Motherhood Moment: PLAY

Motherhood Moment by Sarah Jane

Today my to-list is to that unruly length again, the lenght that I already know it’s not getting done any time soon. Which is no different than yesterday, really. I mean, who am I kidding? Life as a working mom, right? But if there is one thing I’ve learned about motherhood, is that our children mimic our most hidden internal feelings. Stressed? I’m not stressed:) But then I hear it when I catch myself saying, “Hurry, get in the car!” or “Get your shoes on right now!” Or, I see it when they start bickering or getting frustrated with their own situations. That’s my signal that we are disconnected and I need to slow down.

 

I may not be able to "slow down" to the point of taking everything off my list (that would be a dream!). But what I can do, is preserve my children’s childhood that I feel is becoming endangered by the modern stressful world we find ourselves in. They feel stressed when we feel stressed, and these feelings are foreign invaders to them and give the message that they aren’t being seen and heard. More on this later, but it  comes down to mindfulness and perspective shifting on our part. They will feel what we feel and how we interact with them is part of that communication. 

 

One simple antidote for a busy day, is to just get on the floor and play. Five minutes (even less!) of getting on the floor and being silly with your child will bring instant connection to you both. When the to-do lists get really long, the first thing we forget about is FUN. Not just for the children, we know they need it! It's easy enough to take them to the park and sit on the sidelines on our phones. What I mean is the kind of play you do TOGETHER. When we stop everything and connect with them in their world, it sends the message that we SEE them. We CARE about their brilliant ideas and creations. Being the ringleader in their circus, building a house with blocks next to their magical castle, or letting them put dressups all over you and being the extra animal on their safari.

 

For me, it also shifts my mindset into the purpose behind this all. Are we “getting things done” to get things done and have a tidy end to our day? Or are we getting things done so we can provide the happiest environment for our kids? I’m thinking it’s the latter, in which case, making time for PLAY becomes essential.

So today, I'm reminding myself to take several small little chunks of time to truly be present and let my kids know that Mom is fun too, and knows how to be part of their world. 

It's these simple motherhood moments that truly make childhood magical. 

xo

sarah jane







 

MOTHERHOOD MOMENT: Connection

motherhood moment

My main focus here at SARAH JANE has been "Creating Magical Childhood." I use that phrase a lot, and when I'm creating products or designs, I'm tapping into my feelings and passion towards this place in childhood that means so much to me: both as a mother and as a person who was once a child myself. Inspiring memories, places and feelings that we can all relate to, and want to give to our children. 

As a mother with 4 children myself, I've come to realize a few things that are key to cultivating this thing called magical childhood. Motherhood, for instance, isn't always magical. In fact, it can be just plain hard. As mothers we are bombarded with the forever long to-do lists, the should's and must's, the perpetual messes, the cooking cleaning, doctor visits and homework, topped off with sleepless nights and maybe a full-time job on the side, and it's not looking so romantic, right? 

But in my  own journey of motherhood, centered womanhood and quest towards simplified and magical childhood, I've found that there are simple things that bring us back to the awareness that motherhood is truly magical. Which is is, and we all know it is:) Sometimes we just all need simple triggers to get us in that mindset. 

Social media, social pressures and information overload can overwhelm us with all the stuff we need to do, buy, and have to be an amazing mother, and give our children an amazing childhood. 

But in my 12 years of mothering topped with a full time creative business at home, I've learned through major trial and error it's not about the big things we do, or the toys we buy or even the list that got checked off that makes us happy as mothers. It's about the simple moments that connect us to our children. When we truly SEE them, and they feel our complete awareness. 

Today, have you truly connected with one of your children today? A one-on-one moment where you were present with them either while playing, or snuggling, or reading or talking? As you take 5 minutes today and focus in on one child, being aware of where your mind is while you are with them...pay attention: are you truly present? Can you smell their skin? Are you seeing their eyes? Are you listening and learning? In those minutes, connect. Your heart will center and any feelings of distraction will fall away. And they will feel it. It will serve you both. Motherhood will feel magical again. 

xo, 

sarah jane

 

Black Friday Love to you

Get Excited!!! It's the biggest sale of the year, and I've got some new goodies coming to the shop too! So make sure to swing by this weekend for some great deals and new work from me! 

You'll enjoy 25% off storewide with code GIVING25 at checkout. 

