Spilled Coffee and Early Morning Fog

I woke up early this morning, before the sun early. I have been making strides to turn the lights off on my nightstand as well as my mind by 9:30. I'm a night owl so this is BIG for me. My husband got me on board to his new ways. Life is about making changes and I have found such a breath of fresh air to my new routine. Coffee is a must at this hour. I pour myself a cuppa and usually hit the books. The time passes by all too quickly before the girls awake, but feeding myself in these quiet moments are life-giving.

This particular morning it was really foggy out. (I love being outside, but that's for another post). Foggy mornings are my favorite kind of morning. I think I have discovered as to why. It's like an anticipation of what the day will bring forth. After the unveiling of haziness, you can see a portrait of focused clarity. It's nice to anticipate things isn't it? An upcoming vacation, a date night, yoga, a package arriving for you, an answer to prayer, a tidy home or a home cooked meal to name a few. I saw a list of 12 ways to be happier and one of them included this idea. Anticipation gives you meaning and hope...something to hold onto when the going gets dull or rough. Without realizing it, I had been anticipating an outcome that is bringing forth beauty from messes.

I started thinking about yesterday in particular with my middle love. She kept making mistakes/messes and was getting frustrated with herself. Let me just say, I for one have come a looooong way in this department. To me, there is nothing worse that gets under my skin than spilled milk, coffee, smoothie, insert all other messes here. I am a reactor. I speak with my face or eyes or expressions so you know when this mama is upset. It's like the type of thing where you pray for patience and you get a lot of opportunities to practice. Yes, I guess it has taken me a while in this department. I guess I should mention that I clean for a living so another mess is like work. Sigh, you get the point. But like this fog, it all became really clear to me: mistakes are going to happen even if you are a perfectionist (cough cough) and every mistake is progress. After all, you learn from your mistakes!

Natalie's (our oldest) eighth birthday is rapidly approaching. I wanted to get her a meaningful gift so I was overjoyed when I came across this "Big Life Journal."  It's a growth mindset journal that you can do together. It has thought provoking questions and stories about real life people who made/make a difference in our world. I can't wait to hear her thoughts and inspire each other through this resource. I'll include the link here:  https://biglifejournal.com/ All that to say, they sent me free coloring printables with the purchase of this journal. The coloring pages included were these thoughtful mantras about mistakes! I printed them out and put them under Emily's pillow after she lost yet another tooth. I started a little tradition of putting coloring pages under the girls pillows when they loose a tooth and some for their sisters. The next morning, we colored them and hung them up around the house. I think as parents and kids alike, we need these little reminders to keep us in check. I'm so thankful for this breakthrough. I feel like as a parent there are so many things I wish I had done differently. In a way, it's like a mistake where I too am growing, improving, and changing. A beautiful transition from someone who didn't know the way to a clearer, brighter human...like the fog being lifted.

Xo,

Teresa