Is Time Passing You By?

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Reprinted from 2009

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Sitting in my office this afternoon I looked out my window at the tree in my front yard. My pumpkin colored wall framed the brilliant orange and red leaves. In the moment that I looked up, my breath was taken away. There was such beauty there with the deep orange and crimson colored leaves. Right here in the middle of the suburbs with the mini vans whizzing by.

The funny thing is that I am sure that tree has been that color for days now and in my rush to get everything done and to be everywhere I need to be, I never “saw” it. It got me thinking about all of the beauty that I’ve been missing as the days speed by in the life of the ever hectic mom.

How many days have gone by where I’ve missed the sparkle of the sun shining through my window for that brief moment in the middle of the day? When was the last time I really listened to the buzzing of the bees as they go about their busy work in my garden? I can’t remember the last time I took time out of my life to just go for a walk in the woods and breathe in the fresh air and admire the beauty of nature.

Then it really hit me. What else had I been missing? The greatest beauty of any mom’s day…the beauty of a child’s smile or their light hearted giggle? Have I truly taken time to savor all of those moments that occur spontaneously throughout the day? Do I give my children single pointed focus when they are speaking to me? Do I genuinely look at them; see them for who they are? How often do I savor my sweet boys, engulf myself in their scent and just be with them in the moment?

I have a 17 year old son who is graduating high school in January. As it seems every wise and “mature” parent will tell you, the time flies by. I can’t believe that he is a young man and no longer wants to cuddle and snuggle with me. I know I have had many beautiful moments with him and all of my boys and I want more. I don’t want to miss them.

As a mom of five boys I am acutely aware of how busy life can be and how much there is to get done in one day. I am deciding today to schedule in cuddle time, snuggle time and lovin’ time with my boys just as I do dentist appointments and grocery shopping. I am committing to practice giving my children my undivided attention. No more reading my email while they are talking to me or doing something else while they are trying to tell me a story.

I invite you to join me in this experiment to see how differently your days play out. I am willing to bet that not only will it bring you joy and happiness but it will affect your children in a powerful way. They will not only feel the love that you have for them but they will be learning how to be in the moment themselves.

As I sat here typing, my youngest son Aidan just came up to me and climbed into my lap. I immediately stopped what I was doing, wrapped my arms around him and began the automatic mommy rock. In that moment, I was overcome with the love that is always available for me but that I don’t always take the time to feel. It brought a tear to my eye. In about 60 seconds it was over. He jumped off and ran off to finish his homework. I looked up at that autumn tree and sent it a wave of gratitude for allowing me to see its beauty and the beauty that is all around me.

Before I started The Creative Healing Studio I actually had another blog that was more nutrition based. I shared recipes, food facts, and health tips on top of my insights and stories about my life and family.

Recently I went back and looked over some of those posts and I decided there were a few good ones I would like to share with my new friends over here.  I will most likely add some original artwork since I wasn't creating back then and only used boring photos I found on the web.

I plan to sprinkle them in here and there and I just wanted to give you a heads up. I hope you enjoy them!

Do you remember when I created my mosaic soul art? I really loved that project. I loved making the healing mosaic mandalas too. There is just something about creating art with healing and positive affirmations that lights me up!

 I originally made 9 of them and I have 5 left. I've put two of them up in my Etsy shop if you are interested. Check out the affirmations and see if they resonate with you.

Resting the Body, Mind, & Spirit

I sometimes wish I was the kind of person who gets reflective and deep when I get sick. You know, writing poetry, creating masterpieces, or even just journaling. But no, I'm the kind of girl who veges out on the couch and watches TV. I feel like I could get so much accomplished if I only could focus on my art or my writing while I lounge around on the sofa.

But then I think that I sometimes need a break too. I'm always thinking, learning, reading, creating, writing, talking, helping, or doing. I guess when my body needs a break the mind needs one too.

On top of that, I spend a part of everyday being reflective and diving deep into my own healing and growth so what the heck, another reason to rest the mind and soul.

So you might have guessed that I've been a bit under the weather the past few weeks. Let me tell you, it was a doozy! Three plus weeks sitting on the couch has caught me up on all the shows in my DVR from the whole season and then some.

