A Burst of Creativity

There was something about the way the light streamed in the windows this morning that sparked a creative fire within my nest. The girls got into all sorts of colorful, creative projects...

...and so did I.

At the end of the day, I had prepped meals for five nights to come and began work on a Fall itinerary for the girls. Pulling inspiration from Nature's Art Box, The Creative Family and Little Acorn Learning (which I discovered here), I have a list of art projects, games, books and activities that I'm weaving into a loose plan for at-home time with Sage and after-school time with Selby. I'll share more on this later...

For now, wishing you a week full of creative outbursts!

A Formula Facelift

Remember my formula for household organization that I posted about last spring? It's still very alive and well in my home. But the ugly signs that listed my daily chores finally had to go. When I saw this old window pane at a thrift store near my house I brought it home, knowing exactly how I would use it.

A little chalkboard paint and ...ta da! My left-brained formula got itself a right-brained facelift!

This simple - and now attractive - list of daily duties truly helps me keep my nest in order. It hangs on the wall near my laundry room and kitchen. And each morning, I know what I have to do in a glance. Then, as I have a few free moments throughout the day, I knock out the list. I no longer make myself crazy trying to do too much each day...or being so overwhelmed I don't know where to start.

I'm loving this system!

The First Day

After a whole week of counting down to Kindergarten with me, I wanted to share with you a glimpse of the "first day."

The school day starts early, so to help things move along in the morning, I made a picture-checklist of "things to do before school." It included: eat breakfast, get dressed, brush hair & teeth, put on shoes & socks, and load backpack & lunchbox into car. Selby took it seriously, checking things off as she got ready.

My big girl was all smiles, all morning. The whole family accompanied her to her classroom where she got settled right in - and it's been smooth sailing ever since.

As for me, I choked back a few tears in the parking lot. However, I couldn't help but smile as I watched my girl fly from my arms, like a bird from its nest, soaring fearlessly into her future on a path all her own. And I know, in my heart, that her flight will be so very sweet.

Countdown to K :: Pool Party

It was an end of summer blowout at my house last night!
We celebrated our village of friends with pool time,

a potluck dinner complete with an ice cream sundae bar,

and a walk around the neighborhood that looked like our own personal parade!

Thank you, my friends, for 5 wonderful years - and a fabulous summer - full of community, friendship and fun. I can't imagine a better way to watch my children grow.

Countdown to K :: New Moon in Kindergarten

I gathered with my New Moon Sisters last night to honor the New Moon in Virgo, or as we renamed it, the New Moon in Kindergarten! So many of our biggest chicks are taking their first flights from the nest next week. So we set a group intention for smooth transitions - both for kiddos and mamas alike.

And then we got down to some mindful crafting. Last night's mission was power sticks. We each decorated found sticks, as well as began work on a communal one to use as a talking stick at our circles.

I used a piece of driftwood from Shell Beach and decorated it with stones and shells I've collected over the years, as well as some beads and ribbon. The idea is to keep adding to it as time goes by.

I plan to keep my power stick on my altar as a reminder of the peace the beach brings me - which is what inspired me in this craft. I'm not sure if I will use it in mediation, or just how it will come into play...but as my relationship with it develops, I'll let you know.

Countdown to K :: Final Days of Summer

This final week of summer vacation marks the end of a treasured chapter for our family. So we're jam packing it full of fun outings and activities to celebrate all we've accomplished and all that lies ahead.

Monday, we joined five other families from our village of friends in touring the Ringling Museum of Art (free on Mondays!).

This is a big, fancy, no-touch art museum to attempt with little ones, and we managed to escape with only a few grouchy looks from the docents. Our survival hinged on an "art treasure hunt." We purchased postcards from the gift shop (10 for $1.50) depicting works of art within the museum. Then we divvied the cards up amongst the big kids, whose mission was to find the masterpieces in the museum.

A picnic lunch on the Ringling grounds, under the banyan trees, was an ideal ending to our art adventure. (Check out my dear friend's post on our "day of the arts", plus get a great idea for preserving your preschooler's art collection over at Snip and Snail.)

Tuesday, we joined up with our village friends again at the YMCA Splash Park. No survival techniques necessary here - just hours of fun in the sun: swimming, sliding and splashing.

