Tonight before bedtime I had two naked boys running around the house.

The diaperless 2-year-old was left alone for a few minutes in his room, only to be discovered moments later smearing poop into the carpet.

My bed was covered with unfolded clothes and instead of taking the time to fold them, this tired pregnant mama (of another boy!) threw them on the floor to deal with tomorrow.

The art room was left with scraps of paper and markers thrown about.

Not all evenings are like this.  But, tonight just happened to be one of them.

And that’s just part of being a mom.

Being a mom is a lot of work.  I never knew what to expect before becoming one.  Does anyone really?  But once you do discover what’s on the other side of birthing a child, you find you have a common bond with all the mothers before you – a camaraderie of sorts – a secret knowing what this job is really like.  You become part of the mama club.

When you are a member of the mama club, you don’t have to explain the rewards of being a mom.  You don’t have to explain the joys.  You don’t have to explain the challenges.  We moms are fully aware of them all.

And sometimes we get super busy.  We get caught up in “keeping up” – trying to be like others or just trying to make it through the day.  We put on that face.  You know…the one that tells the world,  Everything is just fine. But sometimes…it just isn’t.  And no matter what…we need each other.  We need to know we’re not alone.  We need to slow down. We need to rest.  We need time with friends. We need wine or dark chocolate.  We need reality TV.  We need a good book, a good laugh, a good bubble bath or a retreat away from it all.

Sometimes we need to shed our doubts.  Sometimes we need to cry.  Sometimes we need to laugh our asses off.

Sometimes we need to reconnect to our intuition, express our creativity, get messy, and live out our hidden dreams.

Sometimes we just need to mother our OWN hearts.

And that’s what Mothering with heART is about – taking time for ourselves and learning how to integrate the need for creativity, downtime, play and FUN into our daily lives while raising children.  And when we learn to nourish our own souls each day, we are nourishing our children’s souls, too.  Because that’s the cool thing about being a mom.  We’re bonded to these little people.  And they sense when we are happy.  They learn from our example.  So the more we return to our true selves and our authentic way of being in the world, we end up passing that on to our kids.  And that means more inner peace, love, joy and happiness for us all!

I’m incredibly honored and excited to share with you a group of AMAZING moms, business women, writers, artists, life coaches and much more who are sharing parts and pieces of their mothering journey with us in my newest online experience, Mothering with heART. Check out the link below to meet them!

And the best part is, many of these contributors have a SPECIAL giveaway just for YOU!  Check out these incredible gifts below.  All you have to do for your chance to win one is:

1)  take a moment to leave a comment on this blog post by Monday, May 20th, 2013.

2) for another entry, stop by and like A Free Spirit Life Facebook page. Already a fan or don’t use Facebook?  That’s ok…simply share the link about Mothering with heART with your friends and let me know about it.  I’ll enter you in the drawing a second time!

 The giveaways include:

Win a spot in the upcoming e-course, Sexy, Raw & Radiant – from Mothering with heART contributors Stephanie Perkinson and Leah Kent.

Win a spot in the upcoming e-course, Dream Lab – from Mothering with heART contributor, Amy Bowers.

Win a copy of the book, Sacred Pregnancy (AND the magazine!) – from Mothering with heART contributor, Anni Daulter.

Win a FREE ebook, “How to Navigate your Biz While Staying True to You” (to be released in June) – from Mothering with heART contributor, Megan Monique.

 Win a $25 gift certificate for the natural online store, Hip Mountain Mama – from Mothering with heART contributor, Suzy Hawbaker.

Win a FREE ebook, Lemonade & Fireflies: Inspiration for a Magical Summer – from Mothering with heART contributor, Shawn Ledington Fink.

Win a FREE copy of the new WishstudioPress zine, Glitter & Grunge - from Mothering with heART contributor, Mindy Tsonas.

Win 4 100% cotton naturally dyed handkerchiefs – from Mothering with heART contributor, Jennifer Schmitz.

Win a spot in the first ever, Mothering with heART e-course – from me.

Leave your comment NOW for your chance to win!  I’ll announce a winner on Monday, May 2oth.

