My Inner Shakti

finding strength in everyday things

Friday Stuff – Big Feelings, Work Projects, Furniture, and the Weekend

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Y’all! It has been a week! Let’s jump right in…

5.5 years old

Kaiden is a little over 5.5, and man, just when I thought we were hitting our stride, he’s ‘growing’ emotionally in some big ways. This comes with a lot of BIG emotions and feelings, which I’m used to. But it also comes with a bit of attitude and blame (towards me mostly) and irritability. I’m doing my best to acknowledge, validate, set boundaries, etc., but boy has my patience been tested over the past few weeks. I have not handled every bit as well as I would have liked, but I’m trying and learning and working through this with Kaiden. My core message to him is that he’s a good kid who has a hard time sometimes just like I’m a good mommy who has a hard time sometimes. We are all good inside! Not sure if any of it is sticking, but Wednesday night showed me that maybe it is. He had a little breakdown and moved passed it quickly by finding a solution. We shall see what the weekend holds!

Work Projects

What I absolutely love about what I do now is that I get to choose and prioritize what I work on. This is amazing and so empowering and fulfilling, but it also comes with a bit of ‘I want to do everything and work with everyone!’

As of right now, I have my Awarify work/projects/coachees, which is my bread and butter! I also have Momsanity work/projects/podcast stuff I do with Amy. And at the moment, I’m also working with two friends and fellow entrepreneurs on a project/event. All amazing stuff and work that’s worth doing, but when you really only have 4 hours, 4 days a week to work, it’s a lot! But all in all, I’m so lucky to do what I do, and I 100% recognize that!

In terms of the above, if you’re interested in participating in some of what we have going on, here are a few key dates!

AWARIFY COACHING

I am hosting a free Zoom call on 2/2 at 8:30 pm about ‘The Who Bag,’ one of my favorite concepts I learned about in coaching school. I’m choosing to start with this because it’s so foundational to why we are the way we are, who we are, and why we think the way we do.

If you’re interested in joining this call, send me an email at awarifycoaching@gmail.com. I’ll add you to the invite!

MOMSANITY

Amy and I are so excited for the launch of season 2 of the Momsanity Podcast at the end of March, AND before that happens, we have another special bonus episode going live on February 14th with our husbands! Stay tuned for that.

We are also hosting our second monthly community call on February 16th at 9 pm EST. The main topic of this call will be confidence. It’s going to be so good, I know it!

Here’s to an Empowered YOU!

My friends Chitra, Preyasi and I are hosting a free Zoom event on 3/16 at 8:30 pm EST. This one is for all the ambitious women out there who want to be more empowered financially, physically, and mentally. This will also be a really fun and inspiring event! I’ll share more about how to sign up in the coming month.

New Furniture

Even though we’re nearing 40, Vishnu and I have yet to own a ton of nice furniture that we bought with our own money as grown adults. Over the past 10 years, we’ve piece mealed our homes with whatever we had, adding Ikea pieces as we went along.

Well, we finally worked with a designer at a furniture store to complete our bedroom and living room. Our bedroom furniture was delivered this week, and it’s so exciting to see because we’ve never had our room look so put together. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all simple pieces, but they actually go together and look nice! And knowing us, our room will look like this for the next 10 years (if not more!).

I can’t wait to see how our living room turns out! We haven’t had a coffee table (and even that was Wayfair) since right before Kaiden was born!

The Weekend

What are y’all up to this weekend? We don’t have too many plans, but what we have planned is fun!

I have a hair appointment on Saturday morning at 8 am to get my hair highlighted (it’s been nearly a year!). And then later that evening we have a progressive dinner in our neighborhood, but we’ll only be going for the appetizer portion…because after that we have a 40th birthday party for our good friends.

Phew! Sunday will most certainly be a chill/rest day! Maybe we’ll go out for some ice cream with the kids or out to dinner even.

These days I try not to hype up the weekends too much in case someone ends up being sick, but fingers crossed that we’re able to squeeze in some good quality family time in too!

Have a great weekend!

It’s Finally Friday!

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I don’t know why I’m so excited it’s Friday. Vishnu’s going out of town today-Monday on a guy’s trip, so I’m the primary parent, BUT my parents will be here too. That should make the load slightly less heavy (literally and figuratively).

Regardless, I am excited to get some time to rest, relax, and recover (mostly, Mila!).