I'm so glad to feel the creative urge alive inside me again. I've just been playing around a bit and I've been working out some new techniques that I'm super psyched about. I guess I'm just getting back in the groove again.

I'm looking forward to connecting with all you wonderful people here in the bloggy world again. I've missed all of you! I'm curious, what do you do when you're sick. Maybe you can give me some  pointers.

Introducing...

For a while now I've been hearing from my friends and family that I should put some of my stuff on Etsy. They have kindly suggested it, sternly reminded me and exclaimed in exasperation, "What are you waiting for?"

Hmmm, I don't know. I thought I didn't really have enough items to sell and that maybe they were too personal or weren't "real art". Afterall, these were friends and family, they're biased.

Then I had a woman I never met before come to my house and she looked around at all my art and said, "You know, you really should put your stuff on Etsy."

And then a young girl from the neighborhood came over one day and saw something I had created and she said, "You know, you should make more of these and give them away...for money."

I laughed. OK Universe. I hear you. Thank you for telling me in so many different ways so that I might get the message.

So today I am happy to tell you that I have posted my first two items in my new Etsy shop. They are fabric wall hangings I created that I think are fun and whimsical and share my love of inspiring words and fun doodles.

I hope you will take a look and tell me what you think and if you like them please share them with your friends.

Thank you for all your support and encouragement. I am so blessed to have so many supportive and kind people in my life. Every one of you have lifted me up time and time again even when you weren't aware of it.

xo M

Through the Eyes of Your Inner Child

When I was a kid I remember having a lot of unsupervised time. I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about. We spent a lot of time out of the house, by ourselves, without fear. We went out exploring empty fields, empty lots, parks, rivers, anywhere and everywhere in nature. There was a great sense of independance, freedom, and excitement in those excursions.

Today I went out for a walk and I came upon some wild strawberries in the field and it was like finding a little treasure. It reminded me of being a kid because in one of those empty fields we used to go to we would play hide and seek in the tall grass and I remember there being wild strawberries that we would pick and nibble on as we played and they were THE BEST strawberries I've ever eaten.

As I was walking today, as a woman in her 40s who origianlly had gone out for some exercise, I came across those wild strawberries and I was transported back to being a kid with all that freedom, fun and joy in just being in a field hanging out. It shifted my energy and I felt this increased sense of wonder.

I kept walking and I came upon a big open field and I found myself with an irresistable urge to plop myself down in the middle of a field of dandelions. So that is what I did! I was just lying there in the sun listening to the birds chirping, watching the butterflies flutter and feeling the breeze and the warmth of the earth on my stomach. 

I started exploring like a little kid and seeing the detail in the grass.  The 40 year old me would have just seen some grass and weeds but the little girl in me, began seeing the buds of the dandelions, these wispy fern like plants covered in a soft white fuzzy fur, little clovers popping out, giant ants busily working and a whole other world complete with vibrant color, texture, and the possibility for fantasy.

I would have never seen any of it or experienced the wonder of that moment if I wouldn't have plopped myself down in the middle of that field and reverted back to my childhood. Yes, I would have taken a nice walk in the sun and enjoyed my surroundings but I wouldn't have had that amazing sense of wonder almost as if the world was in technicolor. I was given the gift of seeing the world through child-like eyes and experiencing that pure excitement, joy and happiness.

I invite you to go out into the world and experience it with your child-like eyes. Do something you enjoyed as a kid. Act like a kid. Be silly, be carefree, be You before you became "you".

Personalized Journal for Girls

Remeber back in March when I told you about the journal I made for my friend Carrie? Well she has 2 beautiful daughters who were wanting to get creative too so I made each of them a journal.

This one was made for her youngest daughter Calli.

And this one was for her oldest daughter Skylar.

I've never met these girls but I went onto their mom's facebook page to look at pictures of them and I also checked out their pinterest pages to get an idea of who they are. I'm guessing I was able to intuitively connect with them as well because I've been told they are perfect for each of them. The colors, the subject matter, everything. Yay! It always feels good to make others happy!

I can't wait to see what they do in them!