What a wonderful day we had on Saturday,(even if I did forget to take a photo of the group)! We had group of about 25 amazing Moms. We had some who had one little child, some who had several young children close together, we had a mom who has multiple special needs children and a mom of 6 who had from teens on up We had such a diverse group which made for great discussions.
This retreat we focused on taking care of ourselves as people so we can give more to our family. We focused on thriving in life rather than just surviving. Mandy Cheney who is one amazing lady and one of the trainers who presented talked about her Happiness Project. Last summer she had some really challenging weeks with her family and felt absolutely depleted. She decided she needed to make some changes and feed her spirit more so she had more to give. She made a chart of things to do each day to feed her soul. They are simple actions that when accomplished on a daily basis made a huge difference in her life. Things such as prayer/meditation daily, 30 minutes of exercise, eating healthy food, an act of kindness, writing in her gratitude journal, enough sleep etc etc. She said it literally changed her life. She is one of the most dynamic, happiest people I know. She shines from the inside out! I am starting my own happiness project for the next 100 days and can't wait to see how it changes me. She said a phrase that has stuck with me and I will put up on my bathroom mirror... "Fill Holes, Feel Whole." I love that!
Lacy Anderson is also a trainer who presented with us. Lacy is also a beautiful, happy woman who has 4 young children. I don't know how she does all she does! We had this retreat in her beautiful, bright, sunny home. Lacy talked about "branding our motherhood." To have a mantra or a "momtra" as she puts it to guide us to be the Mom we want to be. My "momtra" is three simple words, Fun, Happy, Loving. We talked about how we are teaching our children what adulthood and motherhood looks like. Are they learning that it's frustrating, exhausting and no fun? Or can we be the example that life is beautiful and joyful even though it isn't perfect?
I talked about setting Margins and boundaries for ourselves. Don't let other activities or people guilt you into sacrificing your time and energy for things that don't really fill you up or make you resentful and unhappy. If you are taking time away from your home and family make sure it's something that is worthwhile and that you feel great about doing. Learn to say no. Having margins and boundaries in our lives gives more time and space for joy! I also talked about comparing ourselves to others and how social media can be so unkind to Moms. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest have everyone's highlight reels posted and yet we compare our every day lives that are messy and complicated to those highlight reels and allow ourselves to feel guilt and shame over our own lives. Life your own life, not a version of someone else! Comparison is the thief of joy.
My biggest take away from Saturday was to say yes more. Yes to more joy, yes to my kids requests to play tag outside, to have popcorn in the playhouse, to Play-doh and bubbles (oh I hate playdoh and bubbles). To find those "serendipity" moments with my family by saying yes to them. Many times it means saying no to the pile of laundry, the to do list or to our schedule, but oh the joy that can be found in saying yes!
I am so grateful for the opportunity to share these things with other women. Oh how we need each other, we need the support and the encouragement. One of my favorite things about these retreats is they are so empowering and uplifting, we focus on the positive and how we can change for the better. I love being a part of them!
Lacy, Me and Mandy
This retreat we focused on taking care of ourselves as people so we can give more to our family. We focused on thriving in life rather than just surviving. Mandy Cheney who is one amazing lady and one of the trainers who presented talked about her Happiness Project. Last summer she had some really challenging weeks with her family and felt absolutely depleted. She decided she needed to make some changes and feed her spirit more so she had more to give. She made a chart of things to do each day to feed her soul. They are simple actions that when accomplished on a daily basis made a huge difference in her life. Things such as prayer/meditation daily, 30 minutes of exercise, eating healthy food, an act of kindness, writing in her gratitude journal, enough sleep etc etc. She said it literally changed her life. She is one of the most dynamic, happiest people I know. She shines from the inside out! I am starting my own happiness project for the next 100 days and can't wait to see how it changes me. She said a phrase that has stuck with me and I will put up on my bathroom mirror... "Fill Holes, Feel Whole." I love that!
Lacy Anderson is also a trainer who presented with us. Lacy is also a beautiful, happy woman who has 4 young children. I don't know how she does all she does! We had this retreat in her beautiful, bright, sunny home. Lacy talked about "branding our motherhood." To have a mantra or a "momtra" as she puts it to guide us to be the Mom we want to be. My "momtra" is three simple words, Fun, Happy, Loving. We talked about how we are teaching our children what adulthood and motherhood looks like. Are they learning that it's frustrating, exhausting and no fun? Or can we be the example that life is beautiful and joyful even though it isn't perfect?
I talked about setting Margins and boundaries for ourselves. Don't let other activities or people guilt you into sacrificing your time and energy for things that don't really fill you up or make you resentful and unhappy. If you are taking time away from your home and family make sure it's something that is worthwhile and that you feel great about doing. Learn to say no. Having margins and boundaries in our lives gives more time and space for joy! I also talked about comparing ourselves to others and how social media can be so unkind to Moms. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest have everyone's highlight reels posted and yet we compare our every day lives that are messy and complicated to those highlight reels and allow ourselves to feel guilt and shame over our own lives. Life your own life, not a version of someone else! Comparison is the thief of joy.
My biggest take away from Saturday was to say yes more. Yes to more joy, yes to my kids requests to play tag outside, to have popcorn in the playhouse, to Play-doh and bubbles (oh I hate playdoh and bubbles). To find those "serendipity" moments with my family by saying yes to them. Many times it means saying no to the pile of laundry, the to do list or to our schedule, but oh the joy that can be found in saying yes!
I am so grateful for the opportunity to share these things with other women. Oh how we need each other, we need the support and the encouragement. One of my favorite things about these retreats is they are so empowering and uplifting, we focus on the positive and how we can change for the better. I love being a part of them!
4 comments:
I'm glad it was such a fruitful retreat for you. Sounds like you gave and received some great advice.
You are truly amazing, content, peaceful and a wonderful example to me. I had a great time with you on Saturday! Good luck with your happiness project!
I hate bubbles and play doh too!!
I hate bubbles and play doh too!!
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