the beauty and the grit

Ten minutes before this moment we were both yelling and I was setting the boundary of giving us space by walking the five feet to the kitchen and unloading the dishwasher. She cried and got really mad and then listened to her choices of staying at the table with kindness or playing alone while I kept cleaning. She chose to stay. So here we are laughing and cutting and staying in it.

It can be so hard to stay in it sometimes, but gosh when you do, you create so much more space for love.

And I guess I have a thing about sharing the "real" moments at the table right now. It feels important to gather evidence of what life looks like over here and remind myself of the little wins in the midst of all of it...of the ways I can hold beauty in one hand and the grit in the other and see them both and nod and say, "Yes, this."

(And I've been reading Parenting with Love and Logic and the idea of giving two choices that are positive come from that. It is really helping us and I highly recommend it...even if Ellie does sometimes say, "I don't want the choices again Mama.")

take a quick mama break

As part of my collaboration with eBay, I'm sharing a few quick ideas for taking a short "mama break" in the midst of whatever might be happening in your day. These are all things you can do in just 1 to 5 minutes, and my hope is you can use them in the carpool line, when you're moving from being on the floor playing with Legos to the kitchen to make lunch, and even when you're on the bus on the way to work.

I'm having so much fun sharing different guides over on eBay, and I hope you'll take a moment to read this one along with the others over there. And a shout out to Vaness Simpson of Focus in Photography for taking so many of the photos in several of the guides I'm sharing over there.

And here's one quick way to take a mama break right now: close your eyes and take five deep breaths (or even just one) and focus on the space you create inside you each time your chest opens as you inhale.

*****

If you're a mom want to dive even deeper into ways to practice self-care, check out Water Your Mama Soul. It's a 10-day class that invites you to come home to yourself through photography, writing, and self-care prompts.

here

Instagram caption read: "It may be takeout in the midst of a mess, but it's still my little family together around the table sharing about our day and annoying each other and laughing and singing along with Johnny Cash."

Because I want to sit at the table more.

Because I want to invite in more joy.

Because I want to keep things simple when that will bring in more ease.

Because there can be beautiful, real, true, for-the-scrapbook moments even when the house is cluttered and you're eating amidst a current creative project.

Because judging myself does not create space for more joy.

Because noticing these moments invites in more light.

Because look at that smile. 

Yes.

(Instagram photo + words prompted by Jenna's One Moment Memoirs daily prompts. It's free and she's sharing prompts for the whole month right here.)

an intention to guide you

In November, the idea came to me to offer an intention necklace in the shop - something for the person who likes the idea behind choosing a "word of the year" but doesn't want to choose one or one hasn't presented itself yet or something for the person who just needs some extra reinforcements any time of year. I wanted the gemstones to represent several different types of journeys a person might be on right now, while inviting in strong guidance and support. I also knew I'd be creating a special mantra with each stone, so I wanted stones that felt ready for that kind of goodness.

So when Bonnie and I went to the gem show in late November, we were looking for gorgeous, unique stones that really seemed to hold the magic of this idea.

Here's what we found:

Aquamarine: For courage, growing trust, and connection to the sea. 
Your aquamarine mantra for the year: May I listen to the brave wisdom within me and open my heart toward the peace that awaits.

Rose quartz: A stone of the heart.
Your rose quartz mantra of the year: May I feel supported as I open my heart toward self-compassion and love.

Kyanite: A stone for speaking your truth, it is deep blue in color.  
Your kyanite mantra for the year: May I connect to the wisdom and courage within me and tell my story.

Moonstone: A stone for beginnings and connecting to your light and to the divine feminine. The stone used in this offering is cloudy white in color and sparkles in certain light. 
Your moonstone mantra for the year: May I seek the stillness I need to connect with the light within me.

Amazonite: A stone of courage and truth that soothes the spirit. 
Your amazonite mantra for the year: May I remember to show up as me and let go of what I no longer need.

Amethyst: A stone for comfort, peace, and becoming.
Your amethyst mantra for the year: May I embrace my journey of becoming and remember to seek and ask for the comfort and support I need.

You can find this limited edition offering right here. You choose the gemstone that represents the intention you'd like to hold at this time in your journey, and I'll choose one just for you from the olive wood bowl that holds them on my studio altar. We also include a little card with your stone's intention and mantra.

And if you're looking for an even more personal experience and special necklace designed just for you, check out the Soul Talisman offering to see if it feels like a good fit for you. I can even include your word of the year with that special offering.

open :: my 2015 word

As I mentioned yesterday, my word finally presented itself while I was listening to Elise and Ali during Elise's podcast. Eleanor and I were driving back from a quick trip to Portland and she was sleeping, so I was able to catch up with a few episodes. When Ali talked about open, her word from 2013, I felt my shoulders relax and my heart expand and I knew I'd found my word.

Usually I share my word at the end of December. I'd planned to share how I was going to work with four words this year, but I just couldn't figure out how to talk about them, so I knew I hadn't quite found the right practice for me. 

That said, I think working with multiple words is an awesome idea and I am actually going to keep those four words + "open" front and center for me this year. Each of them appeared in the brainstorming exercise I did in my journal above: rise, peace, allow, and delight.

I've started this journal that's going to focus on "open." It's where I'll be putting my responses to the prompts in Ali's One Little Word class (which is an awesome way to help you keep your word visible throughout the year - I highly recommend it!) and where I'll just be touching base with myself about how I'm staying open...how the word is affecting me...and what I'm learning along the way. I'm excited to try this method. I can imagine it holding other journaling that feels connected to my soul care practice right now (for example, I'm adding some journaling from Viv's Cultivating Self-Care class).

