Postcards from Summer

{My intention for this summer is relaxed & slow & intentional: to take more pictures with the big camera; to be outside as much as possible; for my girls to have as many fond memories of summer; and to capture some of that here.

So postcards it will be. A picture or two of our day, with a few words written. Just like an old fashioned postcard!}

Yesterday I turned some of those strawberries we picked the other night into a strawberry-blueberry crisp thanks to a recipe I found on Pinterest. It was a little too sweet and juicy but still delicious! And I have plenty of strawberries left to experiment with the recipe and make it again!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend full of fun, family & relaxtion!

Postcards from Summer

{My intention for this summer is relaxed & slow & intentional: to take more pictures with the big camera; to be outside as much as possible; for my girls to have as many fond memories of summer; and to capture some of that here.

So postcards it will be. A picture or two of our day, with a few words written. Just like an old fashioned postcard!}

Strawberry picking last night! It wasn't until the very end that two little girls realized they could eat some too. We had very sticky little one's when we got home! Today will be all about making some strawberry rhubarb crisps!

Postcards from Summer

{My intention for this summer is relaxed & slow & intentional: to take more pictures with the big camera; to be outside as much as possible; for my girls to have as many fond memories of summer; and to capture some of that here.

So postcards it will be. A picture or two of our day, with a few words written. Just like an old fashioned postcard!}

The supper I had in mind last night wouldn't cooperate with me (pizza dough & humidity don't mix!)

My husband suggested we order a pizza, pick it up and head to our favorite beach to eat and collect sea shells. So that's what we did. A perfect end to the first full day of summer!

Postcards from Summer

::Summer solstice sunset last night::

My intention for this summer is relaxed & slow & intentional.

I want to take more pictures with the big girl girl camera. 

I want to be outside as much as possible.

I want my girls to have as many fond memories of summer as I have from when I was little.

I also want to capture some of that here.

So postcards it will be. A picture or two of our day, with a few words written. Just like an old fashioned postcard (I want to send more real post cards too! I love receiving & sending snail mail!)

Today Radical Self-Care Looks Like....

**slow morning

** no early morning writing

** deciding to cancel today's plans 

** (trying to) practice patience

** lots of cuddles

** watching a movie

** letting go of expectations

** doing the bare minimum around the house

** allowing myself to simply be

Allergies have hit all three of us girls hard today. It's not horrible and if we wanted to we could push through. But we all are sleepy and a tad bit cranky. So I decided to cancel our plans for today and allow Marie-Therese to watch a movie and relax on the couch. I decided to allow myself to not worry about laundry or errands. The baby is doing her usual....making a mess of everything she comes in contact with. A little tornado she is these days, leaving destruction in her path!

But for today I am trying to just let it all go. Allergies are not the end of the world, thankful that's *all* we have, I am taking a little bit extra care of us. Thankful for the opportunity to be able to do that. To baby us all a little more than usual. 

There is a bit of guilt, the thoughts of "We could have done our usual stuff. I should be cleaning. I should be doing some project. I should......" so the radical self-care needs to also be "Allowing myself to simply be in the moment of not feeling 100% and going with what my body says it needs.

How are you practicing radical self-care today? 

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Cultivating Creativity begins this coming Monday! For a chance to win a spot in the course share in the comments how you are practicing radical self-care today. I will pick a winner on Friday!

Get outside

The siren call of new bubbles called her. All through lunch she repeated, as if she was afraid that I would forget, "We can go outside for a few minutes before rest time, right? Remember you said we can blow bubbles for just a few minutes?"

These weren't just any bubbles though....they were PINK bubbles. And to my pink loving, bubble loving girl these were the most magnificent things in the world. She was disappointed at first that they didn't look too pink, until they landed on the grass and she could get up close and personal with them. "Momma!! They are REALLY pink. This is the best day ever!"

(They most decidedly are pink too, as the pink streak of bubble solution in her hair proved).

As usually happens she got tired quickly of blowing and asked me to take over so that she could chase them down to pop them. 

