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Do you often want to take time away just for yourself and either can't or don't?

Sometimes, and especially if you're a single parent, you just have no options to escape and take time for yourself. It's very difficult to find someone you trust with the kiddo and you have feelings of guilt because you often hear things like, "He'll grow up soon and you'll have all the time you want." or "I never had time away, that was never an option for me."

Whether you have these voices coming from someone else or from inside your head, being a parent is a lot of work and the gremlin voices giving messages of guilt, shame and thoughts of 'you must power through', are NOT helpful!

The voice is not something that I feel I can trust because if that voice is making me feel pressured or guilty or tied down, then what is it serving? Certainly doesn't feel like it's serving me!

A few weekends ago, I was gifted the realization that taking care of ourselves, as leaders of a family, business...

How often do we let ourselves make mistakes as adults? as parents? as people who are considered responsible in the society? When do we have the ability to say, "Well, hey, we were allowed to make mistakes and stuff at school. We're allowed to make mistakes when we're kids. Why aren't we allowed to make mistakes when we're adults?”

It's this thing that we're holding on ourselves and we hold each other up to that and it's a very strange rule that this society has seemed to hold on to for people who are older. The last time I sent an email out I forgot to add the ’t' at the end of the word ‘thought.’ Some of you may have noticed that. I noticed it after the fact and I hesitated sending something out saying, “Oops, forgot the ’t' but then I was like, “well everyone knows that I'm talking about. The phrase is Food For Thought. Why did I worry about that?

Do we worry when we are parents who have all these details to think about? Yes, of course!

My sweet boy Skye, often says things that make me stop and think. 
He is a thinker himself and ever since he was a baby, I could see the wheels turning in his tiny head.

My video blog today is about the most recent time his words made me pause.

This one made me REALLY pause. So much so that I had to sit down next to him and really consider his idea.

It's about Hope and Wishes.

So much in our world and our society is taken for granted and I know these new little beings coming into our lives as our children, are the ones who have the newest and biggest ideas for change.

It's magical and wonderful when we get to be around them, so fresh and so powerful, that they make us pause, ponder ourselves, and think about what we've grown up with!

Have a listen and tell me what you think!
Until next time,
Love always, Leanne Rose

How many times have you decided not to show a negative emotion?

Was it with family? friends? a doctor or surgeon? Maybe it was with a new specialist you finally got into for your little one.

Wherever it was, for some reason you chose not to express what you were truly feeling in the moment and now you think about it more and wonder if you should have said something.

For me, this happened a lot when Skye was in the NICU and really little. I just wanted the best for him and sometimes what was being said or offered didn't make me feel good. 

Don't get me wrong. I would never allow anything to take place that my husband and I didn't agree upon, but the emotions underneath the decisions sometimes were screaming in my heart and head and I didn't know where to release them.

With all of the care and attention on self-care out there now, there are many avenues to releasing emotions and lots of education about holding things in turning into, or manifesting into something like a physical...

I totally gapped out this week and didn't send my people the regular email that I send out. Oops! 

It got me thinking about forgiving myself and also how, when life comes at you, distractions are everywhere and things just don't get done that are in your regular wheelhouse.

Milestones are another one of these things that really get me frustrated. Why does everything have to be on time?! 

I understand why milestones are there and how our little babes are watched. I am grateful for the care that comes with some of the voices. But when a practitioner is pushy about it and not forgiving or not adjusting to the birth v. corrected ages and you're already stressed and exhausted and overwhelmed... Why does being "on time" have to take so much precedence?! 

Our preemies have come into this world on their own schedule and have showed us a different way right from the beginning. Watching them grow in their own ways and having them teach us on what patience, Love...

How do you know when to stop and take some time from the busyness? 

Your body might tell you. Are you listening?

Often my body tells me when it needs Love and attention by getting sore or injured or showing exhaustion more than usual. I consider this my body talking to me. 

Recently we were having fun at the roller-skating rink. Afterwards I got to the truck and realized I'd pulled something. Now I've been on crutches for a few days (but getting better!). 

We can take our bodies and our loved ones for granted very easily. All of us take something or someone for granted. They are often giving signals that they need attention, but we might not stop to pay attention until it's late in the process.

Have a listen to my video and share your thoughts on what you might be taking for granted right now.
Love always,
Leanne Rose 

How often do you get frustrated because someone is being a twit or not doing exactly what you wanted them to do?

Sometimes these annoyances are totally legitimate and other times a glimmer of recognizing your part comes into view. 

When you find yourself in a longer lasting state of pent up frustration, annoyance, disbelief and all of the emotions that come with those states, it is seemingly easy to point fingers and say that someone else is solely causing the problem. And yet, you too are in the situation somehow, somewhere. So what?

Redirecting the focus onto your part of things is a big job. Other than gurus and teachers who have been working on themselves for many moons, most of us do not like dissecting how we too are a player in the happenings of our life.

Doing your own work is powerful and painful.

Not everyone is equipped to do the hard work, look within and figure out how to dance with the constant flow of annoying or sad situations that they are faced with.

...

When our lives get turned upside down and the unexpected lands on our laps, we have different parts of us that rise to the surface. It may be reactionary, we could withdraw or a person can even get angry because they are afraid.

We can have all of these emotions and reactions, and more, when what we're used to, like a tradition around the holidays, falls away or doesn't get accomplished.

Whether you're still in the NICU or at home having to adjust your routine, finding space in your thoughts to redefine some of your traditions might be in order. The act of looking at something you're used to and have been doing for a long time in a certain way, forms new creativity and spawns a renewed light within that activity. 

- How could you do that family gathering while you are still back and forth to your baby in the NICU or Special Care Nursery?

- Where can you place that special stocking that was sewn for the newest addition to your family?

- When will you find time to...

Too often we try to do everything on our own and then we get overwhelmed, cranky, snippy and not the person we want to be.

This is so common, not just with us NICU parents, but with everyone! 

For some reason, our society has forgotten about the village mentality. We have allowed ourselves to try to do everything on our own and, for goodness sake, we even make our newborn babies become instantly independent by having them sleep in a crib or bassinet right out of the womb!! What is that all about?

This fierce independence needs to be redesigned. It is somewhat of a downfall for everyone because we honestly are not getting the support and love that we rightfully deserve and can thrive with. Most of us decline help at moments when we really do actually need that help.

This stops here!

Let's rework support for ourselves right now and learn how to accept that village back into our lives so we can settle in to more of who we are inside our souls and in turn who we need to be for...

What are the messages you are giving yourself during the piling on of to-do lists?

Holiday times can create a landslide of extras that overwhelm and stress us out.

Taking care of yourself from the inside-out makes the way you handle stress feel different. You can look at any given situation and figure out how you'd like to respond and if you'd like to respond.

Remembering to fill your bucket as you're thinking about filling others' is essential.