* July 10th @ 7pm *

Please join me for a beautiful evening with the warm and wise, Bari Tessler author of The Art of Money in my home!

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I know it’s been awhile since I’ve been in touch and my apologies for going absent with no word or update. The last 8 weeks have been quite the unexpected and wild ride.

Sometimes life throws you a curveball and it requires every ounce of your energy to accept, adjust and find a new way through.  

First and foremost, Sean and I are thrilled to announce the birth of our son…

Ciarán James McLoughlin!

Ciarán arrived two weeks early after a fast and furious labor on Thursday, May 14th, weighing 7lbs 2oz and 21in long. We couldn’t be more in love with him and feel incredibly honored that he picked us to be his parents.

What you may not know, is that a few weeks before Ciarán was born, we learned via a routine ultrasound that he had what is known as CDH (Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.) Basically Ciarán was born with a little hole in his diaphragm which allowed most of his organs to migrate up into his chest cavity. This ultimately affected his lung development, limiting his ability to breathe and requiring him to need surgery in his first week of life to repair the defect.

Since Ciarán was born he has been receiving excellent care at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and continues to impress his doctors and nurses with his stamina and strength. I am SO grateful to report that he has successfully undergone surgery, is recovering like a champ and is now breathing on his own!  His last hurdle is learning to eat by mouth so we can remove his feeding tube and finally bring him home. Ciarán is making progress with this everyday and we are hopeful that his homecoming will be very soon!

One of the most amazing parts of this journey has been the  outpouring of love, positive energy and prayer our family has been receiving from close friends and family since the moment Ciarán was born. I know without a doubt this has had a momentous effect on Ciarán’s recovery and I am blown away by the power of community and group prayer.

There is so much more I would love to share with you but honestly I haven’t had a moment to even reflect on anything for myself yet. All I can say is that I am forever changed. This experience has been both profound and incredibly intense. Some days I feel strong and others completely helpless and lost. Most of all though, I feel firece love for my gentle little warrior and am so proud to be his mother.

An Update about the Beautiful Living Blog….

Prior to all of this, it was my intention to be in semi-regular touch with you and our amazing Beautiful Living community during my maternity leave. Obviously things have changed and unfortunately my ability to write is completely up in the air.  I have no idea what the next few months will hold but I do know my heart and focus need to be with my family right now.

Please know how often I think about this community and how much I care about you.  I’m excited to be with you weekly again as soon as I can. Until then I post regular updates, pictures of Ciarán and thoughts on instagram here:

Many people ask us how they can help and honestly the best thing Sean and I can ask for is a love and prayer for our little boy. If it feels right to you, we would be so grateful if you would light a candle and send love and positive intentions for Ciarán’s health, healing and homecoming. Thank you so and please know how deeply we appreciate your support.

I look forward to connecting with you again when things settle down and until then, I am wishing you a very joyful and beautiful summer.

All my love,

Rebecca

Below are some photos of our journey over the last 4 weeks.

First family photo

1 Day Old

First time in my arms….there are no words.

Doctor Daddy

Good luck surgery kisses

A very happy and exhausted post- surgery family

Hand on the lung he is working hard to grow and heal.

Wahoo I did it! I got my ventilator out and came off oxygen too! I am officially breathing on my own and pretty happy about it!

Finally getting to snuggle all day with mommy.

And Dad too!

Hanging with my hospital mascots… Miss Ducky and Mr Giraffe

It’s been quite an adventure so far!

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A few weeks ago, I ever-so-simply alluded to the concept of a Home Blessing (in this post) … and before I knew it, I had dozens of people reaching out to me, intrigued and wanting all the details: What is it? How do you do one? Why do they work? Etc.

How amazing! I love that you are so interested in this idea … and I’m SO excited to share what I know with you. I’ve done a number of Home Blessings in my own life, at different times, for different reasons, on tiny and grand scales. And each one has been uniquely beautiful, deeply meaningful, incredibly supportive.

So … what exactly IS a Home Blessing?

Caveat: there are zero hard-and-fast rules to the how, when and why of a home blessing. Your ritual and mine might look completely different, and will probably serve very different purposes.

That said, we might define a Home Blessing as …

• A ritual in and for your home meant to give physical expression to a deep, meaningful truth, desire or vision
• The naming of the intention for the physical space to become the container for the health and development of the people and/or family living there.
• The process of moving a home from a structural place into a sacred space.
• A blessing designed to honor something, release something, or invite something new in.
• A set or series of actions, performed with presence and clear intention.

Rituals are profoundly supportive … and sorely missing in our culture.

– Click To Tweet

Rituals tie together our inner and outer worlds. They call forth that which is longing to be unfurled, from deep within ourselves. They give structure, form, and physical expression to our growing edges and tender desires. They clear out the old, get us current with reality, and invite in the new. They invoke, honor, celebrate, support, release, and transform.