AND…from now through May 20th, you can register for Mothering with heART at the discounted price of $59!

To register visit:  Mothering with heART Special Discount.

Your Personal Reflection:

What does “mothering with heart” or “mothering YOUR heart” mean to you?

Loving fully, finding beauty in the struggle, embracing your intuition, expressing your creativity, being aware of your children’s changing needs, making space for what matters most to you, and building the courage to live your authentic life – that’s what Mothering with heART is all about.

Let’s shed the doubt and remember to TRUST ourselves as mothers.
Let’s treat ourselves with kindness and offer support to others.
Let’s share, grow and learn together – as we continue embracing the true gift of motherhood.
Let’s raise our children the way we feel is best for them and best for us.
And let’s make sure we are taking care of our health, well-being and creativity along the way.

Introducing my newest e-course experience:  Mothering with heART

I’m SO excited to share this with you!

Please check out all the details on my website by clicking below:

Mothering with heART

the new online course to celebrate the mother in you

In honor of Mother’s Day, I’m offering a special discount for this new course now through Sunday, May 12th, midnight C.S.T. Rather than paying full price, for this limited time, you can register for the 4-week online experience for only $49!

Gift certificates for the special mothers in your life are also available!

Registration now open!

Summer session dates: July 8th – August 2nd, 2013

Whether you are expecting your first baby, you are a mom of young children, your kids are teens or just went off to college, NOW is the time to take better care of YOU, so you can keep being the mother (and woman) you want to be in the world. Mothering with heART will give you the inspiration, time for reflection and connection to community that will enrich your life and awaken your creative soul!

Wishing you peace, love and JOY this Mother’s Day!

***This special discount has ended.***

The outer kingdom is not our real home. The inner kingdom is our everything.

~ Marianne Williamson

This is my last attempt to get you to join us on a creative adventure that is sure to take you on a soulful, life-changing ride!  The quotes below are just a few of the recent comments I’ve received from the amazing community of women who have taken my Inside Out e-course.

“I so believe in the work Shannon does, but even more so, I’m inspired to live the life I LOVE because she helped crack open my soul…”

“I really love my new painting and would never have had the courage to paint like this before playing so much with paint and having no set expectations that I learned through Inside Out.  So, thank you, Shannon!

“Thank you for this community space and for all the help and encouragement you have given me with your course. I am a free spirit!”

“Shannon, from the beginning you have taught me to face my fears and work through them. One item on my list of  ”25 things I’ve always wanted to do” was to open an Etsy shop…today I am marking that off my list!  Thank you, beautiful lady, for shining your light to inspire us to shine ours.”

To see more of what past Inside Out graduates are saying about the course, visit: 

 Free Spirit Raves. 

Below is the welcome video I created for the new session that starts this Monday.  If you are still wondering if this is the right experience for you, watch the video and if you resonate with my words…get yourself over to the registration page and JOIN US!

To register, visit Inside Out Registration.

Reminders:  This is the last session of Inside Out I’ll be offering for 2013.  I’ve nearly cut the price in half and will not be offering the course at this discount in the future.

The password to view the video is:  befree

Inside Out Welcome Video April 2013 from Shannon Kinney on Vimeo.

Your Personal Reflection:

Are you living the life you’ve always dreamed of?  Are you caught up in negativity and stress? Do you miss expressing your creative side? Do you wish you could be more creative?  Are you worried about making everything perfect and just so? Do you go to bed at night feeling exhausted and sad that you can’t get to the things you enjoy most? Do you feel like you never have enough time or energy?  Are you ready to make deep changes in your life, so you truly can create a life YOU love, each and every day?

Then…my love…NOW is the time.

*****

Registration is now closed.

You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual.  There is no other teacher but your own soul.

~ Swami Vivekananda

I just feel happy.  Maybe it’s because I finally see spring.  Maybe it’s because we are past the week of sickness.  Maybe it’s because Easter weekend filled me up with so much JOY and love that I can’t stop smiling.

