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9 Essentials for Your Cozy Reading Room

6/26/2019

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What Every Cozy Book Nook Needs


Welcoming comfort. Your cozy reading room or nook needs to become a haven of comfort so that you find yourself wanting to stay a while.

As sat at home moms, we so rarely large pockets of time to ourselves. So the scene needs to be set already, waiting for you to step right in, pick up where you left off and get right back to reading time.

Slowing life down, or creating a slower lifestyle in the larger sense, happens in moments. And you can empower them by making your home a place that invites you and your family to stop and rest. To pause for a moment.

Silent support for the slow living lifestyle you want to create.

Each member of your family deserves that feeling of welcome, and a cozy space - in addition to the bedroom - that feels like a haven made just for him or her. The cozy reading room can be one of those spaces, and can be furnished in such a way that it serves the whole family, if all of you love to read.

Be sure to personalize it in ways that reflect each family member.

But start with the basics to create a foundation of coziness everyone can enjoy. These basics are an essential way to get started and then, anything else you add will be icing on the cake.

Here are the 9 essentials...

(1) The ultimate in comfy seating: a chair and a half or a sink-deep comfy sofa.

(2) Great lighting: a floor lamp right next to the reading spot, and additional lighting in an overhead lamp, or table lamp somewhere else in the room.

(3) Big windows and a lovely view: for letting in light, but also maintaining a connection to nature during those moments when you lift your gaze from whatever you're reading. No view? Add art.

(4) A bookcase with plenty of room for your  collection of reading material. But I suggest creating some spaces on the bookcase so that it's not just a wall of books, so your room feels more spacious.

(5) And end table next to your chair or sofa, with enough room for your latest stack of books to rest right next to you.

(6) Space for a cuppa, on your end table, for reading with your favorite beverage within easy reach.

(7) A comfy throw to snuggle under for warmth, nearby whenever you need it.

(8) A fluffy, fat, comfy pillow to lean against while you're reading.

(9) Your favorite candle to add warmth, scent and just the right mood.

The Cozy Reading Room Checklist

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See you next time!

Love, Jeanine

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SAHMs: Here's the Ultimate Guide for Creating Your Perfect Morning Routine

6/15/2019

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Are mornings difficult for you? Are you a night owl (and tired mama) whose kids wake up bright-eyed long before you’re ready to admit it's morning again?


I've put together the ultimate guide to creating your perfect morning routine and you can read it right here. It's a morning routine guide for moms who want happier mornings not just for themselves, but also, for their families.

Ready? Let's get started…


Lifelong Night Owl Tales of Woe

On the one hand, morning 'larks' prefer getting up and going to bed early, and are at their peak performance early in the day. On the other hand, night 'owls' like sleeping in and staying up late, and don’t perform well until afternoon or evening. - Psychology Today

A night owl is someone who not only prefers to be up later at night, but functions better later in the day or evening, and does not do so well early in the morning. Sleeping in works better for them.

A typical preferred schedule for a night owl might be going to sleep around 2 or 3 in the morning and waking up around 11 a.m. or noon. Is that similar to the schedule you would choose, if you could?

For night owls, going to bed at what seems like the right time, often leaves them lying awake, wishing they could fall asleep.

And then they frequently glance at the clock, still awake, and recalculate how much sleep they’ll get if they fall asleep soon. But they don’t fall asleep soon, because they can't.

I am all too familiar with this struggle.

I was born just before midnight, and I suspect I have struggled to go to sleep on time ever since. I remember lots of childhood nights, lying awake well past the time I went to bed, bored, and wishing I could be in the family room, watching TV with my parents. I could hear the faint sounds of whatever they were watching, and those sounds called to me.

My mother seemed surprised and annoyed each time she came to check on me, and found with my eyes open, still wide awake. She didn’t know what to do to fix it, and neither did I.

I know I did not get enough sleep during my childhood. Did you?

Children who are wide awake at bedtime and sleepy the next morning, often grow up to be adults who struggle to conform to the cultural norms of going to bed at a reasonable hour, and then getting up in time to go to work, or begin the day with their own wide-awake children.

Has that been your experience? It certainly was mine.

