“Just say no” has had it’s day in the sun. Remember the 1980’s anti-drug marketing campaign? It was ubiquitous when I was growing up and it certainly stuck with me. In fact, I possibly took it a bit too far and said no to lots of things where I could have (and maybe should have) said yes!

Saying no is safe. But it’s also limiting. And sometimes boring. So when it comes to building a life in which you can truly thrive, I propose you consider a new mantra – Just Say Yes!

Saying yes opens doors. It broadens your perspective,  builds connections, expands your horizons. Saying yes brings life in. There are times of course, for saying no. For putting boundaries in place and taking control of a situation. So say no when you must.

But for a moment today, look at your life and consider where you might just say yes! Yes to playing outside with the kids. Yes to having lunch with an old friend. Yes to accepting the volunteer position that will stretch you. Yes to donating to the charity that needs your dollars. Yes to the friend request you’re not sure you should accept. Yes to trying a workout you’ve never done before. Yes to the unexpected job opportunity. Yes to the neighbor’s dinner invitation. Yes to registering to run the 10K. Yes to the first date.

Saying yes requires energy in reserve. I’ve blogged about this before; it’s so important to set yourself up to be able to say yes. If you’re finding yourself saying no because you simply don’t have the energy to say yes, check out this post.

During yoga classes (here I go again), we routinely lie on our backs with our arms at our sides and our palms facing upward signaling to the universe that we are open to possibilities, welcoming them in.  Where can you strike this pose in your life? Just say yes.

There is nothing quite like a mother, is there? Personally, I think I have the best mother on the planet, and I’m not sure how I was ever deemed worthy of the blessing.  She is one incredible lady, impossibly devoted to serving others and finding ways to ease life’s burdens for those around her. Finding a way to take care of her isn’t so easy, as she rarely sits still long enough to enjoy it! She’s happiest when she’s bustling around her kitchen, turning out family favorites for a hungry crowd of guests.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner (May 8th this year), and I, for one, will not be giving flowers. I won’t spoil all the Mother’s Day surprises here (C’mon what mother wouldn’t loyally read her daughter’s blog?) but to kick things off, I’ve already told her I’m giving her a week off from kitchen duty via Nourish@Home – we’ll provide meals for her and my dad for a week. I know she’ll love knowing that dinner is taken care of while she is out taking care of others (most often ME and my three munchkins!).

To help you honor your own Mother,  we’re offering a Mothers Day promotion at Nourish@Home. We’re dropping our normal price AND throwing in the groceries – which means for one inclusive price of just $279* you can give Mom an entire week off from kitchen duty! Just think of what she can do with the time she WON’T be spending in the kitchen!

As a reminder of how this service works… Mom simply chooses her menu selections from our online menu, answers a few questions on our client info form, and then puts up her feet! We’ll shop for, prepare, and store enough food for 4-5 amazing family dinners. She doesn’t even have to be home while we cook – in fact, she can use that time to go do something else for herself…or just sip an iced tea and read a book while we buzz around the kitchen.  That’s what putting up your feet is all about, after all.

If you’d like to treat your mother to a week of Nourish@Home,  call us at 513-245-4224 and order a gift certificate. We’ll mail it to you or directly to Mom. When she calls to schedule a date for us to cook, she won’t owe a penny.  And she has a whole year to redeem the certificate, just in case she wants to save that “week off” for a time when she really needs it!

Of course, if you’re the Mom in question, and this blog post were to somehow make its way to your husband’s inbox or a hard copy were to appear in his sock drawer with our phone number highlighted, we’d never tell…

*$279 includes groceries for a family of up to 4. Larger families of 5-7 will have an incremental $30 grocery fee. Please remember we can only service homes in the Greater Cincinnati area with Nourish@Home.