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This girl. Y'all. She amazes me day in and day out. We talked for the first time a little over a year ago, and from that first chat, we clicked. We took this selfie after an incredibly emotional morning for me (the one I wrote the blog post about on 10.10 about knowing my time as @graceandserendipity had come to a close) and she was the person standing in front of me when I found the feeble strength to say what I had experienced that morning on the beach out loud, who unknowingly to me had been standing on the balcony and actually witnessed the whole thing so I knew I wasn't making it up in my own head. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € My point in sharing all of this is this. Find those women who support you through everything. Who will be there to talk you through things when you're scared to take the next step that you know is right. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Those people who say "I see you - for who you are, for what you were put here to do and for who you're becoming, even if you don't see it yet".πŸ’• β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Find the friends who wear a shirt for YOUR business on the same day you wear the shirt from THEIR business (for real y'all ... her Y'all tee is one of my go-to favorites). Find those friends who truly bring you joy. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € So today, with all things #creativefoundersconference on the brain after yesterday's dates announcement, I just have to take a moment to share how proud of this woman I am. Kelli has been working a lot this last year on creating a business she feels pulled to - one that is going to be filled with so much compassion, so much heart, so much grace. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € If you're not following @letteredgrace yet and you're a person looking for continual encouragement, faith-building and family-building reminders built into the every day, and even fun activities to do with your kiddos to raise them to be sweet humans, click on that follow button above and get to know Kelli a little bit. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € She's going to do incredible things, y'all. And I can't wait to see it all come to fruition. πŸ™ŒπŸ™ŒπŸ™Œ #creativefounders
Yesterday afternoon, we shared the dates for our Fall 2019 @creativefounders Conference and I am so excited to be back at this place in November of this year. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € I remember when I took a huge leap of faith to decide to host two conferences in one year and move it out a beach house last June for the first time, how scared I was to do it. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € What if a hurricane comes? β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € What if it's too hard to create an amazing experience without a hotel staff there to help? β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € What if no one signs up since there are only four months before the Conference is here, so they don't have enough time to plan? β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € What if, what if, what if??? β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € And y'all, God took all of those fears away one by one. The Experience that we had last fall was, and still is, absolutely perfect when I think about it all. Each day flowed beautifully, conversations and connections were abundant, and more than anything, a loved community was brought together for the 26 women who joined us. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € I was joking with a friend about a month ago that we had 9 months until our next Conference, and felt like almost had *too* much time on our hands. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € But, I have to be honest, keeping with my "slow and steady over fast and furious" mantra for the year, I think it's going to be pretty perfect once more come November. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € So here's to taking those big leaps of faith and not knowing how they'll turn out, but trusting anyways, trusting always, and not letting fear get in the way of any of it. πŸ’•
My kids don't know this yet, but this year, they're going to Disney World for a family vacation. And we are SO excited about this one, y'all. They've never been before, and they talk or ask about it just about every single week. We're going to tell them a couple of weeks beforehand and I have to be honest - my husband and I are really, really excited. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € We started out with spelling D-W in order to talk about it in front of our kids, and my 6 year old daughter who knows this is our way of talking about secret things in front of them, and one day said "Disney starts with D!" So now, we call it "Sid's House" (aka DIS backwards) and they have absolutely no clue what we're talking about. It's kind of magical in itself. πŸ˜‚ β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € So today, I'm coming here for help, Disney-loving friends. We've never been as a family, and we're going for four whole days. What do we need to do, what do we need to see, what do we need to wait until they're older for from a 3 and 6 year old's perspective? It’s been over 10 years since we were there last and we have learned that things definitely aren’t the way they used to be! β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € We can't wait, y'all. Sid's House, we'll see you soon! πŸŽ‰ β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € {amazing photo that made me gasp with excitement from @breakfastlunchdisney}
