I virtually bumped into an old friend of mine on the internets not too long ago (no Craig, I didn’t Google him) and was stoked to see he has a You Tube channel just like me. So I checked out a couple of videos hoping to catch a glimpse of his mug (you know, always curious how people look 20 years later).

But instead of satiating my superficial curiosity all his videos consisted of hours of footage of planes painting the sky in his neighborhood with contrails while his voice behind the camera (hasn’t changed a decibel by the way) mutters angry but creative profanities at them.

Guess what I thought.

What a coincidence. We both grew up hating chem trails!

Living in conspiracy laden central I was introduced to the concept soon after moving out here. I floated into the grocery store one afternoon after gardening all day saying to the check out girl; so strange how I’m feeling so exhausted and spacey these days.

“Chem trails,” she says so matter of factly.

Holy Debbie Downer! Thus my paranoia (in that department anyway) began.

And then last week I went for a bike ride to our local video/new age book/crystal  store. Had a la-la-la experience until I noticed the criss cross patterning forming across the pristine blue expanse over my head. I got off my cruiser, Little Prozac, took my helmet off and shook my fist in the air.

When asked by the video/new age book/crystal store owner how’s it going I answered ‘was going fine, until I saw all those chem trails. Hate chem trails!’

And this man was there. This man who always seems to pop out of nowhere whenever I’m going through some existential crisis. And he said to me;

“You shouldn’t say hate. It changes your body chemistry.”

Thank you! Now chem trails aren’t aren’t only just falling on my head they’re seeping into my body chemistry now.

But I was thankful for the reminder; my reaction to my perception of reality was probably doing more harm than any manufactured sinistery makings. And my heart was then kept open to more gifts of this reframe nature. A beautiful one fell out of the sky just a couple of days later.

After having dinner with my knit night sisterhood last week we went for a walk with our kids down to the river when on the way back we all were drawn into the mind-blowing beauty of the surroundings that is our home.

Framed by this awe-inspiring view was such a plane. Just a spec in the sky. A spec with a long tail.

Just as I was ready to raise my cramping fist for a shaking frenzy my friend pointed out the plane to her toddling daughter.

Awww… look at that plane in the sky. It’s so pretty.

And the genuine tone of awe in my friend’s voice teared me up. It was loving, so trusting. So motherly. I saw the plane through her little girls eyes for a moment. And my kids’ too. What a gift. I was carried away to my own childhood.

Growing up with a dad as a pilot planes in the sky were constantly pointed out to us as kids. We did the obligatory look up, stare for about a minute or two while it passed as my dad and brothers identified what kind of plane it was. I instead was just imagining it to be the same glass model that Wonder Woman flew on Thursday nights.

And we would watch it float by. Its plume following far behind, harmlessly like the remnants of a quickly forgotten dream.

I got transported back to those times with my friend’s words. Transported up to the expanse that is our world, the miracle that a person is flying like a bird over our heads, the joy of being with my dearest friends who are all so amazing and hilarious. I was taken back to a time, no that long ago, when conspiracy theories were just that. Just theories.

Magic reigns once again with  that subtle but powerful shift to awe.

A fun and awesome tool to embrace and use often as a mama is to point it out the miracles of the world that surround us at every moment.

Awe… look, a glass bird flying in the air.

Awe… look at how blue the sky is behind those rain clouds.

Awe… look how that one fluffy cloud kind of looks like a giant, floating wiener dog.

Awe… the river is so bubbly like a bubble bath for fairies today.

There are so many aspects to life that are simply awe-mazing. We just need to pay extra attention to these and point them out.  But not only point them out but live into the energy of the awesomeness of it all. Even when, and maybe especially when, it feels like some engineered clouds have no silver lining.

Take a look around you right now, perhaps out the closest window if you’re tucked cozily inside somewhere and share with me in the comments below something awe-some around you right now.

PS  I think you’re pretty awe-some.

To check out the resentment list making tool I speak of in today’s vloggy vlog you can either sign up for my free day ecourse here (plus get in on my newsletter and all its subscriber only deals including the Crazy Mother’s Day one coming up this weekend) or get access right away to the Day 4 video here.

Have a glorious Mother’s Day this weekend and be sure to spread the bliss thick the whole year through!

I think of the word side-kick and, being a pretty attachment parenting type mama a few years ago, am transported to having  a hefty little one, saran-a-wrapped to my side, whacking me in the kidneys with a wool-encased, chubby hoof.

