After finally realizing my dream of becoming a Mom I became laser focused on the need to get CREATIVE in balancing my work so I could be the kind of Mom I envisioned: present, engaged, and connected. In addition to “right sizing” my studio/clinic it involved becoming very selective about the speaking opportunities and courses I CHOOSE so as to limit travel and time away from my daughter.
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When I do travel I have special preparations and rituals we engage in to keep the connection and remind my daughter that we are deeply connected even when I’m away.
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Even though I may be overwhelmed with organizing and packing I always schedule “TIME IN”. This is where I play with Sloan uninterrupted, no devices, and she gets to chose what we play. Recently a few days before I traveled I reminded her before school that we would have a special pre-trip TIME IN after school and to plan what we would do. Seeing her face light up and creative sparks fly totally made my day. That night per her request we played “scientist girls” where we mixed magic potions. Hence my mad scientist hair in this photo🤣. This 30 minutes was time well spent for keeping our playful connection💓
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I have passed along my LOVE of school/office supplies to my daughter.  When taking a course I always bring colorful pens and binders.  And of course when I’m teaching a course I always keep my notes organized in fun notebooks etc.   We try to schedule a “field-trip” to the office supply store prior to my trip so she can help pick out my supplies and of course we get a few new supplies to add to her stash as well.
For Christmas I gifted her this tree locket. We share a LOVE of trees and nature and have had discussions about what it means to have roots and family. I made sure to tell her how I will wear mine while away and she could wear hers (which she happily did😍). These lockets are extra special as they come with porous stones on which to place drops of essential oils. Since the sense of smell can provide a strong sense of connection we choose which oil we’re both going to wear. Of course I also bring along Thieves oil to help protect my immunity from exposure to viruses when traveling. These lockets are from the WONDERFUL jewelry, gem and apparel shop within Red Lotus Yoga in Rochester😃
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While away I take photos of my experiences so I can come back and share a story about what I experienced. I make sure to tell her that at certain times of the day I thought about her or missed her in a certain way.
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I’m GRATEFUL for these rituals and the connection they provide even while I’m away. What rituals do you use to stay connected with children while away??

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