When my work days began at 8:30 or 9:00, I struggled nearly every day to make it work. I’d fall asleep right after David Letterman said, “wake the kids and call the neighbors.”

And the next morning would find me struggling to wake up, feeling like I was moving through molasses as I tried to get ready as quickly as possible so I wouldn’t be late. Eventually, I was eating in the car, and putting on my makeup, during the half hour drive to work just to try to give myself a better chance of getting there a minute before I’d be late.

Once my son became my personal alarm clock, the struggle continued, just in a different way. He was bright-eyed and bushy tailed, eager to hang out with his mommy, and I could barely open my eyes.

What is the solution for those of us who struggle with an early-morning wake-up call? Many night owls try to become a morning person.


Become a Morning Person?


There is lots of advice out there about how to become a morning person, but is that really possible? You can wake up earlier, start your day earlier, and decide to go to bed earlier at night, but can you become a morning person?

Based on what the experts say, I think not.

Most people can’t simply switch wake up and bed times, because their bodies won’t allow them to. Our circadian rhythm is controlled by a tiny area in our brains, the suprachiasmatic nucleus. -Dr. Nathaniel Watson, co-director of the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Centre, incoming president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. -BBC

But it is possible to get to the point where you are waking up in the morning, naturally, without an alarm, at your ideal wake-up time.

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Your Ideal Wake-Up Time


Do you know what your ideal wake-up time is? Though it is less likely to be an exact time on the dot than a general range of time, it provides for the amount of time you need each morning.

That sounds simple, but for those who struggle with getting up on time, or with getting ready as quickly as we need to in order to be ready for our obligations, it may not be simple at all.

And I’m not saying that your ideal morning time is your preferred wake-up time. But it is the time that would make your morning life, and your mom life, run the most smoothly.

What’s your ideal? It may be affected by the time you go to bed, because functioning your best, on any given morning, is likely to depend on sleeping enough and sleeping well the night before.

Do you struggle to get to bed or to sleep on time? That would push your ideal wake-up time forward in a flexible schedule. But if it’s not as flexible, then we need to get you a better night's sleep.
 

Your Best Night's Sleep


For night owls, what constitutes getting to bed or to sleep on time may be different than it is for morning larks, those who love mornings. And if you don’t work outside the home, getting up early enough to go to work on time is not an issue.

Plus, there’s no universally agreed upon best time for going to bed and falling asleep. But whatever late turns out to be, for you, it will deny you the sleep you need.


So the goal becomes whatever time gets you better sleep and enough of it.

But with no agreed upon standards, your ideal bedtime will be based on your lifestyle and needs. If you’re a mom, it also will be based on what time your children wake up, what time school starts or homeschool begins, and when you need to sleep in order to be your best during their mornings.
 

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What is Your Ideal Bedtime?


Experts suggest that we need 7 to 9 hours of sleep in order to function optimally and be at our most healthy. So, in order to find your ideal sleep time, you need to know when your ideal wake-up time is.

If it takes you a while to “yawn and stretch and try to come to life,” (Dolly Parton, Nine to Five theme song) then your wake-up time probably needs to happen before your kids get going in the morning. How long does it take you to wake up properly and be ready to roll?

And what time do your children wake up? If it takes you an hour or two to be functional, then you’ll need to get up an hour or two before your children do, and be asleep 7 to 9 hours before then. That hour is your ideal bedtime.

It may take some experimenting to find those numbers. And you may need more time in the morning than you think.

Does it need to work out perfectly? Perfection may not be possible.

I find that I need to be awake and out of bed at least 3 hours before my son wakes up – probably because I am also an introvert – and now that he’s a teenager, and we start our homeschool day later in the morning, that works out well.

But when he was younger, I couldn’t make that work, and had to settle for 2 hours when I really needed three.

So aim for the best combination of sleep time and waking up, and then make the very best of whatever way it shakes out in practice.

And once you have your ideal bedtime and wake-up times in mind, the problem becomes getting yourself to sleep at that time, if you’re a night owl. What’s the best way to get to sleep at that time?

Well, you may have heard or read that getting to sleep on time will become much easier if you back away from your devices an hour or more before you want to go to sleep.