Selby spent today with her beloved Grandpa, as she has nearly every Wednesday for the past three and a half years. Together they have enjoyed countless trips to the movies, the mall, the pool, the park, the library...you name it. I know they will both miss these special pre-K days.

(image courtesy of Snip and Snail, taken last week)
Tomorrow: a final Thursday at Shell Beach for all the big kids (mamas, it's about to get a lot quieter on our shore with only babes in tow!). Then Friday, we meet Selby's Kindergarten teacher and see her classroom. And a new chapter begins...

Countdown to K :: Road Trip

With my oldest chick starting Kindergarten next week, we decided an end-of-summer road trip was in store. And an invitation to stay with our long-time friend and his family (3 boys!) at their beach house in the Florida panhandle sealed the deal. We took off early last Friday for an 8-hour trek up the state to Cape San Blas.

It rained our first whole day there, keeping us away from the beach. So, to my delight, we drove into Apalachicola and spent the day tooling around this tiny eclectic town, packed with antique shops and super-cute stores (thank you rain!).

The skies cleared just in time for an early dinner overlooking the Bay, where I feasted on Apalachicola oysters on the half shell, Gulf shrimp and cheese grits. Yum!

We returned to the beach house just in time for a sunset swim in the Gulf, followed by a two-family game of Ocean Bingo, complete with beach-themed prizes.

It was truly a fun-filled weekend, and a fabulous kick-off to our last week before school starts.

Final Thoughts on Compassion

Saturday marked the final day of my 30 Days of Compassion. Away on a long weekend road trip with the family, I was totally disconnected and unable to share my final thoughts on the subject. However, hours in the car, and relaxing by the Gulf, allowed me some space to reflect:

Compassion is unconditional love. First, for ourselves. Then, for all other sentient beings - those we love, those we hardly know, those we've never heard of, and those who push us to our limits.

Compassion is replacing quick judgment with deeper understanding.

Compassion is accepting the moment just how it is - good or bad, pretty or ugly - instead of avoiding, suppressing and resisting it.

Compassion is knowing we are all the same, and acting accordingly.

Compassion is showing kindness to all.

Compassion goes beyond the "I'm sorry for your suffering" to the "I'll help alleviate your pain."

Compassion is the opening of your heart to living life to the fullest, with all its juicy, fragrant goodness, as well as its smelly, scratchy icky parts.

Compassion is the kind of life I want to live.

Thank you for joining me on this journey! I am so grateful for your support.

Day 28 :: I Got Me Some Joy

Yesterday I started to feel the joy... and it truly did come from celebrating the happiness of others. Thank you to those of you who shared what is bringing you joy right now - your words gave me much to celebrate and I feel great joy for each of you. (If you haven't had a chance to comment yet, please still do!).

More happiness bubbled up on a spontaneous sunset visit to the beach with my greatest joys: my girls and my guy! A little tide pool made for the perfect spot to let the girls splash and explore.

We saw dolphins...

and mermaids...

and had an overall magical evening, full of laughter and playfulness. It was dark when we left, all sandy and salty. Upon returning home, we slipped into the pool for a little moonlight swim. The delight on the girls' faces to be swimming at nighttime!! filled my heart full of joy. Sometimes, all we need is to look outside ourselves.

Note: practicing true sympathetic joy includes feeling joy for not only the ones we love (which is easy), but also for beings we don't know and, even more difficult, for the ones we find challenging. This is an ongoing journey I plan to continue beyond my 30 Days of Compassion.

Day 26 :: Joy (Part 2)

"Learning to feel joy for others can help transform our own suffering and self-centeredness into joy." - Joan Halifax Roshi

A moment of truth: I've been really cranky since I wrote about joy yesterday. I've really wanted to be cheerful, and I'm not giving up, but I'm refocusing my attention a bit. Instead of trying to will myself into a joyful state of mind, I am, instead, looking to rejoice in the happiness of others.

