Today has been full of little giggles. Perhaps it is my commitment to try to be positive or perhaps it is a product of lack of sleep but my children say the funniest things. On top of them giving me lots of laughs, they are learning what makes each other laugh too. It is really fun to watch these interactions!

I'm grateful for a day of laughter to lighten the mood. I'm grateful for things my daughter says even as she does not understand the adult humor subtext. I'm grateful to laugh. I'm grateful to hug. I'm grateful to witness them sharing and laughing and playing. I'm grateful for these glimpses of what good friends they can be. I'm grateful for how much they adore each other and how much I cherish them. I'm grateful for the little things that went awry today that gave me opportunity to laugh. I'm grateful for silly mistakes that I can model to my daughters that mistakes happen and it's no big deal. But mostly I'm just grateful to giggle a bit more.

What things have gone sideways for you today? Did you accidentally double order some of your groceries and end up with a ridiculous amount of something? I did! Whatever little hiccups come your way today, try to find a way to let it be okay. If you can, laugh it off. It really feels so much better than grumbling. 

Who in your life makes you laugh? Who makes you feel a little more carefree? How can you spend more time with that person? How can you shift to be more like the people that make you feel great? Then you can make yourself and others feel great too!

May today bless us with laughter and humor. May we giggle at the little mistakes and cherish the people we can laugh with. Have a beautiful day!

It is a joke that when my husband of I comment about getting into shape the other responds, "round is a shape." It is our way of saying "I love you as you are." Yet there are so many things to appreciate about being round...or at least well-rounded.

As my attention is pulled tonight in many directions from motherhood to football to dishes to blog and oops I forgot to mail a birthday present and I still have two thousand steps to get before bed.... well you get the point. I have to pause and appreciate that, even though my attention is pulled and my mind is monkeying about, it is a well-rounded pull. 

This is one thing I appreciate about myself; I'm well-rounded. I am not a girlie girl but I can pull it off if I need to. I can start a campfire as easy as I can sew a mask. I can plan a party or cuddle up with a book and that book could be anything from self-help to sci-fi. 

I may not be able to do everything at once and some days it looks a little more organized than others but I appreciate the skills I hold. It is my sincere hope to give my girls the ability to have well-rounded skills. I hope they can work a mower, use a drill press, sew what needs mended, and cook a decent meal. I hope they know how to use their talents but also know how to rest. 

I'm grateful to take one thought about needing to get more steps and turning it around to be a compliment on my skills. I'm grateful for the challenge to be more positive. I'm grateful for the creative way of stopping a complaint and turning it into a positive thought. I'm grateful for the eye opener it has been for the words that I allow to come out. I'm grateful to my parents for giving me a well-rounded upbringing. I'm grateful to see all the skills each of my parents hold and learn from them. I'm grateful for my husband and all his skills that are different from mine. I'm grateful for the way it makes us a stronger team. I'm grateful for unconditional love. 

What is your "round"? What things do you enjoy? What skills do you hold? What do you appreciate about yourself?

May we take the time to truly appreciate ourselves and all we have learned. May we continue to learn at every opportunity every day. Have a beautiful day!

Today nature was calling. It is rare to get a day in the fifties in January. Even though it hadn't neared its peak temperature and the clouds were heavily in place, we decided to get outside and go to the park today.

My little one woke early so she was pretty tired and mostly observed from the stroller. My oldest cruised the whole time on her bike. Some places were still a bit icy where the shadow of trees hadn't melted it away but really that just added to the adventure. My preschooler really enjoyed trying to ride on the ice. And we all got to take in the beauty of Canadian Geese, Mallard Ducks, assorted other small wildlife, and even saw two trains up close! 

It was a so refreshing to be outside. Usually in the winter I am snuggled up in layers avoiding going out. I'm still not a fan of being cold but I made a mental commitment this year to see if getting outside more in the winter would also help the seasonal affective disorder. It really does seem to make a big difference! There is always a nice warm home to come back to, thankfully, to thaw in later. 

What elevates your mood? What invigorates you? What motivates you to try something new or do something you normally wouldn't? 

