Claudia cherishes the peaceful morning and routines that ground her, finding solace in writing and exploring Japanese stationery. She reflects on her son’s routine, embraces small joys, and emphasizes the need for independence outside of motherhood.
Proof that every morning is a new, unique day, untouched by the influence of what has passed, traversing along with the beat of its own drum: my son is not stirring at all, today – he hasn’t stirred at all last night, either – and I think I will not only get writing done this morning, but I might even be able to slip a shower into the mix before he wakes.
I have been dreaming of a consistent routine for these mornings. I truly thrive on routine within my home and extend to spontaneity outside of the home. I like knowing what comes next and what to expect of me; it makes me feel organized, in control, and centered. I’ve added a rollerball of essential oils called Zenitude to this morning routine.
Last night, I was browsing Japanese Amazon – did you know many of the products ship worldwide? The Yen is so low right now, that it’s the best time to buy. Japan is known for having the best stationery products in the world, and I found some items that would make lovely additions to my writing routine. One was a one-line-a-day diary that’s three years long, it would be a summary of the day in the evenings, for me. Another is just a lovely daily diary (one page a day) and, similar to this, it’s open for streams-of-consciousness but in bite-sized format but it would be related to work, work projects, work growth – as, truth be told, I’m sitting rather stagnant there (my own fault). I am quite tempted to make that space kind of like the Artist’s Way journaling activity (another book I never quite made it through). Seems almost foolish to spread myself thin with so many different places to write in, in one day, but it actually inspires me. Anyway, there is a purpose to all this madness: slowing down.
They’re activities that slow me down and center me into myself. They’re activities that contribute to me self-improvement so that I am a better mother for my son. They’re activities that add value to my legacy and he will be able to look through them and see who I was when he is older. They’re activities that help me master the art of slow so I can then teach it to my child(ren).
As I write this, he shouted out for me on the monitor: perhaps he has fooled me with how slow he plans to take the morning! Though he went to bed so early, I cannot blame him. WE really need to fix these loud stairs – it’s quite insane that we should have to literally tiptoe in our own house.
It is sometimes hard to believe that I enjoy such consistency in my routine and that it helps me thrive because I am a woman covered in tattoos and 90% of them were booked in a whim. I leap, all the time. I do things without thinking twice about them, and I live with no regrets, just lessons learned. I am risky, not safe. When I moved to Paris in 2018, I did so because, after so many years of dreaming about her, I had a literal dream and it felt too real (it’s sometimes so odd to read old blog posts), and too wonderful, so I couldn’t lose that feeling — and I left my job as a Special Education Teacher, contacted my real estate agent, and applied for a job across the planet. Like that. No plan, no routine, just leapt. (You can read more about that journey in my book, The Transformational Path.)
But I like structure when it comes to my passions. I like prioritizing myself through routine. These slow mornings, it has been: sit with mug in front of laptop, open, breathe, write, sink into self. During the day, it has been: grab and read a book instead of scrolling on your phone when R plays independently. Naptimes, I am writing first unless I have a service, then cooking lunch and dinner for the little. Afternoons, we go out: somewhere, anywhere, to explore, get a change of scenery, and get fresh air. And evenings have been: creative journal when R goes to sleep before going to make dinner. Dinner has been an enjoyable process because, like I said, a structured routine through meal planning. Then, sit and watch shows with my husband and perhaps browse the internet as I do so.
It does not leave a lot of time for Instagram, if I’m being honest. Instagram does not really have a place in my routine. Though, I do love what connections I’ve made in that space and want them to continue to thrive through my contributions. A reminder that if you’d like a feature on this blog and on my Instagram stories, you can contribute to the Awakened Mama Community, here. It also doesn’t leave a lot of time for business and professional development. I have been slacking on applying to more copywriting work, My editor/content management position has been quiet, and my spiritual healing work has been rather silent, as well. Contributing to the financial development of this household is important to me, so it’s something I’d like to change and improve (I am trying the Pinterest route for organic growth with not much success).
I wonder what’s going on planet-wise today, because I am truly in the most inspired and invigorated mood this morning. Maybe it’s because I got a full hour into writing without my son waking. Maybe it’s because I feel focused on beneficial routines that will contribute to my growth. Maybe it’s because I trust the Universe and the path to Abundance that it will lay out for me. Maybe it’s because all my passions excite me. Maybe it’s because I’m just looking forward to another day with my little wonder. Maybe it’s all of the above. He is stirring so I do want to extend gratitude to the Universe for allowing me one undisturbed hour – with two cups of coffee – this morning. What a gift and I certainly do not take it for granted.
I wonder what the rest of the morning holds. I wonder what awaits me, this day.
My son is as addicted to routine and the familiar as I am. Is this a blessing or a curse – or is it just a mirror? His particular routine includes walking into his book nook about an hour and a half/two hours after waking, having breakfast, playing, doing laps around the kitchen table, asking for his first snack, and reading by the fish tank (yes, in that particular order) and today he discovered that I moved his reading chair outside of the book nook, and replaced it with an extra shelf for his book overflow. This was a nope. In fact, it was a meltdown and a, “no, no, no, no, no, in, in, in (while point to the chair he wanted back in his nook).” Silly me, how dare I? He is my son after all.
In addition, he always manages to ask for his milk between exactly 16h30 to 16h45 — how does he know??
I feel anxiety all of a sudden, so I will pause here and get back to writing later, keeping this open until I do.
Pulled by the ongoing sun, the desire to get fresh air with my son, and – quite honestly – my recently increasing obsession with Japan and stationery, I’ve decided that Geneva is on the afternoon schedule. R wins and I win – outside exploration, lovely strolls by the water, sunny skies, and my stationery fix.
In a discussion with my soul sister, I said: life is better with little joys – as a reference to her showing me her set of BTS fandom slippers. Is it a need? No. Is it a want? Yes. Does it make the act of waking up and rising from your bed a little more joyful? Yes. Does it make wearing slippers around the home a little more fun? Yes. Does this little bit of joy – that harms no one – impact the rest of the household? Also yes! A mom needs to find herself, her identity, and her joys outside of her children as well. And being able to buy little things that do that is a privilege, no doubt, but one that does impact the household, in turn.
Like I mentioned yesterday, I’m not a minimalist. I’m not a hoarder, either, but I take no shame in my unnecessary joys and neither should you.
We ended up in Geneva and walked around, exploring various shops that I hadn’t yet explored. I walked around parts of the city I hadn’t yet been to. It’s wild to have lived (next to a) place and still keep discovering little secrets about it. I had a little bit of a Japan fix through the shops I visited but it’s actually cheaper to get items directly from Japan myself; how odd is that? Around two hours into our little adventure, the temperature dropped rapidly and freezing rain began. So much for signs of Spring, I suppose…
The Instagram/Facebook crash that happened this afternoon is merely further proof that this platform doesn’t belong to you, and neither does anything you post on it. I was secretly dreaming that the app would vanish and never start back up again, but can you imagine how many livelihoods would have been lost if that’s the case? Anyone who makes the majority of their wealth through content creation on social media needs a backup space – a space they actually own – and the best way to do that is through a website. Because one day, that app will crash and will never start back up again, and your dependency on it will make you panic. As that happened, this showed up on my Pinterest:
Sadly, it’s 18h30 and I’ve yet to journal. Baby just went down to sleep. This is where I part this scattered mess of a blog post! It’s lasagna soup for dinner tonight, which is perfect for how the weather turned around…
xx C
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I’m surprised you agreed to 100 years on this planet, honestly. Did you check the fine print on your soul contract?
xx C (letter over)
Awakened Little Souls 
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