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Hello Friend,
As January comes to a close, I wanted to pause and share a little snapshot of what I’ve been up to — both behind the scenes and in my heart.
This month has been about gentle progress, not perfection.
I’ve been spending time clarifying my focus for Seeking Serenity & Harmony, especially around:
• Creating resources that reduce shame and overwhelm
• Building supportive spaces
• Writing projects that bring comfort, insight, and hope
On the creative side, I’ve been developing and revisiting several writing projects, including:
- A mini-book centered around 100 Days of Healthy Habits (simple, realistic habits that support mental, emotional, and physical well-being)
- Continuing momentum toward getting my gluten-free living book, Living With Celiac Disease: Living the Gluten-Free Lifestyle with Less Stress into the hands of those interested. I will be doing a promotion to recieve it free soon.
I’m also shaping the early framework for my Serenity Accountability Coaching, which will blend gentle goal-setting, stress support, and compassionate accountability for people who want change without pressure or hustle culture.
Personally, January has been a month of listening inward.
Listening to my energy.
Listening to what truly matters.
Listening to what feels sustainable.
I’m learning (again and again) that small, steady steps still count. Rest still counts. Showing up imperfectly still counts.
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Mental Health: Why Rest is Productive in Dark Seasons
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“You are allowed to slow down. Slowness is wisdom, not weakness.”
Why Rest is Productive in Dark Seasons
- Circadian rhythm changes
- Emotional fatigue after holidays
- The body craves restoration
- Rest supports clarity
- Rest prevents burnout
- Rest is emotional regulation
- Rest is part of the serenity equation
- Gentle morning routines
- Evening wind-down
- Rest as prevention, not punishment
This time of year has a way of making people feel “behind.” The short days, the endless demands, the pressure to be cheerful—it’s a strange combination. And when your body tells you it’s tired, it’s easy to think something is wrong with you.But nothing is wrong with you.
Your body is wise.Winter is a natural time of restoration. The earth slows down. Animals slow down. Nature softens its edges and pulls inward. You’re allowed to do the same.Here’s the truth we often forget:
​Rest is productive.Rest helps you think more clearly.
Rest supports your emotional regulation.
Rest prevents burnout before it steals your joy.
Rest is part of healing.
Rest is part of growth.
Rest is part of your serenity.You don’t earn rest—you need it.Try giving yourself one gentle winter ritual:Allow yourself to move at a winter pace. Not everything has to bloom right now. Not everything has to be done in the light.
You are not falling behind. You are aligning with the season.​
And there is deep, sacred wisdom in that.Try to add one or two of these to your days
- A slow morning with quiet tea
- A 10-minute afternoon pause
- A soft evening routine
- A day each week without pressure or expectations
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Wintering at Harmony Homestead: Caring for Them, Caring for Me (Previously published on my Harmony Homestead Substack)
When the cold turns extreme, life at Harmony Homestead slows down and gets very real.
The chickens still need water even when it freezes minutes after filling it.
The dogs still need to go out even when the wind cuts straight through your bones.
And I still need care too, even when it feels easier to ignore myself.
This kind of cold doesn’t ask for hustle. It asks for presence. Recently, I heard about the book Wintering by Katherine May. It put words to something I’ve lived many times but didn’t always honor: that winter, literal or emotional, is a season for conserving energy, not forcing growth.
What Winter Care Really Looks Like for Our Poultry
Caring for poultry in extreme cold has taught me a lot about priorities.
They don’t need perfection. They need:
- Dry bedding
- Shelter from wind
- Liquid water (again and again)
- Enough food to fuel their little bodies
They don’t need extra handling or unnecessary changes. They need steadiness. Familiar routines. Calm.
Watching them huddle together, conserving warmth, reminds me that survival itself is enough work right now.
Our Dogs Teach Me How to Slow Down
The dogs are honest about winter in a way humans rarely are.
They don’t pretend they want long walks in subzero temperatures. They step outside, do what’s needed, and head back to warmth. They rest more. They sleep more deeply. They listen to their bodies without shame.
I try to learn from that.
Shorter outings. Warmer beds. Checking paws. Letting rest be rest instead of calling it “laziness.”
And Then There’s Me
Here’s the part I’m still practicing:
I am not separate from this care.
Winter care for animals is self-care when I let it be. Slowing down enough to notice frozen waterers also helps me see that I’m running on empty. Choosing warmth for them reminds me to claim it for myself too. Warm food, warm clothes, earlier nights, fewer expectations.
Katherine May calls this “wintering”—a retreat, not a failure. A season of rest, not giving up.
That idea has been a relief to my nervous system.
If You’re Wintering Too
If you’re tired right now…
If your motivation feels frozen…
If you’re doing just the basics and wondering why it feels so hard…
You’re not broken.
