
Hi,
Welcome to another Sunday and another little dose of encouragement to find simplicity in your home and your life wherever possible.
In a world full of uncertainty and change, I think we can all benefit from taking heart in the simple little things that make up the ebb and flow of our days.
For me, personally, that means:
- Teaching (to pay the bills)
- Walking (for calm, fresh air, exercise, and my love of nature)
- Keeping up with my (very flexible routines) for housework and looking after myself and my family (because my home, kids and myself all work better when we have a little structure!)
For the most part, they may seem like mundane, predictable tasks but in a 2020 that’s been full of change, sometimes the known feels better than the unknown!
Having said that, I’ll certainly be ready for a bit more excitement as soon as Covid restrictions let us. Fingers crossed for everyone…
If you’d like to share how you feel about your days in 2020 and the little things that you find joy in, I’d love to hear from you. 😊
THIS WEEK ON THE BLOG ✍
This week I’ve shared a couple of new posts on the blog. You can check them out with the links below.
THE CORE LIBRARY
The At The Core library filled with my free resources is available to you whenever you need it.
It's my way of saying thank you to everyone who joins my email community.
It's packed with really helpful checklists, printables and workbooks to help you declutter your home, your mind, manage your time, and simplify your life.
Just sign in and you will be able to access it :)
AND FINALLY...
I’d like to leave you with a short but powerful little quote from Muhammad Ali…
Even days filled with the mundane, the predictable and sometimes the downright difficult, try to seek out the little joys. 💝
Connect with me:
Roadmap: Not sure where to start? This may help!
Instagram: Simple tips and inspiration for daily motivation and encouragement.
Pinterest: A wealth of ideas, inspiration, and extra resources to help simplify our complex and busy lives.
That’s it for now. Have a lovely weekend, stay safe, and look after yourself.
I’ll be back in your inbox next week.
Shanna
Simplicity = Less clutter and stress, more clarity and calm.


You can be doing so much to heal, but if you aren’t *investing* in what fills you up, in what makes your soul shine, then what are you really doing?
Maybe you’re getting some relief but are you feeling fulfilled, whole?
When I say invest, I mean energetically AND monetarily. We can’t sit around waiting, wishing, hoping, praying. As if these things that our heart & soul desires will just fall into our lap. We have to DO
Buy that book you’ve been eyeing
Treat yourself to that massage
Book a session with that healer
Enroll in that course
Purchase supplies for your new venture
Get the new appliance
Join that dance class
Go to that $20 event
Go to that free event
Plan your own event
Do the hobby you love
Take up the new hobby you’ve been curious about
Check out that fitness studio
List that thing you’ve been meaning to sell
Post those words you’ve been wanting to share
Connect w/ the person you’ve been thinking about
Take those 45 minutes each day for you
Rest as much as needed
Give back to others. Do good for the community. Get money circulating!
GET. OUT. THERE! Get out of your head & do something with your mind! Get the energy flowing through your body & out into the universe! Do the things you want to do! The things that bring you life!
What you circulate out, comes back to you in beautiful ways. Believe in that!
Get rid of the habits & pastimes that block you from being able to invest. Build the investment within you to have the stamina with what you want to create
I understand it can be scary to break free from our comfort zones or to spend the extra money. But what’s the result if you don’t do that? Remaining stuck. When we invest we open up space, we let things flow in naturally
What have you been wanting to do that’ll allow you to grow? Make a list for yourself *today*, just 3-5 items, & begin checking those things off💫