Those were the days I referred to them as my day-goes. As in ‘they go where where I go’. And they would frequently tell me to giddy up some with a gentle kick to the side.

Side kicks.

And that’s sometimes the essence of being a multi-passionate mama. There’s a cowgirl vibe at the heart of it. I love to lasso and wrangle in all these different life callings and varying needs of all our of our crew members of cute that sometimes the complicated creeps up when really, what I’m truly desiring, and know is most nourishing for the family, is the serenity of simplicity.

With simplicity in our parenting we create the space where bliss can cultivate.

But like riding a pony, sometimes to move in the direction of our desire to lead a more simplified family existence a little side kick to the ribs can at least get a transfer of a weight shift happening and can be delivered in a couple of different ways.

Signs of when I’m in need of a little side kick include having muddled thoughts, being forgetful, seeming snappy (and not as in ‘looking snappy’), showing indecisiveness to the point of tears and displaying sheer exhaustiveness from being pulled in all the directions life demands are tugging from.

And tis the season of complicated.

The garden is going in,  summer holidays are being planned, kid day camps are enticing miniature multi-passionates and the lush spring scenery is simultaneously beckoning us to lay on the hammock and chillax already. But. there. is. so. much. to. do.

What helps during times like these is a bit of a pull back. A pulling back on the reins, taking a breath and then drawing in a gentle side kick. Take a pause to reassess which direction simplicity lives at and point your horsey’s nose to it before you resume at a rodeo princess-style gallop once again.

By inviting in the simplicity side kicks we welcome more space and time into our lives that can be filled up with what really nourishes our mama souls at the cellular level. What’s good for the rodeo princess is also good for the rodeo clowns (the rest of the family in this particular analogy).

Little Side Kicks

::   Ask yourself the small question “how would it feel if my mothering experience was just 5% more simple?” and really turn the crank up on that feeling for just 30 seconds.

::   Check out, if you haven’t already, my free ecourse Ten Days to Get You from Crummy to Yummy, Mummy which offers the best of my coaching tools to help pull you through the ‘does it really have to be this complicated?’ slumps.

::   Have some mamas over for wine and cheese or, if you’re clean like that, some herbal tea and glutton free cookies and have a collage making party and leave the scissors out of reach. Ripping into the images and words that speak to your simplicity seeking soul with full on ripping as oppose to careful cutting really lends to a more intuitive and primal experience. Wear berets and explain the soul of your collage in fake french accents when the wine or cookies kick in.

:: Make an emergency list of what can be simplified for a temporary time period if possible. When Craig goes out of town there are corners I cut so that I’m not laden with too much and age ten years upon his return. For instance; I keep the cows together so I don’t have to milk everyday, chickens go super free range, we eat random ingredients from the fridge for lunch but then have an early supper, dishes are creatively rotated to avoid excess washing, activities are skipped, we all wear the exact same outfit everyday (not the exact same as each other though). This stranded scenario offers a reminder that the world will indeed continue spinning if a break is taken from some of what we might consider absolutes in our lives.

:: hit that hammock and busts some clouds.

Big Side Kicks

:: Check in with your partner and see how your values and ideals are being reflected in your day and day activities and behaviours. Keep the conversation light but productive (*idea: make cookies then when the sugar hits say ‘quickly ~ three of your top priorities at this point of your life or I get to flick your nose’). It makes life so much less complicated to know where you’re partner’s head is at.

::  Go on a Straycation. With the whole family, girlfriends or just by your beautiful self.

:: Hire a coach. I have a a couple of different ones I’ve worked with in the past, and even now in the present, to help simplify different aspects of my life. I’ve had a career coach, life coach, creativity coach, book coach and many others that Craig’s eyes will pop out of his head if he was to read the whole list so I’ll stop now. Yes, there are loads to choose from, but I’ll tell you how I’m a little different (as if you couldn’t guess that by now).

My expertise is honing in on what’s gunking up your mothering experience that’s preventing simplicity from reigning. Then we replace that with bliss. It’s like a bliss transplant and I’m the brilliant surgeon. Or at least the nurse that hands you over the medical devices to you for, come to think of it, you will be the one all scrubbed for surgery.

But don’t purchase now for I’m offering a super huge Crazy Mother’s Day Sale on my coaching services this weekend only. Just  be sure you’re on my mailing list if you want to get a heads up on this and all my subscriber-only specials.