Ninety percent of people in the U.S. admit to using a technological device during the hour before turning in, and children often use electronic media to help them relax at night. If you’re among these nighttime technology-users, you may not realize the extent to which this can make it harder to settle down to sleep. But it can. The truth is, using electronic devices before bedtime can be physiologically and psychologically stimulating in ways that can adversely affect your sleep. -National Sleep Foundation

I found this to be true in my own life. I had just moved, and had to wait a week before my cable appointment. Plus, no one came at the scheduled time, which added another 2 weeks of being without my favorite TV shows!

But here’s what happened that surprised me.

I found that without having the TV on all night, it was easy to go to bed a couple of hours earlier than I normally did. And not only that, I would go to bed, thinking I’d probably read for an hour or so, and find myself getting sleepy in 20 minutes or less.

It was so easy. I got more sleep, and woke up earlier than I had been getting up before the move. So, to be honest, I felt ambivalent about finally getting everything set up with cable.

Would I be able to stick to my new schedule once those late night shows were available? I knew the answer was probably going to be no, and I was right.

TV can be irresistibly tempting. But it also, apparently, throws off your sleep biology and will make it harder to go to sleep at the time you have chosen.

Unless you are able to talk yourself into turning it off ahead of time.

But once you’ve turned off the TV, stepped away from the computer, and put your phone aside, what do you do then?

Do you like to read? Or listen to music? Have another hobby, like knitting?

This is where creating an ideal evening routine comes in.

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How to Create an Ideal Evening Routine
for Better Mornings


If you need an earlier wake-up time, and thus, an earlier bedtime, then getting your evening routine right will empower you mornings. But what would make for an ideal evening routine?

Let’s talk about that next.

Here are 4 must haves for your evening routine…

(1) It needs to help you wind down well enough to become sleepy when you need to, so it will be easy to go to bed when you’ve chosen.

(2) Though this one isn’t a must, it is ideal – your evening routine should help you let go of and recover from any stress you experienced during the day.

(3) And ideally, your evening routine will give you time for things you love to do.

Reading, watching a movie, spending time with your family. In an ideal evening routine, there is time for what makes life sweeter.

(4) But that also means that eating dinner and getting the dishes done need to happen in time for the rest of your evening routine to occur.

How can you carve out time for an evening routine and what would it include?

Once you have planned an evening routine that will work for you, it’s time to craft the ideal morning routine.

5 Must-Haves for Crafting
Your Perfect Morning Routine


(1) It needs to give you plenty of time to come to life before having to function well.

(2) It needs to help you be more present to your children and what they need.

(3) It needs to make it easy to be on time for whatever you’ve got on your morning schedule without having to rush.

(4) It needs to empower and support the day you want to create.

(5) It needs to create the feelings you want to experience. How do you want your mornings to feel?

And would slower mornings feel better?


7 Reasons Why a Slower Morning Routine Will Make Your Mornings Easier


Slow morning routines are morning routines during which you don't rush through the process of getting ready and you take the time for self-care or other experiences you'll enjoy as you gradually wake up fully and become more alert.

Slow mornings don’t rush. In fact, they are carefully designed to move more slowly, and to bring what is needed to the person who got up for them.

So, aside from the beauty and wonder of slow living, in general, slower lifestyle mornings may actually be more practical for those of us who struggle with mornings.

Here are 7 reasons why…

(1) They give you the time you need to become fully functional. You’ll no longer have to do something while you’re only half awake.

(2) They eliminate the stress of rushing and falling behind in your schedule.

That frenetic, rushed, harried experience that happens when there’s something to do that feels urgent, but there isn't enough time, is part of what can make mornings so unpleasant in the first place, right?

(3) They give you the opportunity to create moments and experiences that help you enjoy mornings more. Like a self-care routine. Or morning coziness.

(4) If you're a woman of faith, a slow morning routine will give you enough space in your morning for a quiet time that fosters a deeper connection with God.

(5) Slowing down your morning routine will give you time to set and attune to your intentions for the day, and prioritize the ones that are most important.

(6) Your slower morning routine could be designed to give you some alone time before the deep dive into interactions with your family and others.

(7) With a slow morning routine, you can take back your mornings, instead of being owned by them, so that mornings feel better.

I'm a big advocate of designing your morning routine based on the way you want your mornings to feel.

