Author Archives: Darcy

My Bliss Categories

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Hey Sweet Mamas,

As many of you know, I launched this site/blog just over a year ago when my youngest daughter was just barely six weeks. At times I’ve felt disappointed that I haven’t been able to focus more energy here, sometimes feeling scattered and not yet ready to articulate all my ideas and stories. Although I have been legitimately busy…going through coaching school…writing for my Sustainable Family Finances blog…managing our cabins…oh, and three kids, has me busier than ever before.

The good news is that while I haven’t been able to express myself fully, I’ve continued to experience so much inner growth in the past year that I now feel like I’m about to bust at the seems. I’ve gained a ton of clarity on my passion and purpose in life, loving my daily rhythms, and feeling a heightened awareness of my personal evolution. Becoming a life coach has been truly transformational. I am sooo ready to start sharing my full story, connecting with the many mamas that I’m meant to serve, and guiding you toward your own bliss.

Starting in January, get ready to start hearing from me way more often. I’ve finally honed in on my top five categories that I am so excited to explore:

  1. Following My Bliss – my journey toward creative self expression and joy

  2. Creating Your Bliss – ideas for how to tap into your own Mama Bliss through practical and joyful practices

  3. Simplicity Parenting – ways to simplify the chaos and bring more peace to your life

  4. Designing Family Bliss – examples of how my kids/parenting works (at least for us!)

  5. Living Wholeheartedly – sharing what inspires me to make this world a better place

Let me know if there are things you’d love to hear about within these five categories.

Happy Holidays…I’ll see you in 2015!

Darcy

“Proof” that Simplicity Parenting works

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My Elsa (Makenna), Flower Fairy (Teagan), and Harry Potter (Kieran) at Halloween.

My Elsa (Makenna), Flower Fairy (Teagan), and Harry Potter (Kieran) at Halloween.

I’ve had a much harder time writing about my kids on this blog than I thought I would, partly because its more personal. But also because I don’t want this be seen a “brag blog” and I certainly don’t want to perpetuate the vicious cycle of us moms comparing ourselves to other moms. Heaven knows that comparing doesn’t help anyone.

And, yet, I feel in my heart that in my attempt to parent wholeheartedly and institute simplicity into our lives that my family has brought many “successes” along the way. Sometimes the incremental progress can feel like two steps forward and one step back, but it’s still progress. I can feel it in myself and see it in my kids, and this last year has been one of profound growth for us (although, we are naturally still learning…with Kieran dropping the F-Bomb in class just last week…Makenna stealing Kieran’s cash…Teagan biting my nipple and signing “pain”…and me often wanting more self-care than I have left to give myself…there’s always room for growth).

Even with our progress, I’ve felt challenged in my attempt to “position myself as a parenting expert,” mostly because I don’t believe there’s such a thing. But my Mama Bliss Teacher/Coach, Ms Kathy, helped me put it in perspective, “Darcy, as my Grandmother always said ‘the proof is in the pudding’ and your kids are proof plenty!” And I feel graced by people often noticing and complimenting me on my kids’ behavior (although my trick is training them to be angels in public…alas, they’re never quite so poised at home…)

With that said, I’m finally ready to get past my own self-consciousness (and fear of nasty comments) to share my well-earned bragging rights. I want to share my family’s experiences in the hope that our mini-successes can help you on your parenting journey. I don’t expect that all of my “tips” will work for your family, but hopefully they’ll at least get you thinking more consciously about what approach could work for you.

I’ve got several stories/experiences in mind already, like how to make pool trips fun for everyone, why snuggie time is worth getting up early, and the joy of playing with each other.

Leave a comment if you want “proof” in a particular parenting realm.

Darcy

Secrets of Happy Families: What’s Working & Not Working

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Secrets-of-happy-familiesI’ve wanted to share about the Secrets of Happy Families, by Bruce Feiler, ever since I read it during my final trimester with Teagan. I had high hopes that it’s secrets would ease our family expansion, and I’m happy to report that it’s working! 

Feiler’s ingenious book is a series of case studies that matches common family dilemmas with case studies from real world experts. For example, he talks with sex therapists about how to give “The Talk” (or rather a lifelong series of conversations…). He also suggests a modern spin to some family traditions, like having your family meal be breakfast instead of dinner (since the point is spending time together). I wholeheartedly agree with his notion that resilient kids know about their family history, and have a role in creating their current family culture.