If you can’t wait until then, or are already all coached up,  I now offer all my simplicity side kickage type products in a newly released little bundle, The Bliss Bundle, on my shop page. This should tide you over until the loveable mother madness begins this weekend.

I hope you have a glorious Mother’s day, Mama. Just a little suggestion;  like my birthday I like to milk it for about a week so. Begin today. Celebrate your awesomeness a little bit each day this week in a small simple, small way.

A great place to start is to identify where things don’t really have to be that complicated and find the support or shedding of that you need to draw in more of the things that make you giddy-up with giddy.

The question that gets asked alot: how do I manage working from home with small kids?

This is it ~ my Planner Pad daytimer. Like my head it’s different from week to week but always in technicolor (a different colour each day to track my different days’ musings). The design of this daytimer helps keep my non-linear brainwaves waving in a nice, parallel fashion at least.

So there’s no time a-wasting when it’s Bliss Beyond Naptime tasking time!

I switched over to the Planner Pad system two pads ago  and I can’t go back. It’s all funnel-y which I love because everywhere I look these days a funnel analogy follows me. Funnel in the complicated and allow simplicity to drip out. Wear funnel neck tunic top and Craig making fun of me drips out.

All the areas of urgency I feel in my life (anything that is outside the realm of simply being mama) is written across the top of the page and slowly begins its slow drip down to my daily to do list. And I try to only allow for three because three feels managable. If I see more than three I make myself put little stars on three items and if more than that gets accomplished ~ awesome. If not ~ so what? There’s always next week. You just simply turn the page.

Here’s my typical morning routine to give you some insight on how I make all this magic happen:

:: I wake up before anyone else, make a latte, come upstairs to my office and open up the Mama Pad (sounds so much feminine don’t it?).

:: I see what I’ve marked down as my top three ‘should do but don’t sweat it if I don’ts’ that I’ve marked down the night before (fig.3). I meditate on those three but if I don’t see them I scan the top of the page for contenders for these spots where there’s space to assign columns for up to seven categories in my life.

My life categories are constantly changing. Like, every week.

For instance this week my categories read: Kat (my virtual assistant), Newsletter (ideas for), Filtering (my current ecourse), BBN (stands for Bliss Beyond You Know What), woah, Kat again (she assists me with alot ~ so really my secret is Planner Pad plus Kat), and… Life (filled with dog and kid related appointment making type to-do’s)

Other categories sometimes include just plain old Kids, Blog Posts Ideas, Guest Posts, Clients, Nelson (list of to-do’s for when we next go to town), Xmas, Current Ebook/Project. Love how the essence of this formatting reflects the fluidity that is the life of a multi-passionate mama.

It’s fun flipping through it occasionally to see where my focus has landed over the last year and seeing how these goals are chipped away little by little because the next step after writing out all the notes of the life categories (Fig. 2)

What I love about this system (other than the option to get your name embossed on the cover)  is the funneling energy. Literally I can see how my energy gets funneled from brainstorming play to the small steps to take to meet those goals.

Then these steps filter down to Fig. 3; which I mentioned before ~ the specific to-do’s I like to review before I turn off the lights in my office to sit on the coach with Craig before bed and braid each others hair for a few hours before we turn in.

Again, I see how those top three tasks resonate with my energy of that new day as I check in too with scheduled appointments.

It’s an interesting mix of logical sequence and abstract randomness. Kind of like mothering.

And that’s where this assists in the balancing my two passions of my work at home and being a present as possible Mama. It highlights how everything can be broken down to small tasks. Three small tasks are doable. And partially because of this I’m more motivated to get to bed as early as possible so I’m as fresh and focused as a Sunday morning pancake when my time to work presents itself and I get to say good morning to  ‘PP’ (my decided new name for my Planner Pad) and do what it tells me to do.

Would love to hear from you now. Two ways please!

1. If you have a second please fill out my online annual survey. As a thanks for that you get a link to a podcast I created featuring some somewhat silly simplicity musings and my favourite summer flavoured songs and the chance to win a $25 gift card to Amazon.com

2. Second way, let me know in the comments below: What’s your secret is to keeping your to-do’s under control?

When I first quit my day job to teach yoga full time twelve years ago  Craig busted me a few times on the couch watching The View between classes which, to put it bluntly, appalled him.

Finally he took the wire cutters to the cable cord and *snip*. Just like that ~ I was cut off.

