Lara Casey's Blog, page 10

May Recap and June PowerSheets Goals

The halfway point of the year is coming and—maybe you’re feeling the same way?—I’m craving a life refresh. The first half of this year has been… a lot: tragic and difficult and beautiful and life-changing all rolled into a few very unexpected months.

I’m ready to mark a new start—to refresh my mind, my focus, and my next steps. I want to finish this year cultivating what matters more than I ever have before. Join me and thousands of women for The Mid-Year Refresh, starting June 8th. I am so ready for this and already brainstorming how I’ll refresh my and my family’s lives that week!

Mark your calendar for The Mid-Year Refresh and let’s get you ready for June. Listen to the June PowerSheets PrepCast below. Be guided step-by-step to prepare for the month ahead—with great music and time out in the garden:

Here’s a quick recap of my May PowerSheets progress and what I’m focusing on in June!

May Monthly Goals:
— Renew my mind / I needed this! I continued listening to this audiobook, consistently listened to the Dwell app, stopped reading the news as much as I had been, and started talking to a local Christian counselor. In such a time as this, keeping our minds focused on hope and truth has never been more needed. I will continue this focus in June—and forever!?
— Enjoy the garden / Things are growing! Listen in.
— Continue writing in our Legacy Journal for the kids. / Yes! Learn how to make yours here.
— Prepare for the book launch. / After two years of this sprouting and growing, I’m sharing the title and cover with you on Monday! HOORAY!
— Share the hope I have / Yes, namely with our children this month. I spent many evenings sharing stories with them of God’s faithfulness and writing to them here.

Mid-month progress!

May Weekly Goals:
— Pray over it all—give it to God / I have certainly cried out to God a lot this month and studied what it means to rely on Him. Reading Psalms (and listening to them on the Dwell app) has been a way to do this well.
— Look at the birds / YES! As evidenced by my confession in this episode.
— Make our quarantine scrapbook / I’ve made a little progress here (read how to make your own and get a printable list of prompts!) and set an hour on Sunday to do this with the kids.
— Organize our family photos (I bought this course from Nancy—my first course purchase ever!) / I have made 0 progress here because I wanted to be away from my computer as the month went on. I’ll resume this later in the summer!

May Daily Goals: progress on all below, especially writing the Word! I finished the Hope journal and just started one of our brand new Write the Word journals that comes out on June 24th!
— Bible reading
— Write the Word
— Read the footnotes
— Workout + worship

In case you missed these!
— Listen to how you can cultivate what matters with your kids this summer.
— Read all about the basics of building a legacy with smalls steps that build over time. Learn practical ways to cultivate legacy with your PowerSheets, in the garden, with legacy journal prompts, and keeping a simple quarantine scrapbook during this time.
— Check out the NEW Homeschool Planner Pre-Order. I’m thrilled we’re offering a printed version mailed right to your door this year!
— Shop the whole NEW Summer Collection and Girls Goal Planner in the Cultivate Shop!
— Listen in to the June PowerSheets PrepCast and kick off your 2020 2.0 with me.
— Browse Cultivate’s Resource Page full of free tools to help you navigate change during this time.
— Download new Wildcard pages to re-energize your goals this summer

On to June! I have 2 goals for 2020 (each with 4 mini goals under them) that are focused on growing something that matters to me in the big picture. Each month, I’m breaking my yearly goals down using my PowerSheets®. Here’s what’s on my Tending List for the month ahead.

June Monthly Goals:
— Do the Mid-Year Refresh! Get ready—I’m excited to do this with you!
— Start new work hours—happening Monday! Today is my last official day working full-time hours. I’ll be finishing work at 4 starting Monday for the foreseeable future (I’ve worked till 6 most days for the majority of my career). This feels like a monumental change for me and our family and I’m grateful the Lord led us here!
— Prepare for our week in the mountains. We don’t know if trails will be too crowded to hike, but we’re going to try our best to get out there!
— Reveal the book! I can’t wait to share on Monday!
— Prep for 2021 shoot. This year’s big collection shoot will obviously be a little different logistically and we are up for the challenge. So far, we’re planning an all-outdoor shoot with only solo shots and lots of creative fun!
— Create a new homeschool rhythm. I can’t wait to use this to do some dreaming for all of our kiddos!
— Lead our children to DELIGHT. More in this episode!

We did a FaceTime photo session with Gina!

May Weekly Goals:
— Shabbat
— Continue writing in our Legacy Journal for the kids
— Renew my mind
— Enjoy the garden

May Daily Goals:
— Bible reading
— Write the Word
— Read the footnotes
— Take care of my body and mind

Your turn! How are you doing? What goals—big or very small—are you focusing on in June? I’d love to hear!

P.S. Join me Monday! : )

The post May Recap and June PowerSheets Goals appeared first on Lara Casey.

