{mama prompt} :: neighborhood

an occasional series of quick journal and creative prompts just for mamas

describe your childhood neighborhood. draw a map with all the secret and magic places. 

Some links for you (or I am too tired to pull together a better post)

Good Monday morning! I hope your weekend was great. I have no Monday Mission to share today, because quite frankly I am just trying to stay afloat! We have been so busy around here. A rental fiasco, birthday planning, Easter planning, room rearranging, guest posting, chicken escapes, late night owl fights and homeschooling! Whew!

I thought I would share some links with you instead.

Do not forget to enter my fabulous giveaway this week!

I had an article published in this cool gardening magazine.

Loving these weekly creative prompts.

So angered by this.

Bought my daughter this graphic novel for her birthday.

Bought myself this.

Charmed by this dream catcher garland.

Was blown away by this documentary about educator Albert Cullum.


Saw Leonard Cohen this week and loved it. Check him out if he comes near you. 79 and still going strong!



What have you been recently inspired by?

{family lab} picturing the past

We have been thinking about our own childhood experiences for the last two labs (if this has been hard, I promise we will lighten up soon) This sort of reflection can be invigorating or draining, I know. I think it is inevitable as we become parents we rethink our own experiences growing up. I know in my case, I always thought I had a pretty good childhood. I felt loved, safe, and appreciated. But still, little things bubbled up as I began to parent. This is an inevitable part of every parenting journey. I began realizing why I behave in certain ways or have little tolerance for particular behaviors. I have gone through periods of anger and resentment. Luckily, finally, I ended feeling accepting of my past and resolved to move on. Understanding how my childhood shaped me has helped me be such a better parent. I have been able to stop certain family habits and catch myself before I engage in other negative behaviors. Of course, there are still things I have a hard time controlling and I am always working on those  (chiefly a lack of patience and angry outbursts). I believe we are all works in progress and sometimes our machinery gets gunked up and needs a recalibration. Even though we can not do full therapy sessions in this lab, I am offering a few ways of accessing the past which have the potential to heal or become celebrations. Whichever you need.  Today, pull out a photograph from your childhood, we are going to write about it for 10 minutes. If you really get into a flow, keep going, no doubt something you might have forgotten will come up. If you are stuck, try describing the physical surroundings and your memories about how things felt, smelt, tasted etc. If you can, think about ways your childhood was different that your child's. Both good and bad. Write and dig and keep writing. When you are done, think about keep the two together in your journal or photo album. Share your photo and experience with the group in the comments if you can. Have a family story time and work on developing stories from your childhood to share with your kids. Some of my kids' favorite stories (near myths at this point) are tales from my husband's and my childhood. I am surprised at how much they want to hear them retold. These stories connect our children to us, but also to themselves - as essentially, they are their stories too. This is not formal. Just lay in bed and start remembering with, "When I was a kid..." It is good if both parents are there to compare childhoods. Please share in the comments. Do you do this already? What is a favorite story that your children love? I love photography, especially vernacular photography (photos taken by every day people of ordinary life).   Here are some links exploring the photography of the everyday. The inspirational way family photos were recovered and saved after 2011 Tsunami in Japan. Here. A stunning collection of Polaroids. Hugh Crawford took one photo a day for the 18 years before he died at age 41. Young Me, Now Me (My brother and I riffed off this to make a present for our mom for Christmas. She loved it. Check it out here.) Awkward Family Photos This is classic, but it makes me laugh every time. My Parents Were Awesome Big Happy Fun House A great collection of vernacular photographs.

{BIG GIVEAWAY} Feather Your Nest + A Book About Me

Today I am so excited to offer a HUGE giveaway.

I am offering:

a spot in e-course Feather Your Nest & 

a spot in Mama Scout's (that's me) A Book About Me. 

Both of these courses start April 1st and they are the perfect companions to each other. Together they deal with the inner and outer worlds we create. The physical and ethereal combined. 

I will be participating in both and am really excited. If you are like me, you might have spent some time after the holidays decluttering and making space.

So, now what do you do with that space? What sort of dreams and views do you want to manifest this spring?

Hopefully these two experiences can help you shift towards a beautiful season.

Scroll down to find out how to enter.

MORE from the Feather Your Nest mavens:

Our greatest hope is that together, we can honor our femininity and the important work that goes into creating a loving, supportive, and beautiful place to call home.

Over our 2 weeks together you’ll receive prompts for writing, creative projects, yummy recipes, printables that you can use over and over again and a guided journey for unearthing what your soul wants to feel when it is at home._

A little of what you can expect:

• Inspiring exercises to draw out your dreams & desires
• Step-by-step tutorials for beautiful, creative projects
• A gorgeous Feng Shui & Home Chakra map for your nest
• Tools and resources for carving out spaces of retreat & rejuvenation
• Ideas for energizing and bringing life into your rooms
• Recipes for natural, lovely-smelling cleansers
• A sacred space online to share inspiration, photos, projects, and more

Get ready to engage all of your senses – touch, sight, smell, taste and even sound!  Let us help you gently coax the unique beauty in your home out into the open, no matter its shape or size, so that you and your loved ones feel at ease as they move through each space.

We understand that with e-courses you might feel that there is an expectation to keep up. In Feathering the Nest, we ENCOURAGE you to go at your own pace and soak everything in…there is no right or wrong way to nest.

We believe that loving your home is like loving your body – it’s a practice that forges a deep & meaningful connection to your soul. And it just gets better & better over time.

In Feathering the Nest, you will make your home a place to unwind and connect, gather for cozy dinners, and nourish yourself in everyday moments.

Together, we can make your space a reflection of the beauty and grace that is YOU.

And just for YOU! If you do now win, you can use the discount code:
MAMASCOUT and receive 15% off!
That makes the course only $50!

_____________________________________________________

you can read more about A Book About Me by clicking on the picture below

To win your space in BOTH awesome courses - just leave a comment telling us what you want to step into this spring. 

And for good measure - connect with us here:

Leah's Skill It newsletter
 Skill It on Facebook

Stephanie's Wellness by Design blog
Wellness by Design on Facebook

Amy's Mama Scout newsletter
 Mama Scout on Facebook

That's it! I will randomly pick a winner on March 28th.

{mama prompt} :: first and last

an occasional series of quick journal and creative prompts just for mamas

take a photo of yourself first thing in the morning and last thing at night. print them out and tape them in your journal next to each other with the date.

lab notes :: what you see

sitting, watching the chickens

orange blossoms are blooming and a buzz around my head

the air is cool and moist

i can hear all the cars who are moving towards work

mourning dove wings flap loudly against the wind

Today, how about spending 5 minutes to sit outside and record what you see and hear?

 Nothing fancy or profound, just the ordinary (which will become profound if you let it.)

{sneak peak} looks what is coming on summer solstice

Keep an eye on this space for more information soon :)

I have something really special up my sleeve for YOU.