But if you don't have a morning routine that you've created, and made time for, then you lose some of that freedom to choose the way you want mornings to feel. And they are much more likely to feel rushed.

So, I’m suggesting a slow morning routine, but how long should a morning routine be?

There is no ideal amount of time it needs to take. Instead, it’s whatever amount of time you need to become fully functional.
Do you know what that amount of time is, for you?

Even if you don’t fill it up with mindful activities, then your morning routine will allow that much time to pass. Silence and sips of tea are just as good as anything else you might include, as long as you don’t pressure yourself to be completely operational before you’re ready.


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Cozy Mornings & Hygge Moments


What if you could make mornings more cozy?

Denmark winters are cold, dark and dreary.

But Danish people fought back with hygge and they won! Could deliberately creating cozy, hygge moments help you take back your mornings the way it helped them take back winter?

The definition for cozy is giving a feeling of comfort, warmth and relaxation.

And hygge, pronounced hue-geh, is a word that is hard to translate precisely into English, but involves the same kinds of cozy feelings.

Hygge is an intended focus on creating warmth and coziness, both through what you do and what you place into your environment. It is an emphasis on doing all the comforting things you enjoy, and it’s a way to enhance those moments so that they are even sweeter.

So if you love to read, hygge plumps the pillow on the chair you’re sitting in, brings you a cup of tea, lights a candle nearby in your favorite scent and hangs your favorite throw over the back of your chair in case you get cold.

If you love spending time with your friends, hygge invites them over for game night, but tells them to come in time for nachos & beer first, and promises dessert after the games are over so your friends will stay longer and you’ll have an even better time.

Then, it adds cozy atmosphere in the room where everyone will be by keeping a fire lit so they’ll want to stay inside where it’s so warm and cozy, rather than leaving to face the cold.

Hygge is like a cozy best friend!

Simply put, according to the dictionary, it’s “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture).”

What would it be like to add elements of hygge coziness to your morning?

I know it has worked for me, over and over again. When getting to work on time was a struggle, and there were days I wished I could stay home, the promise of making my cup of tea when I got there, and lighting a vanilla candle or two, helped me have something to look forward to when I got there.

By the way, back then, no one seemed to care of you set your building on fire, so I was able to light as many candles as I wanted. But unfortunately for me, that soon changed, candles were disallowed, and I had to come up with other ideas.

I also made my office look like a cozy living room and seeing it, with my throw across one chair, and my other decorative touches, made me feel good each morning, and every cozy change I made helped make those mornings easier.

Now that I work from home, my mornings include a great big cup of tea, and any candle I want to light. Plus, other cozy moments that make each morning easier than mornings used to be.

Could that work for you, too?

Here are 5 ways to create cozy, hygge moments each morning…

(1) Light a tealight candle. This could be especially soothing if you wake up when it is still dark out, or not quite fully light.

(2) Drink your favorite beverage and give yourself time to linger over it.

Let yourself relax fully. And make that moment just about the tea or coffee, not a backdrop for whatever else you are doing.

(3) Spend your first moments in your favorite room and make it look cozy. Open the blinds or curtains to let the sunshine in.

Maybe you could have your beverage on your balcony or patio, so you can breathe in fresh air and watch the birds fly from one tree to the next.

(4) Instead of checking in on social media, to see whose pictures and status updates suggest they are is having a better life than everyone else, spend a few minutes reading, or listening to music that inspires and energizes you.

(5) Give yourself enough time to connect with someone you care about and you get to have the cozy warmth of that connection at the start of your day.


12 Ways to Use Aromatherapy
to Empower Your Morning Routine

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I've created a cozy morning aromatherapy guide, with essential oil recipes and blends you can use to empower your morning routine.

To find out more about it, and how to access it, fill in the form for the morning routine quiz. You can use aromatherapy as part of your next steps in creating an ideal, personalized morning routine.

But first, let's look at 12 ways essential oils can be a positive influence on your mornings...

What’s so remarkable about essential oils is that they influence the whole being. Just as they are the catalyst that can make a wound heal, or a mind relax, so can they transport a soul. – Valerie Ann Worwood, Aromatherapy for the Soul

(1) Morning aromatherapy can ground and center you for a peaceful morning.

