FOCUSED. Stop. Find some roses.

Another fabulous family holiday came and went. It involved this:

I’m still cleaning up our mess.

It also involved this (which I was so over-the-moon about decorating, it was almost disconcerting):

Easy: Buy cheesecake. Spread with whipped cream. Top with toasted coconut. Add Cadbury chocolate eggs. Viola!

And the past few days, I’VE STOPPED for a bit. I’ve done this before, I’ll do it again. Sometimes moms must dig deep and find our inner wisdom all by ourselves. We must STOP (I mean, really stop) and smell the roses (especially if said roses dwell in our own backyard… otherwise we’ll forget they’re there and how sad would that be).

Yes. In my own backyard.

I recently spoke at a conference that featured Dr. Habib Sadeghi: Speaker, Author, Guru to Gwyneth Paltrow. No matter what opinions you may or may not have about him (or, Gwyneth) he touched on something in his presentation that truly affected me as I listened. You must sometimes slow down so that you may go faster. Make sense? That phrase hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew it to be true, but somewhere between kids and school and dance class and career, I’D FORGOTTEN. Since then, I’ve been reminding myself to SLOW DOWN every so often… whenever I feel overwhelmed, deflated or just plain ‘off’. SLOW DOWN, SO THAT YOU MAY GO FASTER. So far, it’s working. So that’s what I’m doing for few days.

Staying fabulous on the inside doesn’t always mean staying motivated and focused. Being a mother must have fast and slow paces so that your stamina does not rebel. Your family’s happiness depends on it. Sometimes you must go mushy, if only for a few days in the comfort of your own home. In your pink robe. With roses. And your wild children. And leftover cheesecake.

HAVE YOU STOPPED AND RECHARGED LATELY?