While there were plenty of valid approaches, some of which I already use, the one that really resonated with me at the time was the idea of having a weekly family meeting. As a busy working mama, I found that some weeks simply slipped by too fast and that many “teachable moments” got lost in the flurry of family life. Plus, I simply wanted to be intentional about our parenting and create more peace in our family.

The idea is simple, set up a consistent time when all family members are given the chance to present and discuss issues. The basic structure is that everyone shares two things: What’s Working and What’s NOT Working. Plus asking how can we work together to resolve issues (or keep the good stuff coming!)?

When I first presented the idea, I honestly got the same push back that Bruce Feiler got with his own family. Kevin laughed about being required to attend yet another meeting (since half of his work is spent attending meetings). Kieran laughed off the idea together with Dad, and then four year old Makenna probably said something like “What’s working is snuggie time and what’s not working is brother kicking me.”

Yet, despite the initial resistance, I continued to bring up the discussion points each Sunday at the end of dinner. After about a month, it became something we all expected and a year later I have little doubt that we will continue this tradition until we have an empty nest, and perhaps beyond. For me the crux of these conversations is about creating a space for democratic dialogue.

As parents there’s a lot of pressure on us to figure everything out, but our kids ought to take ownership as well. We’ve seen a ton of growth in our kids over the past year, and it feels like we’ve given them space to step up their responsibility. We can also share our gratitude, and I find myself sharing both positive and negative feelings that I didn’t seem to have the same space to share previously.

Our meetings have also become an opportunity for Kevin and I to acknowledge that we’re learning along with our kids and that we make mistakes too. Now if we’ve argued about something earlier in the week, we have a chance to debrief as a family and talk about the situation in a defused setting. The kids clearly appreciate this, as well as the kuddos we dole out for the things that are “working.”

Sometimes the highlights may be pretty superficial, but even the silly ones give us insight into what each value and how we impact each other. Occasionally we’ve had a family member take a pass (mostly because they were in agreement with others), but one of the best times was one week when I couldn’t think of anything that “wasn’t working.” This past week we all agreed that the older kids haven’t been fighting barely at all (maybe because is so tired from Kindergarten…), even as we experienced our first toddler bites from Teagan.

Even major frustrations now feel different since we have a system in place for our family to work through our issues together. We all trust that we’ll at least have a chance to say our peace. And that has brought us all more peace. The last part of the meeting is discussing “What will we agree to work on in the week ahead?” For us we do this more organically based on how we can learn from and change the situation.

After a year of family meetings, they’ve also shown us how much our family is evolving. Nothing is static. Everything can change in a week.  Yet, by consistently having family meetings, we’re able to grow more efficiently together. We are each unique people, but we are one family. I can only imagine what our family meetings will be like once Teagan starts talking…

Do you hold family meetings?

What insights/secrets have you discovered?

Darcy

Business is Blooming

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Darcy's Utopia Right Brain Business Plan

Darcy’s Utopia Right Brain Business Plan

I just passed my one year anniversary since I registered my business, Darcy’s Utopia. It felt like a huge leap of faith, and it still does. Every step feels like it requires courage that I didn’t have the day before, but I know that if I’m pushing my own boundaries that I’m moving in the right direction. Lately I’m feeling blissed out just by the idea of helping fellow Mamas, and each Mama I connect with simply makes my day.

The collage pic to the right is the first page from my Right Brain Business Plan. I developed my “business plan” while I was pregnant, and I barely want to admit how much time I spent clipping through magazines to find inspiration for my yet-to-be-born business. I spent months asking myself questions about how I was going to bring my services into the world.

In those early months of starting my business (while on maternity leave), I kept the image of planting seeds in my mind. I tried to have patience, knowing that all natural systems take time to flourish.

So, I smiled to myself this week when two women reached out to me about hosting Simplicity Parenting workshops, both of whom I had talked with last spring but the timing didn’t work. Now, the timing feels better than ever, as I feel my momentum gaining with each small action step.

