Time Away

Last weekend I actually got a mini 4 day vacation without my kids and or my hubby. I wasn’t sure it was going to be possible at the first of the year but I pulled it off. I feel so lucky to have been given the opportunity to spend 24 hours with a dear friend and her family and then 3 days at Renee Trudeau’s Refresh, Renew and Re-balance retreat at Kripalu. It was absolutely heavenly but as I headed out on Thursday morning, I found myself full of mixed emotions. It was the first time I’d ever left my 14 month old and as most moms do, I felt guilty about leaving her and her brother who I knew would be fine but I still worried would she be okay without me…which is comical now as I don’t think she missed a beat. But in that moment, I must admit it was a little tough to leave which is so not like me.

And while I had my heart strings tugging when I pulled away, I was also extremely excited to finally have a few days of freedom!!!. My husband and I have always tried to take at least one trip a year without our kids but we didn’t get to do it last year with a new born, breastfeeding, etc. And I haven’t been away with girlfriends or on a retreat in years so this time was really special to me. And while I knew I needed some overdue rest and time to unplug, I had no idea how tired (literally exhausted and worn out) I really was. And when I arrived at Kripalu with excitement and anticipation….I’d never been there before and a deep desire to slow down, take in all the beautiful landscapes it provides being tucked into the Berkshire mountains and most importantly just rest and relax I had to make some conscious choices to do just that. The messages and the exercises at the retreat helped me and supported me in listening to my body and taking care of me. It provided opportunities to reflect, dream and just enjoy the moments of stillness and quiet. It provided new opportunities like Yoga Dance which I had never heard of but absolutely loved, I explored nature and went on hikes with some of the moms I met and also alone. As a true extrovert, I found it interesting that I really craved a lot of alone time. I guess with giving so much to my children and all that I do with clients, friends, family, etc……I just needed some downtime too.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend and very much needed and deserved. And with being away, it reminded me once again the importance of time for ourselves and how it truly does help shift my perspective and re-energize me. Not only has it helped me be more patient, more understanding and more loving towards everyone in my family, I’ve found myself saying more I “CAN” do things I want to do vs. being bummed because I “can't”. And while a weekend away was great, and I highly recommend it if you can, I’m also looking to incorporate just a few hours a week where I get time alone to do something I want and enjoy. Maybe it’s more walks/runs outside or making my exercise a priority every day, maybe it means hiring a baby sitter to go to dinner with friends or taking a book and reading outside or at a coffee shop but definitely making an effort to take a break from the norm and re-energize.

How about you, do you ever get time away? Do you make it a priority or find excuses why it can’t happen? Want to join me in being creative on how we CAN give ourselves time away, even if briefly more often?

Let me know how I can help…..I truly believe if there is a will there is a way and You can do it too!

Cheers,
Angela

Surrender

When life throws you curve balls, what do you do? Do you fight it and try to barrel through or do you surrender to what is and ride the wave? It’s not been an easy lesson for me but more and more I find that surrendering to what is vs fighting to make it what I think it should be is a lot easier.

Last week my family and I went on a wonderful and amazing trip to Disney World (truly is a happy and magical place) and this week my son and husband were fighting a nasty stomach bug. And while I’m very thankful (extremely thankful) it didn’t occur when we were at Disney, coming home to sick family members makes for a tough transition. There were stacks of mail, no groceries in the house and tons of clothes to be washed and put away but once my son got sick again Monday morning, I knew all I could do was surrender. Surrender to what was going on in that moment, not what I wanted it to be or needed it to be.

Sure I would have loved to get all my things put away, house picked up and my to-do list started but it just wasn’t going to happen (at least not without lots of sacrifice) and instead of fighting it or trying to do too much, I let go. I focused on what I absolutely needed to in that moment and let the rest wait. And though I was single parenting this week with my husband gone on business, I made sure I got as much rest as I could as I too could feel myself teetering on getting sick after being up two nights in a row and getting little sleep.

Now the old me would have pushed through, not rested and tried to get it all done but luckily I’ve come to my senses and took it in strides this week…..and only had a few moments of meltdowns and tears but hey I made it! 

How about you, do you tend to surrender or push through?

Best wishes always to riding the wave vs fighting it!

Love, Angela

Staying Connected

So last week my telephonic personal renewal group and I discussed the topic of changing relationships and staying connected, a chapter in The Mother’s Guide to Self Renewal by Renee Trudeau. We talked a lot about how relationships change after having kids (both good and bad) and how hard it can be at times to give our relationship the care and attention it truly needs, especially when our kids are young.

We reminisced on what are relationships were like before kids came into the mix and then shared ideas and tips of things we do (or want/need to do) to stay connected with those we love. Some ideas were weekly check in’s where you both take 20 minutes to share what you’ve got going on the next week and where you may need a little extra support; more sweet and loving embraces, just as you would and or do for your kids when they come home or leave each day. Or another big one was time alone w/out the kids....true time w/out any interrruptions. Some struggled with finding sitters so a few ideas we came up with were having more lunch dates when the kids are at school or day care or even having an “at home” date night after the kids go to bed.

I know it sounds simple and nothing you haven’t heard of before but as we shared in the group, it’s the simple efforts that make such a difference. Sometimes just watching how we speak to one another or being less critical & more appreciative goes a long way. And sometimes it takes having to schedule reminders or actual dates on our calendars to help remember. I know, it sounds so “business like” putting it on your calendar but sometimes it’s what it takes to ensure we make the time.

What about you? Does your relationship need a tune up or some extra love and attention these days? Join me and my group members on setting a weekly goal to connect or re-connect with the ones we love the most! Keep is simple and doable but don’t let it slide, you and your loved ones (even your kids) will be glad you did.