I'm grateful to get outside today. I'm grateful to be keeping my commitment to get outdoors this winter. I'm grateful my girls love being outside and the cold doesn't seem to bother them. I'm grateful for warm hats and coats. I'm grateful for a cute knitted hat. I'm grateful for a warm fuzzy blanket now that I am back inside. I'm grateful for strollers that allow tired little ones to cruise along and keep up. I'm equally grateful to slow down a bit when they want to walk and participate more fully. I'm grateful and proud for how well my preschooler is doing with her bike. I'm grateful for the multitude of questions she can come up with that make me slow down and really see things I otherwise would have missed. I'm grateful for so many beautiful parks to choose from in our area. I'm grateful for some that even have some flatter trails for beginner bikers. I'm grateful for the fresh air and feeling the coolness as it went into my lungs. I'm grateful to watch my breath as it curled and floated back out into the world. I'm grateful for these beautiful little moments.

May today be the breath of fresh air we needed. May we choose to push ourselves to grow and love each minute of the process. Have a beautiful day!

This year I have challenged myself to read at least ten minutes each day. It seemed like an achievable goal that would bring me some joy and so far it is working. To add to the pleasure I have chosen a book called A Complaint Free World by Will Bowen. 

I will admit this book has been on my "want to read" list for a couple years now. The Complaint Free World movement started not too far from my hometown which makes it even more special!

The choice to start with this book came from a feeling of not really feeling like a gratitude "coach" anymore. I am great at digging gratitude out of regular days or even rough days but it was feeling like a lot of my words were negative. Even here in this blog I have noticed it goes something like "this went wrong and this went wrong and this went wrong but I am still grateful". While this ability is an important practical step of any gratitude practice, it is better if we focus on what is going RIGHT to begin with; as you may imagine this makes gratitude even easier to find too.

So I am taking the beautiful challenge to make it 21 days without complaining! According to the book this takes people, on average, four to eight months to be able to go 21 consecutive days without complaining. A reminder bracelet is worn and each time a complaint is voiced, the bracelet is moved to the other hand. It trains us to recognize when we are complaining. I imagine this also does a good job of making us mindful of the triggers or situations where we complain most.

Today I have moved my bracelet no less that six times. The eye opening part for me is that a lot of my complaining is actually to my preschooler. I am certain we will both benefit from my commitment to this challenge. I'm excited to bring more positive messages back into my conversations!

I'm grateful for this book. I'm grateful for Will Bowen that started this hoping to impact his community. I'm grateful to hear that so many people worldwide have now taken the challenge. I'm grateful to be learning about my communication. I'm grateful to be gaining mindfulness about my triggers. I'm grateful to see how it plays out within different relationships. I'm grateful to be taking simple steps to be changing my life, holding my power, and voicing my beauty. 

​What goals have you set for yourself lately? Are you interested in raising the vibration of your life? Are you ready to find more beauty, more joy, and more gratitude in 2021? 

​No matter what this year brings, I believe, there is beauty to be found. May we choose to view and voice our story in a positive light. Have a beautiful day!

This weekend was a great weekend. It was complete with some quality time with my husband, getting some yard work done, a bonfire, seeing family, and skeeball.

Hands down the best moments were when my four year old beat me at skeeball (my favorite game) not once, but twice! She also won against her aunt! I mean how does that even happen?! We laughed so hard!

Another beautiful moment this weekend was my 18 month old repeatedly asking to play with my Barbie. Yes, yes, I have my own Barbie doll. It is Breathe with Me Barbie and she has been a great tool in mindfulness to use with my four year old during our homeschool time. My four year old is okay with it but the baby LOVES it. She will say "Mommy, Barbie please?" Then she will take a deep breath in and let it out saying "ahhh", just like Barbie. It is adorable and such a good practice to start. 

There was plenty of external stressors that I'm sure were going on but for the most part we just tuned them out this weekend and found our center again. It was much needed and so very gratifying. 

Sometimes we just need a reset. While there may not be a physical button we can push to gain that reset; there are plenty of opportunities to achieve it. 

I'm grateful for lots of deep breaths in. I'm grateful for all the "ahhh"s we breathed out. I'm grateful to laugh some breaths out as well. I'm grateful for such a fun weekend. I'm grateful to take time and commit to resetting. I'm grateful for my kind, caring, and adorable children. I'm grateful to get to connect with my husband. I'm grateful for the smell of bonfire smoke and to get the yard cleared a little too. I'm grateful for Joseph Fourestier Simpson for inventing such a fun, family-friendly game and to my brother for his extensive and awesome game room.