Becoming a Mama Bliss Coach feels like such the perfect fit that in hindsight I wonder why it took me so long to find this calling. The other day I decided that I finally needed to start printing up some stuff and use a binder, so I found an old binder in the basement (a very nice purple one). I had to smile because inside was at pages full of coaching questions that I was asking myself at least five years ago.

It used to be that self-help was an entirely solo venture. People would thumb through used books on their own quest toward becoming the best version of themselves. Then seminars, like Landmark Education became a powerful way to break through your own barriers (I did the Forum back in 2002). Somewhere along the way Coaching became more and more common, with less of a stigma than traditional therapy. I like to say that therapy is all about how your past is affecting your present, but coaching is about how the present affects your future.

I’ll soon be launching my first full-fledged coaching package (beyond individual sessions, and with a great deal of benefits/bonuses). I’m sooo excited to be finally getting myself services out into the world and can hardly wait to connect with all the lovely mamas who could use some extra bliss.

Wishing you Mama Bliss!

Darcy

My Pin Code Mantra: geaj = bliss

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Pin Code MantraI just gave you the pin code to my phone. geaj.

I only put the code on only really to keep my kids from hijacking my phone, but I wanted to give those four digits a deeper meaning. Now each and every time I access my phone, I repeat to myself Grace Ease Abundance Joy.

GEAJ, my personal pin code mantra. Typing the letters out actually feels odd because I don’t even think of them as just letters, but a personal story of my values.

Grace

I simply loooove the feeling of grace. I liken it to feeling my spirit in flow, with complete faith in the next step on my path. It’s a deep sense of peace, knowing that all is well. To me, experiencing grace is like experiencing the divine.

The word grace has an additional layer of meaning for me, since we are members of Grace Memorial Episcopal Church. It is a lovely urban church with a spiritually progressive bent. They have a special family service that we attend monthly, and we love it as much as our kids. We also love Grace because they have an amazing Grace Art Camp, which is now bringing art/cultural education to partnering countries. The most active members are truly dedicated to community service, and making the world a better place. While my spirituality can’t be summed up in a blog post, I am grateful for having a community to explore my beliefs.

Ease 

I would never claim that parenting is easy, but it is possible to parent with a sense of ease. For me ease is a way living where you don’t fret about things beyond your control, and you do your very best to be present and accepting of whatever life is throwing your way. My morning meditation practice (now for the past two years) helps me connect with my higher sense of purpose so that even when the kids are fighting or the day just turns out wrong, I can maintain an authentic poise. By connecting with my breath in the moment, I can feel a deep sense of peace and ease.

Abundance 

I cherish life’s abundance, and love the tarot imagery of a cup overflowing. While the world is full of injustice and suffering, I know that shining my light as brightly as possible is the only way to help others feel life’s abundance. Giving is the path to receiving. For me true abundance isn’t just feeling deeply satisfied on a material level, but also having enough love/light/cash/smiles to give freely as your heart calls you. It’s also a balance between loving your life now, but being bold enough to keep asking and working for more and more.

Joy

What other point is there really? Yes, I want to make the world a better place, but living my joy is the only way to get “there.” Honing in on joy in about finding what lights you up (and your kids!), rather than going along with what everyone else is doing. It’s about finding ways to express yourself and share your gifts. In the end, I feel like joy is my/our life’s purpose.

In Mama Bliss Coaching School we were given an exercise to help us (and clients) discover our deepest values. I wasn’t surprised when even after reconsidering a myriad of other values that I still typed out the same four letters. For me, geaj spells bliss.

What four letters spell bliss to you?

Can I help you live your bliss?

Darcy

Getting Back Into Inspired Action – My Mama Bliss Coaching Packages

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This photo was taken by my BFF at the Michael Franti concert out at Edgefield, where I celebrated becoming a Mama Bliss Coach! Teagan had a blast and Franti even patted her sleeping bottom when he was crowd surfing. :-)

Taken by my BFF at the Michael Franti concert out at Edgefield, where I celebrated becoming a Mama Bliss Coach. The girls had a blast with Makenna on my shoulders and Teagan in a sling dancing. Franti even patted Teagan’s sleeping bottom when he was crowd surfing!