If you follow @creativefounders, you've seen this picture a time or two. @annafilly snapped it last January at our first Alumni Retreat, and it became a fast favorite by all of us. I love this image for so many reasons, but more than anything else, I love what it stands for. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € It stands for a united group of women, getting together and encouraging one another, being there for each other, and sharing the gifts we've all been given in different ways - whether it's sharing about the latest business tool that you just discovered, helping someone learn a program that you're familiar with, or even just lending someone an ear when they're talking through something they're working with on their business. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Today, the Community opened for @creativefounders for the first time this year, and I couldn't be more excited for what's to come for those who are a part of it. We have so many incredible women who are a part of it already - some are just getting started in their business while others have 10+ years of entrepreneurship. Bur more than anything else, what I see when I look at everyone that is in our Community is connection, collaboration, support, and encouragement as we navigate this whole entrepreneurial thing. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € If you're interested in learning more, hop on over to @creativefounders to learn more about joining our community! πŸ™Œ
It's a new week with new goodness and new exciting things on the horizon! β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Every afternoon before closing out for the day, I take a few minutes to review the day and make a plan for the next. This saves SO much time for me when I first wake up in the morning - knowing that when I close the door to my office and walk in, the moment I sit down, I see the days tasks already written and ready to go. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Each Monday, the first task each week is to review my @cultivatewhatmatters Powersheets and make sure that I am working steadily through the things I set to work on at the beginning of the month, and doing this mini check-in each week helps to keep me on track, while penciling in times to work on these specific items too. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Am I just a bit of a definite planner person?? Yes, absolutely. Because if I don't plan things out, I flounder. I switch from task to task without working through things to completion, and have found that using a digital planning system is great for long-term tracking, but when I take the time to physically write those things down for each day or month and cross them off one by one, they actually get done. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € It's always so interesting to me to see how other people plan - if they work with post-its or a planner, don't plan at all, or if they've found one system that gives them entire "planner peace". What do YOU do to help you continually move forward on your goals and tasks one by one?
Today, my stepson turns 21 years old. I remember getting to meet him for the first time when he was only 6, and how my husband had to hold him up on his knee to play the arcade game so that he could reach. To spend the day with him at his 6'2" self today has me a little bit nostalgic about that first day we met, looking at him now and seeing him as an adult. We have been reminiscing about when he was little today - and also at how fast it seems that time has gone with him growing up. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € So today, mamas, notice more of the cute distinctions about your littles in this season you are in. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Take in their tiny laughter, memorize the sound of their giggles. Those toddler giggles are some of the most joyful, and the sound of their laugh changes as their voice becomes older. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Notice their tiny hands and fingers as they learn to do things with them. Help them if they ask, but sit back and watch them learn how to do new things every day with those hands too. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Notice the way they say things as they're learning to speak - how they say "stoom" instead of spoon, "poptone" instead of popcorn, "twuck" instead of truck. They'll grow out of it eventually, and when they do and you realize it, you'll miss it instantly. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € So today, love them for the littles they are, for the people they'll grow up to be. And enjoy today, just as it is. πŸ’•
 
This girl. Y'all. She amazes me day in and day out. We talked for the first time a little over a year ago, and from that first chat, we clicked. We took this selfie after an incredibly emotional morning for me (the one I wrote the blog post about on 10.10 about knowing my time as @graceandserendipity had come to a close) and she was the person standing in front of me when I found the feeble strength to say what I had experienced that morning on the beach out loud, who unknowingly to me had been standing on the balcony and actually witnessed the whole thing so I knew I wasn't making it up in my own head. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € My point in sharing all of this is this. Find those women who support you through everything. Who will be there to talk you through things when you're scared to take the next step that you know is right. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Those people who say "I see you - for who you are, for what you were put here to do and for who you're becoming, even if you don't see it yet".πŸ’• β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Find the friends who wear a shirt for YOUR business on the same day you wear the shirt from THEIR business (for real y'all ... her Y'all tee is one of my go-to favorites). Find those friends who truly bring you joy. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € So today, with all things #creativefoundersconference on the brain after yesterday's dates announcement, I just have to take a moment to share how proud of this woman I am. Kelli has been working a lot this last year on creating a business she feels pulled to - one that is going to be filled with so much compassion, so much heart, so much grace. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € If you're not following @letteredgrace yet and you're a person looking for continual encouragement, faith-building and family-building reminders built into the every day, and even fun activities to do with your kiddos to raise them to be sweet humans, click on that follow button above and get to know Kelli a little bit. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € She's going to do incredible things, y'all. And I can't wait to see it all come to fruition. πŸ™ŒπŸ™ŒπŸ™Œ #creativefounders