And maybe it’s because I have exciting news to share with you today (and more exciting news to come)…

Registration is now open!

I’ve decided to offer my e-course, Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery, for only one more session this year.  This spring session, which runs April 29th – May 31st, will be the last session of Inside Out for 2013.

And not only that…

but I’ve cut the price for this 5-week e-course nearly in half!  (No foolin’.)

This is my gift to you today.

This is NOT the time to hesitate.

This is the time to become the creator of your life, awaken to the wisdom of your own soul, and CREATE the life you LOVE!

To learn more and to register visit:

 Inside Out Spring Session

Your Personal Reflection:

Spring is the perfect time to jump with two feet forward in the direction of your dreams.  What are you waiting for?

I’m choosing happiness over suffering, I know I am.  I’m making space for the unknown future to fill up my life with yet-to-come surprises.

~ Elizabeth Gilbert

In my last post I talked about my craving for spring.  And as the temperatures slowly warm up and the snow starts to melt, I’m catching the spring cleaning bug.  Well…I don’t even think it has much to do with cleaning, but rather a deep desire to CLEAR CLUTTER!

For the month of April, my Inside Out graduates and I are supporting each other through a Reduce Clutter; Create Space challenge.  For the entire month, we’ll be focusing on clearing those pesky areas that have been stuffed with “stuff.”  You know…the sock drawer, the freezer, the hallway closet.  We’ll start with small stuff like the junk drawer, and maybe lead to bigger stuff like the office or basement.  I’ve been working regularly to organized and declutter my living space, so I’m actually feeling a desire to focus more on my digital clutter – organizing, printing, and backing-up my thousands of family photos.  And there are definitely some closets and other piles needing my attention, too.

I find that when I put love and attention into my living environment, I get a burst of energy, and new ideas, inspiration and motivation are released.  That’s why I’m so happy to share with you this new e-course from creators, Leah Cherry and Stephanie Perkinson, called Feathering the Nest.

Ask yourself these questions:  Do you ever wonder if the home environment that surrounds you is supporting the life that you are dreaming of?  Take a minute and look around the room.  What do you see?  Are there more than a few corners that need some loving?

This new 2-week e-course, Feathering the Nest, is a lovely journey created to guide you into making your home a beautiful space that mirrors the love and dreams you hold in your soul. Stephanie & Leah will help you connect with your deepest desires and favorite things.  Then, they’ll show you creative and simple ways to have those desires reflected back at you, as you make your house into a nurturing soul-space.

Doesn’t that sound so wonderful and refreshing?  Ahh…a breath of fresh spring air brought right into your living space.

To learn more about this timely and beautiful e-course, visit:  Feathering the Nest.

(Class runs April 1st – 12th, 2013)

Give-away #1:

To enter for a chance to win a spot in this e-course, simply leave a comment below.

To connect with Leah, visit her Facebook page: Skill It.

To connect with Stephanie, visit her Facebook page:  Wellness by Design.

After you clear some clutter and make your living environment a nurturing space for your soul, then you’ll be feeling inspired to clear mental and emotional clutter, start something new, enrich and inspire your creativity and reconnect to your creative dreams in my e-course, Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery.

Ask yourself these questions:  Are you looking for more meaning in your life?  Do you want to fulfill your life purpose?  Would you like to express your true gifts, so you can be of service to the world?  Do you wish you were more creative?  Do you want to play with paint?  Do you feel scattered, rushed, stressed, unfocused and overwhelmed? Would you like to bring more relaxation, peace and harmony into your life?  Would you like to take better care of your mind, body, spirit and creative dreams?  Are you ready to embrace the true artist (we are all artists…yes…even YOU!) that you are and live a full, creative, bold, happy life?

Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery is an experience that could change your life. Through art journaling, writing, simple yoga, breathing techniques, guided meditation, community, play, letting go of perfect, making messes and having FUN, you will get the opportunity to dive deep inside and awaken the wisdom of your own heart.  It’s time to BREATHE, CREATE and LIVE the life YOU love.

To learn more, visit Inside Out:  A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery e-course.