Cultivate Your Life Podcast Episode 036: How To Cultivate What Matters With Kids This Summer

Summer this year is going to look a little different than it usually does. Camp may be canceled, vacations postponed… but you still want to make it a season to remember! Does that mean more plans, more activities, more circus-directing from you, the mom? No, my friend, it does not. Today’s episode is all about what it looks like to cultivate what matters with your kids this summer—let’s talk!

LISTEN NOW!

In this episode:
— We begin by acknowledging that summer feels overwhelming to many of us right now. Accepting where we are is helpful—we can move forward from there!
— I encourage you to think big-picture about even something as simple as the summer ahead. Knowing what matters and acting accordingly is your recipe for success this summer (instead of disappointment over what you didn’t do, or the weeks passing in a blur).
— If you start with what matters, you have the freedom to be creative about how you live it out. Even if your plans don’t go exactly as planned, you’ll know you’re headed in the right direction.
— What do you want to cultivate this summer? What do you want this summer to feel like? Write your answer down right now—then tack it up somewhere you’ll see it every day!
— For example, I’m focusing this summer on “delight” with my children, and I give you a few examples of what that might look like for us. Maybe your focus will be on reading together, or getting dirty outside, or telling family stories, or kindness, or developing connections with loved ones.
— We talk about what our kids will learn from watching us roll with the punches as we focus on the big picture. Hint: it’s good things!
— I encourage you to keep summer fun at the ready—this will lessen your need to make plans. (I tell you about my Shabbat basket, too!) What would you put in your summer basket? Or a summer basket for your kids? Remember: make it easy, easy, easy!
— We talk about making this the summer of noticing—of the quiet around us, and the tangles in our own hearts. I’m hearing in my heart what matters so much more. Take notice of that in your own heart. What do you want to keep from this time?
— We talk about the opportunity presented by “The Great Pause.” As you move back into “normal” (whenever that may be), think carefully about what you want to bring back into your life. I share some of my thoughts on this, too.

Interested in some of the things I mentioned throughout this episode? Here you go!
— Start with this post in the legacy series (this one is my favorite!).
— More about my Word of the Year—delight!
— Looking for a good book for your summer fun basket? Here are a few picks from Team Cultivate.
— My PowerSheets®—where I get clear on my big picture! Start your undated set today (and grab a Girls Goal Planner for your little one, too!)
— Some of the things I’m keeping.
— Our quarantine scrapbook, and pandemic journal prompts for you!
— The viral essay I quoted from is Prepare for the Ultimate Gaslighting* by Julio Vincent Gambuto. I’m not going to link it because it has some language, but it’s easily Googleable!

LOVE THE PODCAST? SHARE IT! Text, email, carrier pigeon—share this episode with friends however you like! This episode is really special, so I hope you’ll share it with someone you love! Feel free to grab one of these graphics to post about it, too!

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SUBSCRIBE NOW to the Cultivate Your Life podcast on iTunes so you won’t miss an episode. If you love the podcast, please leave a quick review on iTunes—it helps other women find this free encouragement! Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. I’ll be featuring some of your reviews in a future episode!

The post Cultivate Your Life Podcast Episode 036: How To Cultivate What Matters With Kids This Summer appeared first on Lara Casey.

Cultivate Legacy: How to Make a Quarantine Scrapbook

If you have kids who are old enough to be aware that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic, navigating and shepherding their emotions and questions adds another whole layer to your family’s experience of COVID-19. It can feel defeating—will they grow up anxious? Are they being permanently harmed by this?

I have really good news for you today, friends. Research has shown that exactly the opposite is true, if you’re able to frame this current challenge in the big picture for our kids! I’ve got an easy and fun way to do that to share with you today, but first, a little backstory:

In this fantastic article, the author explains that psychologists have found every family has a unifying narrative, and those narratives take one of three shapes: the ascending narrative (the family trajectory proceeds upward without any road blocks), the descending narrative (“we used to have it all, then we lost everything”), and the most healthful narrative: the oscillating family narrative. “We’ve had ups and downs as a family,” this one goes, “we’ve had setbacks and triumphs, but through it all, we stuck together and came out stronger.”

In that same study, researchers found that the more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem, and the more successfully they believed their families functioned. How much kids knew about their family stories turned out to be the best single predictor of children’s emotional health and happiness.

WOW! Not friendships, or extracurricular activities, or grades, or life circumstances, or genetic makeup. Telling family stories—that’s something we all can do! A willingness to tell family stories might end up being one of your most important legacies of all.

Why you’ll love making a quarantine scrapbook:

Claiming the narrative of your days right now—talking to each other about what’s hard, where you’re thriving, and how you’ll come through this stronger as a family—is part of building your legacy. In doing so, you’ll show your kids that their best years don’t have to be perfect. In fact, they won’t be! Their best years—and yours—are built on character. They are marked by resilience. They are filled with gratitude and grace (for yourselves and others).