I’ve been doing a mental happy dance all week to finally have both of my older kiddos back in school. Don’t get me wrong, we had an incredible summer, but it also feels wonderful to be productive beyond fixing the next snack or packing for the next road trip. We seriously put over 2k miles on our Swagger Wagon on six trips, including 12 days in Beautiful British Columbia all the way to the Pacific Rim! It felt amazing to give myself some real vacation time and truly unplug for a change.

But it’s seriously inspiring to be back “at work” after the true work of caring for my family over the summer. It also feels like an anniversary season for me, since Teagan just had her first birthday and I’ve been working/caring from home for a full year. I couldn’t feel more blessed to be following my passion, and thrilled dive back into building my new Mama Bliss Coaching service. One of the first things I did was create my first “Coaching Packages,” which offer both entry and intensive level coaching. I want to make my coaching accessible to mamas who are ready to invest in creating their utopia.

I’m excited to share that all of my initial “freebie clients’ have chosen to continue to work with me at some level. It definitely validates all of the work that I put into my coaching training and the gut feeling feeling that this is my life’s calling. I also want to get the word out about my services, since I think there are a lot of mamas out there who could use an empowering partner in their camp.

Without further ado, I’m excited to share my Mama Bliss Coaching Packages.

I’m also thrilled to share my very first podcast interview with my beloved Mama Bliss Muse, Ms Kathy Stowell from Bliss Beyond Naptime. Truthfully, I actually thought our appointment was a regular coaching call, so I was all ready to talk about how to ramp up my practice, but I was happy to switch gears. While we’ve never met in person, we are like kindred spirits and I love Kathy’s playfulness.

Lastly, if you’re not looking for coaching but are curious about becoming a Mama Bliss Coach yourself, just get in touch and I’d be happy to share my experience. Like I say in my interview, there is no competition in the Mama Bliss world, each coach brings their own life experience and unique set of gifts, and I know that mamas everywhere could use a little more bliss.

Enjoy this blissful autumn sunshine!

Darcy

Creating a Family Values Crest

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Cronin Family Crest

Cronin Family Crest

One of the things that has drawn me to coaching is my desire to find and express our unique family values, and now to share that process with other mamas. Every family has values, whether they are conscious of them or not. But families who are aware of their values and actively find ways to to express them through work and play are the families who are going to just survive, but truly thrive.

That’s why I LOVE that Values is the “third pillar” of Mama Bliss Coaching.

Values are light a beacon in the fog. They get you through the sibling squabbles, going the wrong way down a one-way street, or somehow missing a new child on your tax return (all of which happened for us yesterday, thankfully our accountant was still able to make the fix and the policemen was busy pulling over a cab!). Values help steer you back on course and remind you of what really matters.

One way to symbolize your family values is by creating a family crest, as I did for my website banner. Aside from paying homage to our Irish/Welsh/Scottish/British ancestry, our self-created coat of arms gives a visual representation our family values.

  • The blossoms on the top left hand show how we are all blooming in our own time. Sometimes its hard to keep in mind that we each have our own stages of growth. Teagan is just learning to crawl, while I am discovering what it takes to be a successful work-at-home mom. Our family’s job is to create the right conditions to help us each grow and develop. I.e. it’s time to baby proof!

  • The waves with sun and moon are symbolic of both our love of the ocean and the need to remain flexible as we ebb and flow toward our higher goals and values. Going with the flow is the most efficient path. Plus, we are real water lovers!

  • The five outstretched hands was my best way representing teamwork. Like all families, we are learning to be a team. We need to work together in order to play together.

  • The tree with shovel reminds me of our desire to give back to our community through volunteer service. Giving back is really important to Kevin and I, and one of the values that brought us together. Kevin served two terms as in Americorps and I’m an active Rotary International member. The kids often attend Portland Pearl Rotary meetings with me, and know way more about local/international causes than your average 8 and 5 year old (I just stopped taking Teagan with me, but she had near perfect attendance for the past eight months!). We did a Village Building Convergence street painting in our neighborhood last year, and are planning for one again next month. They love learning about causes and connecting as a community in the process.

