Coming to an End

Your Personal Reflection: What are you celebrating at the end of this season? 

Summertime and the Living is Easy

Your Personal Reflection:  What fun will you have today?

(Photos courtesy of Chris Duh and Matt Weiss.)

Bye Bye Winter; Bring on Spring!

I know it's a little early for a post about spring, as the new season is officially 25 days away, but I'm so ready for it.  It has been an unbelievable winter in the Midwest, with a white landscape of snow for months.  I've really enjoyed the incubation period of long days at home, staying in pajamas,  afternoon naps and snuggly evenings with the boys.

But I'm ready.  I'm ready for sun.  I'm ready to feel the heat.  I'm ready to play outside and reconnect to nature.  I'm ready for new things to grow and bloom.  I'm ready to say goodbye to winter.

To help us all prepare for a healthy and vibrant spring, I want to share with you an article I wrote last year entitled:


Spring into Action: Tips for Cultivating a Healthier Life
With spring comes excitement and fresh new energy.  Spring activity offers us endless possibilities for new beginnings.  Spring is a time to plant seeds and tend to the garden. What happens if we simply throw seeds in the yard without taking necessary steps to help them grow?  Most likely, those seeds won't get the best chance to become healthy, strong, and fully developed. This same idea can be applied to our own lives. If we think of our life as the garden and ourselves as the seed, we can take action to cultivate a life that will thrive and flourish.

Make Space for Rich Soil
Getting rid of the weeds, clearing space and starting with good soil is key to growing a healthy garden.  This is also true when looking at our own lives.  Ask yourself: What am I ready to let go of - physically, mentally and emotionally, that no longer serves a purpose in my life?

Nourish the Seeds
New seedlings have a hard time flourishing without valuable substances like water, sunlight, and care.  Ensure that you get the proper nourishment by taking the best care of YOU.  Ask yourself:  What truly feeds my soul?

Check Your Garden Daily
Caring for the garden each day will help you assess the growth. Self-reflection and maintaining your well-being takes daily practice. Ask yourself:  What are my accomplishments and celebrations, and what changes can I make today to live more fully?

Here are 7 tips for creating the best growing conditions for a healthy start to your spring.

Tip #1: Reduce Clutter
Clear your closets and recycle items that are taking up space.  My husband and I continue to clear piles of stuff from our house and although it's hard work, little by little we are making progress and it feels amazing!  We both notice feeling lighter and happier.  If this task feels too overwhelming at first, find support.  Sometimes our gardens are too big to conquer alone!

Tip #2: Find Stillness
When our thoughts are scattered, it is hard to find peace of mind.  Try yoga, take a walk, limit TV, soak in the tub, sit quietly, or meditate.  Even if it's only five minutes a day, it is in this stillness that our true nature will emerge.

Tip #3: Sleep more
Finding anyone who gets enough sleep is pretty rare; yet good sleep is vital to our overall well-being.  (Ever since I became a mom, I'm still working on this one!)  Go to bed earlier and wake up a little earlier.  You will find this helps you sleep better and will help give you a smoother start to your day.

Tip #4: Breathe Deeply
Better breathing has an amazing cleansing effect and will reduce both physical and mental stress. Sit comfortably.  Close your eyes.  Take a deep, slow inhale through your nose, open your mouth, and fully exhale.  Repeat several times.  Sit quietly and ahhh...enjoy how you feel.

Tip #5: Enjoy Nature
Fresh air and sunshine are the most natural healing elements and what better way to enjoy the outdoors then by doing a fun activity; walking, running, biking, hiking (or gardening!) will help you feel more energized.  Or, since the snow is still on the ground...sledding anyone?

Tip #6: Journal
Writing your thoughts is a powerful way to gain clarity and is very freeing.  A journal offers a safe place where you can share your true feelings, explore your dreams and find the wisdom it takes to make those dreams a reality.

Tip #7: Create Daily
Each of us is born with the innate ability to create.  Most adults I meet actually believe they aren't creative.  This just isn't true!  Your creative energy needs a way to express itself.  Try a new activity that makes you feel creatively alive and inspired.

Implementing just a few of these tips, slowly and with kindness, will enrich your life and help produce rewarding results.  Enjoy preparing for spring and happy growing!

Your Personal Reflection: What can you start doing, now, to invite new beginnings into your life?

Time for Celebration and Renewal

Here we are, the week before Christmas, and a time for celebration! If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, today marks the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year. For many of us, we're moving into colder weather, however, the solstice reminds us that the daylight will gradually increase, and the warmth will one day return.

In the meantime, though, winter is a season that invites us to embrace solitude. It's a time to slow down, snuggle up and stay in, and it offers us a beautiful opportunity for internal reflection and deep renewal.

I have been feeling incredibly busy over the last several weeks, especially after opening registration for my e-course. I am still finalizing many details for the class, and the fact that it all hits around the holidays and new years (not to mention my entire families birthdays!), I've definitely been feeling the stress.

