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Quote of the Week
"I want to make memories, not to-do-lists. I want to feel the squeeze of my daughter's arms, not the pressure of over-commitment. I want to get lost in conversation with my spouse, not consumed by a sea of unimportant emails. I want to be overwhelmed by sunsets that give me hope, not by extracurricular commitments that steal my joy. I want the noise of my life to be a mixture of laughter and gratitude, not the intrusive buzz of cell phones and text messages. I am letting go of distraction, disconnection, and perfection to live a life that simply, so very simply, consists of what really matters. " -- Rachel Macy Stafford
Vow to Breathe
"No longer do I want to feel like I'm always running late. No longer do I want to feel like I'll never catch up. No longer do I want to feel compelled to rush my children through life. No longer do I want to feel the brush of a hurried kiss on my husband's lips. No longer do I want to feel guilty when I sit down to rest. No longer do I want to feel depleted and empty. No longer do I want to feel like each day is a blur. No longer do I want to feel half alive. Instead, I vow to breathe. I vow to look my children in the eyes and step into their world. I vow to remember what my heart loves to do and then stop making excuses. I vow to close my eyes in gratitude and open my eyes wide in wonder. I vow to have face-to-face, soul-to-soul connection with the ones who share my life. I vow to read a book. Dance in the rain. Say, "Take your time," and mean it. I vow to Give a good kiss. Leave a surprise note. Do absolutely nothing every now and then. I vow to Rest Laugh Play Wait Dream And breathe. And breathe. So I can truly live.
It's been a little over three years since I made this vow. My journey has not been perfect. Sometimes I stumble, but I get back up by reminding myself that the to-do list doesn’t contain the most important tasks of the day. It is my heart that tells me what I need to flourish and thrive -- as long as I stop long enough to listen." In this article from her popular parenting blog, Hands Free Mamma, Rachel Macy Stafford discusses how we can get our new year off to a beautiful start, by making a vow to breathe. [more]
Reading Corner
 Title: Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters!
By: Rachel Macy Stafford Stage: Any
"If technology is the new addiction, then multi-tasking is the new marching order. We check our email while cooking dinner, send a text while bathing the kids, and spend more time looking into electronic screens than into the eyes of our loved ones. But this isn’t the way it has to be. Hands Free Mama is the digital society's answer to finding balance in a media-saturated, perfection-obsessed world. It doesn't mean giving up all technology forever. It doesn't mean forgoing our jobs and responsibilities. What it does mean is seizing the little moments that life offers us to engage in real and meaningful interaction. It means looking our loved ones in the eye and giving them the gift of our undivided attention, leaving the laundry till later to dance with our kids in the rain, and living a present, authentic, and intentional life despite a world full of distractions. So join Rachel and go hands-free." -- Publishers
Recommended by Cubs Editors
Be The Change
Stop and take a moment to think about one aspect of your life as a parent that you'd like to go hands free with. Make a conscious effort in these first few weeks of the new year to make it happen!
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