Let me catch you up on some Friday things…

Hand Foot Mouth

Mila started showing signs of HFM last Saturday afternoon. What started as a low-grade fever + an eczema flare + a few small bumps, evolved into full-fledged HFM. It was/is bad, y’all. Poor baby!

Her fever ceased on Wednesday, and her sores started crusting over yesterday. However, the saga continues because she also had diarrhea yesterday. I texted my sister and she said this can happen with HFM, so we’re just keeping an eye on it for now.

On top of all this, she has a cold and is teething.

Oy vey! I hope this is the last of these illnesses…for a while at least!

Me Thinking I Had HFM

Ok, so this is funny and it’s not. Because I’ve been so worried about catching HFM from Mila, I’ve been monitoring every little thing I feel of the whole week. A slight tickle in my throat! Is it HFM? My hand are itchy! Is it HFM?

Anyways, on Wednesday night, I started feeling super duper cold (like standing in the middle of Chicago on a windy/cold day) and exhausted. Then my throat felt sore every time I swallowed, and I could’ve sworn I had HFM. I made Vishnu look in my ears and my throat to see if he saw anything odd.

He told me to take some Advil and a shower. I did just that and got in bed extra early.

THANKFULLY, I felt ok in the morning. No sore throat, etc.

However, I’ve still been having those cold spells where I get super cold all of a sudden. Nothing a little Advil can’t take care of!

Fingers crossed this isn’t the start of something else!

True Self-Care

After all of the above and really just feeling so so exhausted this week (no sleep, carrying around a 20+ pound baby everywhere, etc.), I’ve come to realize that true self-care is slowing down. Slowing down your movement, yes, but also slowing down your thoughts, your mind, ALL OF IT!

I’m known for moving fast in all regards, but as I get older, I’m learning that while yes, that may be boost my productivity, it’s doing nothing for my sense of wellbeing and the stress I carry around. And stress, as we get older, is a killer.

I’ll share more about my thoughts on this in a separate post, but it’s something that’s definitely on my mind a lot.

The Power of Friends Who Show They Care

After I became a mom, I lowered the bar for all of my friends because I knew from experience that it was harder to constantly keep in touch and ‘be there’ for other people when you have a tiny human ruling your home. I give more grace now for sure!

However, the power of friends who show they care is immeasurable. A simple text/call can go a LONG way, and I’m so thankful to have a handful of people who constantly show they care.

This is something I try to do when I know someone is going through something, and in 2023 I want to be better about sending random ‘I’m thinking of you’ messages because I know how good they make me feel when I receive them.

Good friends are worth their weight in gold for sure!

‘She Said’

Vishnu just showed me the trailer for this movie, and I’m so excited to watch it. I don’t know what’s going on with me but I teared up AT A TRAILER!

The Me Too movement was such a powerful one. And hopefully one that completely unravels the system of sexual misconduct/abuse/etc. I also hope it serves as a warning to people in power that even they can fall.

I’ll share more once we watch the movie. It looks like a good one.

And that’s all she wrote because she’s tired and plans to get up at 4:30 to work out and be productive before the rest of the humans in her house takeover her life!

Have a great weekend!

Momsanity Ep. 6 + Friday Stuff

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Amy and I just released episode 6 of the Momsanity Podcast, and you guys, I know I say this about every episode, but the honest and vulnerable conversation in this one is just too good.

A little behind the scenes info…up until this episode, we were going into each recording session pretty scripted (me especially). However, this time around, we took the bullet point approach, and I have to say, I think it worked out really well. This definitely sounded way more conversational than past episodes.

Anyways, I highly recommend all my ambitious mama (which I know is all of you) tune in because Amy and I share a lot of our own insights and ideas on how to bring our motherhood journey and our ambition into harmony.

The key here is to remember that there’s no right or wrong answer. Your ambition will ebb and flow based on the season of motherhood you’re in, and that’s a beautiful thing. Think of your ambition as a dial that you turn up or down depending on the day, month, or year…not as an on/off switch.

And remember, we’re in this with you!

Friday Stuff

Instead of sharing a random list of things from the week, I think I’ll just catch y’all up on where I am right now. A lot has happened since the last time I posted.

First of all…WE MOVED! Everything went really well. The movers were good. I hired someone to help me unpack, and she was awesome. The kids have adjusted well.