For a peek at how I created another journal that brought together all I was learning from my 2012 word "whole," see this post.

Here's what I know right now: Open has four really important meaning/intentions for me this year.

1) Staying open to connection: I continue to feel a deep longing for in-person connection on a much more frequent basis. My summer watercolor picnics were one way that I tried to create this for myself and others. I hope to do more things like this and just risk saying, "Want to meet up for coffee?" more often this year. I felt a shift already happening this fall and I want to push myself to keep going, to keep staying open, and to allow space for that connection in my life.

2) Keeping my heart open: This one is especially about my marriage. Since Ellie was born, there are parts of me that have been more closed than I ever imagined they could become, which is in such contrast to how I've felt so broken open in so many beautiful ways these last few years. The first year of her life was such a hard one for me, and I put up some walls for self-protection. As I've said to a few close friends, the first two years of motherhood felt like I was literally keeping her alive while she was on heart medication before and after her heart surgery, and in many ways that was true. And when you're in that kind of caretaker role while also growing your business, sometimes the little acts of connection and intimacy and love give way to the to-do list and the need for deep self-care and rest. The ability to vulnerably say, "I miss you and I need a hug" felt very far away. Right now, I'm asking myself, "How can I be even more open in this moment?" and seeing where it takes me/us. Jon and I also going back to a practice I shared here, where we're going to write letters back and forth in a journal. A simple way to just reconnect. I probably won't be sharing too much about this here (we'll see), but it is an important part of my personal practice this year.

(Note that I'm not looking for advice about this but am instead sharing a brief glimpse into our world because I know it might help someone else who needs to add a similar practice to their intention for themselves and their family right now. Thanks for understanding.)

3) Open to change/feeling uncaged: This connects to wanting to feel freedom as I make some changes to my business, specifically with the ecourses and retreats I offer. No big news yet as I'm in the beginning dreaming stages with some of it. But I'm excited to be in this place of "newness" and possibility again, even while I'm grieving letting go of some things. I'm interested in seeing how the practice of being open helps me heal from this grief (and other grief in my life).  

4) Open to the unexpected, to delight: When a customer ordered the phrase "rise and shine" for her word of the year necklace, as I was hammering it, I got this image of how the sun opens up the possibility in each day and how we have the choice to rise and shine and be in this light or to stay closed to what is waiting for us. We can rise up each day. We can stand in our light. We have the choice to be delighted by this possibility or ignore it. I want to stay open to the delight waiting for me each day. 

What word are you working with this year?

If you're still deciding, one idea would be to try to the brainstorming exercise I did in the photo above. I put my word in the middle of the page and just started writing words and phrases that felt connected to it, then words connected to those words etc. You could do this with several words you are thinking about working with. Get curious. 

And if you have your word, I'd love to know what it is. Share in the comments please. (And maybe even try this exercise with your word as you think about the practice you're creating for yourself right now.)

Thanks for being here beside me,
Liz 

a word of the year

The practice of choosing a word for the year is one I've been doing for about five or six years now. Sometimes this practice feels like it deeply affects my journey, and other years I realize that my word isn't really doing it for me and other words begin to take its place. 

This year, I thought I was actually going to focus on four words. They each kept appearing again and again and seemed to represent different ways I want to grow and feel right now. But then on Saturday, while listening to Elise and Ali talk about the One Little Word practice, my 2015 word appeared. I'm going to share more about it and how I'm going to work with it tomorrow.

Today, I want to simply invite you to think about choosing your own word or theme for the year. 

One way to do this is to think about how you want to feel in 2015. You could literally write at the top of a piece of paper "In 2015, I want to feel..." and just start journaling. Notice the themes. Really describe how you want to feel and why. See what comes up for you. From there, make a list of words that represent this feeling. See if one stands out. And then live with it for a little while. 

Here's a post where I talk about how I used a similar idea with my word for 2012: whole. That post gives you a few other ideas to help you choose your word.  

The new whole heart pocket talismans pictured at the top of this post are just about my favorite thing ever that I've created for Soul Mantras and Other Stories. I love how they literally look like little heart rocks. They're thick and perfect for carrying in your pocket, putting on your altar, placing next to your computer in your cubicle, or giving to a friend. Find them here (and if you want to order four or more, send me a note for a special discount code).

There are also several new "word of the year" designs in the shop, which you can see here.

Throughout this week I'll be sharing some thoughts and resources around this idea of choosing a word or intention to focus on for the year. I'll even be sharing thoughts around letting go of this practice if it doesn't work for you and will give some other suggestions about what you could do instead.

Remember, working with the practices that most support you is the goal here. Always.

welcome 2015

Eleanor Jane :: January 1, 2015

Eleanor Jane :: January 1, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

Each year I take a photo of this amazing creature wearing this shirt. It makes me so very happy. She loves life so much. May I always remember to help keep that spark alive within her.

Yes.

"Mama, this is my superhero pose."

"Mama, my favorite photos are the ones where my hair is flying and crazy and I'm dancing."

I hope you always love those photos honey.

our little tree

This year we have just a little tree and it makes all of us so very happy. It looks like a Charlie Brown inspired birch tree trimmed with lights.

It has a few gifts from Nana and Papa underneath and Eleanor can hardly contain herself. We're hoping for snow when we're at Grandma Fina's this time next week and she's already planning the cookies she'll be making and games she'll be playing and and and and. 

Four is awesome. 

Hope you are soaking up the holiday goodness in your corner.

And this is the part where I say that I know how intense this time of year can be. Having my own moments of it here even with the awesome. As you walk through your own stuff in your corner, I hope you remember to let someone know when you need a hug. Seriously. Let's make that your homework: Ask someone for a hug today. 

Love to you,
Liz