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Reach Out

Reach out if you need help. Reach out to mamas who might need help. Write about how you know when to reach out. What do your instincts tell you?

If you feel like you need to reach out, write about whom you could reach out to or a time you have reached out. If other mamas have reached out to you, write about how you’ve helped them and what you’ve said or encouraged them to do.

“Each new year is a surprise to us. We find that we had virtually forgotten the note of each bird, and when we hear it again, it is remembered like a dream, reminding us of a previous state of existence…The voice of nature is always encouraging.” – Henry David Thoreau

Out it Out

If you follow yayamamas on social media, you know that one of my strategies for dealing with stress, overwhelm, and negative emotions is to either dance it out, read it out, or out it out (i.e. go outside).

Out it Out today, mama. Every day is filled with ups and downs. When you sense a down coming, stop what you’re doing and go outside. Yes, this could mean leaving a grocery cart in a store for a few minutes while you regroup outside. Yes, this could look like you leaving your desk and walking outside for a breath of fresh air. Yes, this could look like scrapping an afternoon plan and going outside to pick flowers with your kids. Connection is more important than a to do list. Modeling how and when to de-stress is very powerful for your children to see. They learn so much by watching your actions. Write about your time outside and how purposefully using time outside affected you, your mood, your mental state, and productivity.

“Sometimes you need to step outside, get some fresh air and remind yourself of who you are and who you want to be.” – unknown

The Power of a Breeze

Do you recall a time when you felt a breeze? Were you driving with the windows down? On a boat, racing across the water? Were you suffering through a hot summer day when a blessed breeze blew across your face and provided relief? Do you notice breezes? The wind? How did it affect you? Write about it.

“Nature is often overlooked as a healing balm for the emotional hardships in a child’s life.” – Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods

Every Day Beauty

Today’s goal is to find something beautiful in nature and write about it in detail. Look around. Take your time. Find what speaks to you the most, what you find beautiful, and then capture it in words on paper. Be sure to include all the senses, colors, smells, etc. in your description. What it is, what it looks like, what’s around it, how it makes you feel. It can be poetic or literal. Don’t stress about the technical details of your description. This exercise is only for you; no one is editing it or critiquing it. It’s all about taking the time to appreciate how beauty inspires you, calls to you, and to show you how you are connected to nature and how it influences you.

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as it exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.” – Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Trapped

Do you ever feel “trapped” in your role? By the demands of motherhood?

If so, write very specifically what that looks like—times, places, chores, locations, etc. Do any of those descriptions include times or places outside? What have you done to shake those feelings?

If not, what about other mamas? Do you know any mamas who feel this way from time to time or all the time? Have they talked about it with you or is it something you observed or both? Have you felt compelled to help? Been able to help? If so, how and when?

“Humanity is part of nature, a species that evolved among other species. The more closely we identify ourselves with the rest of life, the more quickly we will be able to discover the sources of human sensibility and acquire the knowledge on which an enduring ethic, a sense of preferred direction, can be built.” – E.O. Wilson

Loneliness in Motherhood

Write about a time or times when you have or do feel lonely in motherhood. Did you talk about it with anyone? Did you feel like you should reach out or simply deal with it by yourself? During times of loneliness do you tend to stay indoors more?

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” – Rachel Carson, A Sense of Wonder

Collective Loneliness

In an interview I listened to, author Richard Louv talks about his belief that there is a collective loneliness among humans because of our disconnect with nature. What are your thoughts on this idea? Do you feel nature plays a role in loneliness? Why or why not?

Read the quote below and write down your feelings, thoughts, and observations about it.

“In nature nothing exists alone.” – Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

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Oh, don’t you worry…we’re having FUN over he Oh, don’t you worry…we’re having FUN over here! 😻 

Welcome, Charlie cat! 🥰

Mahalo, @shinewildfamilyfarm 😻 We’re in love!
✨ We had THE BEST day! ✨😻 @shinewildfamily ✨ We had THE BEST day! ✨😻

@shinewildfamilyfarm let us have a raggamuffin kitten playdate with her 3 available kittens. 😍 OMGoodness. This is how to choose a kitten! After hanging out with them for a few magical hours, we’ve decided to add the black kitty to our ohana. At the moment, his name is Charlie. 😍

I had a girl kitten named Charlie before I had babies. It feels full circle. I hope they stick with the name 🥰 My girl Charlie was hit by a car the week before my first baby was born and it’s always bummed me out that none of my kids got to know her. It would be nice to have a Charlie cat around once more 🥰

Thank you so much, Jess!!!!!! We’re so grateful!
We can see the grass again in North Idaho. We see We can see the grass again in North Idaho. We see a lot of snow and ice, too, but there is grass. ❄️🌾

Makes me think of last summer and hope for next summer. 🙂

I’m liking seasons. They feel very purposeful. Makes me sad when folks don’t see it and simply complain about the weather. But what good does that do? The sun will shine when it shines. The weather is what it is. And there’s beauty to be found in it—rain, snow, ice, sleet, mud—all of it. 💜

For me, today’s beauty is in the memory and in the hope. It’s also in the laughter of my children and their neighbor friends as they play. 🥰

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that “we’re not here for the weather.” 😉 

Photo: @daniwalkerphoto_
Our hearts are forever full & forever broken. Our Our hearts are forever full & forever broken. Our beloved Grandma Huck went home to heaven this week. We’re in Ohio to celebrate her & lay her to rest. I’ll share more about this incredible woman at some point. For now, please pray for our family as we navigate the grief of losing her while rejoicing she is with Jesus.

Many of you knew her in some way…through stories I’ve shared over the years or from a trip to her house for food and cards. Her light shown bright and far. 

