Meet Me By The River

Looking forward to catching up after summer. It was a fun-filled phenomenal summer with old-school adventures. I never thought I would. say this but extremely grateful to get back to a routine. Slowly learning to accept myself for being the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants-mom that I am. 
If you are being hard on yourself during this season, please give yourself grace. Fall comes with all the feels. Change in routine, new schools, teachers, sports teams, schedule. It is all a bit of madness. The kids are trying to wrap their heads around all these shifts. It is a lot on the whole family and can alter the dynamic entirely. 
Deep breaths, we are all doing our best.
And at the end of the day, remind yourself. None of us know what we are doing... and that's ok.

Life lessons and personal growth happen throughout our lives.
It is rarely pretty, it is never easy, but when we persevere we can remind ourselves what we are made of.
 
Put yourself out there and you will likely be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
 
 

Buckle Up, it's SUMMER!
Kids are pumped, Mom is just trying to catch up. 
New Routines, attempts at being fun/ easy going Mom are lacking.
But here we go... we will figure this out...one day at a time.

Offering some advice for my kiddos.
Truthfully, I am not sure why. 
They teach me...more than I could ever teach them.
 
As they are getting older, I feel more sentimental, more emotional, and the constant ache to freeze time.
I hope you always know how much I love you.
 
xo
Mom

Focus...
That seems to be more of a challenge with every passing day.
With pop up menus, junk email, and endless distractions.
I am finding it takes more of an effort all the time to live intentionally and maintain focus on what a person strives to accomplish.
 
All that being said... the squirrel in my brain also wants to PIVOT (see what I did there ;) ) to also tell you about the highlight reel of our recent adventures in NYC. Memories I will truly cherish forever.
Oh!
And Happy Valentine's Day!!
 
Send so much Love, Always!
Chris 

I don't know about you, but Music meets me where I am.
Songs from our childhood, ones that remind us of challenging times, the music that comforts us, celebrates with us and can instantly teleport us to another time.
Music shifts the mood of every environment, for better or worse.
For our family, music has also become an opportunity to create open ended conversation and share about life experiences.
We have recently discovered the game Hitster. LIFE CHANGING. lol 
But seriously, if you are a fan of music... I couldn't rave about this game all day. 10/10
Crank some tunes, put on your happy pants, do a little shimmy... 
Much Love, Always
Chris 

I have been giving a few things some additional thought recently.
One of those is that us less co-ordinated folk should be offered additional hours in their day. Simply to tidy up the chaos we tend to create in our path...
Aside from that, additional recent events gave me some insight on aspects of my life I could improve on as well as the importance of doing what you can for the community around you. 
We grew up in a very small community and so much of that has framed who I am today. The people that help raise your children become an extension of your family. The people that start out as strangers, are looking for that same sense of belonging that you are. Reach out, share a smile, a gesture of kindness or a helping hand.
Being a part of a strong community will continue to nourish you and generations yet to come.
 

Happy New Year!
 
Feeling refreshed, recharged, and present.
Ready for whatever the future holds... the good, the not so good and every moment in between.
 
Whatever you do to reset and create a happy, healthy trajectory for the New Year... you are on the right track. Everyone has their own path. 
Create what works best for you. Challenge yourself, but give yourself grace when you need it to.
It's a Good Year to Have a Good Year.
What is yours going to look like?
What will you look back on in 2027 and be proud that you created the foundation for in 2026?

The Christmas season is here!! 
I, for one, could not be any less prepared...and to be perfectly honest, I am totally ok with however this Christmas rolls out.
 
Christmas can be such a mixed bag of emotions for many.
As much as we want to soak up all the goodness of the holidays, it sometimes provokes other feels for many of us.
I hope you are able to find some joy Christmas. And I hope that you share your joy with others. We never know what someone else is going through. Your light might be exactly what they are needing.
 
Much Love, Always

Relationships are complicated. Knowing how the people you love, interpret how you show your love for them is an incredibly helpful tool. It is also helpful for your spouse to know what fills your cup.
Some people love gift, or kind words.
I really appreciate a good hug. Yes, there are good and bad hugs.
But my absolute favorite is the gift of time with the people I love.
Whether it is a birthday or just an average day, I am grateful for the time I get to share with them.
What is your love language? And don't be surprised if they evolve and change over time. 
Lots of Love, Always
Chris