(Class runs April 29th – May 31st, 2013 – psst…this is the last session I’ll be offering this year!)

Give-away #2:

To enter for a chance to win a spot in this e-course, simply leave a comment below.

To connect with my Facebook community, visit:  A Free Spirit Life Community.

Your Personal Reflection:

Clear what you are ready to release and make space for yet-to-come surprises in your life!  The possibilities are truly endless…

LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW for your chance to win one spot in either Feathering the Nest OR Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery!  Enter by Friday, March 29th, noon, C.S.T.  Winners will be announced that day.

Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study.  Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life.

~ Henry L. Doherty

One of the perks of teaching e-courses is that I get to meet the coolest online artist, writers and teachers, and sometimes I even get to take their classes.  Today, I’d like to introduce you to some of my newest teacher friends, who all have some amazing spring e-courses coming up.  Read the descriptions below and see if any speak to you!  Give yourself the gift this spring of learning something new about yourself and your life.

To register Click here to visit Awesomely Awake.

Leah Cherry, creator of Skill It and Stephanie Perkinson, creator of Wellness by Design, have joined forces to create a new e-course called Feathering the Nest. Feathering the Nest is a beautiful, two week journey created to guide you into making your home a beautiful space that mirrors the love and dreams you hold in your soul.  In this course you will make your home a place to unwind and connect, gather for cozy dinners, and nourish yourself in everyday moments. It begins April 1st and runs for 2 weeks.

To learn more and register, visit here:  Feathering the Nest.

To learn more and to register, visit here:  A Book About Me.

Gina, creator of Connecting Family and Seoul and her friend Kat, creator of Creative Playhouse are offering their e-course Connecting Family through Creative Play e-Workshop.

Connecting Family through Creative Play is a 30 day e-Workshop designed for families who wish to connect with their children on a daily basis through simple, creative play. It begins April 8th.

 

To learn more and to register, visit:  Connecting Family through Creative Play.

 

Your Personal Reflection:

In what ways will you prepare for and celebrate the coming of spring?

I haven’t blogged much this past month as I’m diving deep with another session of life-explorers in Inside Out. There is so much creative energy going on in our class space – I am blown away. And once again I feel so grateful that I left a job I was holding onto several years ago, so that I could pursue what I love and create and work from home with my kids!

I’m taking a quick break from playing with paint and cleaning up messes around the house, (seriously – how do kids get everything so sticky!?) to share with you an interview I recently had the privilege to be part of with Kelly Dahl, life coach and creator of Perched to Fly.

Shannon Kinney-Duh on The Fulfilling Life from Kelly Dahl on Vimeo.

Also, my friend Shawn is offering her Awesomely Awake e-course for Mama’s again. If you are interested, visit Awesomely Awake for all the details.  You have until Sunday to register!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, full of love, FUN and rest somewhere in between.

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.

~ Hans Hofmann

My little guy turned 5 yesterday! His party was this past weekend, and what he wanted was a Diego balloon, party blowers, a cupcake with raspberries, and his friends gathered at his favorite art place (where daddy works) so they could “run around together”.

We celebrate 3 birthdays in our family right after the New Year. So it’s been a little bit of a whirlwind planning celebrations. In addition to all the parities, my husband and I will be celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary in a few weeks. I mean, why stop now – we’re already in party mode, right?

Actually, what I’m learning as I simplify my daily life, is that each day is a celebration – big or small. It doesn’t take a lot of planning. You don’t need balloons, decorations or cake, either. (In fact, I prefer sugar-free options these days anyway!)

Seeing life as a celebration is a mindset. It’s looking at your life with an open heart and feeling the gratitude. Seriously, with some young friends who have passed away in the last few years, to seeing my last set of grandparents near the end, I’m receiving daily reminders that LIFE IS SHORT. And I’m starting to pay more attention to that old cliché.

Each day is a gift. There are MANY adventures waiting right outside our doors. Heck, there are many adventures right here in front of our faces…whispering…sometimes YELLING our names. It’s up to us to listen. It’s up to us to get out there and dance, laugh, play, make messes, jump with two feet and feel the JOY that life has to offer. Every day there’s a reason to celebrate.