The transition of loss is complicated & all your prayers are appreciated. Mahalo nui loa 🌺

Photo from her 91st birthday, May 2022
Books are incredibly powerful. We know this and ye Books are incredibly powerful. We know this and yet as moms we don’t always make time to read. The world tells us that there is no time for anything, ever. And in the same breath often tells us what to do, what to read, how to think, how to mother…and a lot of that messaging leaves us feeling fearful, unworthy, and like we aren’t doing enough. 

What if there was a way to step off the hamster wheel of modern motherhood and find ourselves feeling more whole, more worthy, and like we’re getting it right? And what if the secret to that was found in reading more books? 

Today’s conversation with @jenniferpepito is so enlightening. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am a changed person, a changed mother, and I believe a better mother because I read books. Namely the books of the authors I have interviewed here on the podcast, including Jennifer’s book Mothering by the Book: The Power of Reading Aloud to Overcome Fear and Recapture Joy. Jennifer is here to expand our book lists and shine a light on our motherhood journeys with deep, mature insights, ideas for battling comparison and other daily fears that arise in our mama hearts. 

Jennifer’s Bio: Jennifer Pepito is the author of Mothering by the Book and the founder of The Peaceful Press. Jennifer is on a mission to help moms overcome fear and love their life, and her homeschool curriculum empowers this through heroic stories, heartwarming poetry, and engaging life skills development. Her resources help create joyful memories among families, which leads to deeper connections and lasting relationships. Jennifer’s writing has been featured in several online and print journals, including Wild and Free, Commonplace Quarterly, and Home Educating Family. She’s a Wild and Free podcast host and has made guest appearances on popular podcasts such as 1000 Hours Outside, At Home with Sally, and Charlotte Mason Poetry. Jennifer lives in the mountains with her beloved family, where she enjoys reading aloud, working in her garden, and watching the sunset.

Tune in, be encouraged, give @jenniferpepito and @thepeacefulpress a follow + share your favorite takeaways from the episode! 💕😘
Mele Kalikimaka from our new Idahome! 🎄☃️😘

A cozy white Christmas in our new house with old traditions felt just right. Going to bed with happy hearts. 

Also…great job, mamas. 🥰 Another year in the books. Months of planning, weeks of pouring over the details, & countless hours of putting this day together…you nailed it. I’m sure of it. 😘 I don’t have to see what your Christmas day was like to know that YOU 👏🏼 ROCKED 👏🏼 IT. 👏🏼 Well done, mama!!! Thanks for all you do for your family 😘 You are seen and so, so appreciated 💕

Cool backdrops: @reallife_postfalls 
Photo cred: @angela.k.correa 😉

#melekalikimaka #firstchristmasinournewhome #idahochristmas #idahome #christmasinidaho #whitechristmas
I’m prepping all the doughs for Christmas week w I’m prepping all the doughs for Christmas week while the snow falls (& falls & falls…) outside. 🎄 

This morning we ate homemade sourdough bagels for breakfast…then ate them with soup for lunch (they really are that good!) 🤤

I love the anticipation during Christmas week. The purposeful preparation. The rush of extra tasks. They could be “added stress” if I put on those glasses, but why? We are blessed with one more magical Christmas with littles gathered around the tree, wide eyed and excited. I’m not gonna let any messages about gift giving, buying, traditions, or expectations cloud this special Christmas. 

It takes a lot of internal work on my part to drown out the constant messaging and doubt that creeps in. But if it does, there’s always a bright eyed child in front of me to snap me out of it. There’s always prayer to center me. And the beautiful mundane tasks that make up our everyday life.
In case you were wondering, they really do grow so In case you were wondering, they really do grow so so so so so so fast. 💕 

This was this past summer. We’re only a few months past when this photo was taken and he’s already one. 🤯 ONE! How? When? I was there the whole time! …but he grew anyway. He’s walking around and even dancing. Sigh. 

I know as moms we’re “supposed to” be glad they are growing strong. And I am. I totally am. I’m also sitting here shaking my head in disbelief that he is as big and strong as he is. Double sigh. 

Time flies. Time is a thief. I’ll say it again and again…hold them close. Love them. Grow with them. Because time really is all the cliches they say it is. #babiesdontkeep 

Photo: @daniwalkerphoto_
As homeschool parents we need to be aware of homes As homeschool parents we need to be aware of homeschool laws, policy suggestions, and voices that are speaking out against homeschooling. 

Here are some action steps on how to get started: 

1. Become more aware of homeschool laws: join HSLDA or at the very least use their free resources online. See if your state has homeschool organizations (i.e. Homeschool Idaho) that offers support and insight specific to you 

2. Learn about policy suggestions (at the state and national level): this starts with understanding current homeschool laws and policies. What are some local policies affecting you? Does your state have a “pay you to homeschool” program? (i.e. Tech Trep in Idaho) If so, what are their restrictions (i.e. you’ll get $1800 a year but you have to have your kid tested and use only approved by them secular curriculum) 🤔 

3. Become aware of who is speaking out about homeschool: the easy place to start is a quick online search for Elizabeth Bartholet from Harvard. 

Homeschool might feel like the free and easy choice (or not somedays), but a lot of us take that ease and freedom for granted. The cluster of the last two years has left a lot of folks calling hybrid and/or crisis schooling “homeschool” but neither truly is. This confusion has raised some red flags with “experts” who know nothing about what TRUE homeschooling looks like. And it has many of us who have been homeschooling for a long time a little on edge. But we’re not going to stay on edge. We’re going to be proactive in our fight to keep homeschool from becoming another failed gov’t program. Get started. Take action steps now to protect your homeschool freedoms.

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