Happy Holidays everyone! We sure love this amazing community of ours. Enjoy this wonderful season with those you love! And be sure to come by Friday-Monday for some love from us. 

Click here to shop

 

xoxo

Sarah Jane

Speaking November 8th: Making your Creative business your Dream

Hello Friends! 

I wanted to invite any of your who are in Utah to come attend Creative Collaborative in Provo Tuesday night from 7-8 where I'll be speaking about my journey as a business and a creative. I'll be sharing my story over the past 3+ years of how  my challenges, limitations and failures have ultimately taught me how to build an even stronger brand and find business solutions that have lead me to find a greater sense of focus. I'm excited to share with you! 

This blog used to be a place for me to articulate the things I've learned as I've built a business, and a place for me to share and express this amazing journey. 

I haven't talked about it much, and I'm ready to talk about it now, but the past 3 years basically cut me down, chopped me up, and had me wondering if everything I had been working for and building towards was worth it. 

Three+ years ago, things were great. Business was good. Profits were high. I had built a business I loved and was proud of. But things very quickly starting falling apart and out of my control. I became pregnant and on bedrest for 3/4 of my pregnancy. With intense pain every day, I was limited in what i could mentally and physically do. We were remodeling the house, my husband took on a second job (which didn't pay him anything...it was out of a teacher shortage) and was working 14 hour days. After the birth, I suffered with post-partum depression, which was thankfully caught early and short lived...about 4 months. Following that, I went back to work! Only to discover that my baby couldn't sleep through the night! After 11 months of trying to understand what was happening (he started showing symptoms at 12 months), we discovered he had sleep apnea, and wasn't getting enough oxygen at night. He was waking up every 45 minutes ALL through the night! During this time, he also had RSV, respiratory infections and multiple trips to the hospital. After 2 years of not sleeping (literally) we were relieved when an adenoidectomy was the solution! He had surgery and within a week he wasn't waking up every 45 minutes. But he was still waking up every two hours because he had 2 years of horrible sleep habits! 

With two years of not sleeping, being overworked, trying to maintain the pace I once had but not successfully, I had developed adrenal fatigue, which was diagnosed after multiple trips to the hospital and doctors. I was mentally and physically burned out, and we had suffered a huge financial loss through this time of not being able to produce and work like I had before. My creativity was suffering because I was so focussed on surviving and keeping my family afloat. 

But during that following year, we had a choice: Do we just do what we've always done? Or do we change our path so that we don't have to work SO hard and SO crazy to maintain stability? 

We chose the latter. After a year of researching, studying, learning, praying and working our tails off, we we able to re-learn some incredible lessons on rebuilding after setbacks. Of finding success in your OWN way and on your OWN terms. Designing your life so that you can LIVE it the way you want, and so that there is ROOM for setbacks...because they will come! 

Previously, we were living fast. We were moving fast, working hard, and getting a lot accomplished! But it wasn't sustainable. And when the waves hit, they hit hard. We didn't have a strategy in place for being able to handle any upsets on our path! 

Tuesday I'll be speaking about how to build a successful business that can sustain you because it's backed with purpose, strategy and resources. And faith. Principles that might sounds simple, but I'm going to share with you how these principles are the tools every person needs to find happiness and success in their life and business. 

So come if you are in town! 

CREATIVE COLLABORATIVE

PROVO RECREATION CENTER

320 W 500 North, Provo, UT 84601

7-8 pm

 

Go vote, come and visit before the polls close country wide, and then go back to find out the state of the nation:) 

 

See you there! 

Blog Post 5 - Quilt by Pieces by Polly

I am loving this quilt made by Pieces by Polly! She has put so much detail into these pieces, and I can't wait for you to pop on over and take a peek! Quilts, Pillows, it's all magical! 

Come visit here for more information and inspiration! And here Polly has a pillow tutorial from scraps using magic fabric as well! 

Thank you Polly! And happy sewing!

MAGIC blog tour 2 - Violette Field Dresses by My Sweet Sunshine Studio

I'm so excited to share with you the next stop on the MAGIC blog tour! 

Violet Field Thread patterns have always been a favorite of mine! And this dress was in part designed around the Magical Parade fabric panel. Alexis at My Sweet Sunshine is one of the pattern designers for Violet Field Threads, and she did such an exquisite job on this! She's sharing tons of insight and photos on her blog today! 

This Lauren dress is so versatile! Hop on over to her blog to learn more! 

You can purchase the pattern here.