Love, Peace, EVERYKIND

CHOICE

noun

• 1. an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities.

Take a moment to think about all the endless choices we make every single day. We choose what time to wake up, what to do when we wake up, what to drink and consume after we’re awake, and so on and so forth. It’s often easy to overlook all of the choices we make because they are a constant part of our lives.  However, one thing we should REALLY start paying attention to is our choice to BE KIND: to choose love, to choose peace and to treat everyone as equals. We are presented with situations and opportunities all day long, but often times we are too busy to pay attention to what a difference a small act can make. We have the choice to hold the door for a struggling mom, to ask how someone is doing, to offer a helping hand. We also have the choice to act out of anger in situations that bring out the worst in us. Choosing kindness is not always easy, but when we understand that the ability to choose how we handle the weather that ruined our pretty picnic is in our hands, we might remember to pack an umbrella more often.

A few weeks ago we were working on a design for “follow your heart” and we really liked it, but something just wasn’t quite working.  Then we were talking about perspective, and mindset and what else…. how we have the ability to choose kind. And then…. we took the design for what we HAD been working on, plugged in the concept to the word “choose”, texted screen shots back and forth for about 10 minutes with revisions/suggestions/”try this” until….BAM. CHOOSE love, peace and EVERYKIND was born! This is typically how our design process works since we are long distance and collaborate on everything, but this time, we were EXTRA pumped. Any time we can combine fun colors, cute graphics and a powerful message, we feel ready to change the world. We posted the design as a graphic because patience is not always our strong suit, and were blown away by how many comments and DM’s we got about putting it on a shirt!

When we say that we couldn’t do all of this without you, we mean it. Your input is invaluable to us, and it helps us avoid shying away from things just because we aren’t 100% sure that they are perfect. You bring out the best in what we have to offer as business partners, business owners, designers and creators. So… thank you. This tee will be available for adults on a grey crew neck and v-neck tee THIS FRIDAY (9/28)! Stay tuned!

When I’m losing my mother tasking mind…

Back to school is my least favorite time of year! I am mourning the end of my favorite season and basically on a fast track to my kids leaving me for college…in 12ish years. I don’t like one bit of it; as shown by the pile of school forms on my counter that have yet to be filled out. (I’ve been in denial, what can I say) I also decided that this week we should REALLY, OFFICIALLY start/finish potty training the little one, and let me tell you, after having the easiest time with my first, I mistakenly thought it would be a breeze. I should have known my stubborn little man would make it as painful as possible on me. These factors followed by a not so fun work week and an awful forecast for our last fun summer weekend left me losing my mothertasking mind. I felt my Apple watch buzz and looked down and it said, “BREATHE”! And because Apple somehow knows everything about you at all times, I trusted the recommendation and took a deep breath. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

Breathing should be easy because we do it all day, every day. I mean, it’s what keeps us alive and all right? What I didn’t know is how important breathing can really be mentally and emotionally. When I first started yoga, I went for the exercise part of it. I was pleasantly surprised when I found that breathing was such a huge part of it and left me feeling so good mentally, as well as physically. When we breathe unconsciously it is controlled by the medulla oblongata. (I never thought I would use those words after 7th grade science class.) However, when we consciously breathe we stimulate the cerebral cortex and more evolved areas of our brain which have a relaxing/balancing effect on our emotions. Who would have thought?! Maybe I should have paid more attention in science class. Well, in and just after yoga class I felt great and wanted that feeling all the time. I started practicing in other scenarios and it truly resets me! It lets all my other thoughts, stresses and distractions pass by and keeps me present and finding calm when I am at my most frazzled.

So when your newborn won’t stop crying, you’re in an argument with your significant other, your toddler is pushing every button of yours, everything at work seems to go wrong, you’re stuck in awful traffic, etc…use all these opportunities to take a moment and just BREATHE! In through your nose and out through your mouth. Let your lungs fill up and let the slightest bit of calm wash over you so you can refocus on the situation with a clear head! It seems so simple, but we know it’s not. We’ve all been there when anger takes control and we look back regretting how we reacted to certain situations. We yelled at our kids, we misjudged a driver on the highway, we wasted a good date night with our spouse because “being right” was more important than being nice. It happens all the time, which is why we think this reminder is SO important. Sometimes it just takes a little (or a lot of) practice! Just breathe. I promise we’ll all feel better after!

xo, CB

BREATHE Sweatshirt – Everykind

The World Is Changed By Your Example, Not By Your Opinion – Paulo Coello

Do you remember the old saying, “Actions Speak Louder Than Words”? Well, it couldn’t be more true, still today! We live in this wonderful world where we can speak, learn & grow without limitations. We have the power to make a difference & change things for the better. However, one thing we have learned is that our opinions don’t change anything, actions do. Our actions are what create and set an example for others.