This practice, known as sympathetic joy, is another Buddhist teaching that sits alongside compassion, loving kindness and equanimity, (these are called the Four Perfect Virtues). Sympathetic joy allows us to celebrate the basic goodness and fundamental well being of other beings. It allows us to feel happiness for others' fortune and success instead of jealous or envious. And in turn, it allows us to feel greater joy toward ourselves and our own capabilities for happiness.

You can help me out! Please tell me what is bringing you joy in your life right now. What successes or good fortunes are you rejoicing in? I would really love to be happy for you.

Day 25 :: Joy (Part 1)

"One joy scatters a hundred griefs." - Chinese Proverb

Over the weekend, I went to see Julie & Julia with two dear ladies in my life. One of the things I loved about the movie was how Julia Child was portrayed to live with such JOY! Played by Meryl Streep, Julia seemed to dive full force into life, reveling in its pleasures and just skimming over its disappointments. She obviously found great joy in cooking and eating good food, but she also embraced happiness though the love she shared with her husband and through a dear friendship she experienced with a pen pal. She even seemed to find humor, and the underlying joy it can offer, in life's less gratifying moments.

I want to cultivate this attitude of joy. I can see how it links to compassionate living, for when you're happy, it's much easier to share happiness with others. And helping others achieve happiness is the ultimate goal of compassion.

So in the spirit of Julia Child, I'm putting some attention on being more joyful. I shall try and impart some levity to my days through good humor, playfulness and laughter. I shall try and notice and seek out more everyday delights, more simple pleasures. And I shall try and appreciate the happy gratification these moments bring. I do hope you will join me!

Day 23 :: Loving Kindness

“You don’t need to actively seek out opportunities to be compassionate; they are all around you in your everyday life. Simply awaken your own instinct for goodness and help alleviate suffering wherever you encounter it." - Marcel Proust

I've been writing a lot about kindness here; about acts of kindness to others and to myself. A reader pointed out that my post titled Random Acts of Kindness was really not properly named, as random implies anonymous - or doing something unexpected for a stranger. What I was doing was simply being kind to people I know and love. This is easier, although not to be discounted. This helped me realize I was just skimming the surface of practicing loving kindness. This weekend, I am focusing on true "random" acts of kindness, deepening my practice to where my love extends beyond friends and family to all people (and other sentient beings) - from those I pass on the street to those I hear about on the news.

May we all be happy.

Day 19 :: Riding the Waves

"It is said that the awareness of a Buddha is completely even, like the ocean, taking in equally the joys and sorrows of all people, friends, loved ones, relatives, and those never met."
- Buddhism with an Attitude


In my last post, I shared how practicing compassion can be overwhelming as I awaken to all the suffering in the world around me. For this reason, Buddhist teachings suggest practicing equanimity - which means even-mindedness - alongside compassion. It is this state of mind that allows us to approach each moment with an open heart, regardless of its difficulties or delights.

With equanimity, we can ride the waves of life - the ups and the downs - with a constant, calm heart so we keep from drowning. It allows us to:

- feel pain but not cling to it
- experience joy without attaching to it
- have trust in moments of uncertainty
- offer compassion without pity

Practicing equanimity requires both being in the moment and letting go. So as I strive to cultivate compassion, I'm also beginning to focus more attention on cultivating equanimity by being in the moment, without judgment, without aversion, without clinging. Just riding the waves...

Day 18 :: Checking In

I'm 18 days into putting my attention, daily, on cultivating compassion. I haven't written about it here every day because some days it's just too heavy. Or too personal for such a public forum. Or, I simply can't figure out how to translate my experiences into words. What I can say is that, so far, focusing my awareness on compassion has required me to further soften and open my heart. And while this opening has allowed space to experience a deeper level of pleasure, it has created an equal space for experiencing pain.

I'm suddenly acutely aware of my own suffering, the suffering of others, and how our well being is all so very interconnected. I've been both overwhelmed by the responsibility we hold for one another and ourselves, and comforted by our unity.

I'm learning that practicing compassion is truly work of the heart. It's a willingness to open our hearts fully, joyfully and without judgment to both pleasure and pain. It's a readiness to respond with kindness. And, ultimately, it's a commitment to loving - ourselves and each other - deeply, unconditionally and completely.

If you're following along on this journey, please check in and share what you're learning about compassion. I'd love to hear from you!