As I stood in the middle of the lawn blowing bubbles I was transported back to childhood. THIS is what it is all about. Bare feet in the grass, uncontrollable giggles from little girls who have the best of times running from one end of the yard to the other chasing and popping bubbles. 

My heart about overflowed as I stood there and blew & blew bubbles until I couldn't anymore. This is  the childhood I want for my girls. One of slow summer days, blowing bubbles, time outside to do what they wish, sidewalk chalk, swings, barefoot and giggles and playing tag. Less time inside, less time in front of screens. More time in imagination and the world of little girls. 

These lessons are for me too. Slow down and enjoy the summer days. I can enter childhood again right alongside of them. There is nothing to say that just because I am a "grown-up" I can't enjoy blowing bubbles and running barefoot through the grass. 

(And then taking advil for that one time that I tripped on a rock and fell. All to the sound of my little girls giggling as they both ran over to pig pile on top of me).

Radical Self Care Week Three

Connection.

I have been thinking quite a bit about connection these days. Connection between myself and others, both in the real world and the on-line world. Connection between myself and myself.

Yesterday was the start day of at least four different e-courses that all caught my eye. For the past week I have been bombarded in my Instagram feed and in my e-mail with beautiful images and words: sign up! There will be beauty and magic happening. And I was tempted, oh so tempted to sign up for them all. I have no doubt there will be beautiful prompts, beautiful words sent each day. I have no doubt that I would get much from each one, much to think about, to contemplate, inspiration to draw from to add to my own collection of creative ideas.

But I didn't sign up for any of them. Aside from the fact that if I had I would be broke financially, I think I would also have broken my mental bank. 

Because the fact is, right now my inner well is overwhelmed, over stimulated, bubbling over. All with beautiful images and ideas and thoughts and beautiful women sharing all the gifts and talents that they have. I am honored to know so many beautiful ladies who share what they have with others. 

For now, I need to retreat a bit from the ideas and talents and words from others and instead focus that attention inside myself.

The truth is: I have beautiful ideas and talents and words bubbling up inside of me too. Getting louder & louder each day and I am finding myself hushing them in order to hear the outside voices. The more I hush myself the more unsettled I become. 

This is where Radical Self-Care becomes real to me. Right here, right now. When I turn off the outside inspiration and instead retreat inside of myself. Where I learn to trust myself, to believe in myself. To stop and finally listen to the voice inside of me that is saying I am worthy, I have talents and gifts to give too. Stop and listen to them, use them, believe in them.

It's hard--to step back from so much goodness, but it is necessary. It is time to stop to listen to my own words, to trust that I have all that I need inside of me--all that I need to create, to grow, to flourish. It is time for me to go inside and get in touch with my own words, my own ideas, my own dreams & adventures. 

I look at all the offerings that are available right now, I see the beauty that others share, and I know that I need to step back a bit, not for a lack of inspiration but so that I can use what I have already gathered, so I can hear the voice inside of me. I am getting overwhelmed by the outside noise and the inside noise too, it is getting louder every day, a sign that it is time to pay attention.

If I continue on with the leaning into other people's words and work I will never tap into what I am capable of and I don't want that. I know I have it deep inside of me to create great things so it is now time to dive deep to see what's there. 

There won't be a total stepping back, I still want the connection between myself and the beauty that people share. That is one way I fill my well, but it cannot be the only way. So the hard work of checking in on social media only a few times a day rather then constantly begins. To find other things to fill those few moments of quiet rather then picking up my phone and clicking onto Instagram. Even if it is just being quiet. Sitting with my own thoughts. Sitting in silence and seeing what comes. Trust that great things can come from the silence. There is no need to bombard all my senses with outside sensations, there is plenty of beauty and inspiration inside of me.

So this week I will be leaning into the silence, turning off some of the outside noise so that I will be better able to hear my own voice speaking. Connecting to myself in order to create my own beauty in the world. Because the world is waiting for my own brand of creativity. I first need to be able to tap into it before I can fully share it.