Mindful Moms

Baby it’s cold outside, and while I highly dislike being cold, I don’t like stuck, stagnant energy even more. Feeling in a winter slump? Here are 5 quick ways to shift your energy this season!

1. Brisk Walk Outside

Get outside for a brisk walk in the cold! Soak in the sunshine and breathe in that fresh winter air.

2. Meditate Over Coffee

Pour yourself a hot cup of coffee, tea or cocoa and spend a few minutes in meditation. As you sip your drink, think of how you want to feel and set an intention for your day!

3. Holiday Dance Party

Pop on those holiday jams and shake it out! Dancing is a wonderful way to move stagnant energy through the body.

4. Freshen up Your Wardrobe

Give your winter wardrobe a seasonal refresh by purchasing a new item that feels good (and while you’re at it, toss something old that doesn’t feel good).

5. Play in the Snow

Play outside in the snow! Embrace your inner child by building a snowman, make a snow angel, or catch snowflakes on your tongue. … Read More!

It’s Prime Day, and I wanted to share some of my favorite Amazon finds perfect for the mindful mama. From our go-to fair-trade coffee to a clean lip balm I can’t live without, here are five Amazon products under $20 I’m loving right now.

This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

For Your Morning Pick-Me-Up: Kicking Horse Dark Roast Coffee

Hubby and I are big coffee drinkers — and when you’ve got two little toddlers running around it’s a morning must. Our latest favorite is Kicking Horse Coffee, which we originally discovered in our Thrive Market box.

Their coffee is organic, fair trade and comes in several delicious blends. Their Grizzy Claw Dark Roast is dark & decadent with notes of dark chocolate, and is sure to get the job done for your wake-me-up fix!

Buy on Amazon here (20% off for Prime Day)

For Daily Positive Affirmations: Spark Your Bliss Deck

Need a mindset shift or some more positive vibes in your life? I’ve got the perfect self-care tool for you! While it’s not an official Prime Day deal, my very own Spark Your Bliss affirmation card deck is 10% off … Read More!

The other night, I cried over pizza. Let me explain…

I had this fun idea to order takeout pizza and then take the kiddos to a local farm that serves ice cream to eat it outside (and look at the farm animals). 
It was my picture “perfect” plan, until a wrench got thrown in it. 

As we head out the door to cram it all in before the race to kid’s bedtime (IYKYK), we hit a road block when a traffic jam turned our six-minute ride into a 20-minute detour through back roads.

When we finally arrived to pick up the pizza 30 minutes late, mine wasn’t even started yet. It would be another 15 minute wait. 

So we drove to the farm to kill time…without our pizza. As I looked at the empty picnic tables where we could have been enjoying our family dinner, I could feel my energy start to shift. I was was fuming.

Now it was getting past little guys bedtime, we still hadn’t eaten and my perfect plan was “ruined.” Frustrated, I ran inside to order a quart of ice cream to go instead, and back to the pizza place we went.

On our drive … Read More!

The other week, my little girl and I dressed up in matching fairy “butterfly wings.” She insisted on wearing the pink ones, and me the purple (which I gladly accepted — it’s my fave color).

We giggled and laughed and flapped our wings… it was pure bliss.

Fast forward to later that day: she had one of her classic toddler tantrums. I think it was because I wouldn’t give her another Larabar or because her block castle fell down — it’s all a blur. But it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day.

What matters is how you choose to respond. Lately, I’ve really been working on the language I use when speaking with my daughter. While it’s tempting to say, “Stop crying” or “It’s OK,” I’ve been trying to shift my language to let her feel all her feelings.

Here are some responses I’ve been using in those tantrum moments: “What’s going on, love bug?” “I see you’re mad. Grr..Are you feeling angry?” “We’re going to have lunch first and then we can have another yummy snack later.” “Do you want a hug?”

And guess what? It works. It’s not magic, it’s just a shift in language.… Read More!

#TRUTHBOMB This working mom life isn’t always a walk in the park.

Some days I feel like I’m totally crushing it — my writing flows, money comes in all while I’m loving on my baby girl. Other days it feels hard — scrambling to meet a deadline, whip up a mediocre lunch, make a solo run to the grocery store all in that tiny window I get before little love wakes up from her nap.

I sometimes struggle with the balance of being a “good mom” and prioritizing me and my work. I’m human. Both are important to me. On the days I get a little stressed out, I know that energy carries on to her, so I’m working on being more aware of that.

The other day, a dear friend gifted me a note that said, “Create a nice moment for yourself at least once a day.” She said she knows it’s what I preach, but sometimes it’s hard to remember to actually DO IT for yourself.

The other day, when I could feel the overwhelm of working/momming/doing it all bubbling up, I asked for help from my husband, told him that I needed a moment. He … Read More!

I mentioned before in this post that I have been making a conscious effort to cut back on social media use. And while I tried everything from putting my phone on “Airplane Mode” at night to deleting Instagram for a few days, nothing seemed to stick.

Try as I might, I somehow always ended up right back where I started — in a deep, dark hole of insta stalking.

It wasn’t until one evening putting our baby girl to bed that I realized this was a real problem and something had to change…like now. While nursing my sweetie during her bedtime routine, I caught myself once again mindlessly scrolling through other people’s lives on the gram (while my own life was happening right in front of me).

I had some serious FOMO, but this time it was fear of missing out on my own life. That’s when I decided to go on a weeklong social media detox — and get serious about it.

You can read all about my experience over on WELL Insiders, including how to set yourself up for success and my key takeaways. Spoiler alert: I became a much happier, better version of myself.… Read More!