As I’ve said before, our homes reflect our inner world, make the intangible tangible, and are, in some way, the physical extension of our bodies. They hold enormous sway over our mood, our self-identity, and our ability to flow and change with ease.

Your home is a forum for your growth – Click To Tweet

Naturally, your home is a beautiful, and apt place to hold a powerful ritual such as a home blessing.

When to Do a Home Blessing…

Truly, there’s no wrong time to do a home blessing: you can experiment with one anytime you like….But, there are a few times, events, and moments where you may find a home blessing particularly useful such as:

• Moving into a new home
• Celebrating a new season
• Gaining (or losing) a roommate, family member, friend, or loved one
• Kicking off a new phase in your life
• The beginning, middle, or end of a big life transition (career change, relationship shift, motherhood, etc.)
• The end of a big remodel/redecoration/edit
• When you’d like to release something from your life OR call forth something new.

Stay Tuned: Next week, I am going to get specific and practical about how to design your own, personalized Home Blessing. Meanwhile, I want to invite your to start visioning and dreaming a little…

Reflections for Your Home and Heart

Share in the comments below or explore in your journal.

In Your Heart: What does “ritual” mean to you? How does it show up in your life?

In Your Home: If you were to perform a Home Blessing today, what would your intention be? What needs releasing, celebrating, or honoring in your life?

Sending love,
Rebecca

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Spring energy is definitely flowing…

Have you noticed it yet? Even if the weather where you live hasn’t completely warmed up yet, there’s something shifting and fresh in the air.

I’ve loved the springtime since I was a little girl. I have a love affair with the flowers and the new colors of spring are always so exciting. Whether I’m walking through the park or the grocery store, it’s easy to feel a little extra happy.

Spring brings a kind of hopefulness. A sense of a fresh start. An opportunity to grow, change, blossom … into more beauty, truth, and meaning. – Click To Tweet

But springtime’s fresh start isn’t just about bringing new things in. It’s also about learning to let go, too. To release the things that are blocking us from truly blooming — both in our homes and in our lives.

In May I am going to be talking about how to do a House Blessing – a powerful ritual done in your home. It’s purpose is to not only bless your space but to celebrate and initiate a beautiful vision for you life as well.

In preparation for this powerful ritual, I thought it would be a great time to dive into that task that lives on most of our spring time to-do lists  ….dundudnaa….SPRING CLEANING!

Last year in honor of springtime I launched a six week series called: Making Room To Bloom: Spring Cleaning For Your Heart And Home!

Hundreds of people joined in on the fun and I would love to share it again with you this year!

If your home and heart need a little love and you are interested in spending some time reconnecting to your space, your self, and your life, then I encourage you to join me over on the Beautiful Living Facebook page where I will not only be reposting my step by step process but also answering your personal questions and providing inspiration to keep you motivated. I can’t wait to connect with you there!

And if you are ready to dive in now….. below are links each post in the series. Take it one by one or just dive in wherever you feel called to start.

 Making Room To Bloom

Want your Spring Cleaning to Stick? 3 Questions to Ask Before You Dive In.

4 Types of Clutter and the Non-Obvious Places it Loves to Lurk

 My New Word for “De-clutter” and Why it Changes Everything

Love It or Leave It? 4 Questions to Ask Yourself While Editing Your Space

11 Tips to Make Your Spring Clean a Gorgeous Success (and headache-free)

As always I LOVE hearing from you! In the comments below …. are you in need of a Spring Clean?  What are you ready to release? (Heart and/or home?) What’s your plan to make it happen?

I look forward to hearing about your process and don’t forget to join all the fun happening over on Facebook! 

Sending love,

Rebecca

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Sean and I just arrived home from a sweet little “babymoon” vacation in Mexico. It was wonderful to get away, soak up some sun, play in the ocean and just have some good old fashion fun together. It’s the last time we’ll travel, relax, and be just the two of us before the little guy arrives! A little scary but also SO exciting.

And now I am enjoying a little arriving-home routine because…

There’s an art to going on vacation. And there’s an art to arriving home. – Click to Tweet

How many times has this happened to you…? You go away on a beautiful trip. You see new things, have fun, and relax. On the flight (or drive) home, you’re buoyant with excitement. Energized by the change of scenery, you’re ready to start a fresh chapter.

So you pull down the tray table, break out a notebook, and start planning. You loved that pasta at the restaurant … so you’re going to sign up for a cooking class! Those massages were incredible — you’re going to find a great masseuse at home, and go once a month. You’re determined to make more time for reading, for family dinners, for meditation … and you just know: this time, you’ll incorporate the beauty from your trip into a newer, better version of yourself and your daily life.

