Inner Strength Journey

10/06/2023

12/10/2020

I know him!!🤣

Haha our family took a drive to look at Christmas lights and I saw this guy!

There's nothing like the sound of laughter to cheer a sad soul.☺️

Does your family have any Christmas traditions? 🎄🎀

12/08/2020

Every day I am torn. I want to be an entirely present momma and an entirely present colleague.

I also know that I want to work hard and show my children the value of hard work. I know that the two, for me, are not well mixed. I do not want to be working when my children need me.

A few weeks ago, I have decided to take my youngest daughter to the park as often as I can, each day when she would normally be getting recess at school. Today was the first time we have taken her best friend with us.

Let me tell you...the glow in both of their eyes gave me tears of happiness. They were laughing. They were being super silly and acting like .... ridiculously happy children.

Both of them are struggling with being cooped up and forced into online school, which is not meant for them. They crave social interaction.

For me, going to the park daily is worth every single minute being away from my desk and phone. I snapped a few pictures because they asked me to capture the moment. Even the girls sat in the car saying how amazing these 25 min were before they went back to online school.

That was our mental "freedom" today...an escape. That was their exercise. That, unfortunately was still not enough...as every night is a fight to go to bed. All that anxiety is bottled up and explodes in her body every night.

I'm tired. I'm tired of being torn. I'm tired of my kids not getting their needs filled. I'm tired of explaining why the world is so crazy. I'm tired of arguing with my children that sleep is so so healthy and we need it.

One thing I will never ever tire from are those 25 min where I see her face light up the way it used to do, every single day.

Pray for our children. They need us. They need God in their lives to bring them peace when every else seems out of control. Please pray for parents like me that struggle to split themselves between working parent, loving supportive mom and home school support.

Thank you, God, for giving me those giggles today. Thank you for giving me the nudge to go outside with her and give her the undivided attention she deserves and needs.

I'm off to bed.... Be well. And don't forget to take time and enjoy the small joys like the sound of laughter from your children. ❤️

12/07/2020

Snapped this reminder today...

Have an amazing week.

Believe in yourself and know you are loved. God loves you. I am praying for you. Be well. ❤️

12/04/2020

Let's face it...many of us are stressed and in need of social interaction and sources of self care!

The picture below depicts my youngest daughter, mid-day, sucking her thumb and playing with her hair. This is her way of coping with stressful situations. Unfortunately, this is also regression as she is nearing 8 years old and barely sucked her thumb prior to shut downs.

I also know my stress level when I see this rises. I am deeply empathic and seeing this hurts my heart. I want to fix her sad heart which shows itself in mean behavior toward those she feels safest with...her immediate family.

Virtual schooling has impacted the mental health of our children in terrible ways. Children are especially meant to be social at the youngest ages. Really, we all are designed that way.

WHILE THE WORLD AROUND US STILL MAY BE SHUT DOWN, ONE THING NEVER WILL BE... PLAY!!! MOVEMENT!! RECESS.

Heck, we can all do this to protect our mental health!!

MY CHALLENGE TO YOU IS TO SPEND 20 MINUTES IN CHILD CENTERED PLAY TODAY.

What does that mean???

Take 20 or more minutes, break away from technology and allow your child to LEAD the play. Be youthful. Unless there is an unsafe or inappropriate situation play along letting them decide what role you will play and how. Let the child know you will let them know when time is almost up.

By letting the children lead their buckets fill with unconditional thankfulness and love. You'll find the connection to be stronger and everyone much happier!!

I know we need this desperately in my house so I will be doing this right after work today.

Have an amazing weekend! ❤️

12/02/2020

Another day to be thankful for life.

Today I woke up and decided to take the day off as my body is craving rest. I workout to keep a strong healthy heart. I rest for muscle recovery and mental health. Pushing myself to the limit serves absolutely no purpose.

Life is a balance. Every single day is full of tough choices. The best choices always seem to be the ones that are guided by my intuition.

We all make mistakes. We do things we shouldn't or against our own core values.

The key is to adapt, change and do better next time.

God bless and have a great day.

12/01/2020

Therapy in 2020 involves me getting enough sleep, immune boosting super foods, vitamins and commiting to my physical health daily. I wake up and crush a workout before the kids get out of bed.

I'm committed to my health and you should be too. Physical and mental health are top priority. I find myself getting in a dose of faith as Joyce Meyer is on TV as I pump iron. It may not be hip hop music but knowing I am filling my head with positivity and hope each morning fills my cup.

What does your self-care routine look like daily?

11/30/2020

Wishing everyone a magical week. God bless.

06/02/2020

05/04/2020

𝗪𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐯𝐬.𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜.⁣

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞.⁣
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When the doors closed on businesses the entire world pivoted for alternate ways to do what used to be offered at the store.⁣
Many shifted online to find products or services once available down the street.⁣
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As the doors re-open on your favorite businesses perhaps take a tough look at how you shifted. ⁣
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-Did you really need that product/service?⁣
-What would you do if it went away again?⁣
-Would you buy online?⁣
-If the item isn’t available online would you maybe gather a few extras while doors are open?⁣
-If the item became scarce online or prices soared as demand went up, would it make sense to grab a few more while the prices were lower?⁣
-What do you wish you would have had on-hand the first go around?⁣
-Were there health items that you couldn’t get your hands on when the pandemic hit?⁣
-Will spending alter?⁣
-Will the budget look different?⁣
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Consider what meant the most during the pandemic.⁣
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Maybe the world will spend less time buying things not needed and focus more time on quality time with family?⁣
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I’ll continue to share items I found of necessity to stay healthy at home in up-coming posts.⁣
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𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐯𝐬. 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬. 𝗪𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭.⁣
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Be well,⁣
Dawn⁣

05/01/2020

As the world shut down our family has realized a few things:

-God is needed more than ever. At the end of the day, He brings the most peace and comfort.

-Children struggle with mental health which is shown in various ways; temper tantrums, crying, outbursts, defiance, yelling. Allow them a safe space to talk.

-Parents have an opportunity to lean in, provide guidance and love more than ever.

-Discipline means teaching. Parents are now disciplining (teaching) more than ever through schooling and life skills.

-Being physically distanced from others does not mean socially distant. We have technology unavailable in earlier decades that allows us to stay connected.

-Emergency and rainy day funds are real needs. Every penny means something now.

-Quality time is valued higher than things.

-Exercise is mandatory.

-Mental health is being talked about more than ever- finally!

-Vitamin C in lipsomal form is a hot commodity, as are other herbal supplements and oils.

-The world can slow down. We can re-group, determine what matters and make choices.

-Working from home while homeschooling children is extremely difficult. Grace is required for all.

-Children absolutely need in-person socialization, especially at a young age.

-Only one task can be done well at a time.

-Face masks are required everywhere.

-The world shut down. As my daughter screamed out, “Clean the Earth, God!”

Good can and will come out of all of this.

God bless and Be Well,
Dawn