But the man is not totally heartless. He did revive the cable when he came home from work early one day and witnessed me pathetically holding the severed wires together so I could catch a particularly juicy episode of Oprah.

But then we had Edie and I had a change of heart.

I remember the moment I told him I agree. We should get rid of the tv.

I was staring out the window as we were driving home from visiting the land we just purchased. For weeks we were immersed deep in nature, cuddling at night inside our candle-lit camper, laying out the blueprint of our dreams together.

These dreams meshed more with a tv-free home.

I decided gazing at the beautiful landscape we were leaving that I wanted this to be part of the change I wanted to see in the world. I wanted my kids to be deeply talented at self-directed and cooperative play and to build up their imagination muscles.

And I don’t know if it’s a sign of becoming an old fart or what  but it also seems like kids’ shows aren’t the wholesome offerings they were when we were growing up . And I know they weren’t offered 24/7.

So we gave our brand, spanking new tv to my mom and haven’t looked back. Instead we looked forward to using our laptop to watch rented movies and HBO series we love. And the kids too occasionally get to watch shows but it’s nice because ~ no commercials! And we can afford a little more control on the quality of shows they end up watching.

But after talking to some friends and clients it looks like our tv or not tv partner dynamics might be a little reversed.

The trend seems to be that it’s usually  the Mama who’s the instigator in the tv toss out idea with Dad being not so onboard. So delving from my experience as the cut cable cord holder on-er, here are some pointers on how to gently introduce the idea of creating a television-free home if you’re partner still wants to suckle at the boob-tube:

1. Print out this article and leave it by the toilet :: Things get read if strategically placed and offered in bite sized pieces.  The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages media use for children under 2. This article is laden with reasons why the longer we delay the introduction of this element of modern life the better. Footnotes galore, and solid, scientific proof that can’t be too heavily argued because it’s also so intuitive.

2. Suggest baby steps :: Craig got the Family Drama Queen award that day he went pruning scissors happy. Not recommended. It was a little shocking to my delicate, The View-watching psyche at the time. Some small steps might include covering the device with a cloth or piece of fabric; cancelling the cable or satellite tv subscription or moving the darn thing to a more inconspicuous place in the house.

3. Work an angle :: Knowing your partner, get creative on presenting reasons to take on these babysteps. Bring up how much money per month you’ll save by cancelling cable . Make a list of all the different things the kids can be doing instead of staring gape mouthed on the couch. Plant the seed that, as a team, your core values will be the prominent ones reigning the household. Or, an angle that always works in these parts, tell your partner that being in a tv-free house turns you on.

4. Suggest a trail period :: How about sending the tv on a retreat to the basement or to a friend’s in a temporary need? A few weeks is the minimum to accommodate potential withdrawal symptoms. Ideally, take it away for the summer to go with the flavour of the ‘get outside already’ season. Or even better yet, start now in the spirit of International Screen-Free Week.

5. And if in the end it stays :: Set up boundaries around when it’s allowed on and the types of shows the kids are allowed to watch. And then encourage your partner to watch the shows the kids are particularly drawn to so they know what your parenting persuasiveness is up against.

Our homes are such sensitive eco-systems. An invitation of one entity, or the elimination of one, can really shift the vibe for the better or for the worst. Sometimes it takes an actual, physical removal to see how things can be, even for just a limited time. But take the time to see for yourself if it’s a worthwhile change or if things are fine just as they were. You can always revert upon observation.

But, it’s important to have team support for this one. And if it the tv stays, don’t throw out the husband with the bath water. Keep the lug and simply model yourself responsible, age appropriate, viewing habits.

PS  If you need more support in this quest to simplify your home in this particular realm Filtering ecourse begins this Wednesday! I do hope you can join. Right on time for Screen-Free week. Total fluke ~ swear to Oprah!

Our globe is usually kept at the tippy top of our bookshelf and only hurtles down when the kids have a question about location, location, location. But after its most recent descent about a week ago has found itself a happy home among the other more accessible circular toys kept at little eye level because the kids have conjured up yet another fun game to play that pulls on Mama’s anxiety strings.

One child closes his or her eyes while the other spins the globe. The squinting one sticks out a still chubby from babyhood finger  and lands it on the still spinning globe. Wherever it lands is where squinting child is going one day.

I notice that they love this game even though 99% of the time they have no idea what it is they landed.

But I’m picking up that they seem to have a sense that when they’re ‘legal’ they’re going to throw on a backpack (or jetpack), kiss me on the cheek and promise to write postcards (or ecards).