A really easy way to tell the story of this time is through a quarantine scrapbook. I’m not really a traditional scrapbooker, but we’ve been working on one with the kids for the last few weeks and it has been a sweet way to cultivate gratitude, talk through how everyone’s feeling, and notice the good all around us. In that way, our scrapbook is both a time capsule AND a helpful tool for today!

My best tips for making a simple quarantine scrapbook:

— Gather easy materials—perhaps things you already have! You can use a binder and regular printer paper (with page protector sleeves or just loose!), a college-rule notebook (decorate the cover!), a mini handmade “book” with craft paper and a stapler, or a regular scrapbook album and sleeves. Use whatever is easy and accessible! You’ll think less over time about how perfectly crafted it is and more about how meaningful it is.

— Keep it simple. Use these prompts and let your kids run with them. If you are making this yourself for younger kids, let them doodle to decorate some pages and help you paste photos in.

— Make it easy to access. Assemble a box with supplies that you keep out near your table or wherever you have space to work on it in your fringe hours or on the weekend.

— Choose a regular time to do it. Maybe Saturday morning or late in the day when everyone needs a snack and some time at the table to relax with a craft—or once a month! Pick what works for you and you’ll be so grateful for that forethought!

— Include bonus materials. Photographs, pressed flowers or leaves from neighborhood walks, cards from friends, newspaper clippings—all will add a fun textural twist! Social Print Studio does a great job printing Instagram photos or quick snaps from your phone (use code 0LARACHLN1 for $5 off your first order!).

Remember: you don’t have to do this forever, or for the duration of this pandemic. Document several weeks or months OR a single month of “pandemic life”— that’s plenty to capture what this time was like!

Your turn: if you have kids, how have you helped them through this pandemic? I’d love to hear what’s worked for your family!

Previously in this series:
The Basics of Building a Legacy
Cultivate Legacy: In the Garden
Cultivate Legacy: Using Your PowerSheets to Plant Legacy
Cultivate Legacy: How to Make a Pandemic Legacy Journal

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Cultivate Legacy: How to Make a Legacy Journal

They did this.

They lived through a pandemic, and went on to live meaningful lives after! Oh how I would love to hear their first-hand encouragement as people who have been in our shoes.

I wish I could call them right now!

I want to gather their strength.
Soak in their wisdom.
Feel their faith and have them build up mine.
Get a good talkin-to when I need it : )
And hear their stories to give courage to my own.

Grandpa Cecil and Grandma Celeste planted many seeds of legacy in our lives: a Bible with scribbled notes to each other jotted in the margins. Memoirs typed out by my grandfather (on an actual typewriter!). Photographs passed down to us that say more than a thousand words.

These mementos likely felt like small things to them at the time, things that didn’t take much effort or time. But, these small treasures have made enormous impacts on my family from generation to generation—and they’re still resonating today!

When this pandemic began, I knew just what to do. I wanted to capture this time. I wanted to give today’s strength, wisdom, faith, and courage to our children—and their children—as we were living it in a Legacy Journal.

You know now: cultivating legacy is simple. It starts with small steps that add up over time. Cultivating legacy can happen in so many ways, which is part of the fun of it! It can be grown in the ground (literally), through intentional plans, in photographs, kindness witnessed, and, among many things, through stories told and written.

How to make your own Pandemic Legacy Journal:

It’s so simple!

1. Choose a journal. Here’s the one I’m using!
2. Decide if you’ll include photographs. We’ve been using our Fuji Instax Mini, but the prints were a little thick, so I started using these photo strips, too. I’ve loved this company for years! (Get $5 off first order with code 0LARACHLN1)
3. Choose what you’ll write. To help make it simple for you, we made a free, downloadable list of pandemic journal prompts. No more hesitation over what to write, whether you consider yourself a “writer” or not—just follow our prompts!

Why you’ll love making your own legacy journal:

Ari and I have loved writing in this journal, especially on the weekends when we’re spending more time than usual watching the kids play in the front yard.

Adding to this simple journal has brought us unexpected refreshment. We’ve cultivated gratitude and noticed the good as we’ve written these pages for them. You’ll love doing this, too!

Those memoirs about farm life and faith typed out by my grandpa? I read part of them to the kids last night. They loved it, and asked so many questions. I imagine them doing the same with this special journal and their own kids one day, too.

Your turn! Have you been recording this unique season in any way? I’d love to hear!

Previously in this series:
The Basics of Building a Legacy
Cultivate Legacy: In the Garden
Cultivate Legacy: Using Your PowerSheets to Plant Legacy

The post Cultivate Legacy: How to Make a Legacy Journal appeared first on Lara Casey.

The NEW Homeschool Planner Pre-Order is Here!

I never thought I’d see the day, but suddenly, almost every one of my mama friends is in the same homeschool boat with me—at least temporarily! School closures due to COVID-19 have upended many-a-plan this spring and beyond. While I’d never wish these circumstances on any of us, it’s been a joy to field questions from friends and offer a few tips and suggestions from our last few years together at home.

Whether you’re leading your kiddos’ education at home temporarily for the first time or you’re a committed and experienced homeschool mom, I’m excited to share today’s announcement!

