Hey Guys!
Happy Monday! I hope y’all enjoyed your weekend! Yesterday we celebrated my little L’s (son age 4) birthday. It was so much fun. Very small and low key but loaded with love for our little guy. It was so awesome to see him really enjoy being celebrated. Normally he’s very shy, so I wasn’t sure how he would react to the party but he ate it all up! There was popcorn, cake, and tons and tons of Bluey – all of his favorite things! My mother-in-law did just an awesome job really considering L in the way the party was set up. Catered to our little L to a T. He was thrilled with his gifts too! I mean, which 4 year old isn’t?! He got some ninja turtle toys, a ninja turtle sweatshirt, a sonic plush toy, and last but definitely not least, a spider-man costume. He hasn’t stopped playing with his toys since we got home yesterday.
My theme lately has been working on being present and mindful. In an effort to do just that, I kept the TV off this morning for the boys when they woke up. An experiment to see what happens! I woke up around 6, the kids woke up shortly after and immediately started playing with the toys from yesterday. Aside from the typical, “you need to share!” and “don’t take that from him!”, M and L have been playing together for over an hour in their little imaginary world. One of the most incredible/magical/amazing/beautiful things I get to witness as a parent is watching my children play pretend and use their imagination. If you really pay attention, it gives you a look into their minds and their understanding of the world.
For me, mindfulness is taking a step back to notice what’s happening around you. Forgetting the habitual routine (that feels so secure), to really take in everything that is going on around you. To take notice of the things that would still be happening whether you were there or not. The other day while I was working out in the garage, I was looking across the street at the neighbors house and just got lost in a trance. The clouds were moving quickly in and out of being in front of the sun and the grass was blowing in the wind. Changing from light green to dark green depending on the cloud placement in front of the sun. It felt like I was staring at the grass for 20 minutes, in reality, it was probably only a minute. Then I “snapped” out of it, with an appreciation of how nature just does it’s own thing. Clouds always coming or going. Sun always shining, even behind the clouds! Grass always growing and blowing in the wind. That’s just a small yard, in a city, in a state, in a country on this Earth. Think about all the life and growth of nature on a global scale. It happens everywhere, all the time. Regardless of what’s happening in our lives or our minds at the time.
This week, the fam and I are going to embark on the biggest adventure our family has had yet. It’s extremely exciting and I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s next! Hopefully once settled in, I’ll be able to get my creative juices flowing again and can get back into some deeper topics, but this is where I’m at now, and this is all my brain is allowing me to discuss this morning. I am enjoying my writing journey and seeing where it takes me. It feels good to hold myself accountable to one post a week, a goal I set 4 months ago :)
Keep moving in mindfulness!
-A
Good reminders! We just celebrated our youngest turning 5 yesterday, & I felt some of the same—she loved her 5 simple gifts, & couldn’t get enough of playing with them—& painting w them..& playing “house” with her little friend. So thankful for the joy kids bring 💕
Love this! Excited for your new adventure! I’ve been using the calm app lately for guided meditation and it’s been a big help with mindfulness for me too!! 🥰