Yesterday afternoon, we shared the dates for our Fall 2019 @creativefounders Conference and I am so excited to be back at this place in November of this year. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € I remember when I took a huge leap of faith to decide to host two conferences in one year and move it out a beach house last June for the first time, how scared I was to do it. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € What if a hurricane comes? β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € What if it's too hard to create an amazing experience without a hotel staff there to help? β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € What if no one signs up since there are only four months before the Conference is here, so they don't have enough time to plan? β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € What if, what if, what if??? β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € And y'all, God took all of those fears away one by one. The Experience that we had last fall was, and still is, absolutely perfect when I think about it all. Each day flowed beautifully, conversations and connections were abundant, and more than anything, a loved community was brought together for the 26 women who joined us. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € I was joking with a friend about a month ago that we had 9 months until our next Conference, and felt like almost had *too* much time on our hands. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € But, I have to be honest, keeping with my "slow and steady over fast and furious" mantra for the year, I think it's going to be pretty perfect once more come November. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € So here's to taking those big leaps of faith and not knowing how they'll turn out, but trusting anyways, trusting always, and not letting fear get in the way of any of it. πŸ’•
My kids don't know this yet, but this year, they're going to Disney World for a family vacation. And we are SO excited about this one, y'all. They've never been before, and they talk or ask about it just about every single week. We're going to tell them a couple of weeks beforehand and I have to be honest - my husband and I are really, really excited. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € We started out with spelling D-W in order to talk about it in front of our kids, and my 6 year old daughter who knows this is our way of talking about secret things in front of them, and one day said "Disney starts with D!" So now, we call it "Sid's House" (aka DIS backwards) and they have absolutely no clue what we're talking about. It's kind of magical in itself. πŸ˜‚ β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € So today, I'm coming here for help, Disney-loving friends. We've never been as a family, and we're going for four whole days. What do we need to do, what do we need to see, what do we need to wait until they're older for from a 3 and 6 year old's perspective? It’s been over 10 years since we were there last and we have learned that things definitely aren’t the way they used to be! β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € We can't wait, y'all. Sid's House, we'll see you soon! πŸŽ‰ β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € {amazing photo that made me gasp with excitement from @breakfastlunchdisney}
If you follow @creativefounders, you've seen this picture a time or two. @annafilly snapped it last January at our first Alumni Retreat, and it became a fast favorite by all of us. I love this image for so many reasons, but more than anything else, I love what it stands for. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € It stands for a united group of women, getting together and encouraging one another, being there for each other, and sharing the gifts we've all been given in different ways - whether it's sharing about the latest business tool that you just discovered, helping someone learn a program that you're familiar with, or even just lending someone an ear when they're talking through something they're working with on their business. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Today, the Community opened for @creativefounders for the first time this year, and I couldn't be more excited for what's to come for those who are a part of it. We have so many incredible women who are a part of it already - some are just getting started in their business while others have 10+ years of entrepreneurship. Bur more than anything else, what I see when I look at everyone that is in our Community is connection, collaboration, support, and encouragement as we navigate this whole entrepreneurial thing. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € If you're interested in learning more, hop on over to @creativefounders to learn more about joining our community! πŸ™Œ
It's a new week with new goodness and new exciting things on the horizon! β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Every afternoon before closing out for the day, I take a few minutes to review the day and make a plan for the next. This saves SO much time for me when I first wake up in the morning - knowing that when I close the door to my office and walk in, the moment I sit down, I see the days tasks already written and ready to go. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Each Monday, the first task each week is to review my @cultivatewhatmatters Powersheets and make sure that I am working steadily through the things I set to work on at the beginning of the month, and doing this mini check-in each week helps to keep me on track, while penciling in times to work on these specific items too. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Am I just a bit of a definite planner person?? Yes, absolutely. Because if I don't plan things out, I flounder. I switch from task to task without working through things to completion, and have found that using a digital planning system is great for long-term tracking, but when I take the time to physically write those things down for each day or month and cross them off one by one, they actually get done. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € It's always so interesting to me to see how other people plan - if they work with post-its or a planner, don't plan at all, or if they've found one system that gives them entire "planner peace". What do YOU do to help you continually move forward on your goals and tasks one by one?