(2) You can use it to help you relax deeply for your morning meditation.

(3) Use morning aromatherapy to help you think clearly as you write in your self-care journal.

(4) Morning aromatherapy can help you stay focused on a task or project you need to get done.

(5) You can use it to help you wake up fully and become more alert each morning.

(6) Morning aromatherapy can help you leave behind the cranky mornings and have cheerful ones, instead.

(7) It can help you be more present with the kids.

(8) It can help you stay on task instead of becoming distracted or returning to sleepiness.

(9) Morning aromatherapy can support the way you want to feel as you do your yoga sequence or poses.

(10) Morning aromatherapy can help you banish the sluggishness & molasses moments that make it harder to move through your mornings.

(11) It can help you return to calm more easily after a stressful moment in your morning.

(12) Morning aromatherapy can help you create coziness as you spend mornings with your family.


Journal Prompts & Questions for Reflection


What changes have you felt inspired to make as you’ve read this post?

What will you need to do to make those changes possible?

Is there one change or shift you could make right away?


Putting it All Together


If you’ve made it this far, you’ve taken in a lot of information about how to create an ideal morning routine. 

Keep in mind that gradual change is more lasting. And creating an ideal morning routine is not about the shoulds, it’s about empowering yourself to create the best morning experience you can have.

Doing that will transform mornings for your children, too.

Start small and adjust as needed.

What’s the first change or shift you feel inspired to make? Tell me in a comment.

See you next time!

Love, Jeanine


P.S. Just a reminder that you can take my free, printable
morning routine quiz & then, watch my video for
results & next steps. Fill in the form here to access it...

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3 Hygge Ideas for Summer

5/29/2019

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It’s easy to assume that it’s all about woolly socks and cups of steaming coffee in front of the fire, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Hygge isn’t strictly for winter – it’s something that can be enjoyed all year round.
- Calm Moment at CalmMoment.com

3 Ways to Hygge Summer


Because hygge is a practice focused on the pursuit of everyday happiness, as Meik Wiking, author of The Little Book of Hygge says, it can happen year-round. And it can be personalized, because we all might define everyday happiness in different ways.

Here are three hygge ideas for enjoying summer...

(1) As my video suggests, the most important thing to do is to define what everyday happiness means to you, and then, identify what that looks like during the summer season.

Maybe hot cocoa by the fire becomes an icy cold glass of lemonade on the front porch.

So grab your journal & ask yourself what would an ideal summer would look, feel, sound, smell and taste like to you? Take a moment now & jot down some ideas.

Let me know what you came up with in a comment. I thought of sweet tea, afternoons spent reading while watching trees blow in the breeze, and movie nights on the weekend. Possibly, with pizza.

(2) Which brings us to comfort food - one of the hallmarks of a hygge good time is eating good food you really enjoy. Doesn't have to be bad for you, but it should be delicious.

How can you plan for deliciousness this summer?

(3) What makes the good food even better is sharing it with friends. The whole idea of taking the time to enjoy each other's company, and creating a memory you can enjoy again when you talk about it, is very hygge.

Who can you share summer with in the next few months?


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Now, that summer's here, officially, get the natural summer care kit, which comes with a workbook and video. Find out more here.

See you next time!

Love, Jeanine

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3 Simple Hygge Ideas for Mother's Day

5/9/2019

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The hygge lifestyle can have an impact on many things, but did you know you could hygge Mother's Day? This Sunday is Mother's Day and I've got simple hygge ideas & inspiration so you can make it the best one ever. Watch the 10-second video for my most important one.

Hygge is the art of building sanctuary and community, of inviting closeness and paying attention to what makes us feel open-hearted and alive; a coziness of the soul. - LaWhimsy

Hygge Ideas: Inviting Closeness & Open-Hearted Connection


(1) Your presence, not her presents, will be the best thing you bring to any Mother's Day celebration. The chance to connect warmly with you will mean more than finding just the right gift.

I don't mean to suggest you shouldn't buy a gift, especially, if you always do. But know that that is not what she wants most.

What I believe she wants most is to feel loved, adored and cherished. Give her that.

Making it hygge - create a time where spending time together is the center of your celebration and leave space just for talking and laughing and remembering.