So to honor this new season, and my deep desire of wanting to be present for the holidays, I've decided to take one week off from my blog (and reading blogs!). My intention is to "create space". (In fact, "creating space" is going to be my theme for this next year, and I'll share more about that when I return!) For me, in order to make space for something, I have to let another thing go. I need to make space for my journal, to reflect on the past year, and to get grounded for the new year. I need to make space for family connections. I need to make space for play. Letting go of Internet writing and reading for one week will help me create some much needed space for the things I need most right now. Ahhh, I'm already feeling less stressed just typing these words.

The best thing we can do for ourselves in celebration of the solstice and the holiday season is to connect to our inner stillness, for it is in the stillness that we can more clearly see where we want to go in the future. This is a great place to be as we prepare for 2010.

So bye-bye blog world for the week. I have so much gratitude in my heart, and I'm especially grateful for each of you. Thank you for visiting. I wish you a mindful, peaceful and super-fly fun holiday!

Feel free to leave a comment and share:

Your Personal Reflection: How will you celebrate the holidays? What are you grateful for? Do you have enough space in your life that allows you to connect to your inner stillness? How will you prepare for the new year?

4 Creative, FUN, & Inexpensive Gift Ideas that Moms (and kids) will Love

Looks like we've got another computer junkie in the family. I informed Kestan that he couldn't start blogging until he was at least two! So until January I have offered to write his blog posts for him. Here are some of his ideas, for all the mommy's in the world, on some creative, fun and inexpensive gift ideas this holiday season. A few ideas are for your kids, some are to do WITH your kids, and some are just for YOU (or moms in your life).

1) Toilet Paper Roll Recycled Cars
I found this idea in Family Fun magazine and I couldn't resit trying it out for my car-lover.

Supplies:
* toilet paper rolls
* plastic lid tops
* toothpicks
* straws
* nail & hammer
* hole puncher
* scissors
* hot glue gun

First, paint the paper rolls and let them dry. Use a hole puncher to create holes on both ends for the straws. Cut the straws just a little smaller than the toothpicks. You will insert the toothpick inside the straw, then the straws inside the holes, creating the axle for the wheels. Use your hammer and nail through the center of each plastic lid, (using a nail the width of the toothpick). This will create the hole for the toothpick. The lids will go on each end of the toothpick and hot glue in place.

You can find a fancier "How To" version here.
I have to add that these aren't the sturdiest cars! They certainly didn't last very long, but were very fun to make and a great lesson to teach your kids how to recycle ordinary things in new ways! I thought they could make great stocking stuffers.

2) Frame Your Child's Masterpiece
This is so easy and can be a great treasure for any grandma, mom or special family member to receive. I purchased half price pre-cut matte's at the local craft store. Tape the artwork on the back, and tape a piece of yarn, length wise, for hanging.

3) Support Hand-Made Artists
Times are tough and money is tight. Think about spending your money more wisely this year by discovering and supporting a new artist. So many of us creative mom's want to stay home with our kids, but still have to nurture our creative spirits (and bring home some bacon), and nothing helps more than keeping our art going!

Go to ETSY and play around. And check out a few of my new favs:

Allison Strine

Aimee at Artsyville

Andrea Stern
(10% of her proceeds in December go to Toys for Tots)

Shannon at Free Spirit Knits

(Ok, yes, this is me! I have found it hard to promote my own artwork,

and I'm changing that. I have to be one of my favorites, right?)

Give your kids the best gift ever, by giving YOURSELF the gift of rejuvenation!
5) Take a Virtual Restore and Renew Retreat
You can find so many amazing mom's doing really amazing things through the web. The following women offer mindful writings, products and services that support your personal wellness.

Owning Pink is a beautiful community started by the lovely Lissa Rankin. Her blog offers wonderful reminders and support that invite you to feel safe while exploring your truth. Give yourself, or a mom in your life, the gift of renewal by introducing her to this lovely community.

Hip Mountain Mama is one of my favorite Twitter friends. Suzy owns a family business in Colorado that offers all natural products for mama's and babies. She also shares awesome craft ideas on her blog. And sticking with the recycling theme, check out her "One Small Change" project and join the challenge. You are bound to feel revitalized after a visit there.
Here I go again...but let me remind you, that Kestan put me up to this blog entry. He loves his mommy and thinks my upcoming e-course is going to be especially awesome for other mommies. (And so do I!)

If you are looking to renew your spirit, set intentions (and stick to them) for a new year & new life, looking for more balance between your personal wellness and interests with your responsibilities, and wanting to put YOURSELF first, then think about signing up for Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery. It's the best $39 you can spend on you, and you get to participate at your own pace, in your comfy home, under your favorite blanket. Learn more about why I created the class, here. (Gift certificates available!)

Your Personal Reflection: What small gift will you give yourself this season that doesn't cost much, but offers huge rewards?