Yes, the Cultivated Homeschool Planner is back in the shop, along with our whole summer collection! While you can still download the digital version for free (here!), we’re thrilled to now give you the option to save on printing costs with a copy mailed to your door in the NEW print version!

Isn’t this year’s cover BEAUTIFUL!? I love it so much!

So many of you have asked if we were going to create another homeschool planner (you loved the first two versions!). More than that, though, you’ve asked if we would also make a printed version… and that day has come! Printing things at home or through a local printer works well sometimes, but for a large planner like this, it’s expensive to go the DIY route!

This pre-order is for the complete set of printed loose-leaf pages. Choose your favorite binder, and voila! You can organize the pages and sections however they work best for you and your students.

When I began our homeschool adventure, I needed a simple system to stay focused on our big picture goals while getting the day-to-day learning done, too. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed by homeschool planning or, you’re unexpectedly a new homeschooling mama (!), this planner will bring clarity, focus, and ease to your days during this season.

Wishing you so much JOY as you grow the hearts you’ve been entrusted with and as you learn together!

Pre-order now and your printed planner pages will ship the week of June 8!

Your turn! Have tips or favorite resources for new homeschoolers? Share below!

P.S. Check out the NEW Girls Goal Planner (launching today!) and Write the Word for Kids. We use both in our homeschool and Grace loves them!

The post The NEW Homeschool Planner Pre-Order is Here! appeared first on Lara Casey.

Cultivate Legacy: Using Your PowerSheets to Plant Legacy

My ears used to turn off when I heard the word “legacy.”

Growing a legacy seemed too big a task—one in which I already felt behind! I’ve made too many mistakes, I thought, and there have been too many twists in my path for it to add up to anything good anytime soon. I wanted my life to matter, and to do something good in this world, but my life felt more like a mess that needed cleaning up before I could build anything meaningful. (Ever felt that way?) Even things like family traditions seemed far from being solidified—everyone else seemed to be more organized and focused than me! It all felt defeating.

I know. You’re saying to yourself, “Lara! How in the world could you have thought those things?! Of course your life matters.” Well, my friends, you can’t know the light until you know the dark. And it turns out that messes can become messages—they’re actually the fertilizers of legacy.

Legacy feels like a big concept, but it’s simple. It begins in small steps—steps that add up over time. Steps and stories become seeds of legacy.

When my days here on this earth come to an end (which doesn’t scare me now—it motivates me), I want to know I planted seeds of faith and hope and joy, as I wrote in my PowerSheets above.

How did I go from feeling defeated to feeling the confidence that I’m growing legacy?

This is probably going to blow your mind a little because it’s so simple, but you can do it starting now, too: I remembered.

Sometimes we know what matters to us (right?), but we just flat-out forget! The rest of life takes over and, in the quiet moments (which can be few!), we remember, like a shock to our system. Oh YEAH. That’s what I was supposed to be focusing on this whole time! I forgot and spent so much time on a million other things. Ugh!

Not only do we forget, but we tend to bite off more than we can chew. Our goals and steps are so big and overwhelming that it’s no wonder we don’t do them. Feeling that?

—Make it simple. Especially right now.
—Write down what matters. (Use the free download below to get started!)
—Then, take small steps. Really small.

I wrote down what matters in my first set of PowerSheets 8 years ago and I’ve used my Tending List to keep remembering where I want to spend my time (and where I don’t want to spend it) ever since. I need reminders. It doesn’t come naturally. We need to give ourselves nudges and keep what matters in clear view. After that, doing something about it becomes easy.

That’s it! I remembered. And I’ve practiced remembering ever since by the sheer act of LOOKING at my Tending List each week.

When you simply remember what matters, your actions change. You can’t help it. Those actions will add up—quicker than you think. They did for me.

My PowerSheets from a million years ago. I decided to read the Bible all the way through that year and it changed me!

My PowerSheets are my daily reminder and accountability to keep making those small steps. They’re also my reminder that my steps are adding up, no matter how small they might feel day-by-day! Every day, when I look at my PowerSheets and my priorities for the month, I’m encouraged to do something about my big-picture vision. In that way, something that feels lofty and overwhelming becomes attainable and actionable–and it actually happens, bit by bit.

Here’s an example from my Tending List this month:

My monthly goal of writing in our Legacy Journal (coming later this week to the blog!), as well as several of my weekly goals and daily goals, were all pointed toward what I hope to be my legacy AND things I can confidently take action on right now. I really could have used any of these lines as an example, because that’s what PowerSheets are to me and so many of you: the anti-busy tool, the one that clarifies our time and allows us to focus on the things that add up to an intentional life (right now and in the big picture).

Here is the only danger to using a tool like PowerSheets for your goals, legacy-focused or otherwise: that you would spend so much time planning, that you don’t get to the planting. Dig in right where you are. Don’t wait for perfect circumstances or the world to be right again—cultivate what matters and do it right where you’ve been planted. You might surprise yourself, and help a whole lot of others cultivate what matters, too!

