Tag Archives: 21 days of soulful living

Simplicity and Cyber Monday/Holiday Shopping

I focus a lot on simplicity and clearing clutter, so it may seem strange that I’m writing a post about Cyber Monday and holiday shopping.

Here’s the thing though – when we allow for simplicity in our lives, we get greater clarity on the things that we truly need and on what giving can be.

Often we discover it’s about more than things. It may be more time spent with family and friends. It may mean creating more space in our lives for taking care of ourselves through finding time for yoga, an art class, or reading.

Now what does this have to do with Cyber Monday and this drive that happens during the holiday season telling us to buy buy buy?

When we are able to slow down, clear the clutter, and view this time through the lens of simplicity, we can realize that it’s a great time to make some change in our habits and our worlds.

My mom and I had a discussion about gift giving the other day. We experience so much stress during the holidays as we search for gifts for an often long list of people. We were talking about how we love finding the perfect gift for someone, and how it doesn’t feel so good to give a gift that you buy because you have to but you don’t really know if the person will like it. Even with the choices we love, there’s no telling if the receiver will feel the same way.

So often we get gifts that we know we’ll never use, but we smile and say thank you and they get added to the clutter. Since we experience this, we know that the same must be true for gifts that we give to others.

What if we could change this? I’m here to tell you that we can.

Here are my 5 tips for taking the stress out of holiday gift giving:

ASK –Don’t be afraid to ask what people want. It can feel great to find the perfect gift, but it can feel amazing to give something that you know the person will cherish because they truly wanted it.

TELL – Let people know what you want (and what you don’t want). Be honest so that they can shop confidently for you. If you don’t need any more clothing because your closet is exploding, let people know. They’ll be happy to have had a little guidance.

GIVE EXPERIENCES – Get creative with the gifts that you give: a basket with all the ingredients for a delicious meal, complete with recipes and candles for a couple so they can create a nice evening, memberships to the zoo or another play place for kids that you know they enjoy, a booklet of unique coupons to offer to friends and family (a night of babysitting, voucher for you pick the movie/you pick the meal, etc). These ideas are great because they avoid the clutter trap and allow the receiver to create amazing memories.

GIVE SELF CARE – If you know that someone frequents a particular yoga studio or loves a good massage but never feels that she can treat herself, a gift certificate is an amazing gift. It’s a way to give relaxation (and if it’s for a busy mama, you can couple it with an offer to babysit!). If you want to do something more personal, you can put together a “spa basket” with some awesome nontoxic and soothing products that they can use whenever they want.

DON’T GIVE STUFF – More and more I’m seeing people say, we’re not doing gifts this year. Let the holidays be a time to simplify, find gratitude, and reconnect with self, friends, and loved ones. Get together and enjoy the holidays without the stuff. This can be a tough one, and for us, is one that we have been working towards for many years, but I don’t know that we’ll ever get down to no stuff. It’s a fun concept to play with, and to help filter you purchasing decisions.

If you are looking for some great gift ideas, here are some of my favorites (and some great holiday deals) that are true to my values of simplicity, clearing clutter, and nontoxic living. These are affiliate links, which means I do get a small percentage of purchases made via these links. (Links in green)

Le Creuset makes a great gift for a loved one (or for yourself!). They’ve got some great holiday specials so be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to fill your kitchen with some nontoxic cookware!

Bubble and Bee has a great Cyber Monday sale and amazing non toxic products that you can feel great about giving (and receiving!).

Vitamix is offering $50 off the Vitamix 5200 Healthy Lifestyle Package, so if you’ve been thinking about getting a Vitamix for yourself or as a gift, now is the perfect time. This can make so much of your holiday cooking (and new healthy habits) so much easier! When you order through the link on this page, you’ll also receive FREE shipping!

Earth Mama Angel Baby is the perfect place to shop for the pregnant women, mamas, and babies on your list. They’ve got a Cyber Monday sale with 20% off your entire order.

Gaiam is one of my favorite places to shop for eco conscious gifts. Use this link to access 25% off and Free Shipping on orders of $100 or more (good for Cyber Monday).

Abe’s Market is one stop shopping for everyone on your shopping list (including your kids and your pets!). Check them out today for a great Cyber Monday savings.

Remember to take care of yourself this holiday season too, and check out the savings I’m offering (good until midnight on November 26th). Check them out here, for yourself or to gift to a friend.