Take a minute to check in with yourself. Do you feel overwhelmed?
There are things each person needs to feel fulfilled. That is going to look different for you than it does for me. Being a stay at home mom and nurturing your children all day may be your thing. For others, it may be working a 9-5 job, going to the gym, and going home to cook yourself a meal. In either scenario, women are giving it their all in many areas of their life. They’re giving to their family, their employer, their friends, their hobbies.
Where does self come into play?
For me, there are certain practices I absolutely need in place to keep from feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes it’s hard for me to take time for myself. To get my mind quiet. It can be chaotic with a husband, kids, and dogs. I know it’s important to take a step back and do something for myself but it’s still hard. Is it hard for you too?
It’s so important to let your mind be quiet and still. We can get in such a routine of go-go-go that we forget to pause. We only realize we need a break once we get too far away from our center. Don’t lose yourself to your responsibilities, your friends, or your family. If you’re constantly giving to everyone else, you’ll eventually have nothing left to give. Trust me, I’ve gotten there a few times and it’s a dark place. You need to refill your cup so you have something to give to others. It’s not selfish to take time for yourself. You wouldn’t see taking a bathroom break or lunch break as selfish, right? Your mental and emotional state is just as important as your physical state. This doesn’t have to be an intense self-care ritual. It can be as simple as a five minute meditation, reading a book, going on a walk by yourself without being connected to social media or work.
Take a minute to ask yourself, what do you need right now to feel supported? What do you need in this moment to feel peace and happiness?
To all the women out there that are trying to be everyone’s everything- I see you and I hear you. If you need help with your self care routine, or how you can better take care of yourself, let me know. I’m here to support you.

I want to share with you my recent experiences around privilege. The definition of privilege is “a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group”. You may be privileged, or lack privilege, because of your race, gender, ability, wealth, or class.
Recently I’ve come to realize I’ve been privileged all along. How so? Keep reading…
Let’s start at the foundation of where privilege can possibly come from, that being, the family you are born into. Let’s face it, you can be blessed with the family you are born into or you can not be. Being blessed means you never have to wonder if there will be food on the table. You never have to question being loved. Then there is the flip side of things. There are many children born into a family in which they are neglected and/or around traumatizing situations. I truly believe this ONE distinguishing factor directly influences MANY avenues of an individual's life.
For me, I was lucky and fell into the blessed category. Growing up I had parents who worked hard to provide the best opportunities they could. Although divorced, they both were actively involved in my daily life and I always knew I was loved. I was able to go to a Catholic high school, attend college, and find employment with great benefits directly after college. As I grew up, I never thought of these things as special or unique. I thought that this was just how life was supposed to be and was for others. Ironically, now, I can say I was privileged. The fact is, if I didn’t have my parents' support, both financially and emotionally, I never would have ended up where I did. I know that for a fact.
The past few weeks we’ve been at the Napa Center in Boston getting therapies for my youngest daughter, Lyssie. This center was not well known in my circle and I had to do a lot of research on my own to even find out about it. There was a lot of correspondence with therapists, insurance, billing, etc. to get things in motion. Had I not been educated enough to navigate these different systems we wouldn’t be here. This got me thinking about privilege and what that looks like for me and my family and that my privileges now were directly influencing my children. They are privileged for the opportunities/experiences that they are given from us as their parents and the rest of our family.
Privilege doesn’t need to be seen as a bad thing. Everyone wants privileges. Everyone wants access and opportunity. The problem is not privileges. The problem is that not everyone is given privileges. For example, the intensive center that we are at now, these types of high-level therapeutic supports for a child that qualifies as needing so, should be available to all. It makes me sad to think this is not a basic level of care that is provided to people. It makes me disappointed to know there are other children like Lyssie, that don’t know about centers like this and all of the other opportunities out there.
These advanced centers are something that I feel should be available to everyone regardless of their employment, benefits, or financial status. Don’t get me wrong, there are services provided for free, and for anyone with a disability by the state of CT from birth to 3. I’m incredibly grateful for that and the therapist that we have developed a wonderful relationship with. The difference between those free services and a center like this is the intensity level of it, the newer kinds of therapies/equipment utilized and the resources provided. This is the best of the best. And who doesn’t want that for their child?