And if you want to learn more about my telephonic personal renewal groups or topics we cover, you can find more information by clicking on my website, The Mom Exchange.

Cheers to love & connection! Angela

Sweet Campbell

So today my sweet little girl celebrates her first birthday and I’m having mixed emotions. On one hand I’m excited for her, excited to see her showing her independence with walking, talking, eating big kid food, giving cuddles constantly and playing the “where’s Campbell"game……she’s absolutely blossoming in so many ways and fills my heart with so much love I can’t stand it. And then on the other hand, I look at her and think WOW, where did that year go?

It seems like yesterday that I was in that hospital room looking at her and thinking OMG she’s so tiny, so innocent and sweet. It was such a surreal experience and I honestly don’t think it hit me until she was about a month old that I really had a daughter. It’s still weird to say those words as my first inclination is to type little girl but she’s my daughter. She’s beautiful, she's smart, she’s funny, she’s tough, she’s sweet and I can't forget a definite ham. She cackles, she laughs, she smiles, she loves giving big open mouth kisses and showing affection with everyone she meets.

And while I love seeing all of this, it's still hard to think what if this is my last, she's my baby. It's definitely easy to start heading down that road but today I choose not to go there as today I want to honor, celebrate and love this little angel for all that she is right now in this moment and cherish the memories we’ve had from this past year! She's added so much to our family and truly is a blessing to all of us!

We love you Baby Campbell and wish you a very Happy First Birthday~ Love, Mom

Love the one your with….YOU!

It’s February so yes LOVE is in the air!! And for my family, we also celebrate my birthday, my nephews birthday and now my sweet little girl’s birthday in February so it’s a busy month to say the least. And while it’s fun to get caught up in all the excitement and hype this time of year I realize that it’s also very easy to forget about US (the ones who show unconditional love day in and day out) with all of the kids parties, v-day cards and candy fun.

And for some reason since thinking about this, I’ve had that song stuck in my head “Love the one your with…...you gotta love the one your with” – you know the song by Crosby Stills and Nash. And while I know it’s talking about your significant other, it has me asking myself, what about ME, what about YOU and all the other moms who give so much to their children day in and day out that they forget about themselves? Is this you? Do you do anything special just for you this time of year or even better on a regular basis? What if you did? Would you feel better, feel more excited and loving towards yourself and others?

Whether you do this already or don’t, I challenge you to sit down and figure out one special thing you are going to do this month JUST FOR YOU! Do you want a dinner out with friends, a massage, a walk in the park, a home cooked meal or just an evening home alone when you don’t have to deal with kids night time routine so you can read a good book or catch up on your tv shows – a mini escape? What do you most want this month to show YOURSELF the love too?

Schedule it, take it and make sure you get it!! There’s only one YOU so LOVE THE ONE YOUR WITH!

Love,
Angela

p.s. the cool picture is from drangonartz.net

Accountability Partners

When Jason and I woke up this morning, the temperatures were in the teens, the snow was coming down fast and furiously and it was not the kind of Sunday that makes you want to put on your running shoes and head out for a run. It was more of a stay in your pj’s and enjoy the warmth of a fire kind of day! And while I spent the second half of my day doing just that with the kids, being accountable to one another is definitely the reason he went outside to run and I braved the roads and went to the gym.

Jason is my accountability partner and since we set our running goal at the first of the year we’ve been charting when and who runs on each day of the week and it’s definitely working. Seeing it on paper is helping and knowing that he knows if I’m on track or not is my motivation if I haven’t put in my time. And while we haven’t run together one time since we set the goal, we have both been able to run 3x a week and both had a successful 4 mile run today. :) We are definitely keeping each other motivated and moving forward.

What about you, do you have someone who keeps you on track with your goals? Have you set your goals? Don’t worry, it’s not too late! When I work with my clients, I become their accountability partner. I help them to not only define their goals but more importantly stay on track and achieve their goals. We celebrate successes and work through barriers to ensure they keep moving forward. So if you don’t have an accountability partner today, I encourage you to ask a friend, a spouse, a coach or mentor to help keep you on track.

Accountability whether it be to someone or something is definitely a key to success! Let me know how I can support you in 2011! Angela

Simple Beginnings in 2011

Happy New Year!! It’s hard to believe it's already 2011 and time for new beginnings and possibilities. If you are like me, you love the new year, the excitement with getting to set new goals and intentions and dream about at all that is possible. I love it, I really do but if I’m honest with myself, I know I’m great at “thinking” about all the things I want to do but sometimes struggle or at least have in the past with finishing or remembering my goals mid-way through the year.

The good news is that over the past few years, I’ve been challenged by my coach & mentor to write down what I want to accomplish in the upcoming year. And yes, while I usually hem and haw to get it done, when I finally do it, I love it! Writing it down gives me accountability and reminds me going forward of where I'm headed.

Now I’m not saying it has to be complex or a big detailed plan as I think we fail a lot to times when we try and make it too complex & too difficult but what I am suggesting is that you write it down. Keep it as simple as possible and start with just writing down 2-3 goals you want to make happen in 2011. Write it on a post it note (how simple is that) to really keep it short and sweet or if you feel compelled, write out a more detailed plan but the most important thing you can do is WRITE IT DOWN!!! Writing it down helps take it from thinking about it towards action & completion. And hopefully by writing it down you will also post it where you can see it.

Here's to keeping it simple but making it REAL!! What needs to be written on your post it note this year? What are your 2-3 goals you know you want to accomplish?

Let me know how I can support you in 2011 and make it a year to remember!

Cheers, Angela