Vishnu and I are just still…very tired! It’s not like we moved and now we have a few weeks to settle in. We literally hit the ground running in terms of moving and then keeping on with our regularly scheduled program. Like hasn’t paused or slowed down in the slightest, which is a little different from our past moves where it was either just the two of us or we had one little kid who didn’t have real school or activities.

But still, life is good, and I’m so very thankful for it all. We’ll catch up on sleep…eventually…in like 20 years!

Speaking of Kaiden’s activities, we signed him up for swim lessons because the boy loves water and is very overconfident, which scares us! He’s going to do private lessons for a couple of months and then transition to semi-private. Vishnu and I really see this as a life skill that he (and eventually Mila) has to master. And now that we live in Georgia, it’s pool season 9 months out of the year.

He’s also still doing Tae-Kwan-Do, which I think is helping with focus and discipline. We’ll see where it takes us. He’s also got tennis as an after school sport once a week at school. It’s more of an introduction to see if he likes it and is interested in learning more. We shall see! I keep reminding myself that he’s 5. He’s got the rest of his life to figure out his strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, etc. Right now, his biggest focus should be on being a kid!

Speaking of being a kid…guess where we’re headed this weekend…DISNEY WORLD!

We’re going with two other families for four nights. We’re doing two parks – Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom…and I CAN’T FREAKING WAIT! Kaiden LOVED Disney on Ice, so I can’t even imagine how much he’s going to love actual Disney World. My friend Monica went a week or so ago, and she warned that it’s super overstimulating now, so definitely keeping that in mind.

I’ll share a whole Disney post with what we did, where we ate, and any tips/tricks we come up with!

When I sit back and think about it, October is a big month for us! My sister’s birthday, Vishnu’s birthday, my BIL’s birthday, Halloween, Disney (this year), apple picking…ANNNNNDDD my baby girl’s (1st) birthday!

We’re doing a small celebration with family and close friends at the house. Keeping it very low key for many reasons. Should be fun!

And one other big thing is happening this month – Mila starts daycare! I don’t think my heart is ready, even though my mind and a tiny bit of sanity is! I cry just thinking about it but tell myself that everything’s going to be ok. One day at a time!

With that, have a wonderful Friday and weekend!

Five on a Friday

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It’s been a week, y’all! A good week but a tiring one. That’s mostly due to the fact that I got the latest Covid vaccine and the flu shot on Monday. I didn’t end up feeling horrible or anything like that…just worn out. Butttt…glad to be protected!

In other news, Kaiden’s going on his very first field trip today! I’m so excited for him to have all of the experiences I loved as a kid. I can’t wait to see him after school and hear all about it, or whatever I can get out of him at least!

Now, on to my five on a Friday…

ONE – The Book of Joy

I LOVE this book so much! It’s a simple read in many ways, but it’s also so profound. The way the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu break down the concept of joy is honestly…fun to read. If you’re looking for a non-fiction book that makes you think, feel, laugh, all while making you feel more connected to your fellow human beings, this one is for you.

TWO – The One You’re With

In terms of fiction books, this one was a favorite of mine. I honestly can’t pinpoint exactly why, but it just sat well with me if you know what I mean. The characters, the plot, the twists…all of it came together in a way that just made sense. Again, highly recommend this one too!

THREE – Charades for Kid

Kaiden got this game for his birthday, and he played for the first time when my BIL/SIL visited a few weeks ago. EVERYONE, Kaiden + adults in the house, LOVED it. It made us laugh, forced us to be silly and creative, and made time fly! This is also a great game for kids who need to move. Sometimes, I find that the games/activities where K has to sit for a while don’t capture his attention as much. In that sense, this game is perfect for him. Get it, have fun with your family, and thank me later.

FOUR – 100 piece puzzles

Kaiden got a really cool 64 piece puzzle for his birthday that he completed recently. After seeing him working on it, I bought this 3 pack of 100 piece puzzles for an added challenge. It’s also true that I love puzzles, so this is a fun activity for us to do together. For us, puzzles are challenging and engage our problem solving, and they’re also calming and fun.

FIVE – Kaiden’s profound thought

The other morning, Kaiden and I were brushing his teeth, and I said, “Ok K, after we’re done here, let’s head downstairs to eat breakfast and do your homework (he didn’t finish it the night before).” In retort, he said, “Mommy, I can’t do both at once. I need to do one at a time.”