How do you prefer to exhale? What is your favorite way to reset? When was the last time you took time to let it all "ahhh"t?

​May today remind us to take time to re-center. May we find bliss and gratitude waiting as we reset. Have a beautiful day!

The snow is beginning to melt as the temperatures climb above freezing. While the Winter storm was much milder than originally predicted we still got several inches. It made for several fun days of outdoor play.

This is the time of year when I frequently hear about generators. Stores run ads letting people know there are generators for sale if they need. I hear about people losing power and being so thankful that they had a generator to use as backup. Generators provide the energy needed when the normal power source isn't working. 

People are not like electronics. If our battery is running low we can't just plug in to an outlet and keep going. If something knocks out our personal power, we can't just drive to the store and replace it. 

Yes food helps or perhaps caffeine if we are talking about physical boosts. It's true that a "power nap" can help give us the recharge we need. But let's take this idea deeper.

What is your generator? What do you use when you are mentally or emotionally exhausted? What practices do you use to boost your energy before it even reaches that point?

What about your personal power? Who do you give your power to and how do you bolster your own personal power?

I'm not here to give you answers. For me finding ways to laugh, doing yoga or meditation, and getting plenty of sleep are pretty key. But everyone is different. I love doing creative art things and that gives me a boost emotionally. As far as personal power, trying new things is a good way for me to bolster that and yet there are plenty of times I give my power away to fears or doubts. 

What works for you? What generates joy and gratitude? What boosts your confidence? What makes you feel your best? Whatever it is I hope you can do more of it this year. 

I'm grateful for generators. I'm grateful I haven't had to use one to supplement my home in many years. I'm grateful to spend some time thinking about personal power and what generates my own energy. I'm grateful to take some time today to just rest my eyes and think. I'm grateful to be getting back into a routine this week. I'm grateful for meditation mondays. I'm grateful to spend time today getting creative with my girls. I'm grateful to recognize my need for more laughter today.

May today remind us to care for ourselves. May we choose generators that support our long term goals. Have a beautiful day!

A few days ago it was nearly sixty degrees. Today we woke to sleet, ice, and a little snow. Brrr. 

Thankfully my husband and I are both off work this week. The kids have new toys to keep them entertained. We are all just snuggled up inside our warm home, together.

It is nice to just relax as we close out this year. It is nice to have the time together. Covid changed a lot of things this year, but it gave us a lot of blessings too in the ways it changed our schedules. The extra family time and slowing things down has been truly nice. 

I'm grateful to see a little winter weather show up. I'm grateful we have had a fairly mild winter. I'm grateful for the moisture for the plants. I'm grateful for the warmth of my home. I'm grateful for more family time and to just take things slow this week. I'm grateful to send out the year on a calm but positive note. I'm grateful to have some mornings of sleeping in, kids and everyone! I'm grateful that my sweet dog has pulled through for another day together. I'm grateful to just be together with the ones I love.

What is your favorite way to spend a snowy, icy, cold day? What blessings have you noticed this year?

May we all find the warmth of love all around us as this year draws to a close. May our needs be met ad our blessings be apparent. Have a beautiful day!

I return from the holiday break with my light shining a little brighter. I can't say I caught up on any sleep or got much accomplished but it sure was nice to focus on family and just relax.

We all have things that help our light shine a little brighter, help us feel our best, and let us know we're loved. The possibilities are endless for what those things are for each individual. Sure we can break it down into basic categories like the Love Languages, just like we can break down a rainbow into basic colors; yet there is a blending, blurring, mixing too.

There are things that block our light. There are things that cast shadows or dim it. Sometimes these things are things we allow to be done, sometimes they are things we do to ourselves, and sometimes it is completely out of our hands. 

So how do we find a good place of balance? What is the balance for you to let your light shine its brightest? How often do you do the things that brighten your light and how often are you around the shadows?

I think it is an important question to ask, especially this time of year when the sun's light still hasn't returned to its full length. Perhaps this question can set the groundwork for what goals we need to set for the year to come. Perhaps it can help us reevaluate relationships that need to shift. Perhaps it can remind us to make that extra effort to increase our positive self-talk. 