But it’s what I notice in me that’s more of an indication of what’s seeping into our home environment.Everywhere chubby fingers land there’s a worried mama in me cringing: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Lebanon, Zimbabwe…

Don’t these kids listen to the news?

Admittedly, they do actually ~ at lunchtime because there’s a somewhat local talk show that bathes me this inexplicable feeling of Bridges of Madison County- style quaintness but yesterday at lunchtime the radio was quickly shut off. Too heartbreaking to bear. Too much for their systems to digest. And for my ears in particular, too close to our finger spot on the globe.

When the kids were in bed I couldn’t resist. I somehow stumbled upon a video of yesterday’s footage of the horror and clicked play. The only time I actually ever see news footage is at the bank but I felt compelled to go there yesterday. I was curious about the innocents. The reactions. How human beings react to such an event. How this can happen.

I watched the first minute or so and then whispered a prayer for the victims and their families. I saw the runners’ reactions to the jolt of the noise and chaos. A nose dive from what must have been a spiritual elation to dropping down to a hell on Earth.

I wish I didn’t click because I feel now that a few more cringe spots were added to my sweet babes’ game. But I’m cupping that truth that bubbled up shortly after another tragedy just a few months ago; The World is Good. The World is Beautiful.

I can’t shield my little ones forever from the anger, fear, retaliation, repeat…

But until it ceases it’s my role as co-architect of this microcosm of the world, our home, to create a space for them to fall in deep love with this sacred Truth.

One way to do this is to unplug a little bit more, even just 5% more,  and check in with my own process of  exposing myself to and then digesting such horrid news as well as the compounded amount of constant sound bytes of other smaller, but just as unjust, atrocities.

I’m playing along with them now in this little globe game. Every time their digits land on a destination I shift my reaction from one of cringing to cool imaginings. I envision them in ten (!) or so years scheming these intercontinental (maybe intergalactic?) adventures.

I’ll support them similarly to how my parents did me and stoke their anticipation with soft eyes, hear the countless stories upon their safe return and gush over the gorgeous images (and presents) they bring back with them; evidence of the beauty the world still offers.

We’re welcoming the snow melt with wide open pipes these days. Loving the abundance of it all, all this happy spring fairy energy into every refreshing glassful, but the debris and excess sediment is reeking havoc on our  filtration system. And my mama bliss at times. Water pressure gets low more frequently which results in a sad and cranky making showering experience.

Now we can’t have that can we.

So we’re changing the filter more often than normal and I watched the other day as the water was turned back on. The pristine white filter instantly turns up 50 shades of grey. Mmmm… minerals. And who knows what else.

So this got me thinking how…

This is the perfect time of year to take a close look at the debris resting in my parenting filters.

Look at that gunk! Lots of kid videos that don’t align with our values, talk radio overplay, over-explaining, over talking in general.

Filtering is perhaps my weakest link in my Simplicity Parenting chain link fence. I’ll share some of my head hung low stories in an upcoming free call (be sure you’re on my newsletter list to get a low heads up on that one) just to show you there is room for improvement.

Mass media improvement.

In the winter my Mama filtration device seems to sprout bigger holes. Or whatever the opposite of ‘it’s not so fine’ is.

I get more relaxed around video watching; both the amount of and quality. The radio is on more than I’d like, blasting grim news. And then couple that with lack of sunshine I get anxious and the feeling spreads like the latest super bug  around our house with its effects expressed in oh so many delightful ways in each individual.

I would like to change that so it’s timely that Simplicity Parenting ~ Filtering module is just around the corner.

For the month of May we’ll explore all the different ways we draw in more appropriate ways to introduce the world to our children and the strategies we can play with to protect our parenting style from being dictated from subconscious fears and media influenced paranoia (it’ll destroya).

But until then, here are four small ways to clear out your Mama filter:

1. writing out a list of what both you and your kids could be doing instead of watching videos or playing computer games

2. turning off the radio/tv news to avoid unintentional encounters with inappropriate information for little ears and anxiety-prone mama hearts like mine (and the anxiety provoking questions like “what does (insert wish they didn’t hear that word) mean?”