De-cluttering December

This past year I've been "dabbling" in clearing out clutter. I've cleaned out some drawers, organized closets and did a mass cleaning on the basement. Little things like that. I've felt this inner desire to clear more, but have managed to set it aside - until now.

In November, I took the art every day challenge very seriously. Within the first three days of art-making, I rearranged my studio. This is when I felt a huge shift. Moving some furniture and organizing my supplies freed up so much creative energy, I honestly felt swept away by it. It has been amazing.

And now the desire to clear every part of my house is too huge to ignore! As I get ready to share my e-course with you, I am highly in-tune to my observations that our lives are reflections of what's going on inside our heads. That the forms, or symbols in our external world are reflections of our thoughts. So if I'm living in clutter, there must be some clutter within myself that needs dealing with.

I don't think having "things" is a bad thing. I love my things. And, yet, I'm in a new place in my life where I am finding it much easier to know when it's time to let them go. Everything has a time and a place. Just because it served its purpose 10 years ago, doesn't mean it still serves that same purpose today. So why are we holding onto it?

I've come to the realization that many times we buy, or hoard, or hold on to things in an attempt to distract ourselves from dealing with the deeper stuff. You know, the stuff that says we aren't good enough, or don't have enough, or need this or that to feel validated and important. I also find that holding on to things for that day when we might need them, puts out a message to the universe that we don't trust that it will provide for us in the future. I now believe that instead of holding on to every art supply known to man, thinking I'll make something with it one day, I can let it go, knowing that when the time comes, the supplies and the projects will find me. But I need the SPACE, or when it's ready to find me, it won't have anywhere to go.

I know that if I clear old socks out of my drawer and put the pairs neatly together, I feel much better when I go to that drawer where I can find my favorite pair of socks with ease. The same thing has to apply when I think about my thoughts. If my mind is bouncing from thought to thought, regretting the past, or worrying about the future, I know that this mental clutter is taking up precious space where I could otherwise feel more at peace. I see my home as an extension of my body. The closets are the arteries, and we all know what happens when we clog arteries, so I'm seeing that clearing the closets has to help my home (and life) run more smoothly.

To honor my need for space this holiday season, I'm giving myself the challenge of de-cluttering something everyday in December. It can be as small as my sock drawer or as large as an entire room, but it MUST happen. My intention for clearing is simply to create space. I'm trusting my intuition that greater, BIGGER, deeper change is on the other side. (On the right side of my blog I'll post each day what area I've conquered!)

Your Personal Reflection: Are you ready to de-clutter December? Look at the "clutter" in your life and see how you can take small steps towards creating more space. What things" are you holding on to, and what are you ready to let go of?

And the winner is...

Well, it seems appropriate that I was giving a thank you in appreciation for Leah's art challenge, and that Leah herself would be the winner!

Kestan picked her name first out of the jar this morning. I'm sending Leah this felted necklace.

Be on the lookout as I'll be adding felt necklaces to my Etsy shop by the end of the week! And, I'm extremely excited to announce that registration for my e-course, Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery opens this Thursday! I will post all about it.

Kestan proceeded to pull out ALL of the names from the jar, so for all of you beautiful women who left comments on the contest post, (Barbara, Ni, Pam Q, Jamee, Juliet, Kim, Julie, Michelle, Suzy, Diane, Leah, and Anairam), I would like to offer each of you a gift as well!

You all will receive $6 off my e-course if you decide to sign-up. That's $33 for 30 days. If you aren't planning to take the course but would like to buy a gift certificate for someone instead, you can use the discount for that. Thank you so much for sharing your comments! I loved all of your responses. Email me directly for details if you are interested in the discount. livefreely@mac.com

On a side note, it's 60 degrees in Kansas on December 1st! We're heading to the park... Happy day to you all.

Your Personal Reflection: Is there someone in your life that you could give a special "thank you" to?

Thank You November

In appreciation for an amazing gift that Leah has provided through her Art Every Day Month experience, I would like to share a gift with you!

As we welcome winter - the month of retreat, reflection and solitude - and with the new year just around the corner, I'd like you to think about this one question:

Your Personal Reflection: What would you like to bring into your life this new year?

Leave a comment for your chance to win one of my free spirit funky felts. I will draw a name on December 1st.

To Create is to BE

As I continue making art every day in November, I chose bike riding as my creative activity this past weekend. Being surrounded by the beauty of Fall, feeling the wind on my face, and the sun on my skin, and playing with my very favorite people, I was reminded that to CREATE is simply being in the flow of the present moment.

In fact, one of the definitions of CREATE is: to cause to exist, bring into being. So my lesson on this creative journey is to remember that it's not necessarily what I make with my hands that's important, but how much I am living in the present moment, that truly matters.

Here are some photos of my time enjoying "creation". (Compliments of my lovely husband, Chris.)

Your Personal Reflection: How PRESENT are you?

Free Spirit Tip #5

Today, on Halloween, and EVERYDAY, do something that SCARES you!