can to help in whatever small way I can for those who are fleeing for their lives right now. I'm grateful to not know that feeling firsthand. I'm grateful to everyone out there who is making a stand and doing what they can to help the Ukrainian people.

What are you grateful for today? What have you been taking for granted? What can you do to help those who do not have what you have?

May today be a strong reminder to be grateful for what we have. May we do everything we can to support and protect those who need help. Have a beautiful day!

I'm grateful to see today's snow isn't holding us up. After the last couple snowstorms causing closed schools and shutting everything down, it is nice to have a regular "keep on moving" kind of snow. 

I'm grateful for yesterday's bitter temperatures that allowed today's snow to be dry and easy to sweep off the surfaces. I'm grateful for the plow trucks making their rounds with salt. I'm grateful to make it back up our steep driveway after picking up my daughter from school. And I'm grateful to have evening plans that can be kept despite a little snow.

I'm grateful to see most people going about their normal business. I'm grateful for the excuse to go outside several times to sweep, getting exercise and fresh air. I'm grateful for the weekend starting tomorrow at our house. And I'm grateful for this quiet moment of tuning in to gratitude.

What are you grateful for today? What keeps you moving and gets you motivated?

May today be just another day and may we celebrate the ability to do our normal activities. Have a beautiful day!

When I say the word "melt" it may conjure up images of the snow fading and Spring being one step closer. You may feel relief or joy, or possibly disappointment. If I used the same word, "melt", about ice cream you may be more likely to think that's a bummer. The word itself isn't good or bad, but we put context, meaning, and feelings to it.

Not only to we make meaning for words all the time, but we do it for situations too. If I said I woke up at 5:45 this morning, some of you may think that sounds terribly early while others may be impressed that I slept in. For me, that is sleeping in. 

The thing about meaning is that it can change by the situation. It can change by the context. It can change by who is interacting and interpreting it. 

It is easy to think reality is one thing. It is easy to see things from our own view. But reality is three million interpretations of different aspects of a situation that are formed by each person. That is why we all have our own reality. 

This is what allows some people to be in the middle of a pandemic while other people are in the middle of a conspiracy. It allows some people to be completely miserable where everything goes wrong and some people to be thrilled with all the beautiful lessons life has gifted. Reality is merely our own interpretation of what we decide is "real".

I'm grateful for the snow melting. I'm grateful my ice cream did not melt. I'm grateful my oldest daughter had a day off school to come watch her little sister swim. I'm grateful to make the day special for her with a special lunch and lunch guest. I'm grateful for a warm shower. I'm grateful to be finding my own "normal" in the reality I've been living. I'm grateful to recognize just how powerful perception and interpretation are to each moment and choice. I'm grateful to recognize some old wounds resurfacing so I can work on them at a deeper level. I'm grateful to remind myself that other people's reality is as real to them as mine is to me.

Where can you offer respect and acknowledgment for other people's reality? Where are you willing to look at your reality with a different perspective, even just for a moment, so see something a new way?

May we be patient with each other as we navigate our own realities. May we be opened to viewing our reality in a new way. May we find respect and love in this compassion. Have a beautiful day!

Kansas weather is never boring. Yesterday was sixty degrees and windy as can be. Today, blizzard conditions with temperatures in the teens and snow expected all day. It kind of makes you feel alive and energized, right?

Yesterday my exercise was walking at a toddler's pace around the beautiful park lake. Today I will be bundled head to toe and shoveling my bodyweight in snow that is deeper than my snow boots. To make it extra playful, my driveway is steeper than some of the best sledding hills in town! Woohoo! 

I'm grateful to let the weather enliven me rather than weigh me down. I'm grateful to have a backup plan today for clients that obviously had to be canceled. I'm grateful for all the companies that look out for their employees and let them stay safe at home. I'm grateful for the snow crew that has been making rounds through the city, tirelessly. I'm grateful for the beautiful day yesterday. I'm grateful for the moisture for the plants today. I'm grateful for the playfulness of a snow day. 

Does your weather give you jump starts? What weather perks you up?

May you be safe and warm today. May you find the beauty in even the most bizarre twists of weather. Have a beautiful day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Here is a day to show the ones you care about how much they mean to you. I truly enjoy Valentine's Day.

