3 Unconventional Presents for Working Moms

Get ready for some affirmations and unconventional presents for working moms of any cloth. You’ll be surprised – they work for pretty much ANYONE. And you can’t buy them in a store…

A Story

As we went around the discussion circle, it became apparent. Being a working mom in the summer is its own dilemma. Each woman was asked to answer this question:

What would Success look like for you this summer?

“I love spending time with my kids, but…”

“How can I keep up the momentum and stay present for my kids?”

“I am not taking on any new clients.”

“…I know I’ll never get this time back.”

“Because I’m not the primary breadwinner…”

I could see the hope and despair in every woman’s eyes. The joy and exhaustion. The guilt and the longing.

In the midwest, summer can be glorious. And it can be full of competing priorities and values. Enough to flatten any strong hard working mom and send her pleading for Sleigh Bells and Stuffed Schedules.

My turn was coming up; my head was spinning. What to say?

My logical brain started: My kids are self-sufficient. Well, in most ways. But, to be honest, my son is leaving for college soon. (insert sadness) Homelife has been (insert: stressful.) And I’m still trying to figure out what a solid foundation for my business is. (insert worry)

Though the kids are picking their own blended schedules over the summer for the first time, I felt only one answer scream at me.

what are the gifts???!?

Episode 4: Four Steps to your Personal Freedom

November 2021

listen here

Hello my dear friend! How are you and how are you taking care of yourself today? Yep, the rumors are true. I took a before-work nap today. Four nights this week, I’ve been in kid-shuffling-around mode at night. And then Elvis, my step-dog, woke me up twice right before wake up time. When my alarm went off, I groaned.

A little voice inside of me said please to go back to sleep. Then another said suck it up, you’ll be fine. A third said, get your stuff done, get the kids out of the house, and lay back down. Boom. I had my answer.

On this Thanksgiving eve, I have a word gift for you. You might associate it with a favorite hymn or your Thanksgiving meal. I assure you, this word is not only for church or holidays. The word is

Grace.

We sing about grace in the Church. We hope we receive it from God when we have fallen. We give grace for bountiful food and company that nourishes our bodies and souls.

Going forward, I challenge you to think of Grace in a new way. To take Grace, wrap it up, and give it back to yourself with passionate abandon. Let it rain on you as a watershed of compassion and love and forgiveness. Give yourself grace for being and living the miracle that is You. No matter how you woke up. No matter what “they” said or did. No matter what. Period.

But I mess up all the time, you might be saying to yourself. What then? You don’t make mistakes. You are not a mistake. You have unexpected, and sometimes uncomfortable, steps along your path. Why? So you learn what you’re meant to. Why? So you can unlock and live your happiness, freedom, and joy.

So, whadda ya say? Try it with me?

And would you like to know the three other steps that help me show up every day, guilt-free, worry-free, in joy, with freedom and love for myself? Listen to Heather and I talk Personal Freedom.

Sending you love, light, grace, and laughter, Heidi Esther

Live with Heidi and Heather: Episode 4

Watch Episode 4: Four Steps to Your Personal Freedom

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The SoulJourner QUESTion

Three ways to engage Grace.

Will you take the Grace challenge?
Facebook Question of the week: Who embodies Grace to you? Answer on my Facebook page.
Facebook POLL of the week: What word do you most associate with grace? Join & answer in the Live with Heidi and Heather Group.

Ready for more Live with Heidi and Heather shows? Check out our page.

Or subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

Agreement 2: Don’t take anything personally

Welcome to Heidi Esther’s morning with… the dogs. What will she find on her slipper at the bottom of the stairs???

Welcome back to the SoulSanity Four Agreements Series. These stories show how I, Heidi Esther, work on adopting the Four Agreements. What are The Four Agreements? They are four simple, profound ways you can choose to walk in life that will transform it. Given to us by the wise Don Miguel Ruiz, the second agreement is: Don’t Take Anything Personally.

Agreement 1 / Agreement 2 / Agreement 3 / Agreement 4

A morning fit for a highly intuitive sensitive

A faint whine like a seagull meets my ears. Too early. I roll away from the sound. Soon, a louder whine emerges. Why? I lean up and squint to make out the first number on my clock: five. UGH. I turn on ocean shore background noise to complement the seagull whine coming from my step-dog, Elvis. Like I’m sleepin’ on the beach.

I get a feeling that more seagulls are coming…. read on, wise warrior!

