Hey petunias!

We’re back with my usual scrapbook of photos + ramblings from the past couple of weeks.

In this edition, there will be:

• parenting woes
• an ode to my hall pass, Mr Darcy
• that time I nearly barfed in the gym pool because the oldies were kicking my ass
• two girlz nightz out where I go wild (no drinking involved… I was driving the soccer mum van)
• and the usual enduring sexual harassment of my husband.

ENJOY!

The day ahead: school run, morning adventure with smallest mermaid & husbo, lunch, work, kinesiology, dinner, put kids to bed, do a bit more work, bed. September was one of our busiest months with the www.ShiningAcademy.com sale happening. Feeling in good spirits though… #AusMum15 conference was such a wonderful invigorator of courage and faith!

Canberra, you are a love song to every one of us. #thriving #thankfuck

NO SERIOUSLY THOUGH. LOOK HOW BIG MY LITTLE GIRL IS GETTING. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??????????? #nope

We returned to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve today… This incredibly beautiful place of spirit and earth. Some of my happiest moments in my life have been here. My inner marriage ceremony. Photos here just before my waters broke with Mermaid Daughter #1. Me & Chris have walked so many tracks here, brought so many friends here, celebrated so many birthdays here. It is where I feel a great sense of peace. So it’s this kind of miracle that I now watch my two daughters galavant around on the same sacred earth. The difference in my Mermaid Daughter #1 is incredible. She feels so much safer in her body here in Canberra. We are blooming like wild flowers in the alps.

The family that slides together… Eats Turkish Pide together?

We is getting older.

Sunday. Today, I’d reaaaaally be needing to lay in bed, read graphic novels and stare out the window. Instead: fussy toddler. #mamalyfe #realtalk #realparenting #solidaritymysisters

Ahhhhhhh Canberra, you’re amazing. Where else would there be incredibly stunning land & beautiful buildings & ridiculously cool playground so close to a city centre devoted to the celebration of trees and forests? And the architecture…. Magnificent. Canberra you are the secret utopia.

Hey Leonie, just a little love note to remind you to sign up for online grocery shopping and delivery. For the sake of you and your husband’s sanity and marriage. 18 months sucks dick. Love, Leonie

I’ve forgotten how much I missed this. Forgotten how incredibly special it is. To emerge from an icy winter and for the world to burst into song. Tulips and dandelions, cherry blossoms and irises. How can their arrival do anything but send washes of wonder and joy and miracles in every direction?

At the GYM. ON A TREADMILL. Feeling like a sexual gym bunny right now.

Went to da gym today for the first time in years. Took it slow and gentle, treated it like Pilates – intentional movement done well. So much better than my predilection of going like an energiser bunny and attempting the superhuman!!!

Good morning beautifuls. Woke up to our early riser (Mermaid Daughter #1) crawling into bed beside us. We’ve worked out that if I make her be a little spoon for a bit, we can lay in bed for longer. Ha!!! #parentingtips Anyways… Enjoyed talking to you all on our How to Double Your Biz with Testimonials webinar with @grantsandrew. It’s delightful teaching with him. I get to laugh and learn as we go. Then we went onto a family adventure for the morning… And honestly? I’m feeling so good I can’t wait to get back to the gym again!!!! DEAR LORD WHO AMMMMMM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII????

Gym AND meditation? Dear Liza… Who gave me this self care implant?

Time to go have a great day! Weeeeeeee!!!!!

Took my ex-boss and Virgo love of my life to the Spiritual Fair and forced her to have an angel reading. Thanks for always always entertaining my wild flights of fancy Lil. I’m lubricating my joints up ready for tonight’s action. On the dance floor I mean.

GIRLS NIGHT OUT MOTHERFUCKKKKKKKERRRRRRSSSSS

GET INNNNN MY MOUTHHHHH MUTHAFUCKERRRRRRRRRR I WANT YOUR MOIST LOIN JUICES ALL OVER MY MOUTHHHHH #foodporn #girlsnightouttttttttt #leonieisanamazingfoodcritic

GIRLZZZ GONE WIIIIIIIIIIILD. WITH BURGER.

Me and the cast of Mother, Wife & The Complicated Life including the magical Amity Dry who I deeply fangirled over … Guys this is FUCKING AMAZINNNNG. You neeeeeeeeeed to go seeeeeee this.  Two thumbs up, two tits up!!!!!! Laughing crying healing amaaaaaaaaazing!!!!!!

I asked them to take an Awkward Selfie with me. They happily complied. Some more enthusiastically than others.