(2) Be with your mother wherever she feels safest and most at home.

If that's her home, then that's the best place to celebrate Mother's Day. If she likes to be taken out to eat, then go out to eat first and then, spend time just hanging out at your home or hers.

If you do have it at your home, make the atmosphere as warm and cozy as possible.

(3) Cook (or order) all her favorite food, the way she used to do for your celebrations.

If you are eating at a restaurant, though, then find another way to do favorites.

Maybe watch her favorite movie at your house after brunch. Or spend time looking at her favorite photo albums when you go back to her house.

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Summary: Hygge Ideas for Mother's Day


To summarize - the goal of each of these ideas is to make your celebration special, but also personalized and loving.

So that there's a sense of connection and closeness and comfort. So that the day ends with her feeling not just honored but loved and cherished.

By the way, if you, like me, no longer have your mother with you, I'm sending you love. Schedule light this weekend, and be gentle with yourself.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Love, Jeanine


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For more hygge lifestyle ideas, get access to my lifestyle library.
It's free; just click the highlighted link above.
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What is Spring Hygge? 3 Ways to Make Spring Cozier

4/25/2019

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Last month, when spring was here, officially, I was still cold. The day of the spring equinox, I had the heat on, and was bundled up for quite some time that day.

For me, April is usually the month that really settles it that spring is here. Which month means spring for you?

Whenever you begin to feel it, you might start wanting to decorate in a way that reflects it. And if you love all things hygge like I do, that means adding hygge comfort, too.

But most people think of winter coziness when they think of hygge. What does it look like in spring? What is spring hygge?

spring hygge, hygge lifestyle, hygge at home, hygge decor

3 Ways to Hygge Spring


Though spring hygge does not have a precise definition, I think of it as a lighter & fresher but still comforting version of the hygge experience we create during winter. And just like winter, spring hygge should be partly defined by you and what you need this season.

Here are three ways to get started making your spring more cozy...

(1) Lighten the Load: choose lighter fabrics and colors to surround yourself with as you decorate for spring. Maybe the soothing grey becomes a lighter, brighter, heathered grey and the browns and creams get lighter, too.

You won't need a thick blanket to burrow under near the fireplace, but you might still want a lighter throw for moments when the air conditioning gets a little too aggressive. Flannel pillowcases may give way to cotton ones.

But in choosing ones that make you happy, you'll still be adding your hygge touch to your home, even if it's a lighter touch than before.

(2) Cozy Eating: you can still eat and drink and offer things that comfort, but they might get lighter, too. Glasses of sweet tea or lemonade may replace your hot chocolate, and pasta salad may take the place of your winter soups.

But if it's what you love, and you take care to add it to your morning and evening routines, you can still fill spring days with hygge moments.

(3) Happy Together: continue planning warm, happy get-togethers with those you love, and allow these to lighten, and shift, too.

Maybe you'll have outdoor parties and decorate with spring flowers and colors.

What makes it hygge is the time together and the deliberate and frequent planning of those moments with family and friends. Think through what makes them special, and how they can transition into spring.

Weekly movie nights, pizza nights, weekends in the sun - if they mean happiness to you and yours, they will still be just as hygge as ever.

What comes to mind for your own spring version of hygge?

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For more information about the hygge lifestyle, hygge home decor, and other lifestyle tips, check out my free lifestyle library.
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See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

P.S. If you're still decluttering, spring hygge can wait! In fact, you'll love your hygge home decor even more if it doesn't have to compete with clutter for your attention.

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The Sabbath Simplicity Lifestyle, Part 2: How to Create One

4/17/2019

12 Comments

 

What were Sundays like when you were growing up?

We'd go to church and then, sometimes go out to eat after the service.  But once we got home, my mom would do the laundry. I can still hear the sound of Neil Diamond's "Soolaimon," sometimes also sung or hummed by my mom, in concert with the sound of the washing machine. I'd read with the music as a backdrop, sometimes singing along.

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Yesterday, in part one of this two-part series on creating a sabbath lifestyle, I talked about how the book, Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity, inspired me to make changes toward creating a slower, sabbath lifestyle.

I described how doing so has changed my morning and evening routines. It's also changing my experience on Sundays.