And so, this is a success tip that might change everything for you as it has for me: when you have an idea of where you want to go, don’t waste time—take that first small step. No need to write it down or have a perfect plan, just get to it! (Really—get up from reading this right now and take whatever the next best step is to get you to where you want to be in the big picture. Just one tiny step. I’ll still be here when you get back. :))

Get the momentum going while it’s fresh on your mind and you’ll be more likely to take the next step, then the next, and the next… and before you know it, days or years or decades later, you’re there!

Every decision we make has an arrow attached to it, pointing us in one direction or another. However many hours or minutes are left in the day as you read this (even if you are reading this in bed), how can you shoot one of your decision arrows in the right direction?

I want my decision arrows aimed right at the target (my legacy). That’s what being intentional (a.k.a. legacy-minded) is all about.

To help you get started, whether you have PowerSheets or not, we made a special Wildcard page for you! Wildcard pages are usually an exclusive bonus for PowerSheets users, but we wanted all of you to have this one. This simple worksheet walks you through the legacy questions raised in this series’ introductory post.

Download it here:

After you fill it out, I’d love to hear one or two of your answers—share them in the comments, if you’d like!

Up next in our legacy series: simple steps (and journaling prompts!) to make a pandemic legacy journal! I’ll see you back here for that later this week.

Previously in this series:
The Basics of Building a Legacy
Cultivate Legacy: In the Garden

The post Cultivate Legacy: Using Your PowerSheets to Plant Legacy appeared first on Lara Casey.

Why We Created the Girls Goal Planner (Behind-the-Scenes!)

The simplest answer: you asked for it… and we wanted it for our girls, too!

We often hear from the Cultivate community, “I wish I had learned these things when I was younger—it would have saved me so much wasted time!”

I’m right there with you! The power of little-by-little progress, prioritizing relationships over achievement, and the importance of pointing your actions toward a bigger-picture vision for your life? Yes, I wish I’d learned those lessons earlier in life, too!

So, we set to work making the product we would have loved as young girls—one that would help our girls today thrive. Would you like to step behind the scenes with me today to see how the Girls Goal Planner was created? Great! Let’s do it!

As the CEO of Cultivate, I take our content development extremely seriously. I don’t often share or talk much about it, because it’s not entirely interesting to most, but words matter to me. They have the potential to change people. Combine words with images and materials and stories, and you have tools to take people on a journey from one place to another! I love combining words and images that meet women right where they are—in products, blog posts, newsletter subject lines, shop listings, and anywhere else someone experiences them. I’ll forever be honing this craft, trying my best to make the most of those ingredients for the good of others.

From a decade of Southern Weddings, this is what I love to do—and where I spend a large portion of my time at work. Many hours and days are spent on certain emails and pages of the PowerSheets®! The fact that you trust us with your goals, your dreams, and your legacies—I can’t tell you how much that means to our team, and how seriously we take that responsibility.

Our newest product took that responsibility to the next level. Grace is 8—and I thought of her the whole time we were developing the Girls Goal Planner. I know how much guiding your special girl—whether she’s your daughter, your granddaughter, your student, or just your very loved one—matters to you, because it matters to me. I want to fill her heart with goodness, encourage what makes her special, challenge her to take risks for things that matter, and nurture the beauty I see in her mind, heart, and spirit.

Also, I want to delight her! She’s been through a lot in this season—a disrupted school schedule, missing her friends (she broke down in tears last night when I mentioned one of her BFFs), occasionally distracted parents (you, too?!), and processing news of “the virus” alongside us. When I handed over an advanced copy of the Girls Goal Planner and saw the joy and hope spread across her face, joy spread across mine, too. And when she saw the stickers—YES!! She immediately dove in, no prompting from mom!

When we first dreamed up this product (two years ago!), though, we had no way of knowing we’d be launching it in the middle of a global pandemic. We’d never choose for the world to look like it does, but we’ve been saying over and over for the last few weeks how grateful we are that THIS product is launching right now.

Your girl’s planner will help show her that her best years don’t have to be perfect. Her best years—and yours—are built on character. They’re marked by her resilience. They are filled with gratitude and grace. What a gift to get to come alongside our girls and help them come through this stronger, more confident, and more focused on what matters in life!

That is what I want for her, especially now.

With much of life canceled, your girl’s Girls Goal Planner will become an even more beloved sidekick—something to help her look forward with hope to what’s ahead, and as a keepsake for this unique season. (Grace has been writing down memorable moments from her week, like Zoom calls with her class and FaceTiming with friends!) Coming from a parent or loved one, it also says to your girl, “I see you. I believe in you. I’m excited for what’s ahead for you.”

Today, I thought you might like to see a bit of what went into creating this product for your family. As I said, we take our content and teaching incredibly seriously around here, and the stakes felt even higher as we reached into the lives of younger cultivators.