You’re wintering.
At Harmony Homestead, winter reminds me that care doesn’t have to be fancy to be meaningful. It just has to be kind, consistent, and honest.
We’ll grow again.
But for now, we tend to what matters most.
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If you hate winter : 14 Coping Strategies If You Hate Winter (& Love Plants)​
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I am SO excited to finally share this with you!
After months of planning and collaboration with some incredible creators, I'm thrilled to announce that the Ultimate Family Treasure Chest is officially OPEN!And here's what makes this different from anything else you've seen:You get to choose your own adventure.Inside this treasure chest, you'll find resources covering everything from parenting and homeschooling to business, health, gardening, travel, DIY, and so much more.But here's the beauty of it: You don't have to take everything.Browse through the treasures, and claim only what serves YOU and your family right now. Leave the rest behind. No guilt. No pressure.Here's a peek at what's waiting for you in the FREE chest:​
✨ Nourish Your Mind: A Guide to Eating for Mental Health & Wellness
✨ 15-Minute Homeschool Schedule Fix
✨ Essential Legal Guide for Entrepreneurs
✨ Food Freedom Foundation Workshop
✨ How to Create a Walk-Away Garden
✨ 3 Secrets to Get Your Kids to Listen (Without Yelling, Nagging, or Losing Your Cool)
✨ Budget Smart Girl Money Makeover
✨ Kickstart Your Calm Morning
✨ 7 Easy Ways to Start Making Money from Sponsored Posts
✨ Start Your Novel 5-day course
✨ Rock Your Routine
✨ Transform Your Overwhelm: 7 Days To Peaceful Productivity...and 100+ more resources across every area of your life!
Whether you're a parent looking for help with routines, a business owner who needs legal guidance, someone on a wellness journey, a gardener wanting to build better soil, or a writer ready to start that novel, there's treasure here with your name on it.
​You have 1 month to download your free treasures after you sign up.But wait, there's something else I need to tell you about...​
I've also created the Golden Key Pass, a special upgrade that unlocks 30 premium products for just $25.These are normally worth over $1,200 if you bought them individually.
Inside the Golden Key Pass, you'll get complete courses and resources on:đź“ť How to write a novel, plot stories, and become a better writer
🍽️ A comprehensive meal planning system with pantry/fridge/freezer trackers, prep pages, seasonal planning, and nutrition guides
đź’Ľ Legal protection for your digital products (Privacy Policy, Disclaimers, T&C, copyright protection)
🌱 Soil care and gardening techniques for healthy, thriving gardens
đźš— Road trip planning that cuts your planning time in half (with real family recommendations!)
đź’Ş Self-love and wellness frameworks with habit-building guides
👨‍👩‍👧 Teen connection strategies that actually build trust
🧠Procrastination breakthrough tools with trigger tracking
đź“Š 7 plug-and-play Trello boards with video tutorials
💛 Faith-based digital product business framework with Canva templates 🏡 House cleaning systems and decluttering guides
✂️ Alphabet learning games for little ones
đź’° Budgeting and financial organization tools
đź‘Ş Family kindness prompts and connection activities...and so much more!
​BONUS:
- Everything in the Ultimate Family Treasure Chest (of course)
- Additional access to 30 products for the whole family (value $1200+)
- 6 months to sign up/download the extra products in the Golden Key Pass
- Granted free access to the Family Flow GPT where you can ask about chores, routines, activities, and get friendly guidance. (value $10)
- Get to be in a random drawing of 10 yearly subscriptions to Sanebox (each worth $59)
- Additional access to 30 coloring pages with resell rights (value $27)
- Get to be in a random drawing of 10 full accesses to The Ultimate Kids Activity Mega-Bundle (each worth $77)
You'll have 6 full months to download all the Golden Key Pass content, so there's no rush.
​Here's the important part:The treasure chest is only open for 5 days.It closes on January 30th at 11:59PM ET.
After that, the doors lock forever. The free resources disappear. The $25 Golden Key Pass goes away.
I've never done this before, so please don't miss out.Get it here​
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I still can't quite believe how fast January flew by. As we move into February, my intention is simple:
Keep creating
Keep writing
Keep choosing progress over paralysis
Keep building something rooted in calm, kindness, and possibility
Thank you for being here. Thank you for walking alongside me. And thank you for caring about a vision where serenity and harmony replace shame and stigma.
If you’d like to reply and share what you are hoping to focus on next month, I’d love to hear.
With warmth and gratitude,
Laurie
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Life with Less Judgment, More Peace, Serenity & Harmony One Step at a Time
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- I’m looking forward to connecting with you all. Let’s create a space for growth, healing, and support. 💙
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