GRATITUDE:

FOCUS:

INSPIRATION:

---

GRATITUDE: Having to squint today while feeling the sunshine on my face.

FOCUS: Wasn’t supposed to take the whole day but made tomato confit to clear out freezer space, bought groceries (which are getting way too expensive) at Costco, and washed Jasper’s bedding (long overdue).

INSPIRATION:

My philosophy is simple – Parenting begins with you, not with your child.

Dr. Charles Sophy

“Putting yourself first in the parenting equation may seem strange, yet it is intuitive. Think of it this way: On an airplane, in case of emergency, you must first secure the oxygen mask on yourself. Once you are able to breathe, you can then secure the mask on your child. So it is with parenting. Only after you are balanced and secure, can you then offer balance and security to your child. It really is that simple. You first. Everyday I hear the same concern from parents: “I don’t understand why my child is behaving this way.” My response is always the same: “Before I can figure out the problem or issue with your child, I must first spend time with you, the parent.” By learning about the parent first—both strengths and weaknesses—I am able to help them balance their own lives. There is no doubt that a parent with a balanced life, both physically and mentally, is a better parent. A parent more equipped to be a loving and healthy role model for their child. You owe it to your child to be the best possible you. Parenting really does begin with you.”

S: SLEEP
Are you getting enough quantity and quality of sleep? When you wake up do you feel good?

W: WORK
Are you fulfilled enough at work, even if staying home is your work, to be happy at the end of the day?

E: EATING
Are you using food to stay healthy and energetic? Is meal time a time for relaxation and communication?

E: EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION
Do you let the important people in your life know how you are feeling? Do you allow yourself physical and emotional intimacy?

P: PLAY
Are you letting yourself enjoy life? Do you have a way to let go of worry and direct your energy to a positive place?

---

GRATITUDE: Thankful today for the 7 minute egg.

FOCUS: What can I do today in the 2 hours that are left to myself? I know! I’ll completely rearrange the kids’ bedroom and surprise them by the time they get home at 2pm.

INSPIRATION: Thinking about repotting the fruit trees to bigger containers has me feeling excited to get back to the garden again. Must do it while they are still winter dormant.

---

GRATITUDE: Glimpses of sunshine today and a trip west to the beach to explore new places like the Pacifica pier.

FOCUS: Enjoy the third day of this long weekend together despite feeling tired and not quite ready to launch into a new week.

INSPIRATION: Marveled at the evidence of nature’s power from the recent storms. Forces so great leading to broken street lamps, so much sand on sidewalks where it shouldn’t be, washed up and wind blown broken concrete tables and benches.

---

GRATITUDE: Late breakfast (9:30am), with Philz and library time with the whole family afterwards. Followed by puzzles, video games, and a 2 mile night walk, and a movie. Today was a good day.

FOCUS: Family day after a full week of work, school, activities, appointments and more. Nothing planned for the 3 day weekend but to chill, relax, and connect.

INSPIRATION:

---

GRATITUDE: Jasper’s first OT session went so much better than both he or I expected! Playing the floor is lava in the sensory gym and having an OT that knows about Dungeons & Dragons was such a huge win and a major relief. Grateful Jasper and I had lunch

FOCUS: Today I predict is going to solely revolve around giving the kids everything they need to build up awareness and independence skills. Jasper has his OT appt, then D&D at the Rec center. Remember to tell him how great a job he did pivoting when Nikolas and Varun didn’t show up and he had to walk to the Rec center alone, wait for Henry alone, not panic when Henry didn’t show up but really was just inside the lobby area instead, also for his walk from Rec Center to Burlingame Ave and meeting us along the way. Fostering the library study room dates for Juniper, Violet, and Lena. Tell Juniper how much of a leader she is and can be, how impressive they got so much work done with if just the short hour of time! This week I’ve constantly had on my mind different ways to build connections with my kids. Overall, this experiment has worked…but I’m so incredibly tired trying to remain in the moment with each of them.

INSPIRATION: —-

---

GRATITUDE: A day without rain! Took the opportunity to do a top of the parking structure walk on the way to school with the kids and admire the sky instead of the underside of our umbrellas. Also for the purposeful connection time with Jasper and Juniper this week (coffee dates while at ceramics and hip hop) at least for now it seems like it’s making other challenges with them more manageable and they are willing to collaborate and problem solve them together, and just talk to me about the little things.

FOCUS: Things for today to fill my bucket – Yoga chiropractor appt, “Self Regulation for Screen Struggles” with Stuart Shanker, library visit, contemplate garden plans continue art closet/kids library purge and see things go to the buy nothing group swiftly.

INSPIRATION: How to Be Un-Dead: Anaïs Nin and D.H. Lawrence on the Key to Living Fully on The Marginalian blog

“When you surrender, the problem ceases to exist,” Henry Miller wrote in his stunning letter to Anaïs Nin (February 21, 1903–January 14, 1977). “Try to solve it, or conquer it, and you only set up more resistance.”

---

GRATITUDE: Met Laura for coffee today, it’s been years since we last saw each other in person! Good to catch up in real time and notice myself talking about our family’s last couple years with a different kind of perspective versus the “in the weeds” mentality that has become all too familiar.

FOCUS: Find the living room floor again.

INSPIRATION: Still thinking about this past Tuesday’s Bright & Quirky coffee & connection and the reminder to keep celebrating the wins no matter how big or how small.

---

GRATITUDE: Paul is sitting on my lap while I write this in bed. He never sits on our laps! Well, only if he’s very hungry in the mornings and his breakfast time has passed. But it’s night now, he is fed!, and he’s sitting on top of me.

FOCUS: Continued slow purge of stuff. Celebrate the wins of the past year – Juniper’s now single vision, Jasper’s road to a diagnosis and the fact that we are finding new rhythms to work through the rough patches, the relief of better understanding my kids and the shift in my own personal mindset that they are doing the best they can with the current tools they have.

INSPIRATION: Delving into some other aspects of the Calm app this evening.

---

GRATITUDE: Evening puzzle time around the table with the whole family, and hearing Juniper say, “We should do more puzzles.”

FOCUS: Meal planning/cooking, ask Jasper about OT, scheduling overdue appointments for kids, purge kids’ clothes,

INSPIRATION: Developing a Rational Approach to Supplementation for Health & Performance, Huberman Lab podcast episode released January 9, 2023

https://hubermanlab.com/developing-a-rational-approach-to-supplementation-for-health-and-performance/

---