Spring Cleaning My Time & Energy

I took a big step this week and closed down my other blog, The Barefoot Office Mom (BOM) after running it for six years, which in Internet time is like a 25 year commitment.

The decision was one of those serendipitous moments when you just KNOW it’s the right thing to do.

I had been grappling with too much stuff on my plate for a while now. I am creative person and as such, love chasing shiny new ideas. And if I’m not careful I can spend a lot of time and energy (and occasionally money) fleshing out ideas and projects that, if I’m honest with myself, aren’t going anywhere. And the BOM was falling into that category.

It had somehow gone from a passion project to just another item on my to-do list, like get groceries or making a dentist appointment.

And in the process the BOM was taking up a lot of mental space that I could of used on other stuff - like Mabon House. I was constantly feeling bad that I wasn’t writing more for the BOM or making more printables or getting on social media enough with it.

I found myself with a general sense of dread whenever I thought of it. But I kept on keeping on…thinking if I just work a little harder, get a little more organized… it’ll be fine. It will work itself out.

Do you ever tell yourself that story? If I just work harder…..when really you need to work less. Or think less. Or do less stuff. This is hard for women - we are programmed to go, go, go. Be productive, efficient, make the world go round (but don’t expect to get a fair wage for any of it).

I keep a post-it with a quote on on my work computer that reads:

“You can do anything. But you can’t do everything.”

Sometimes you have to let things go in order to move forward. And it can be really hard if it is something (or someone) you have invested a lot of time and energy into.

For me, the decision was easy when I gave myself some time and space to think about why I was doing what I was doing. Once I decided that it was time to close up the BOM, I immediately closed down the site, my other etsy shop and my social media profiles. I didn’t give myself time to mull it over and second guess my decision. And when it was over there was a HUGE sense of relief. And space. And it was lovely. And the right thing to do.

What about you? Is there something that you hang on to, out of habit or obligation? Do you think 2020 will be the year of letting it go?

Free Ostara Celebration Guide

Happy Friday! I’ve been recovering from a cold and trying to balance all.the.things in my life from my family to my job to this newsletter. Though I’ve been busy, I’ve still been able to appreciate the promise of springtime. The temps in New England are still hovering in the teens and twenties, but the sunshine is growing warmer and the days are getting longer. So there’s hope yet!

In celebration of the coming Sabbat, this week’s free printable is an Ostara Celebration Guide. I hope you like it!

The OSTARA CELEBRATION GUIDE is available for free to subscribers until MARCH 1, so be sure to grab your copy today!

Ostara Recipes & Potluck Planner

Happy February! I don’t know about you, but I always feel like a champ for surviving January in New England. Several of you have asked about recipes and party planning for your Sabbat celebrations. So this week I thought it would fun to put together some pagan-inspired recipes and share an easy potluck guide.

The trick with hosting any kind of gathering is to make it fun for yourself. Nothing is worse than cooking and cleaning and setting up all day (or days) and being so tired you can’t enjoy your own party. I find the easiest way to host a fun and affordable gathering is to make it a potluck.

So to help you out, this week’s free printable is a Potluck Party Planner (say that 10 times fast) that will help you plan a lovely gathering while keeping your sanity.

Pagan Inspired Food & Some Recipes (sort of)

Because paganism is a wide umbrella of beliefs and customs, there are unlimited ingredients and recipes that you can incorporate into your Sabbat and holiday celebrations.

Here’s a short list of common foods associated with Wheel of the Year Sabbats, starting with the next Sabbat, Ostara:

Ostara -Eggs, honey, sprouted greens, baked goods, asparagus 

Beltane - Dairy foods, honey, oats, mead, lamb 

Litha - Honey, elderberry, strawberry, fennel, thyme, fresh greens, mead, light wines

Lughnasadh - Grapes, wine, beer, bread, grains, blackberries, pears, raspberries, black currants, corn

Mabon - Corn, beans, squash, apples, pumpkins, cider, root vegetables, pomegranate, wine 

Samhain - Apples, pumpkins, roasted game birds, cider, dark wine, pears, root vegetables 

Yule - Cookies, caraway, dried fruits and nuts, pork dishes, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider and wassail. 

Imbolc - Baked goods, winter vegetables, seeds, dried fruit, butter, milk, cheese, lamb, mutton

About those recipes…

So I’m gonna totally honest here - while I LOVE cooking, I do not really like writing recipes. And I like testing recipes even less. So, rather than spend the limited amount of time I have for Mabon House doing something I don’t love, I decided we’d all just be happier if I curated some of my favorite recipes from Pinterest.

Maybe this is a lazy shortcut? Or maybe it’s excellent time management. You decide. ;)

Ostara Menu Inspiration

I’ve gathered up some of my favorite Ostara Recipes from around Pinterest and organized them into a curated menu on Mabon House. I choose the recipes based on cost, complimentary flavors and incorporating traditional spring foods.

Let me know what you think. If you find this helpful, I’m happy to create more curated menus for the rest of the Wheel of the Year Sabbats.

I hope you had a lovely Imbolc and an even lovelier start to February. Just think, we are more than halfway to Springtime!