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Rally to Get Outside

My View

This was my view yesterday. We walked to & from the playground. We enjoyed the unseasonably warm air. My daughter put her shoes on by herself. On the feet she felt best. 😉

The trees were exploding in color. We rallied. I had a headache and was tired from a busy weekend, however I knew getting outside, even if it was a quick walk & play, would make everyone feel better.

My daughter had a blast; I may or may not have shown her how I can hang from my knees on the monkey bars. Memories.

You may have had a busy day; you may have a lot on your plate; you may not have the energy. I get it. I do. You won’t regret getting outside with your littles. Even if it’s five minutes to throw/kick a ball or splash in puddles. Take a moment and get outside today.

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Kindergarten Hard

Some days I wish I could go back to kindergarten. Life sounds so easy. You take the bus to & from school, you have a set lunch & recess time, you have toys to play with. Contrast that to adult life: work, parent, spouse, bills, kids, relationships, kindergarten sounds simple.

In a way it is simple, however in other ways it is a hard transition. For the first time in my son’s life he has to think about a schedule: bus schedule, specials schedule, daily schedule, weekend schedule, school year schedule.

Before kindergarten, I took care of all of his scheduling. Now he has to take some responsibility.

Some days are rough. Mondays can be hard. Transitioning from weekend to weekday is not easy {heck I struggle with it too}.

Recently, after a particularly tough evening we had a heart to heart. I asked him what he was having a hard time with. With tears in his eyes, he said, “I tried doing what you asked me to do, but it was too hard.” {take off his clothes & put on his PJs}

I pulled him close and empathized with him. “It’s hard being 6 and in kindergarten isn’t it?” “Yes,” he wavered.

I told him it was ok. It’s ok to have a hard time. It’s ok to fall apart. It’s ok to struggle. I told him to keep at it. I told him it will get better. I told him to be brave. I told him we’re here for him. That was all he needed, a hug, some empathy and understanding, a mom who listened.

Take a moment to understand your young ones. Take a moment to feel what they feel. You may be surprised.

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Date Night

An evening out

Last night, my husband and I went out on a date; it was glorious. We had two uninterrupted hours of the two of us talking about goals, plans, life, etc. I don’t think we talked much about the kids. 

So often in the business of life: work, school, cooking, cleaning, bills, laundry, life; we don’t prioritize a night out. And by sometimes I mean a lot of the time and by we I mean me. đŸ™‹đŸŒ

I recently returned from a trip to Sweden. It was lovely and life-giving and just what my soul needed. However, when I came home, it was full-force into life: as a wife, mom, and business owner. After a week home, I decided, “we need a date”. I quickly lined up a babysitter {thank you Ellen} and told my husband we were going out.

And so we did.

Date night. 

After taking a vacation away from my kids and husband {more on that later} I needed time to talk and connect with my husband. Date night happened and it was good.

Take a moment to think about your real, where you are in life. Remember to give yourself grace,  take time for yourself, take time for the people in your life. Get out on a date. Especially if you have kids. Even if you don’t have kids. If you’re not married, if you’re not even dating anyone. Have a date night, make time for yourself, do something for yourself {and someone else in your life}.

{note: the photo is from earlier this summer and not last night; we failed to take pictures last night because both of our phones were put away â˜ș}

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Clean Laundry Memories

Clean Laundry

A week ago I was in Sweden.

A week ago my laundry was hanging in the sun to dry.

Clean Laundry

I love doing my laundry at my Mormor’s house before I go back to the US because when I come home and unpack my suitcase; it smells like Sweden.

It smells of happy memories.

I have been coming home to the States from Sweden with a suitcase full of clean clothes as long as I can remember. I have clear memories of opening my suitcase and the sweet smell of clean laundry brings back happy memories of my trip.

I have been visiting Sweden since I was a baby; making memories with family and friends for as long as I can remember.

Sweden is my second home.

After I came home from Sweden on this trip, I opened my suitcase of clean clothes and got dressed. Later, I gave my son a hug.

He said, “mom, you smell like Mormor Marianne”.