The first step? Emily and I sat down with a set of PowerSheets for a long brainstorming session. We discussed and debated what parts of our signature tool should be included, and how they could be adapted for a younger audience with its own distinct needs and challenges. We talked about what kinds of teaching and activities we wanted to emphasize, based on our own reading, research, and experiences growing up. We did further reading on things like how to encourage a growth mindset, the importance of stories in growing resilience, and the worsening epidemic of childhood anxiety.

For example, according to a 2017 Pew analysis, one in five 12-to-17-year-old girls reported experiencing major depression; suicides by children age 5 to 11 have almost doubled in recent years. Parents spend an incredible 37 hours a week worrying about their children. And teens who are strongly attached to their parents and family show more overall happiness and success in life. 

With statistics like these and more in mind, we split up the sections and began writing and sketching out activity pages. It was fun, though certainly different, to get ourselves into the mindset of an 8-13 girl! As we finished first drafts of content, we passed them to our designer, who also had fun tweaking the signature Cultivate look to be even more colorful and flower-filled (and pink!)—perfectly appealing to a fourth-grade girl : )

Once the bones of the planner were in place and the first activity pages completed, we reached out to a focus group of friends with girls in our target age range. With a brand-new product, especially for an audience slightly different than our usual, we knew this would be an important step. Six families (some with multiple daughters) graciously tested out the pages with their girls, sent us pictures of the completed pages, and gave us insightful and extremely helpful feedback. This step was invaluable, and we made many changes based on this group!

At the same time, we sent the first draft of the planner to a group of four child psychologists and developmental experts to read and offer feedback. Again, this was incredibly helpful! We were able to incorporate ideas based specifically on their knowledge of the developmental abilities and needs of kids in our age group.

Exchanging emails with one of our psychologists!

From there, we continued tweaking the content as our designer fleshed out the design and our production team tested materials. (Many of you will be happy to see another appearance of our legacy white coil!) There were daily squeals from Team Cultivate as the design team unveiled page after adorable page.

Once the materials, design, and content were approved, Emily completed a final copy edit, as always, and we sent it to print with much excitement! Many months later, our first batch of Girls Goal Planners sits patiently on warehouse shelves, ready to wing their way to you and your special girl next week.

Friends, I hope this peek into the creation process gives you confidence and excitement as you consider one of our planners! We cannot wait to get one in your hands. For more FAQs, click here.

The Girls Goal Planner goes on sale next Wednesday, May 13th, at 10am ET. Download the Collection Guide now to prepare!

P.S. Over 4,000 families have tried the free sample pages we made available last month. If you’d like to try before launch day, too, click here!

The post Why We Created the Girls Goal Planner (Behind-the-Scenes!) appeared first on Lara Casey.

Cultivate Your Life Podcast Episode 035: Planting Legacy

This is a strange season we’re in, friends. Time seems elastic—even our hours seem to stretch and shrink as we problem solve, seek out peace, and tend to the people around us—but through it all, there’s a question that keeps coming back to my thoughts (maybe you’ve been asking yourself this, too): what is my life for? What will my life illuminate for others long after I’m gone?

This idea of legacy has rooted itself in my heart, and today, we’re going to discuss building one—right where you are.

Let’s talk! LISTEN NOW.

In this episode:
— I tell you a story about legacy—about what it’s meant in my life, and what it might mean in yours.
— I ask a few questions to get you thinking about your own legacy.
— I introduce you to a few of the homegrown legacies in my garden.

Prefer to read about these thoughts? Click right here! I originally started writing these thoughts to you, but loved telling these stories so much I had to turn them into a podcast episode : )

A look at the Girls Goal Planner.

Interested in some of the things I mentioned throughout this episode? Here you go!
— Take a peek at my crazy garden invention right here. You’re welcome, squirrels!
— Follow our garden progress at @GraciesGarden.
— Listen to Episode 023: When Your Plans Don’t Go As Planned
— Read about the basics of building a legacy on the Cultivate blog.
— Learn how to plant a victory garden! Download your free Gardening 1010 guide right here.
— The Girls Goal Planner is coming!! (Grace and I couldn’t be more excited!) Find out more here and get yours on May 13th.
— Stay tuned for more small, specific ways you can begin to grow a legacy right here on the blog over the next few weeks!

LOVE THE PODCAST? SHARE IT! Text, email, carrier pigeon—share this episode with friends however you like! This episode is really special, so I hope you’ll share it with someone you love! Feel free to grab one of these graphics to post about it, too!

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SUBSCRIBE NOW to the Cultivate Your Life podcast on iTunes so you won’t miss an episode. If you love the podcast, please leave a quick review on iTunes—it helps other women find this free encouragement! Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. I’ll be featuring some of your reviews in a future episode!

The post Cultivate Your Life Podcast Episode 035: Planting Legacy appeared first on Lara Casey.

Cultivate Legacy: In the Garden

Listen to this post—and step out into the garden with me—above!

