The Calmer Mom Project

03/11/2024

Nothing kills joy like resentment. It gets in the way of gratitude, of creation, of being present with those you love. Resentment sucked happiness out of my life for decades...then I discovered Access Bars. Finally the tools to let go of resentment and receive.

Next class is this Sunday, March 17th in Kirkland at the warm and welcoming Heybrook. Info at link in bio or CalmerMom.Solutions/Events. Kids welcome.

Are you ready to let go and have more?

02/26/2024

I can't believe it's been almost a year since Stories of the Goddess was released to create change in the world! In this interview I talk about embracing our own Goddess power as Mamas...

Celebrating the Divine Feminine: 'Stories of the Goddess: Divine Feminine Frequency Keepers' is an inspiring testament to the courage and d

05/01/2023

This morning I asked for Miracles...and I found a bed of 4 and 5 leaf clovers outside our front door.

When I first woke up today, I felt the weight of Wrongness, the struggle to get this life Right like a lead blanket. But I know that isn't real.

It took me about an 2 hours of using tools, being in allowance of my sh** mood, and going put for a run/walk. Now I've traded my Poo goggles for Miracle goggles.

💞All of Life (even Motherhood) Comes to You with Ease, Joy, and Glory.

Message me for your Miracle goggles.💫🍀

04/19/2023

What an exciting week - made more so because you can join me! See the comments for info...

12/27/2022

Hey Mama! Do you feel like you have to be productive all the time? Especially during holidays?

Do you worry about being perceived as lazy?

If you ever find yourself wishing you'd get sick so you'd have an excuse to take a break, than you're like me - you have a "Lazy Monster" inside your head!

But here's what I know about that guy...

Fighting with it never works!

So here's what you do instead:

1. Recognize that the "Lazy Monster" is just a voice - it's not real, it doesn't mean anything about you, and you have nothing to prove.

2. Thank it for it's point of view - then send it out to play! (You think I mean metaphorically, but really do it. Imagine it now and say it in your head, "Thanks for sharing, Lazy Monster. Now go outside and play.")

3. Now in that moment of peace before the little sh** comes back in to bother you, take a breath, a little time with you, and ask, "What is actually required of me, if anything, right now?"

4. Be open to the possibility that nothing may be required of you right now. 😮And guess what? Even if you aren't checking something off your to-do list, you are still a gift!🎁🥰

I know that it can be difficult to push back against the tendency to constantly be productive, but I encourage you to be brave, give this strategy a try and see how it can help you find balance.

Let me know how it goes!

And If you're ready to take on the "Lazy Monster" and enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation, follow me for more tips on finding your Mama ease.

12/25/2022

Okay, Truth Time...

Every year my relatives that we won't be seeing around the Holidays, text me to say, "I had the kids' presents shipped to you directly. Would you mind wrapping them up?"

Every time I reply, "Thanks, of course, no problem!"

But I'm a liar.

Instead, I scrawl the relevant info on the outside of the delivery packaging (e.g. To Gussy, from Aunt K or whoever) and slap a bow on the outside.

I've done this since the kids were babies. It saves me time and wrapping paper. As for the kids, they would probably be confused if everything were wrapped nicely.

That's not true. The perfectionist would then take 3 days to open all her presents instead of just all Christmas Day, and she of the more practical nature would just feel like there was more in the way of getting to her loot!

So now my secrets out.

I'm not proud, but I'm not ashamed either.

And here's my message for you, Mama: celebrate your Holidays in a way that works for you. Wrap if it's fun. Bake if it's fun. Or don't. Shop local, give cash, or spend an afternoon of online ordering. See family or skip town. Make it work for you!!!

Because even (and especially) the Mama deserves Joy and Peace for the Holidays and a Season with space for both the Merry and the Bright!

12/24/2022

Before I had kids, I would look at the lovely collection of Santa pictures my aunt and uncle have of my cousins: for every year since their eldest was born, they have a framed 5x7 that they set out during the holiday season. My uncle talks with some pride about how glad he was they'd done this every year, because there is no way to make up a missed Santa pic!

I remember thinking, "What a terrific idea!"

And so I have done the same...sort of.

We have Santa pics for every year since Rosemary was a newborn. But instead of framed to set out for the holidays, most are still in the envelope, with a few random years taped to the fridge.

We leave them up all year long - 365 days of Christmas!

Enjoy the cameos by the Easter Bunny in the upper right of this shot, too. Why put a limit on the Easter season?

12/24/2022

When I was a kid, my mom sewed each of the three of us a custom stocking featuring a Winnie the Pooh character. It turned out to be predictive, since, like the Pooh Bear she chose for me, I'm a somewhat distractible philosopher with a love for the sweet things in life.

To carry on the tradition, when we married I crafted Bill his own flannel stocking. He wasn't (yet!) a big Winnie the Pooh fan, so I chose a carrot on a green background to show his love for nature and playing in the dirt.

Of course I planned to make my children their own stocking as they came along, but instead, for, count them, 12 years, they each had a store-bought stocking with a paper tag taped across the top and their names written in Sharpie.

Yep. Tape and Sharpie.

Finally last year, now that everyone is out of diapers and can microwave their own burrito, I upgraded with iron-on letters and thread embellishments.

To my Mom, I don't know how you did it. 3 kids, innumerable dogs, teaching pre-school, cooking (without a microwave since it was the '70s), and no electronic babysitting. I am in awe.

As for Rosemary and Gussy, I think they miss the tape and Sharpie.

12/23/2022

This one actually is perfect, and it was my husband’s idea!

The first year we had a toddler and a Christmas tree, we put a fence around the tree. I think it was the next year Bill got his inspiration; every year since then we go out and find a long branch that has blown down in November storms and suspend it in an arc from the mantle to the kitchen. Bill even placed a permanent hook in the ceiling beam so we can wire it up.

The Christmas Bough is now famous among our friends and family (and now you too!).

Out of traffic, out of reach of small children and cats, it beautifully transforms the room.

Though I personally take no issue with Christmas Trees, it's fun to forage and the rule is we never cut a branch down. Natural selection only!

If you adopt the tradition, one pro tip. DO NOT CHOOSE PINE!!!! The pine year was one of the prettiest, but we spent 3 week cleaning pitch off the carpet and dining table.

12/22/2022

One year, as I pondered how to display the beautiful Holiday cards we would be receiving, I came across the lovely idea of a display string.

It worked so nicely that we never took it down....we just layered more cards on top!

Birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, even a few for St. Pat and Halloween.

Eventually the string stretched and became a tripping hazard, so I upgraded to a wire.

I w**d them out now and again, but there are a few, like the singing card with dogs in leather jackets, that never go away.

Merry Everything All At Once!