But then, you get home — and reality sets in. You head to the office Monday morning, and by Wednesday, the relaxation of the trip has faded almost to black. Finding a cooking class, signing up for massages — these get shuffled to the bottom of your To Do list, and you settle back into your normal, frenzied pace.

Before you know it, you’re just as tired and burned out as before. So you decide: Hey, it’s time for another vacation! And the cycle repeats …

If this feels familiar, you’re not alone — and you’re not lazy!

If you’d like your vacation to nurture your entire life

(not just the week you’re there)

it’s time to learn the art of INTEGRATION.

It took me a long time to admit what I really needed once I got home from vacation. But now, I know: the first day or two of my return are just as important as the week away. Honoring this transitional time is essential, not only for integrating all the nourishment I received on vacation, but also to ensure that my tanks remain full and my energy stores continue to support me as I move back into my day to day life.

How To Create A Successful Arriving- Home Routine!

1. Give Yourself a “Buffer” Day

You can’t expect yourself to go straight from kayaking in Alaska to doing accounting in just one day — at least if you want to hold onto some of the beauty, peace, and relaxation you cultivated while you were away.

If you know you need to be back at work on Monday morning, plan to arrive home Saturday night, so you have one day to settle in, exhale, and get ready for “normal life” to resume. Remember: you’ll probably be a little tired when you get back from vacation — even if it was a restful one. And there’s a natural “dip” in our energy and mood after the happy change of pace from being away.

Take your time and move slowly on your “Buffer Day.” You’ll likely want to take care of a few errands, but leave plenty of time for sipping tea, going to the park, and getting to bed early. It’s also best not to plan a big social outing for Monday night — instead, take it easy for a few days, and savor the experience you just had.

2. Unpack that Bag!

Oh, I used to leave my suitcase around for two or three weeks, after a vacation! (Ok confession… sometimes it still happens but I am getting WAY better and it never goes more than a day or two!) Regardless the scene is always the same… I rummage through things as I need them and my suitcase quickly transforms into a bomb that exploded all over the room … eventually Sean makes a gentle (or not so gentle) comment … and I finally get the message that it might feel better for everyone if I actually completely unpacked my bag.

I have learned: it’s vital to unpack your bag as soon as you get home. (Or at least the next day.) When you leave it lying around, the truth is…. part of you is in denial that you are still on that beach in Mexico!

Unpacking closes the energy of a trip and helps your body and mind settle back into home-life.

To drive the point home even more…. when we leave our suitcases lying around for a long time after a trip, it’s not uncommon that our entire self-care routine suffers. Simply unpacking the dang thing will make you feel 100x more settled at home — it will also naturally move you into a much more effective mindset and ultimately help you jump back into your daily routines with more gusto.

3. Love Up Your Space

Ever notice that it’s easy to slip into a mini-depression after a vacation? Making sure your home is a beautiful place that you truly love makes everything so much better! After all: when your home’s a wreck, and you have nothing to look forward to, depression is a pretty normal response.

Make sure to give my home a little extra TLC when you return from vacation. Throw in the laundry, fluff those couch pillows and make sure your countertops are clean and pretty. Make everything as beautiful as you can: try arranging some wildflowers, playing some music, drawing a bubble bath … whatever you need to feel in love with your space, and focus on what’s great about being home.

4. Infuse Your Life with Vacation Lessons

I believe it’s so important to honor the beautiful experiences in our lives, and find ways to carry them forward with us — in our hearts and in our homes.

One great way to do this is journaling. Take a few moments and name 5 feelings you experienced on vacation. What did you love most about your time away? Adventure? Relaxation? Sensual pleasure? Make a list … and then, ask yourself…. “How can I create these feelings in my home and life right now?” Think about the areas of your life where you lose touch with these precious priorities — and how they might be able to come more alive, for you. Come up with a few simple, creative ways to bridge your vacation-world and home-world.

Your space can be beautiful support for this process as well! Pick a souvenir or photo from your trip that most exemplifies one of these qualities.  Place it in a spot you’re likely to see, everyday. This will remind you of what matters most … and keep you connected to the beauty of your vacation, long after the sand is out of your shoes.

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The next time you find yourself arriving home from a lovely vacation, I hope you’ll think of these little tips … and make the most of your trip, even after it’s over.

After all: what better way to honor and celebrate a beautiful experience than by finding ways to keep it’s spirit alive, everyday?

Sending love,

Rebecca

Reflections for Your Home and Heart…

Share in the comments below or explore in your journal.

In your Heart: What is your arriving-home-from-vacation routine? Are you able to integrate back into day to day life the way your want to?

In your Home: What are 2 things you do (or can do) that help you feel more settled and in love with your home?

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