Today, my stepson turns 21 years old. I remember getting to meet him for the first time when he was only 6, and how my husband had to hold him up on his knee to play the arcade game so that he could reach. To spend the day with him at his 6'2" self today has me a little bit nostalgic about that first day we met, looking at him now and seeing him as an adult. We have been reminiscing about when he was little today - and also at how fast it seems that time has gone with him growing up. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € So today, mamas, notice more of the cute distinctions about your littles in this season you are in. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Take in their tiny laughter, memorize the sound of their giggles. Those toddler giggles are some of the most joyful, and the sound of their laugh changes as their voice becomes older. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Notice their tiny hands and fingers as they learn to do things with them. Help them if they ask, but sit back and watch them learn how to do new things every day with those hands too. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Notice the way they say things as they're learning to speak - how they say "stoom" instead of spoon, "poptone" instead of popcorn, "twuck" instead of truck. They'll grow out of it eventually, and when they do and you realize it, you'll miss it instantly. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € So today, love them for the littles they are, for the people they'll grow up to be. And enjoy today, just as it is. πŸ’•
Stepping in to my office today with a new, fresh readiness for the month ahead. A few months ago, this room was just a bit of a hodgepodge of furniture, trinkets, and items that I had collected over the years, but the majority of them didn't have a purpose. I went on a *major* purge session in December and went through every single cabinet, basket, bin, and storage box within these four walls, and donated everything if it didn't answer the question "will this be useful for now, or in the weeks ahead??" and if the answer was no, out it went instantly. It was a long process but at the same time, such a weight was lifted when I literally found white space once again appearing on my shelves. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Now, I think of anything out and within view as "prime real estate". I haven't jumped onto the Marie Kondo train but I have heard the question she’s known for asking, "does it bring you joy?" And every piece shown in this little collection is an absolute yes. πŸ’• β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € So being Monday and the start of a fresh new week, tell me this! What are the little things that surround you every day that you love to see, the items that you consider "prime real estate", the ones that bring you joy?
Hey hey hey, how has your Monday been today? Some of you have been around for a while and some of you are new friends, but to every single one of you, hey, hi, hello, and I’m so glad you’re here in this little square filled home of the internet with me! Things are a-changing around here, and I’m hoping you’re ready for it! πŸ’ƒ β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € This shot was snapped by my sweet friend @annafilly last weekend in Denver at our Alumni Retreat for @creativefounders, and I love that she’s always able to pull out the real me in photos. I'm a little bit goofy, a little bit guarded, but I'm also learning that there is amazingness in vulnerability, and so am choosing to embrace that more this year. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € One of my quirks is that if I am home, I have socks on. Yes, even in summer. πŸ˜‚πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ My kids are on a kick that they love picking them out for me each and every morning lately, and I've chosen to embrace that too. Sometimes I'm rocking dinosaurs sipping coffee, sometimes swans swimming sweetly, but it's always something that makes my kids laugh, and seeing their joy at getting to pick out my socks makes it a bit more fun. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € I started full-time entrepreneurship when my daughter was just four months old. Now, years into living this working from home mom life, it's amazing how wearing a pair of socks they chose for me makes them feel like they're still home with me every time I glance down (and let's be real ... it makes stepping on one of their legos a little bit less painful). The funny thing is, I never liked wearing socks UNTIL I started working from home. β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € If you haven’t always been home-based as an entrepreneur, what did you find changed in your attire once you started to? β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Is it that you love to rock socks, or that you now avoid wearing pants with a button? Or, do you simply love that you can wear your hair in a topknot and know that you can wear your favorite shirt for three days straight, because, well, you can??πŸ€— β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β €β € Sound off below, what are your favorite things about a work-from-home-life?