That hit me hard because, even though I know I shouldn’t, I’m a big multitasker. Kaiden is a lot like me in some ways, but this is one way he definitely isn’t. He’s more intentional and slower. And while he’s still working on his ability to focus (especially on homework), he is able to focus on one thing at a time. It’s annoying sometimes when you want him to move along, but it’s something I deeply admire about him.

So profound and he doesn’t even know it!

That’s all I’ve got today! I hope you have a great Friday and weekend.

Friday Stuff [#9]

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The weeks are really flying by around here. I can’t believe we only have two full weekends left in Chicago…and just as the weather is getting better too!

I had a master list of places I wanted to visit, people I wanted to see, restaurants I wanted to eat at, etc. all before we move, and I’m pretty sure I lost that list a while a go. Instead of fretting about all of that, I’m just going to try and enjoy the moments as they come. We’ll be back here in no time to visit is what I keep telling myself.

We do have a couple of fun dinners/events over the next two weeks – Gaijin with my sister, Ever with Vishnu, my sister, and my BIL, and Vishnu’s fellowship graduation dinner. Looking forward to each and every one!

Anyways, enough about the move. Let’s talk about some super random Friday stuff…

Morning routines

We used to have a pretty solid morning routine and were able to to get out the door in under an hour from the time K woke up to the time he walked into school. But now? Now it’s kind of messy. We get through most of what we need to – changing clothes, breakfast…and then everything breaks apart. He wants to stay and play, he doesn’t want to brush his teeth, he wants to draw his teacher a picture, etc. I’m not sure what happened but I’m sure my stress of meetings, calls, and work doesn’t help.

I’m telling myself it’s a phase because most things seem to be with kids, so hopefully he stops with the full on tears at some point.

I swear…it’s the minute he hears ‘no’ and his world falls apart. It’s all age appropriate, I get that, but man…it’s hard to communicate with an emotional child, especially once the tears start.

I do think that by working on my emotions during his emotional moments will help. Vishnu and I talked about a few things earlier this week that I need to just put in place and try. Wish me luck!

Meditation

I’ve written about meditation a few times before, and to be honest, my ‘practice,’ if we can call it that, has never stuck. I think I put too much pressure on myself, and I put it off until the end of the day when I’m super tired and just want to go to bed.

This time around, there’s no pressure, but a real desire to give it a try. I’m trying to get 10 minutes in for the next 30 days in a row. Just me, my timer, and my deep breaths (and a lot of unwanted thoughts as of right now!). We’ll see, I’ll share more later because I do seem to be more motivated this time around…let’s see if that sticks!

Pregnancy wardrobe

When I was pregnant with K, I was going into the office quite a bit. So I decided to buy a few neutral pieces (pregnancy jeans, black pants, and a few tops) and rent everything else from Le Tote. Great choice for that time!

This time around, I’m working from home 100% of the time, so I don’t feel justified in renting clothes. BUT, at the same time, I’m going to be super pregnant while living through the Georgia heat, so my current winter wardrobe won’t suffice the way it has in Chicago (so far!).

I’m trying not to go overboard because…two and through if you know what I mean! Essentially I’ve invested in a couple of more tops, 4-5 dresses and a pair of jean shorts. I figure if I need more, it’s all within a fingers tap…hopefully it’s enough to get me to the finish line.

What are your pregnancy wardrobe must haves? Any favorite places to shop?

Good reads

The Best Beach Reads for Summer – So many are headed to the beach this summer, and you can’t go without a book in hand. This is a great list for anyone who’s looking for a good book or two!

3 Lies They Tell You in School That Hurt You in Business – LOVED this!

Naomi Osaka Shows That Prioritizing Yourself Over A Job Is Still A Radical Act – Didn’t think about Naomi Osaka’s decision in this way, but it’s so true. Nothing is worth our health and sanity! Great read.

Happy Friday! I’m solo parenting most of the weekend since Vishnu’s on call Friday-Monday (last shifts!). We have a few playdates/meet ups and a birthday party on the agenda. Wish me luck!

Friday Stuff [#8]

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What a week! I thought all the snow we were/are getting in Chicago was/is bad, but then Texas got hit with some crazy (to say the least) weather. I’m so thankful we live in a city that’s prepped for what it faces. I can’t imagine what people in Texas are going through right now. As if Covid wasn’t enough…

Other than that, I’m really looking forward to the weekend because Vishnu and I are going on a little staycation at a local hotel in the city, and my sister and BIL are going to stay with K at our place. Vishnu’s had some crazy days lately, so at my sister’s insistence, we decided to take some time for us. It’ll be my first time leaving K in well over a year, and our first solo vacation in longer than that. Although, 2 nights away barely counts as a vacation, but it’ll be a nice short getaway nonetheless.