____________

I keep thinking about it.

Over and over, since this pandemic began, one conversation with my mom from 18 years ago keeps coming to mind.

It was the summer after my junior year of college—September 11th had happened a few months earlier. As this tragedy did for so many of us, it made me question what I was living my life for. I needed something more sure to hold onto each day than applause and appearance. This was the year I asked a lot of questions. I wanted to know about what gave people the hope and peace they had, namely my grandfather.

On a country road in Alabama, in my Dad’s beat-up Chevy Tahoe, I asked a question that was a step into the uncomfortable. This question was a level deeper than our normal Mom-and-daughter college chats: “Tell me more about Grama and Grampa’s faith. What was it like when you were little?”

Grampa Cecil and the redhead who is writing this to you : )

We drove through green crop fields, past towering oaks, and along pastures of cattle as my Mom told me about tented revivals and country life. There were no church buildings around their home, so they had church in their living room. She and her brother helped set up chairs each Sunday and people came from miles around to open their Bibles. Grampa led the singing and lesson and prayer for their simple home church. After the service, they swapped goods from their gardens and stories and seeds. For his part, Grampa shared his tomatoes and any fish he hooked in the local swimmin’ hole.

They didn’t have much, but they had something sure: faith.

There—
right there as she spoke:
something happened inside of me.

Some people call it a “fire” inside.
Some call it passion.
Some call it curiosity.

What I know: something came alive in me. I wanted that faith—faith against all odds. Assurance. Solid ground to stand on each day.

Some 18 years later, that conversation keeps prodding me. My thoughts keep returning there in odd moments (watching the birds at our feeder?), in the middle of the night, as I open my Bible, as I walk through the oak trees in our park, and in the garden where Grampa Cecil’s sign reads, “God lives in every garden. He loves each growing thing. So forget your ills, get out and dig and sing!”

18 years later, I see it. That conversation in the car, somewhere near Clanton, Alabama, was the moment legacy was transferred to me.

Circa 1987 with our family harvest

Legacy feels like a big concept, but it’s simple. It begins in small steps—steps that add up over time. Steps and stories become seeds of legacy that continue to produce fruit year after year, generation after generation.

To create a legacy, something of value is passed from one person to another through stories, songs, the firsthand witness of a life well-lived, words on a page, art, and, among many other ways, through plants.

Yes, plants! They can become sown heirlooms, ones that accumulate new chapters with each year grown.

I see now how Grampa’s legacy led me to live for something different. My life has been shaped by his faith through those tented revivals, living room sermons, and of course, the tomatoes. He planted in faith, believing in what he couldn’t yet see.

I find myself doing the same, especially in this unique time.

As they gathered in their home to open the Bible, so have we for the last 8 years—and, more pointedly, right now.

As they shared seeds and garden gifts, so do we. The garden has become our place in this pandemic to dream, to hope, to nurture each other, and to exercise faith in planting small things that grow into big things over time.

My little farmer

Planting legacy is on my mind a lot these days.
Maybe yours, too.
What am I living this life for?
What is my life illuminating for others?
What am I leaving in my wake?
What will I leave behind if I were to finish my days in this pandemic—or whenever that day comes?

This more urgent call to pass good to my children—and the world—has rooted itself into all of my thoughts since this strange time began.

And for me, it starts here. In the dirt. Our modern day victory garden is rich soil for growing, these days:

We planted Grampa Cecil’s favorite: Early Girl tomatoes.

Rows of zinnia seeds passed to me from my Mom line our raised beds.

Jonquil bulbs from my great-grandmother, Irene, were blooming as the world shut down in March.

My grandmother’s purple iris decided to put on a show this year in the front yard, right near the tree swing where the kids have spent hours since school and playdates with friends came to a halt.

The perfume of honeysuckle lures us in as we play in the front yard, intentionally planted there to keep three generations of memories alive in tasting these sweet nectar treats as kids.

That peach tree we planted years ago? Rooted here to keep memories of Peach Park in Clanton, Alabama, as sweet as the fruit and ice cream we enjoyed there on many a family road trip—and on the very trip I took with my mom home from college 18 years ago.

There are many more. To tell you the whole list would only further confirm my Plant Lady status : )

Each of these plants means something to me. Each represents something I want to pass on to my children. So as we putter in this place together, we share memories and histories and lessons and values. With each story told, we keep the seeds of legacy growing—and one day, Lord willing, they’ll be tended by the hands of our three little gardeners.

Perhaps, for you, it’s not plants, but something else. What do you want to pass along and multiply in the world, right now and long after you’re gone?

The best part about this is that you don’t have to just look back. Perhaps some of your memories of the past are best rewritten in the future. You can pave a new path, and change generations ahead of you as you do! The fun of planting legacy is creating new stories to tell and values to pass on, too.