The nice thing about a basic family crest is that it’s simple by design. I’m learning some great coaching methods to find your family values, but the gist is to whittle what you care about down to just four areas and find a way to symbolize each area. You could do it in a crayon drawing, crafty collage or even a purple pen like I did for my first design (My talented friend and former co-worker is due full credit for my lovely and playfully designed family crest…thanks Sarah!). Ideally it would be great to get your partner and kids involved in the process, but in my case I ended up doing it solo. Hubby and I may be aligned in values, but he finds my creative side far too left-brained. Plus, I was a little afraid that it might include lipgloss and Legos if I included the kids in the process. 😉

Have you created a family crest?

I’d love to see more examples on my new Pinterest Board on Creating Family Crests

Darcy

@DarcysUtopia – Coaching to create your ideal family life.

Creativity & Coaching

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Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties. – Erich Fromm

As I’m going through my Mama Bliss Coaching School, I had my own coaching session with my own business/life coach, Lou Radja (It’s truly hard to not feel fired up after having a session with him…I highly recommend him for entrepreneurs who want to benefit the world, his motto is: Be More. Give More).

I explained technical concepts “Mama Bliss” and how they are completely in line with my mission and the services I want to provide. But as I listed off the four pillars: Self-Care, Creativity, Values and Simplicity. He stopped me short at Creativity with a perplexed look. He understood the rest of them, but couldn’t quite put his head around why Moms should focus on creativity. I did my best to continue to explain why creativity could/should be important to all Mamas.

Including creativity in the coaching process is brilliant for one simple reason: finding your creativity opens you up to the possibility and shows you that you can indeed do more than you ever thought possible. That’s the whole point of coaching, and creativity is a fun way to think outside your present reality.

Creativity is all about finding ways to express what you are deeply passionate about. It doesn’t have to mean that you’re crafty like Martha Stewart or suddenly become a blue-ribbon painter like my empty-nester sister-in-law. Maybe it’s music that lights you up or starting a book club or gourmet group, the possibilities are truly unlimited. Discovering your own unique creativity is personal, and can easily change with the seasons and over time.

My ideal client is just like me: One Busy Mama. But even when your life is very full, and maybe because it’s so packed, it’s all the more important to prioritize activities that bring you joy (beyond the essentials of self-care). Committing to your creativity doesn’t need to take a ton of time…you need to get creative. 😉

When I was working full time, my simple creative practice was growing flowers and picking bouquets regularly for myself, my co-workers and friends. I shouldn’t be surprised, but this spring Girly is simply overjoyed by all the flowers and bringing bouquets to her teachers and friends almost every day. I can see how my example is rubbing off, but the truth is that I got the bouquet bug from my own Mom. 🙂 Thankfully, we convinced her to save a few tulips for Easter.

Teacher Kathy provided a great coaching technique to help us brainstorm our creativity. I don’t want to give away our Mama Bliss trade secrets, but it was simple and powerful in helping reframe what types of creative projects you can dip into in ten minutes or dabble in for an hour or dive into for longer. It was very helpful for me, since just before doing the exercise I had already made a “wish list” of projects that I would love to create, but I was feeling so inspired (thanks to a great DIY magazine I picked up while traveling on spring break) that my list had gotten a bit carried away. So this quick session helped me feel like it’s possible to wander between projects as time and inspiration attracts me.

Since I’m home all the time now, it’s hard not to focus my creative energy on our home. While I’ve been focused on simplifying (or just maintaining status quo) for several years, I finally feel like I have some time to take on projects that I’ve always want to do, but just haven’t managed. One of my first bigger projects is going to the Rebuilding Center to make a headboard for Sweetie’s bedroom. A middle size project is making a mirror mosaic for the back porch (with my mom’s help who is really experienced). And in my smaller moments of time, I’ll continue to work in our vegetable garden and implementing our permaculture garden plan.

The exciting this about creativity is that everyone’s wish list will be different, and like Kathy reminded us, the more you use your creative muscle, the more creative you’ll become. There is such a tangible payoff in creating something that you just can’t find in other modes, replying to emails just doesn’t spark me the same way. Then, once you’ve made your creation in the world, it’s a physical reminder of that moment in your life. If you’re like me, you’ll remember how old (roughly) the kids were when such and such happened, and they’ll likely all sort of other personal stories wrapped up in your creation.