We’re not planning on doing much. Prob just order room service in, and if the weather cooperates, maybe go grab some coffee and go for a couple of short walks. Vishnu wants to sleep. I want to do that + read + cuddle and watch TV. Can’t wait!

Oh and we want to use the Peloton bikes at this hotel. Apparently I called to ask a few questions today, and the person I spoke with said they would bring us bikes to our room! WHAT?! I’ve never heard of that! I’ll report back on what that’s like!

Oh in other non-important news. Vishnu and I watched To All the Boys: Always and Forever last weekend. To be honest, I liked it but didn’t love it! The first one was definitely my favorite.

Also, does anyone else watch HS rom-coms and feel like their HS experience was nothing like that? I mean, I know it’s a movie, but still… They’re so mature with their feelings/language/etc. Funny!

Oh, I also finished The Nightingale this weekend. Such a beautiful, heartbreaking story…definitely keep the tissues handy. I ugly cried my way through this one!

And I’m not sure if I shared this yet, but Vishnu and I finished Schitt’s Creek a few weeks ago. HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this show if you’re looking for a series to start. It took us like 8 episodes to really get into it, but once you start, you can’t stop! Definitely cried my way through the end of the last season.

That’s all I have for now! Just wanted to check-in and say hi. Hope y’all have a safe weekend. Sending all the warm vibes and prayers I can.

Friday Stuff [#7]

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It’s been a while since I’ve come on here and just shared…stuff. Like all the stuff – thoughts, plans, things, etc. That’s what this post is all about. Get excited!

So first and foremost, we’re doing well. Chicago and the state of Illinois are a bit of a Covid mess, but we’re doing ok. We don’t go anywhere, except the grocery store and to school (and Vishnu goes to the hospital), and we have no plans other than staying home for Thanksgiving. We’re ok. Not great, not completely down…just ok.

I say this because I feel like a lot of people are probably where we are right now. Usually around this time of year, we’d be going home to Atlanta or having family fly up to see us. None of that. But we’re still blessed with all that we have so trying to keep the focus on that this year.

I do have this heightened anxiety that K’s school and/or classroom is going to shut down because of Covid. Every time I get an email from his school, I go into panic mode. I’m not nervous about having him home with me (ok, maybe a little) but more so about him not being in the school environment. He loves it and thrives in it. Being at home with your working mom isn’t quite the same thing. But we’ll deal with that if/when we get there. Deep breaths!

And while I don’t have super high hopes for 2021, we do have some exciting things happening that I’ll share about soon. I also can’t wait to sit down with my new planner and fill in some key dates – birthdays, anniversaries, coaching stuff. I’m taking M-W off next week, and I plan to use some of that time to do some planning and strategizing for next year. Can’t wait!

Other than that, things are pretty much the same old.

OH! If you’re a working mom (however you define working), check out the workshop my friend Amy and I are hosting on December 4 from 12-1:30 pm CST. It’s going to be amazing. AND…we’re throwing in a FREE 1:1 coaching session with either Amy or myself for each participant.

A few books to share…

For toddlers:

Be Kind – a super cute story about the importance and impact of kindness.

Twas The Night Before Diwali – a super cute Diwali story about a little monster who visits your home to eat your mithai. We’ll definitely be reading this all year as K really loves this one!

The Celebration of Diwali – another Diwali favorite. This one is centered more around the story of Diwali and why we celebrate it. Kaiden LOVES this one!

Mama’s reads:

The Henna Artist – I’m not quite done with this one but can’t wait to sit down with it over the next few days! It’s a really captivating story!

Majesty – This is the sequel to American Royals, and I can’t wait to read this! AR had a real cliffhanger of an ending, and I can’t wait to see where this book takes us!

Well, that’s all for this Friday, folks! Have a wonderful weekend. Be safe and WEAR A MASK! 🙂

No portion of this post is sponsored.  However, affiliate links are included. There is no extra cost to you, but I do receive a small commission on anything you buy through my links.  Thank you for reading and supporting My Inner Shakti!

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