For us, that came in the form of a giant pumpkin two seasons ago. Giant gourds haven’t exactly been a staple in our family, but it seemed right for this crew. We made a new memory with Big Rita at 80-something pounds—and with it the legacy of adventure and trying new things just for the joy of it! You can write new legacies, too.

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to explore more ways to cultivate legacy together. These are going to be simple, doable ideas you can start right now. From making a time-capsule journal of this unique time, to a “stay-at-home scrapbook,” to a simple home movie and more, we’re going to get some seeds of legacy planted together—one small-but-mighty step at a time.

Want to learn more about the basics of building a legacy? Start right here, with one of my favorite posts ever on the Cultivate blog!

The post Cultivate Legacy: In the Garden appeared first on Lara Casey.

May Goals and Looking to Summer

Well, summer may be a little different this year, right?
Summer camps are cancelled.
Many vacations aren’t happening.
The community pool will likely be closed.
Summer concerts and BBQ’s with neighbors will be different.

It’s a Stay-at-Home Summer for us.

But, there’s hope. In all of our dashed plans, there are delights!
Instead of cars outside, we’re hearing birds.
Instead of rushing from activity to activity, we’re here—noticing spring unfold in a new way.

Our family is slowing down.

Instead of summer camps, we’ll watch sprouts grow in the garden and make cities from sticks and mud.
Instead of summer concerts packed in elbow-to-elbow, we’ll make our own music on the front porch (sorry in advance, neighbors—the Isaacsons like to sing loud!).
Instead of vacationing, we’ll camp in the yard.
Instead of rushing from one end-of-the-school-year activity to the next, we’ll wait for the fireflies to make their first glittering appearance.

We’re learning all over again to cultivate what matters, right where we are.

There’s so much we can’t control right now. So much that’s not clear. But, one thing is clearer than ever: what matters.

Many things have been taken away from us in this time, but one thing has been given: perspective. You know more than ever what matters and what doesn’t.

And you, my friend, want to do something about it! Start where all good things begin: with a small step forward.

Little-by-little steps add up to legacy. Your Stay-at-Home Summer may not be what you envisioned; it might just be better. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to show you some simple ways to plant legacy right where you are—leading everyone around you to what matters, too!

But more about that in a bit. First, a quick recap of my April PowerSheets progress and what I’m focusing on in May!

April Monthly Goals:
— Thrive in these days. I’m using this new planner notepad to pray on the hour and use my time well. I have LOVED this practice.
— Get Grace’s homeschool + planner set – Grace continues to love her advance copy of the Girls Goal Planner (coming May 13!).
— Celebrate Passover and the resurrection
— Start our Legacy Journal for the kids
— Finish writing notes from books I read in Q1 in my commonplace book – I didn’t finish, but I made progress!

April Weekly Goals:
— Look at the birds – This time has turned my attention to this verse and the songbirds that have been waking us each morning. We bought a couple of bird feeders last month and have been watching the cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, mockingbirds, and one very brave squirrel with awe and wonder!
— Enjoy the garden and growing seeds
— Sing with Ari – He plays the piano and I’ve been singing this with him.
— Build up our children’s confidence and trust in Him in this time

April Daily Goals:
— Write the Word I finished the Write the Word Worship journal early this spring and dove right into the Hope journal. It has been PERFECT for such a time as this. The verses, the space to pour out my thoughts, the gratitude and one word each day—I praise Him for this every night.
— Read the footnotes
— Bible reading
— Run, stretch, lift!

In case you missed these!
— Listen to how you can thrive in the midst of uncertainty.
— Read why it’s okay to grow slow right now.
— Listen in to the May PowerSheets PrepCast.
— Get outside and plant your own Victory Garden
— Browse Cultivate’s new Resource Page full of free tools to help you navigate change during this time.
— Download new Wildcard pages to re-energize your goals
— Give the new Girls Goal Planner, coming May 13, a try with this sneak peek PDF and read about setting goals with your kids!
— Feeling stuck? I highly recommend listening to this! How to Break Free of the Rut with your PowerSheets. This is about so much more than goals. During this live class, you’ll learn how to infuse your days with new meaning and move forward, little by little—right where you are.

On to May! I have 2 goals for 2020 (each with 4 mini goals under them) that are focused on growing something that matters to me in the big picture. Each month, I’m breaking my yearly goals down using my PowerSheets®. Here’s what’s on my Tending List for the month ahead.

May Monthly Goals:
— Renew my mind (I’m using the Dwell app and started this audiobook)
— Enjoy the garden
— Continue writing in our Legacy Journal for the kids. More on this soon!
— Prepare for the book launch. I can’t wait to share my first children’s book with you in July!
— Share the hope I have

May Weekly Goals:
— Pray over it all—give it to God
— Look at the birds
— Make our quarantine scrapbook
— Organize our family photos (I bought this course from Nancy—my first course purchase ever!)

May Daily Goals:
— Bible reading
— Write the Word
— Read the footnotes
— Workout + worship

Your turn! How are you doing? What goals—big or very small—are you focusing on in May? I’d love to hear!

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