But doing so in good ways, that make my days better. As I mentioned yesterday, it's a slow lifestyle, and her book is actually a slow lifestyle book.

Slow living always means taking more time to savor life, in addition to the Sabbath rest this lifestyle generates.

The heart of honoring the Sabbath happens on the day you choose each week, which for me, is Sunday. That is the shift I am tweaking even more than the other days of the week, toward rest.

Do you have a day of rest on the weekend?

Sabbath rest, Sabbath simplicity
“Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
- Mark 6:31 (NIV)

Shifting the Way You See Yourself


Sabbath Simplicity can become a lifestyle that helps you uncover your true self & keeps you from defining yourself in misleading ways.

In the book I've quoted above, the author makes the point that giving ourselves a Sabbath and spending time with God will infuse that day with love that has nothing to do with accomplishments or possessions.

She says that we sometimes see ourselves in terms of what we own or think we need to own. Or define ourselves in terms of what we have accomplished or failed to accomplish.

Taking a break from shopping and working breaks that spell and may make it easier to see ourselves the way God does.

Applied to myself, it means that when I choose this lifestyle, I become the person who loves Hallmark movies, and laughing with her son. Or the person who gets lost in a novel and returns to awareness to find that the light in the room changed as afternoon headed for evening.

Life, in those moments, becomes quiet times, and cups of tea. Family time and time with friends.

how to create Sabbath simplicity in your life

How to Create Sabbath Simplicity in Your Life


I suggest starting with creating moments of rest in your day. And then, you can move toward changing what you do on the weekends.

Try it right now: take several deep breaths in a row, before continuing to read.

Mentally let go of any stress you have been feeling. Stretch if you need to and then, take another deep breath or two.

Take a moment to imagine what’s next for you, in your day. Imagine it going smoothly and well before returning to what you are doing now.


Could you find a way to take a break like this several times a day?

The next step might be to create an hour’s rest in your evening that does not include multitasking. Time with family, time with your spouse, or time just for you. At the end of that time, imagine restful sleep that night, and a peaceful day the next day.

And finally, how might you create more Sabbath rest during your weekend, each week? What shifts would you have to make?

As this post comes to an end, I encourage you to continue thinking about your need for rest and how you might meet it.

A Gift for You


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To access Sabbath Hygge: 4 Ways to Use Hygge to Create Deeper Rest, other slow living lifestyle inspiration, and the rest of my lifestyle library, click the highlighted link.
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What are your thoughts about making time for rest?

Do you create moments of rest each day? And a weekly time of rest? If you don’t, what could you shift in order to do so?

See you next time!

Love, Jeanine

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4 Ways to Hygge Lent this Month

4/2/2019

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Lent, hygge, quiet time with God


Make Lent More Lifestyle-Cozy


Do you celebrate Lent?

If so, you know we have several weeks left this month, before Easter. Many people who do celebrate Lent take something away from themselves during the Lenten season and get it back again on Easter.

I suggest using hygge to give yourself the gift of cozy as you navigate the loss of whatever it is you gave up. I didn't choose to give anything up this year, and haven't for many years, but I have been creating hygge moments this Lenten season and would love to share some ways that you can, too.

The practices that Lent promotes are those, in adapted form, that most people find benefit their physical and mental well-being most. Lent, being a time-limited period, is an ideal opportunity to press the reset button for yourself, mentally and physically, and to clear some of the spiritual clutter from your life.  - Jo Kneale, How to Hygge the British Way
Lent, cozy lifestyle, hygge lifestyle, hygge
[Hygge] encompasses a feeling of cozy contentment and well-being through enjoying the simple things in life. If you've ever enjoyed reading a book indoors on a rainy Sunday or a cup of hot cocoa
on a snow day, you've experienced hygge without even knowing it.
- What is Hygge? CountryLiving.com

4 Ways to Hygge Lent


If hygge helps us create coziness and contentment, how can you bring those feelings to your experience of Lent? Here are some ideas...

(1) Create a hygge space for your Lenten practices. If you’re reading a different devotional (like I am) or reading another book
about Lent, create a space for reading that draw you to it.

Choose your favorite chair or spot on the couch. Add fluffy pillows and wear your favorite socks.