When we embrace simplicity, gratitude and connection throughout the holiday season, we create a more joyful and inspired experience for ourselves and our loved ones.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

A Sneak Peek into Soulful Living and a Thanksgiving Project

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When we celebrate Thanksgiving, we often gather for one day, or maybe a weekend, and what we’re thankful for is spoken because it’s what’s expected. Maybe we go around the table and share, write what we’re thankful for on slips of paper, share more casually or we might even just gather and not express our gratitude in any special way.

By the following week, we’ve often moved on, gotten back to our regularly scheduled lives and the chaos of the holiday season, and we have already started to lose sight of some of what brings us so much joy, happiness and gratitude.

Let’s make this year different.

As you gather with friends, family, and loved ones for Thanksgiving, keep an ear out for what they are thankful/grateful for. Listen, not just with your ears – notice what lights them up when they talk, what makes them appear more comfortable and relaxed, and yes, what they say they are grateful for as well. Engage them in conversation and discover what’s well and wonderful in their world.

Makes notes of what you know is really special to them, and then join us for 21 Days of Soulful Living to do something really amazing with these gratitudes.

A sneak peek in 21 Days of Soulful Living: Gratitude meets creativity as we take the concept of the gratitude list and turn it into a wonderful piece of art, for your own home or for the perfect gift this holiday season! To learn more and register now, visit http://wombtoworldwellness.com/soulfulliving

However you spend your Thanksgiving, may it be filled with happiness, gratitude, and connection.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Gratitude, Thanksgiving, and Soulful Living

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I was visiting my grandmother this weekend and did my best to unplug (sign up for the newsletter here and now if you want to hear more of that story tomorrow, I promise it’s good!).

If you came looking for my weekly gratitude list on Saturday and didn’t see it, that’s why.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving later this week, gratitude may be more on our minds than usual. It’s a great time to bring focus there and to keep that going throughout the holiday season and into the new year.

Stay tuned on the blog this week because I’ll be sharing a sneak peek into 21 Days of Soulful Living and what we’ll be doing with the theme of gratitude.

For now, my list, from my heart to yours….

Vibrant, breathtaking sunset

Hazy sliver of the moon

Phone charger left at home ::unplugged::

Four generations under one roof

Waking to sunrise over the mountains

and, “the outside light is turned back on”

Chloe speaking of spirit

Fear clouding intuition and that realization pushing me forward

Simple pleasures

The quiet of the country

Peaceful Walks

Soulful Living

Peace, Love, and Wellness,

Slow Down

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“Slow down, you move too fast, you’ve got to make the morning last
Just kickin’ down the cobble-stones, lookin’ for fun and feelin’ groovy”

– Simon and Garfunkel

Slow down.

All around me, I see people noticing their bodies, their minds, telling them to slow down.

I’ve felt this myself.

I actually surprised myself when 21 Days of Soulful Living was born because I had listened to myself and already given myself permission to slow down in my life. I wasn’t planning to run another program this year.

Here’s what I think happened. I think I was so in tune with the needs of others to slow down that I felt pulled to create something for them (for you) that allowed for that space.

It has been flowing out of me with such ease (that’s a good sign that I’m on the right path) that it hasn’t impacted my plan to slow down.

At this time of year, we see nature slowing down, preparing to hibernate for the winter, and we can take a cue from what we see. The animals gather what they will need to keep them cozy through the cold, the trees shed their leaves to prepare for the coming snow. We too, can prepare by taking time to slow down. One way I love to do this is by being more in tune with nature.

The message to slow down comes to us in many ways. Sometimes we get sick and our bodies force us to rest. Other times it’s more subtle. We feel more tired than usual, everything seems to overwhelm us, we’re not sure where to start with our to do lists and a plan to get it all done feels impossible. Sometimes things just feel off.

The best thing we can do during these times is listen. Turn deeply inward and focus on what it is we need.

This may mean fewer draining commitments, a renewed yoga or mediation practice, more time connecting with close friends and community, a vacation, or possibly something new to help us have a fresh perspective.

I see now that this is what I had in mind as I created 21 Days of Soulful Living, because it is the creating of space to listen and explore. It is an opportunity to slow down within a supportive and loving community. You will have the opportunity to go deep within and to get creative.

The weeks will take us through simplicity, gratitude and connection as we deepen our understanding of our own needs. Through this, we will make soulful living part of our daily lives.

If you’re looking for a simple way to take care of yourself as we head into the holiday season, and to bring the holiday spirit deep within, I encourage you to join us.

Peace, Love, and Wellness,