I love the quote I share with you at the beginning of this post. It reminds me to find what matters most in life, do what I love and love what I do, and let go of the rest.

Today, I’m sharing the welcome video I’m posting for all the new life-explorers who have courageously signed up for the next session of Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery, because this e-course is all about that. Awakening to the wisdom of your heart. Finding the courage to share YOUR gifts with the world. And having FUN while doing it – ’cause life is an adventure and it’s meant to be celebrated!

You still have time to register – Inside Out starts this Monday!

Visit: Register for Inside Out

Remember: If you are an Inside Out or Outside In graduate, you receive a discount.

Visit: Register for Inside Out with Graduate Discount

If I do offer this e-course again, it won’t be until October 2013. Consider joining us NOW – make friends for a lifetime while you make friends with yourself.

BE well, lovely YOU.

Happiness doesn’t come from the amount of days we live in our life, but the amount of life we live in each of our days.

~ Grady L. Crosslin

You hear it all the time. Live life to the fullest.

But what does that really mean?

A friend of ours died this past New Year’s Eve while assisting at the scene of a car wreck on the side of the highway. He was a loving father to two young girls. He was 35 years old.

The theme at his funeral service was that he viewed life as an adventure and that he lived his life to the fullest.

And it got me thinking…what does living life to the fullest mean to me?

For our friend, it meant following his heart to change careers, so he could stop traveling and be home more with his girls. It meant building and nurturing lasting friendships. It meant putting family and relationships first. It meant being open to new discoveries, exploring the world, meeting new people, and facing fears. It meant saving his money for the things he loved most. It meant being there for those in need. It meant doing what he loved and loving what he did. And it meant having FUN along the way.

I think for me, living life to the fullest means being able to stop at a moments notice and experience the JOY that comes when playing in the snow with my boys. It’s about living with less distractions, eliminating the things that drain my energy and doing the things that awaken and nourish my soul. It’s about laughing, playing, dancing, singing, connecting and having FUN along the way.

Living life to the fullest is about remembering that THE TIME TO LIVE IS NOW, because we never know when it’s going to end.

My heart goes out to my friend’s family. My heart goes out to you.

Live your life to the fullest today – and have a whole lotta fun while doing it!

Your Personal Reflection:

What does living life to the fullest mean to you?

Being a mother is not about what you gave up to have a child, but what you’ve gained from having one.

~Sunny Gupta

Any mother will tell you that raising children is the. greatest. JOY. in. the. world.

And that statement is usually followed by:  it’s also the. toughest. job. in. the. world.

Being a mama is full of celebrations AND it comes with its own set of challenges.  It can be tiring work.  And it offers abundant opportunities to practice patience, deep breathing and letting go of perfect!

As I simplify in the New Year, I’m feeling nudged, urged, gently pushed and practically kicked in the rear to keep clearing distractions so that I can continue nurturing & integrating mindful mothering and mindful living into my daily life.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to a mindful mama who I find to be very inspiring.  I met Shawn Fink on Twitter and we connected instantly.  She is the creator of The Abundant Mama Project – which totally speaks my language!  Her e-course reminds us busy, overwhelmed, JOY-filled, exhausted, happy mamas on how to find GRATITUDE in the middle of all those parenting celebrations AND challenges.

Now who couldn’t use an extra dose of gratitude, love and peace?

Shawn participated in my Outside In: A Return to Stillness e-course, and that’s really where I learned more about who she is and her passions of connecting and inspiring mothers.  If this course speaks to you, then dance on over and see what Shawn is up to.  I’ll be joining her on the next journey of The Abundant Mama Project, and it couldn’t come at a better time.

Click here to visit Awesomely Awake.

Being a mother IS a JOY.

Being a mother can be tough.

And being a mother is the greatest gift and the greatest job in the world.

Your Personal Reflection:

I find that when I get caught up in the stress, worry and the challenges of life, I feel better when I return to the gratitude I feel in my heart.  What are you grateful for in this moment?