Although you may want your creativity to be impressive, it’s not really the point. Before we started the week’s lessons on coaching for creativity, Kathy asked us each to write a note to give ourselves permission to NOT be perfect for the sake of our own creativity. It was a simple, but powerful, reminder. At least for me, I have easily convinced myself not to work on a creative project because it wouldn’t turn out as nice as my Mom, who is a retired Home Ec teacher. I found it ironic that Kathy had a similar relationship to sewing because her mother is such a talented seamstress. I guess we Moms need to be careful about making creativity look too complex for our kids…this spring I’ve made a real effort to put whatever flowers/weeds Girly cheerfully brings me in a vase without moving a stem.

Well, I think my little reflection on what I’ve learned this week in coaching school is complete, but I’m very excited that my coaching career is just beginning. I am so looking forward to working with Mamas to bring out their creative passions and finding unique ways to bring them to life. I can only just imagine how beautiful and powerful this path will be.

Have a beautiful day!

Darcy

“Work in Progress” – Self Care

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Lately I feel like I should have a sign posted: “Work in Progress”

I’m currently enrolled in Mama Bliss Coach School and am truly using the opportunity to go deeper with my own inner growth. I’m really excited about learning how to be an awesome Mama Bliss Coach, but I also know that the true work begins within. So, before I start helping other Mamas find their bliss, I’m working on growing my own inner well to tap into when parenting/life starts to drain me.

Brilliant Ms. Kathy has a lovely little acronym to help us remember all the essential elements of self-care:

  • Sleep
  • H2O
  • Organic Living
  • Exercise
  • Stillness

Sleep

With a seven month old my sleep has been less than optimal for about that long. But somehow I manage to function well on less sleep and catch up when I really need it. As a third time Mama, I’ve come up with two strategies that work really well for me. First, I have a co-sleeper with a bed set up instead of a crib. This allows me to nurse while half asleep, and makes sure that Hubby gets his sleep. I know some like to trade off with a partner, but with breast feeding I never saw the benefit (I couldn’t sleep with my breasts full anyway). Plus, with Hubby rested, he’s available if I really need a nap during the day. Usually I try to get one nap in on the weekend, and that catches me up for the week or go to bed early one evening if I’m lagging. Yet, this time around I truly am amazed at how well I’ve felt on less than perfect sleep. My second secret is waking up with a positive attitude and taking a shower first thing. Even when I’ve only gotten a few hours of sleep, I make sure to get a shower. On some mornings when I felt really sleep deprived, I came up with a little mantra: I’m rested and ready for the day. I’m revived and ready for the day. I’m refreshed and ready for the day.  Somehow this really helps me get past any sleep deficit.

H2O

Since I worked for the Portland Water Bureau for six years, no one needs to remind about the importance of water. Plus, our water here is truly delicious and satisfying. My strategy for drinking lots of water is to have a pint glass at the bathroom and kitchen sink, and I make sure to chug a glass first thing in the morning, before I go to bed and many times in between. I also carry a water bottle with me and have another in the car for back-up in case I forget it. Drinking water is the first think I do if I start to feel fuzzy or lacking energy.

Organic Living 

There’s so much that entails “organic living,” but it’s foremost eating well and being mindful of my lifestyle choices. Yes, maybe once a month or so we get soda with pizza, but sugary empty calories is more the exception than the rule for us. As a Mama, it’s about showing my kids healthy habits by living them. Gardening and getting outside are also important to me, and even though they require an effort, they truly do replenish me.

Exercise

To me exercise is all about getting your blood flowing…no need to jump on the treadmill. I enjoy all sorts of ways to be active: yoga, dancing, bicycling, hiking… The key to find a way to be consistent and make your body/well-being a priority in your life. It’s all connected…the better I feel, the better I look, the better I feel… Lately, I’ve been turned on to a really awesome routine. It’s linked to something called Minimum Effective Dose, which basically says that you don’t have to work out for long periods of time to get great results. The 30×30 Total Transformation combines a 10 minute high intensity workout that alternates between different body goals (foundation/core/cardio/power…), and a yoga like cool-down. Plus there’s an inspirational five minute video before a 15 minute meditation session. So, you get to combine the last two elements of self-care in just 30 minutes a day. Having recently finished my first round of 30×30, I can say that I really love the workout routines. I had done an intense “bootcamp” to get myself in shape after first daughter, and the workouts involve many of those same moves without pushing yourself to the point of utter exhaustion. Plus, I know I can continue them as I get more and more in shape, and they will continue to strengthen and support me to meet the rest of my life goals.