Girl’s night out last night. Now getting smothered as though I have been away for a year. They are attempting to fit into the smallest space possible with me… That or climb back into my skin. #mothersclaustrophobia

Journalling in the sun.

Top quality Lounge In The Sun today while the kids ran under the sprinkler. Bloody beautiful, I tell ya! Now I reckon it’s time for a nap in bed. #SundaySabbath

I didn’t finish my “100 Things To Do in 2015” list. We moved to Tasmania in February, and then made a spontaneous-but-wonderful decision to move back to Canberra part way through the year. I think a part of me earlier this year knew I couldn’t plan just yet for the full 12 months ahead. I did what I could then. And now… Now I am called to finishing the list. With my dreams and goals for the final quarter of the year. It is never too late to begin. #2015workbook

DILF ALERT. Husbo sewing Mermaid Daughter #1’s pink owl bag together. Swooooooooooon.

I went and hid to have a quiet cup of water by my sweet self. They found me and immediately set up camp as close to my uterus as possible. #realtalk #realparenting

Went to Aqua Aerobics. It was DOOM.

I got such a stitch I had to do the walk of shame out of the pool because I was going to vomit.

Those octogenarians are hard ass motherfuckers, I telllllll youuuuuuuuuu.

Got home.

Still felt horrific from Aqua Aerobics doom. Thought being sat on by a toddler would make me feel better. Surprisingly, no.

One of my dearest, oldest friends Lena gave birth to the most exquisite little baby girl. Me & Mermaid Daughter #1 went to visit the hospital while Chris watched a sleeping Mermaid Daughter #2. And of course, without a Chris, I got lost three times and a 20 minute drive took 1.5 hours. Me & Mermaid Daughter #1 had fun though… Even as we got lost in the hospital grounds and adventures through staff carparks and the hospital dumpsters. Haaaaaaaa! This kid will grow up knowing her mum might not be the most sensible but she certainly has fun wherever she ends ip! Haaaaaaa!!!!! Anywaysies… Most importantly we got to hug Lena and sigh over baby Grace. I feel soooooo lucky that we get to be here for this and watch our clan of girls grow and bloom together.

20 years since the world’s greatest wet dream for women was recorded… BBC’s Pride + Prejudice (!!!!!!!!!!)

Happy anniversary, Darcy, my boo. You are my spiritual hall pass. I’m sure nobody else feels the same about you as I do.

Mwahahahahaha…

I wrote this ten years ago, on my 23rd birthday. “Write the first two sentences of your 500 page autobiography.” “She came from divinity. Then she found it again.” A decade on, I think I’d write the same thing.

Oh good, the Internet is broken. Time to write and be productive instead!

Rocking the Pom Poms today. #babywearing #ergobaby #awinterdayinspring #iwaswearingbirkenstocks #inappropriatefootwearchoice

Grantacular our COO dude running One Shining Day Denver for our Academy goddesses!

Oh my… What a classroom!!!! Our Shining Day Academy mastermind heading outside to be the first to hear about our new 7 Chakra Business Model. So proud of Grant and Amber for creating this magical event exclusively for our Academy members (Reason #6889533 you should be a member!) And… Delighted to announce Grant and I will be co-running a retreat here in Canberra, Australia in February just for our Academy members!!! Book it in lovelies!!!!!!!

One of our beautiful participants shared this photo of her retreat workbook (and tootsies) in the grass.

I’m in a cooking forum, and they are posting photographs of their kitchens all cleaned up at night after everyone is in bed. Is this a thing? Does everyone do this? Is this one of those things I’ve forgotten to adult?

Full disclosure: Even if everyone is like “yeah Leonie, you are totes supposed to clean your kitchen before bed,” I don’t believe I can. I don’t think I have it in me on a cellular level.

P.S. If you are a clean, neat person, we can still be friends, as long as you step over all the piles of toys and crap in the lounge.

DEEP THOUGHT OF THE DAY: is sperm called cum because it’s where we all come from?????????????? If so… That’s deep.

Visit to the library this morning. I forgot my library card so used Chris’ instead. And of course borrowed all the erotic romance goodness I could find so it’s on his permanent library record. Mwahahahahaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!

Found bunches of these growing in the beautiful vege patch here. Can anyone tell me what they are???

Updated to add: broadbeans. The internet is the oracle.

All true. From “Why shouldn’t I call my son Clint?” Hilarious book. Even funnier because my brother is called Clint.

Today’s read. Most excellent.

Went to the National Zoo today. It ended up being really sweet as we revisited all the animal friends we have made around Australia over the last five years. Kinda made me realise that even though 5 towns in 5 years had its challenges… We had so many adventures and saw so much of Australia.