3.  cutting back in what you say, period, so that more of what you do say to the kids is truly necessary and deeply heard

4. taking a media cleanse by unplugging from email and Facebook for a day or two and observing how this break shifts your moods, family dynamics and productivity in other areas of your life

There are so many ways that we can be mindful in how we invite in the outside world, when and how much. This will serve not only our own nerves but also allow the time for our kids to build up the strength and fortitude to deal with the bombardment of noise, fear and anxiety the media and, not to get tin foil hatty here, other agencies/corporations might be pushing on us (insert shifty eyes emoticon).

But better than that, we can be forgiving with ourselves when we slip back into hole-ier filter mode come next hibernation period. Perhaps by then our new shhhhhhh… practices will slip in as new habit. Or maybe the kids will be old enough to contend with last year’s dosages.

We can always review at that time and again during the next run off period.

Or maybe you’ll witness how much more peaceful the vibe of the house gets with more silence and how much more content and even keel everyone seems and the filter will stay fine. And you’ll see how in a luminous home environment values and love can resonate a titch more loud and clear.

Putting together this blog post took a long time and a whole whack of bandwidth. This was intended to be posted last week but I got a nasty email forwarded to me from our internet provider that we were on the cusp of exceeding our allotted bandwidth for the month.

“Wait until Monday’ they kindly suggested, ‘or else’.

Probably the worst part of this (other than not being able to download the next episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey all weekend) is the fact that Craig has been warning me this was bound to happen with all the videos I’ve been uploading lately for my Sneak Peek into Mama Bliss coaching series.

Today I’m finally able to offer my last peek and my coup de grâce: Parallel Universe Time™.

The ™’s for reals. It’s is an official and legitimate tool from my Kaizen Muse Creativity Coaching training tool kit and it’s effective and it Rocks™!

There are moments when working with a client we’ll agree to work side by side on a project for a few minutes. This a great Mama Bliss making device that helps contend with distractions, feelings of overwhelm and  that initial feeling of simply not knowing where to start.

This will help get your creative energy and bliss moving again like nothing else. Except may two triple shot lattes.

That, my creative and mindful mama friend, is Parallel Universe Time™ and I want to share some with you today.

For twenty five minutes we’ll step into my virtual Mama Bliss machine (otherwise know as my Youtube channel) and create or tidy up alongside each other while I shower you with thumbs up, motivational verbiage and the occasional yell downstairs to the kids to give you a lovely dose of what life’s really like in the Bliss Bubble house.

Choose carefully ~ or easier yet, eventually do all three:

Need that extra oomph to clear out your favorite crafty or work space? Choose this one first maybe and the others will be enjoyed in a cleared and ordered(ish) environment!

Keep writing love letters to your friends and clients in your head like I do? Let’s get it down on paper or pretty postcards! Don’t worry about not having your materials handy just click here and collect them all (like I did pretty much)!

And finally, if you should so choose, I offer an arts and crafts time to get that half done project done or at least a little more done than it was 25 minutes ago!

Don’t think too much about it ~ just grab a hot bevy of choice, ensure your computer can be seen or at least  heard from where you’re at and play along with me!

And I would love to hear how this was for you. A simple ‘weird’ or ‘not too weird’ in the comments below will offer me a great Parallel Reality check!

Today I’m offering the third and final edition of Mama Bliss Coaching Sneak Peek! In case you missed the last two you can swiftly find the first one here and the second over there.

In this episode I’m talking with past client of mine, Ellen of Choose Your Own Journey, of the Mama super powers we often forget we possess but can easily call upon when confronted with so many demands on our time and attention.

No need to spin around like a hoochie mama hooligan like Wonderwoman!

The trick is to simply remind ourselves of what has faithfully served us in the past. And then my favorite way to remember my recalls is by putting pen to paper and drawing in a playful way. Otherwise known as doodle.

I do doodling alot with my coaching clients.

I’ve been enthralled by Temple Grandin ever since I was researching cows to make Daisy’s transition to our home go as smooth as happy as possible and then again reading her book Animals in Translation when were ready to welcome our new puppy into our home. Temple is an autistic woman who revolutionized the cattle industry by bringing more humanitarian measures to the housing of these sweet animals by the sheer power of being able to see the world through her eyes due to her snapshot-like thinking.

We watched the movie about her life last weekend (which I highly recommend and stars the incredible Clare Danes who I lovingly endeared with the nickname Google-y eyes) which really open up my own google-y eyes to how visual learning can be so effective when confronted with stressful or challenging situation.

I’m no psychologist but…

Maybe this peek into a differently wired brain might explain part of the effectiveness of talking to young children pictorially, how visual reminders can really bring clarity to what may feel like an overwhelming and repeating situation and how peaceful it feels to massage the right sides of our brains with the simple act of doodle making.