Stillness

This one is really key, and sometimes easy to skip as a busy Mama. While I had been intrigued by the idea of meditation since college, I first started a daily practice about a year and a half ago, when I broke my ankle. I happened upon Dr. Chopra’s 21-day Meditation Challenge, and fell in love with the inner peace and knowing that it helped grow inside of me. I’ve always been pretty reflective, but actually meditating gave me the permission to really daydream about my life and follow my intuition. I highly recommend his meditation challenges, and I can hardly wait for the next challenge starting just next week: Finding Your Flow. I also really love The Envisioning Method by Mindvalley‘s Vishen Lakhiani…all the elements for personal transformation and beyond.

And yes, sometimes my family interrupts me mediating, but they know that it’s my sacred “me” time and for the most part they’ve learned to respect it.

This reflecting is really mostly for me, as part of my Mama Bliss Coaching homework, but I hope I’ve inspired you to continue your progress to true self-care.

Have a beautiful day!

Darcy

 

Mama Bliss Coaching School & L.O.V.E.

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I’ve been savoring my new role as a mother-at-home (still working out a title that fits…I certainly don’t stay home and often work from coffee shops). Even though my “work” days are all too short, and blessedly interrupted with diaper duty and newborn nursing, I am still satisfied and motivated by the work I do manage to accomplish. Creating a start-up has a true learning curve, but it excites me.

I’m very excited to share that I’ve decided to take the parenting coach aspect of my business to the next level. Initially I was only ever planning to host Simplicity Parenting workshops, but recently I’ve felt called to delve into the coaching role. On top of the personal satisfaction I get from writing/reflecting, I love connecting with people one-on-one, and savor the community/work relationships I’ve created in my past work. I love the feeling of helping others and connecting deeply.

So, I’ve enrolled in Mama Bliss Coaching School!!!

I was turned on to Kathy’s Bliss Beyond Naptime blog from a college friend when I told her how interested I was/am in Simplicity Parenting. Kathy has taken the same training that I have, and her parenting/mama values are very much in line with mine. Yet, she’s already managed to create a successful coaching practice and is ready to share her wisdom. While it’s a big investment at a time when I was honestly hoping to start breaking even on some of my start-up sweat equity, I’m really excited about becoming certified in Mama Bliss Coaching. Who wouldn’t be?!…it just sounds delicious. In fact it’s also very practical, the four pillars are: Self-care, Creativity, Values and Simplicity.

Without going too far afield, I also want to share another person I’ve felt inspired by lately. I found Veronica Krestow when searching for a video about coaching, and have quickly fallen in love with her abundant wisdom and love for life. Today’s “Treasure Tuesday” video feels like exactly what I want to share with Mamas who are ready to explore/expand.

Here are my own notes on Veronica’s lovely L.O.V.E acronym:

  • L – Lean Back – This is such an important message for Mamas. Being a Mama is a busy job, no matter what your self-imposed workload is like. We need to take more time to rest and reflect. It really will give you more stamina in the end, and likely send you on an easier path.
  • O – Open Up – I couldn’t agree with Veronica more, reflecting and meditating helps keep my heart open. When I worked downtown each time I sipped from a Benson Bubbler, I did a little prayer: May my heart be open. May my voice be clear. May the light shine bright. Whatever little reminder works for you, just make sure stress doesn’t suck you down.
  • V – Value You – Be patient and kind with yourself, as you would a dear friend. Celebrate your uniqueness. I love her advice to set a date with yourself…I’m looking forward to the one on my calendar.
  • E – Enjoy! – Take time to laugh and play, especially with our kids. Even if you’re not quite “there” yet, take moments to celebrate the small successes. With joy comes ease.

I feel like I could write a parallel for parenting, but in reality we need to practice loving ourselves first.

How do you L.O.V.E. yourself?

Have you ever tried coaching?

Darcy

@Darcy’s Utopia – Creating Utopia Together