So again, when talking about privileges I am privileged because I can get my child into a center like this. I can utilize my insurance. If insurance wasn’t an option, I still would be able to find a way to pay for it. Now to tie this all together...let’s work this privilege backward to see where it lands. Do you see it? I owe it all to my parents. So thank you, mom and dad, for the privileges that you worked so hard for me to have. I’m sorry it took me so long to see them as what they truly are.
I want to know what your thoughts are on this topic. Have you thought about your privilege? If you don’t have privilege, I want you to share it as well. I want to hear your perspective. Do you think a lot of it had to do with your life growing up and the opportunities you were/weren’t allotted? I want to have an open dialog conversation with you about this topic and how we can make changes. I may not have all the answers but together we can work to make a real impact in this area.
Take care everyone.
If you’d like further information about this center and how to navigate insurance etc. please DM me. I’ve attached many videos/pics of Lyssie’s sessions on our FB page, Perfectly Placed. Please come join us :)

Will things change? Absolutely
Will relationships shift? 100%
Will there be setbacks? You bet
Will you question it all? Most likely
Will it be trying at times? No doubt
Will life feel uncomfortable? Of course
You were put in the place you’re at now to give you the opportunity to turn it all around & come back better than how it was before.
Growth is a gift even though it may not always feel like it. You owe it to yourself & your future to embrace what’s in the palm of your hands!
Place your hands in front of you & take a look at them. Seriously. Do it right now. Really study your hands. Do you feel connected to yourself? To your journey? Do you feel the energy you hold?
If you’re having trouble feeling or seeing your power, *know* that it’s there. It’s waiting for you
It will get easier
New relationships will form
You’ll remember your passions
You’ll find your purpose
You’ll have many victories
You’ll gain great experience & knowledge
Your life will expand in beautiful ways
You’ll find your peace & freedom
Miracles will happen
You’ve come this far, that’s a miracle in itself! Keep going!

Panic. Fear. Distress. Confusion. Concern. Disinformation. Anger. Frustration. Restriction. These are all known as *LOW VIBRATING ENERGIES*. It’s everywhere we turn right now on a global level. Low vibrations create stress and anxiety and everyone that has been stuck in this house for the past 3 months is feeling it. Including my daughter. And little did I know that my energies were being picked up on even though I was doing my best to hide them.
That’s when the floodgates opened for both of us.
I tried to say the right things like, "I know. This feels hard and unfair because it is." I hugged her and assured her that in time things will get better. We grabbed some ice cream for good measure and went on with our evening.
Watching my five-year-old process the loss of her first friends, school experience, teachers, family—is the most humbling moment I’ve had as her mother. I always knew she was capable of feeling deeply. Though, I had no idea she could verbally express it in the mature way she did.
As I put her to bed that night I couldn't help but smile thinking about what transpired. In shifting perspectives I came to these thoughts...missing all of the things that she described also means she has been very lucky. She has been the recipient of good love, from many people and places, and yes, my sweet girl, sometimes when you get that kind of gold, it’s incredibly hard to let it go.



What are you doing on a daily basis to achieve the goals you have for your life? This is the question we should be focused on, but we aren’t . Often, we are too busy comparing ourselves to other people which causes envy and misery in our own lives. We continuously berate ourselves for making mistakes disregarding the fact that if you don't make mistakes, there are no challenges and no chances for personal growth. We put our happiness in the hands of others knowing full well that true happiness can only come from within. This line of thinking and behavior is toxic and has to be brought to an end in order to get what we want out of life... & I mean now. Focusing on things that make you feel bad will only prolong negative emotions. I encourage you to shift your focus from the external to the internal and go after what you really want. There are lots of victories ahead for you, and to reach them you have build a sustainable solution that will open doors to success in every direction you choose. I see how hard you are working. I know how much you want to change. Your work and your life is ever evolving, revealing new layers. Just when you think you’ve reached a new level, there’s another layer hiding underneath that will take you to new depths of growth. When reading this, I encourage you to be open to the possibility of change. Your next breakthrough is right around the corner. |