I loved how Mermaid Daughter #1 had so many memories of where she’d seen particular animals last… Including the Tasmanian Devils and the tree kangaroos and pythons from Kuranda and much more.

And I got to see my favourite… The Sun Bear. Years ago while I was leading a spiritual goddess retreat I was given the name “Sun Bear” by a beautiful ancestor spirit. I didn’t know at the time it was an actual animal until a couple of years later at the zoo.

I know zoos can be contentious issues. I’m so grateful for the conservation they do, how they protect vulnerable animals & give us all an opportunity to connect with their magnificent spirits.

I’m always left so touched by them and so resolved to make sure they remain in this world. The Penguins showed us how to laugh, the Snow Leopard showed us how to rest, the Monkeys taught us how to laugh.

And they also taught Mermaid Daughter #2 how to imitate “ooooh ooooooh ah ah ah!!!”

Was feeling a bit unfocused so I sat down on my office couch for a meditation… And woke up an hour later! I reckon the Angels took me out for a healing.

Life As A Chair, Part 5768932.

Things that infuriate me more than they should: having to eat soup with non-soup spoons. SOUP SPOONS WHERE AREEEEE YOUUUUUUU? #movingissues

Oh the little darling.

Celebrating the final few hours of the Shining September Special. Chris made roast vegetables and grilled haloumi and Barossa Cider. Feeling knackered and elated all at once.

We have a big house. A beautiful garden. Guess where everyone is right now?

Myyyyyyy babbbbyyyyyyyyyy issssss growwwwwwwinnnnng uppppppppp.

A huuuuuuuuuge week. But we made it. And it’s worth it. So glad and grateful to do this work.

GIRLZ NIGHT OUT WITH GINORMOUS SUNDAES BOOOOOOYEAAAAAH

What’s a girl to do when she is time poor and still hasn’t been able to catch up with all her Canberrans friends since coming back? Batch job it! Invited a bunch of beautiful women – most didn’t know each other to a buffet at Mork’s. And it was lovely. So lovely and felt so at home that I cried buckets. Grateful. Incredibly so.

From last night. I had a big cry last night at the table looking around, just seeing my tribe. I spent the last five years looking to replace the sisterhood I had here. And I can’t even really enunciate it means just to be known and loved by them. I look at back at the last five years and how hard parts have been. Those parts would have been so different if I’d been able to be heard and held and seen by these woman face to face. I know it was the initiation I needed to undertake alone… But golly it’s a relief to not do this alone anymore. It’s good to be known and loved by these women.

I declare today a LBD. Lazy Bastard Day. It’s been six weeks since we moved back to Canberra. SOOOO much has happened in that six weeks. No wonder I’m feeling a bit wrecked. Time to fill the well. Some good old LAZY is the antidote to overdoing and crazybusy. LBD. Take it. Use it.

Cleaned up the house. Feels good to organise and get the crazy feeling less crazy. Husband cooking roast, I’m drinking cider. Now back to the lazy.

About to dive in. Is it as good as it looks? I had major FOMO with everyone else reading it!!!

Picnics in the garden. It smelt like summer today.

Long weekend backyarding it.

Stacks of postcards ready to be sent out. Ain’t nothing like a lil snail mail love.

Ausmumpreneur of the Year grand prize finalist… With the Hon Bruce Bilson MP (Australian Government Minister for Small Business), the organisers of the #AusMum15 awards and Stuart the lovely St George Bank sponsor. Such good people. Such an honour to be there. Soooooooo glad I was able to be so normal and professional while I was there. #nailedit

My mate lent me her very smart economist husband to teach me fancyproject management plans for the launch of the #2016shiningyear workbooks and diary and to do list pad and wall planners. Fucccccckyeaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh fancyyyyyyyyy

Me & @liledickson making cupcakes with our wombfruits. And by “we” I mean “I ate them.” Cupcakes that is. Not womb fruits.

There are many ways to point, hint at, describe what I’m like. Highly sensitive. Easily excitable, easily overstimulated. An extroverted introvert who loves to go out and be wild, then needs needs needs to go in and be quiet quiet quiet. Aspiegirl, worn like a superhero cape. I can do many things, but I also can not do many things that others easily manage. Each day I learn more and more how to be better at tending to this constellation of cells named Leonie and what I need to thrive. I get better at recognising burn out, and apply the brakes sooner. It’s that time again.

How can I get slower, do less? How can I fill the well? How can I integrate all the stories and things I see and learn so my mind becomes clearer again? I will keep these questions in mind this week. 

Sending you love love LOVE to the moon + back!

Big love,

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