Make your quiet times cozy – if you’re reading through the gospels during Lent, grab a cup of tea before you settle in to read. Choose a journal just for Lent and write down your thoughts about what each passage means for you, personalizing it, instead of just taking it in.

If this is a morning practice and mornings are chilly, at first, bring a cozy throw or have it there already.

(2) Make cozy food for your Friday night dinners. If you’re a family who goes meatless on Fridays during Lent, make those meals comfort food meals.

Make veggie burger spaghetti or pasta primavera or some other meal your family will love. Imagine the difference in how you’ll all feel about this Lent practice, in general, if everyone looks forward to Friday night’s meal each week.

Speaking of this idea, stay tuned, this month, for some suggestions for what you might make for your Friday night dinners.

(3) After dinner on Friday, have movie night and watch a family movie together. Mention that it’s a way to celebrate Lent and make Friday nights special. Make popcorn.

Another option would be to play board games after dinner.

(4) Have a family after-church quiet time. After you’re home and have eaten, gather in front of the fireplace (or a hurricane candle) and journal your thoughts about that day’s sermon.

Younger kids can draw whatever comes to mind about what they experienced in church that day. If your kids are older, you could have a conversation about it with them.

Which of these ideas appeals to you most? Is there one you might try?

For other hygge lifestyle articles, check out my free lifestyle library.

See you next time!

Love, Jeanine

12 Comments

The Wisdom of Taking Hygge Breaks

1/9/2019

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My memory of it is a little hazy, but I believe I read an article a few years ago that said that research suggested that it's better to pause before moving from one activity to the next every day.

That somehow, overall, it conserves more energy? Not sure. I have gist memories, unfortunately, so now I have this image in my head of a woman sitting on the sofa without leaning back and to me, it means, don't rush to the next thing.

So while we're pausing, why not make it hygge?

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The Hygge Break

Pronounced "hoo-ga," this Danish concept cannot be translated to one single word but encompasses a feeling of cozy contentment and well-being through enjoying the simple things in life. If you've ever enjoyed reading a book indoors on a rainy Sunday or a cup of hot cocoa on a snow day, you've experienced hygge without even knowing it. --What is Hygge?..., Country Living magazine

Actually, Country Living, I believe it is pronounced "hue-ga," but that definition does capture the essence of it. So hygge breaks aren't just a temporary pause in your day, they are moments you create on purpose, to engender coziness or wellbeing.

It would mean sitting on the couch and leaning back, while reading a book for a few minutes. Curling up under a big blanket and having a cup of tea.

So that each big activity in your day was broken up by pleasure moments that give you a break. Hopefully, a refreshing one, so that you feel better and find it easier to resume whatever you were doing.

But I also believe that hygge can be its own reward, so I often create hygge moments for no particular reason.

Hygge Moments


When was your last hygge moment?

I have them every day, several times, if I can. I drink a big cup of tea, mid-morning, while reading a book. I often light a candle, for cozy ambiance, even when I'm working on a blog post, etc.

My son and watch TV together & pause what we're watching several times to discuss what's happening. Last year, when my mom was sick, but before she died, we watched two seasons of the reboot of One Day at a Time. Then, we spent the summer watching 7 seasons of West Wing.

And we've just started Madam Secretary. Being him while we watch it is hygge, but the tension & stress I feel during danger moments on the show is not. I've told him we will see how it goes.

We also hang out during The Good Doctor & This is Us. Did you know that watching TV as a family could be hygge? It can.

Almost anything can, depending on how it feels. If it brings coziness and warmth, or a sense of wellbeing, it's hygge.

If you aren't familiar with creating it on purpose, tell me what you'd like to try first. If you were with me through months of diving into it as a blog topic, are there any ways I inspired you to try it yourself?

My hygge intention this year is to rest more, and to rest with hygge comfort, even when I am sleeping. For example, my sleep situation isn't as cozy as it could be when I'm going to sleep and I am going to work on that this year. Also, I think I might like to add back a bedtime cup of tea.

What would your hygge intention be?

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

12 Comments
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    Contemplative, mystic spirit, spiritual coach, master Reiki practitioner, and a spoonie living with ME/CFS who writes about spiritual awakening, spiritual self-care, self-love and the enlightenment path.
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