Agreement 1: Can you Be Impeccable with your Word?

I came back to work early. Then, I heard my name, loud and clear, from the other side of the door. My manager’s door.

Welcome to the SoulSanity Four Agreements Series! These stories show how I, Heidi Esther, work on adopting the Four Agreements. What are The Four Agreements? They are four simple, profound ways you can choose to walk in life that will transform it. Given to us by the wise Don Miguel Ruiz, I welcome you to the first agreement: Be Impeccable with your Word.

Agreement 1 / Agreement 2 / Agreement 3 / Agreement 4

A quiet office

I stepped into my shared office. My post-lunch belly as happy as a dolphin. The afternoon sun glowing through the mini-blinds.

While it’s nothing fancy, I like my non-profit office. Two uncluttered desks surrounded by filing cabinets, and a clean floor as often as we vacuum.

The office lights were off. My officemate was behind the door, a few feet from my desk. That’s right, today is her review. Like a ninja, I put away my afternoon chocolate and drew my chair.

And that’s when it happened.

From the other side of the door, I heard, “Yea, and Heidi…”

it never feels good when people talk about you behind your back…. read more here!

The Care Bear Police are gonna get me…

(PSST! If you just are here to get the Freedom Shower Download, click here! )

It was the middle of the night. I shot up in bed. They are gonna sue me, I know it. I snatched my phone to investigate.

I moved like a sloth into my “stealthy-web-searching-at-night position”: I lay down on my side, away from my wife. My elbow propped up.

up late at night? again? Is heidi esther gonna get busted? Read on, curious soul!

A Pocket of Sanity for the New Year!

How is 2021 going to be better? With a Pocket Full of Sanity, of course. by Heidi Esther

How is 2021 Gonna Be Better?

The year stretches gloriously ahead, beckoning you to think about what to make of 2021. Like a stretch of untouched snow begging you to romp and sled and make snow angels.

Oh! I just love fresh snow. I wonder what heidi esther got for me this time!

Thanksgiving Grace, and crying

Woken Grace, 2020

Dear God, Earth Mother, The Universe, Higher Power, or whatever you believe in,

We are, though we may not always show it, grateful for all you give us. For all you bless us to live with and love. For all you give us to eat that nourishes our souls, today and forward. Thank you.

Today is Thanksgiving.

I woke, laden and remorseful. For the immense suffering that it took to make my plate possible:

how long is this grace? about 4 min

read on, woken soul!

Damned, I mean, Thank You + Free Gift!

A gratitude story-poem. PLUS! A resilience-building gift for YOU. For all seasons!

I woke up, 
  mornings. 
My sky, 
  blinding aura. 
My head as 
  icepicks hammering. 
Sweat,
frozen feet
as a limp doll
on the bathroom floor, 
penance for 
  obeying the
  God of 
   Endless
    Doing.
Insides,
 blindly following.
What have I done? 
I've given myself
 a chance
 at perfect. 
For that 
 painful respite, 
 I am grateful.

Is this like when people make lemonade from lemons? Yes, and lemonade from sugar, too. BOOM! Read on!

Why Joyfully Ever After? And why now?

(Why Joyfully Ever After is a continuation of this story.) In a dark and cozy bedroom May 14, 2020: I wake up for the day. Feels off. What time is … Continue reading “Why Joyfully Ever After? And why now?”

(Why Joyfully Ever After is a continuation of this story.)

In a dark and cozy bedroom

May 14, 2020: I wake up for the day. Feels off. What time is it? 4:23 am. How am I awake right now? That’s weird.

I fell back to sleep.

May 15, 2020: I feel great today! Wait. It’s still dark. 4:37 am. Hmmm.

Rolled over. Fell asleep.

Is this gonna be like groundhog day? maybe. but shorter and at night (spooky) :O

God hides under the kitchen table for 35 years?

Hello,
this is God.
I’ll be handling all of your problems today.
Have a miraculous day.

Heidi Esther’s negative-ninny mind has got her cornered again. How is she supposed to live when she feels like – she’s – a mistake? She finds an answer under the kitchen table…

8 years ago in a treehouse

I blew my nose in the last kleenex. I sat in a dark corner of my bedroom, my arms hugging my knees. Across from me: a wall of windows. The day was bright. My view was shaded, showing a lush, leafy vista. I pulled my hoodie strings tighter around my head.

Why was Heidi so sad? It looks like such a nice day outside! Read on to find out…