I think part of the reason I enjoy it so much is that I don't get wrapped up so much in the commercialized part. Don't get me wrong, my kids still hand out the little valentine cards and I get them a little snack from us, but mostly we celebrate by being together. Often how we do this in our family is by food and activities. 

My husband left little love notes through the house this morning for me to find. I left him a little note on the coffee machine to greet him this morning. And I put little notes out for the kids. Later we will probably do a mystery heart hunt if we have time before my oldest's martial arts class. And then we will celebrate with our favorite home-cooked meal, steak and veggies! 

Valentine's Day doesn't need to be like Christmas. It isn't necessary to make huge gestures. A little note, a phone call, a tiny treat to say you're thinking of them is enough.

Send love. Give love. Be love. Receive all the love that is flowing to you. Let today be about sharing that love.

I'm so grateful for my husband's sweet notes. I'm grateful to supply loved ones with cute little packs of mixed nuts to remind them I love them. I'm grateful for corny sayings like, "I'm nuts about you." I'm grateful to treat my parents to lunch. I'm grateful to attend swim class with my daughter. I'm grateful to get to take my older daughter to her martial arts class this afternoon. I'm grateful to see my brother today, even if it was brief. I'm grateful to get to have dinner with my family tonight. I'm grateful to take this day to celebrate and share love.

Who will you share love with today? What makes you feel loved?

May today be about love. May we give as much as we receive. May the whole world feel the love we share. Have a beautiful day!

This Winter seems to be enjoying sending curve balls. Mostly we have been having a very mild winter here with little precipitation. It got so warm last week that the Spring flowers in my garden started coming up! 

Tonight, we are supposed to get a good size snowstorm. After watching the squirrels out playing and frolicking the last week it seems strange that they will have to go back into their warm nests to wait out the storm. While I'm sure they are used to crazy Midwest weather and probably have plenty of food stores tucked away, my husband decided to boost their stash a little. 

He placed some walnuts out for them and after a while one of our squirrel friends came for a nibble. He gobbled up all but one and we didn't see who came back later for the last one. 

As a human, a white human, I am starkly aware of all the taking and greed in our history. We moved in and took land from people and animals. We made a habit of thinking things that were different were somehow "less".

I can't say I have all the answers to turn it around and start repairing what was taken. But every little effort we give moves us in the right direction. Whether it be helping out some wildlife when food and land is scarce, donating food and blankets to the shelter for those going through hard times, or having the difficult conversations on how to truly respect and love each other; every step forward matters. What steps can you take today? Who do you know that could use a little help? How can you recognize and shift one false belief you hold? 

I'm grateful for my generous husband. I'm grateful to see the sweet little squirrel happy to nibble his food. I'm grateful for our neighborhood holding a Winter clothing drive for the homeless. I'm grateful to all who participated. I'm grateful to try and keep extra blankets and snacks in my car in case I see someone in need. I'm grateful to be really digging through beliefs, this month especially, to find hidden racism and weed it out of my thoughts and actions. I'm grateful to be open with my children so they can grow from my mistakes and those of our ancestors. I'm grateful to know we can make this world a better place.

May today and every day bring us closer to that better world we have dreamed of for so long. May today be full of generosity, love, and understanding. Have a beautiful day!

It is hard to tell how good a day will be by getting a glimpse of a few minutes. There are always better parts of the day and more challenging parts. The day overall is decided when the day is over, and all those pieces are added up. (I would add perspective plays a big role in how you choose to define it too because even challenging days can be great.)

The same is true for success. Often as a parent I get hung up on what I feel like I am doing right or wrong. But this is just the beginning of the "puzzle". And unlike the beauty pictured above, I have no pre-drawn picture of how this journey will look. 

Instead of deciding failure or success for my life, I can focus on progress. Am I engaging with my goals? Am I learning and growing? Am I moving? Preferably moving in the forward direction but I have definitely learned the direction doesn't always matter as much as movement itself. And most importantly, what does success even look like by my own terms?

I'm grateful to pause and evaluate. I'm grateful to be moving forward. I'm grateful to see successful moments and moments of progress. I'm grateful to be working out my own definition of how success looks. I'm grateful to focus on progress. I'm grateful to see the steps I take and the progress I make each week. I'm grateful to be on this beautiful journey of parenthood. I'm grateful to be on the adventure of entrepreneurship again too.

May today redefine our criteria on a good (or great) day. May we focus on progress and the beautiful moments of the journey. Have a beautiful day!