I hope we get a chance to one on one doodle some time soon but until then I would get such a kick of seeing a portrait of your hands juggling your balls of bliss. Email it to me or post it up on my Facebook page here.

Happy juggling, Mama!

Guilt is one of my ruling Mama trips. That and worry. It’s lovely when they rear their ugly heads together. Like when I’m worry over how what I’m guilting about is affecting the children’s long term well-being.

Take the last few weeks for instance.

I’ve been a busy bee on the lap top and camera front.

I have some fun video type surprises in store for you that were to be unveiled today but I maxed out our internet bandwidth capabilities for the rest of the March (Craig feels guilty over expressing his frustration with me over that one I can tell). So the kids have had to hear their monthly bandwidth allowance of ‘I’m coming’ when really I wasn’t.

Kale told me in his sweet little voice as I was coming down the stairs finally ‘now you can say you’re coming’.

Ouch. Guilt stings.

I look around, the place is in shambles. When I was first delighted about Edie’s tendency to tidy things up lately guilt’s first cousin, worry, starts to creep in and I’m thinking this might be an outward sign of Mama video making instigated neglect.

What to do with the guilt?

Use it for the power of good.

I spoke to my Simplicity Parenting Ecourse participants in our last conference call how sometimes I’ll be looking down on Kale while he’s sleeping and while I’m experiencing this deep, intense flood of love for him there’s a faint salty tinch of guilt present.

I feel guilt for losing my patience with his slow-motion like his father ways, for letting him watch too many Deigo videos  so, ironically, I can make one more video for my ecourse (I can tell it’s too many when he won’t stop talking about what Diego did like he was an actual friend of his) and I feel guilt that I didn’t embrace this slowly overgrowing baby just one more time that day because tomorrow he’s going to be the slightest bit stretched out. Or plumped up. They grow like that.

What dawned on me during those stalker type staring at sleeping child sessions is to harness that discomfort and move it. Use the energy behind the emotion, that discomfort, to serve as a reminder and catalyst to resolve to do better tomorrow. And, call me crazy (because Craig does all the time) I’ve been doing better.

• I’ve been getting up early to work again and with this being a busy week with gearing up some exciting changes coming April 1 (stay tuned!) I’m working once the kids are in bed instead of eating bon bons with Craig on the couch.
• I’ve been taking Kale to the park everyday and letting him stretch this way and that as he interacts with new friends who are introducing to this lovely new terrain called boyhood and giving mama a heart attack with these new bike tricks they’re teaching him.
• We’ve been decorating eggs and setting up the Easter tree. Bringing a bit of the promise of spring into the house to serve as a reminder that we can do a little better each day.

And I’ve been reversing the state of shambles the place has been slipping into corner by corner as I want to have my home reflect the serenity and guilt free waters my spirit now resides in. Mostly. And I found some help in this department.

My friend Leah of Skill It (who also happens to be a contributor to my 100 Bliss Tips ebook) and her partner in feather nesting, Stephanie are offering this perfect course for guiding me to fluffing up my space with love and guilt-free intentions. In their own words:

In Feathering the Nest we want to guide you to finding ways for your home to not only reflect the beauty inside of you, but to nourish and give back to you, in a way that transforms how you move through each day. This class is an eclectic two-week journey through your home, a sensual path to self discovery. We will be creating beautiful things for our homes with our own hands, getting cozy with intuitive writing exercises and cooking up some delicious recipes. You’ll also receive beautiful printables to use over and over as you hone your nesting style. 

Isn’t that beautiful and so timely? And these ladies are kind enough to not only be offering you all 15% off with the code BLISS15 at check out but also one of you a free spot in the ecourse!

To enter, leave a comment on this post on how you’re adorning your home with a sprig of spring these days or how you would be if you weren’t so busy making videos of yourself like I’ve been. I’ll draw a winner Friday night just before bon-bon time!

And the winner is, using Random Number Generator which generated the number 2 ~ that’s Cassia! I’ll be emailing you Cassia to hook you up with the Feathering the Nest team shortly here! Happy Spring Nesting everyone!

PS Speaking of growing pains: part of my coaching offerings that are in the works includes increased rates come April 1. If you’re interested in hiring a Mama Bliss coach now might be a good time to ‘spring’ into action! Notice how this warmer weather makes me punnier?