Being Present in Gratitude

December 4, 2014 5 Comments

I wrote this post as part of participation in a blog tour for The Motherhood on behalf of the makers of Children’s MOTRIN and received compensation for my time.  As always, all opinions are my own.  Thank you for supporting Marino Bambinos.

At the start of the New Year, I began a simple yet soon to be consistent gratitude practice.  Gleaned from somewhere on Pinterest –  we starting jotting down messages of gratitude and tucking them away into a big mason jar to open up on New Year’s day.

each day brings a new beginning New York sunrise sunset

Ever since the big girl was a solo toddler, we’ve had a little family gratitude practice of sharing what we are grateful for before going to bed at night.  I soon learned that there was something about the act of writing it down that caused a notable shift in my perspective.  We found collective happiness in moments that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.  We had conversations about how we have enough.  We appreciated our home, our health, our families and where we live.  And a steadfast commitment in making time for the things that we love, together as a family, brought us to places like the beach this summer more than ever.

photo(48)

I will always be a work in progress and allow myself to be human.  I still have my fair share of grumbles and talks with best friends to help pull myself out of things that are petty. Our big jar, tucked away with noted accomplishments, memories and messages of thanks have reminded me that being present in gratitude is an integral part of living a positive life. As is surrounding myself with people who aim to lift one another up.

As we’ve entered the final month of the year – I’m interested in bringing more gratitude practices into our home and learning about what others do to stay on top.  Please chime in the below comments and also join the Makers of Children’s MOTRIN® in sharing your unstoppable mom tips on their facebook page. For every post – the makers of Children’s MOTRIN® will donate $1 to Safe Kids, and you’ll be entered to win weekly giveaways of $100 gift cards.  (For Official Rules, visit unstoppablemoms.com/rules.)

Share
Filed Under: inspiration, sponsored Tagged With: ,

Holiday Tips For Moms

November 5, 2014 3 Comments

I wrote this post as part of participation in a blog tour for The Motherhood on behalf of the makers of Children’s MOTRIN and received compensation for my time.  As always, all opinions are my own.  Thank you for supporting Marino Bambinos.

Just a few days ago, we swapped handmade Halloween decorations for our “Give Thanks” banner.  And before we know it, we’ll be at the Christmas tree farm, hot-coco in hand, finding the perfect tree with our two believers.  We’ll see tons of family and treasure the joy in grandparents’ eyes.  We’ll video tape the excitement of Christmas morning and revisit memories through photographs for years to come.  Then, we’ll quickly de-Christmas the house, to celebrate the birth of our almost-Christmas baby – and wonder how this year marks seven whole years of life with her.

The holidays are a time of hope and wonder.  But the busyness can also bring a mountain of stress.  And while I don’t feel at all qualified to dole out advice – I have implemented a few things in my life to help keep the focus on the goodness of the season.

Motrin unstoppable moms

  • Identify your thing and make time for it:  I’m a big believer in the importance of making time for things that ground, uplift and inspire.  I’m at a loss without physical exercise, and find it especially  important to fit in me time during stress inducing times.  So make time for that spin class, go out to lunch with your bestie, work on your novel – or whatever your thing is.  Just make time for it!  Especially during the Holiday-hoopla.
  • Be Present In the Important Stuff: The family traditions woven throughout the Holiday season are the golden stuff that memories are made of. Although some parenting moments feel like a blur,  I believe that my mind is protecting visions of tree decorating, gingerbread house making and listening to cousin Kathy at the piano with her boys.  Enjoy your special moments by truly being present in them.
  • Participate in Social Good as a Family: Holidays are a great time to inject the importance of giving back into children in tangible ways.  Wrap toys together and drop them off at a toy drive, participate in specific giving programs or invest in programs rooted in sustainable social change.  Also purchase gifts that give back to spread the giving spirit of helping others.   

Please chime in below with your own tips! Also join the makers of Children’s Motrin in sharing your unstoppable mom tips on their facebook page. Details and exciting weekly $100 gift card giveaway info are below!

• The makers of Children’s MOTRIN® are asking Moms to post their tips and tricks to the MOTRIN® Facebook page under each week’s Kelly Ripa question video and for every post, Children’s MOTRIN® will donate $1 to Safe Kids Worldwide, a global nonprofit that provides moms with the tips they need to help keep their children safe. Moms could even win weekly giveaways of $100 gift cards just for posting.*
o *NO PURCHASE NECESSARY, OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES & D.C., 18 AND OLDER. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Promotion ends 11:59p.m. ET 12/28/14. Sponsor will donate $1 for each approved Submission made as part of the promotion, with a minimum donation of $30,000 and a maximum donation of $50,000. For Official Rules, and complete details, visit www.unstoppablemoms.com. Sponsor: McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. To learn more about Safe Kids Worldwide visit safekids.org.

 

Share
Filed Under: holidays, sponsored Tagged With: ,