I'm grateful to take a couple minutes to myself to paint my toenails. I'm grateful for the time normally spent doing such things with my preschooler and yet I was surprisingly grateful to have a moment to do this for myself, by myself, for the first time in over a year. I'm grateful to have had an extra set of hands around with my mother-in-law staying for the holidays. I'm grateful for all her insights and to continue to grow our relationship as she is truly an inspiring woman. I'm grateful for my husband reminding me to just sit. I'm grateful for wine and chocolates. I'm grateful for the abundance of good foods. I'm grateful for the true spoiling that my family received this year. I'm grateful to turn my sights to the year ahead and start planning how to make next year support this shining light.

May today give us plenty of opportunity to do something kind for ourselves. May we nurture ourselves and let our lights shine. Have a beautiful day!

As I busied myself making the final arrangements and tidying up for the holiday, it occurred to me that it is time for a well earned break. Everything that really needs done is done.

Sure there are a few details that still could be taken care. These tiny details are not important. The cob web in the upstairs hall will be just fine until next week. There is no reason to try and cram a weeks worth of cleaning into one or two days, especially at the holidays. 

It is larger than just cleaning. We have been doing homeschooling since the beginning of September and, aside from a sick day, have not taken any breaks. Part of the reason is my daughter loves the time together so much that she can hardly wait for Monday to roll back around again. But I think we have both earned a Christmas break and we can find some other fun way to spend time together like playing games and reading books. 

I have also gifted myself a week off work. Between the rising covid cases and the number of clients who will be celebrating the holidays with family it just makes sense to take a little break. It will be well worth the peace of mind and a good time for me to rebalance and return refreshed. 

I'm grateful to be reminded it is good to slow down and even stop sometimes. It is good to find the balance. I'm grateful to gift myself time off from work, teaching, and cleaning. I'm grateful for my husband's help in getting ready for the holidays this year. I'm grateful for the festivities that will begin tomorrow. I'm grateful to take a deep breath and just enjoy this moment. I'm grateful for the excitement of the season and to find a balance with rest and peace as well.

What are you giving yourself for Christmas? Does what you are receiving bring you joy and peace? How do you find balance during the holiday season?

May today remind us to be generous with others and ourselves. May we find balance in letting things go. And may we find beauty in the celebrations of the season. Have a beautiful day!

My body has had a lot to say lately. The messages have all been pretty subtle and easily tuned out, but I have tried to keep a mental note anyway. Today as I added another mental note to the growing list I realized it is probably time to start listening to all these little things before my body decides it needs to send a bigger, louder message.

Things like an itchy eye that has persisted off and on for days or my dry, cracking hands are easily written off as allergies and excessive washing. But as other things start ticking in I definitely need to stop writing off and start listening.

I have not been drinking enough water lately. My sleep had been doing better now that my littlest one is back to sleeping at night, but last night I was up with my preschooler's nightmares. One interrupted night made me realize how far behind on sleep I still am from the previous weeks (or maybe years at this point). 

My abdominals have been pleasantly sore as I try out a new exercise the last four or five days but now my back has a bit to say about it. I am tempted to mimic my clients and say "getting old sucks". Instead of accepting it as fate I would rather use these messages to make little changes.

The body is designed to work. It is designed to have checks and balances and be able to repair itself if it has the tools it needs. It is my job to listen, find out what it needs, and provide it. Even a fine tuned machine needs a little oil on the gears from time to time. 

I'm grateful to stop listing and start listening. I'm grateful to see I am not drinking as much water as usual and make conscious steps to remedy this. I'm grateful to see how that may be affecting my eyes and skin. I'm grateful to be working out again. I'm grateful for the beautiful feeling of sore muscles for a good reason. I'm grateful to be committed to decoding my body's messages. I'm grateful to do my best to balance sleep and be present for my kids when they need me. I'm grateful to receive subtle messages and make corrections before a bigger message is needed. 

What is your body saying? What can you do to fine tune your body and meet its needs? 

May today remind us our body is a temple...and the only one we have, at that. May we also find the messages our body speaks easily translated. Have a beautiful day!