There are so many platforms from which we can voice our opinions today that it makes it hard to utilize them for fun. Social media, what was thought to be a fun place for photos, stories & socialization has turned into a space filled with opinions & arguments. Opinions on politics, parenting, and whether the dress is blue or white. We definitely like to use our first amendment rights! But voicing our opinions is not going to make the world a better place. Going out & making a difference will. Our actions of spreading kindness, donating our time, helping others, etc…will truly change the world!

We can set an example for so many others by practicing what we preach. We have little (and big) eyes constantly watching what we do. Telling them that we believe in being kind to others may go in one ear and out the other. But if we show them our kindness towards others they will watch and they will follow our example. We should give them something to believe in and strive towards. Our example paves the way for so many others just as our role models did for us. What did your favorite role models do to inspire you?

We have such precious time in life to be happy, make a difference & enjoy ourselves so we suggest we don’t waste it trying to be “right” with our opinions, but rather by setting an example and by being the best versions of ourselves we possibly can! Thank you Paulo Coello for this beautiful quote! We couldn’t imagine not spreading it everywhere for the world to see!

Now let’s get out there & show the world what we’re made of!

Photo by Ryan Dempsey Photo

The World is Change by your Example, Not By Your Opinion Tee – Mama Said Tees

Throw A Little Love

Much of our happiness is dependent upon how others treat us; how they make us feel. In most cases, people treat us the way we treat others. We learned about the golden rule when we were tiny children, yet it seems like the older we get, the more we need to remind ourselves that such a rule exists. Like… hold the phone. Treating others with love and compassion and respect is an option? And if we choose to treat people kindly, it will make us be AND feel better? How cool is that? Other’s feelings and consequently our OWN feelings are literally at our fingertips (and in our hearts).

Another thing that seems to happen the older we get is the more meaning we find in simple things, such as movies we have seen a dozen times. There is a line in a song from Frozen that has really made us stop and sing (because we love to sing) and think: “People Make Bad Choices If They’re Mad or Scared or Stressed. Throw a Little Love Their Way and You’ll Bring Out Their Best!” The whole song is just SO. GOOD. But that line. Just those 23 little words make so much sense to the mind of someone who wants to be happy and make others happy as well.

We have been talking about doing some version of a rainbow tee for a really really really long time. We keep thinking of awesome ways to incorporate one, but have not been sold until we decided that we wanted to design a shirt with that line from that song from Frozen. And thus, our THROW A LITTLE LOVE tee was born. And if we do say so ourselves, it is pretty special. We believe that rainbows represent so many things, and our hope is that on top of the message being a really good one, the design will mean something different to everyone. Everyone is different, after all. Different is normal. Let’s continue to redefine what “normal” means by respecting that every color of the rainbow lends to its overall beauty. 🌈❤️✌🏼

Throw A Little Love Children’s Tee – Mama Said Tees

Do Good

We believe that being kind is the first most important thing that we can be in our lifetime. On our journey to spread kindness we have discovered that there are so many ways to be kind. One of those ways is to do good. Webster’s online dictionary says that “do good” means to act virtuously, especially by helping others. Or, make a helpful contribution to a situation. One of the coolest things about being kind is that it doesn’t have to cost a dime. That is where doing good comes in real handy.

Doing good has a beautiful universal meaning. There is an understood belief that by doing small, simple, meaningful things such as offering help or a compliment or speaking kind words can truly make the world a little bit better. We think that is pretty powerful. Doing good helps transform our hearts and souls and pretty soon it is only a matter of time before our hearts and souls shine and inspire others to achieve that same glow.

Do Good. Two words. So much meaning. So many possibilities. Definitely without a doubt… #lifegoals and a mark you want to make ✌🏼

Do Good Hat – Mama Said Tees

See The Good

Ever have one of those days where you start your morning by running late and spilling your coffee which you KNOW is just the tipping point for a set of dominos all lined up to make your day crummy? The cup is half empty, well, because you literally already spilled half of it. In these moments, though it may seem impossible, we can all use a reminder to see the good. We can flip the script on our day and turn it around before those dominos even start to fall! So what is good about spilling coffee? Well, the glass is always refillable. (And if you’re out of coffee at home, then you just have a reason to treat yourself to Starbucks today)! Cheers!

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping'”

– Fred Rogers

We love this quote from Mr. Rogers. His mother taught him to look for the good in the worst of situations and so often we need practice this in today’s world. It seems like everywhere we turn there is something bad on the news, tv & radio. It is so hard to find the good in these moments, but no matter if we have to dig a tunnel. If we have to use a magnifying glass. If we have to turn around and count to 10 and take a deep breath. There is good to be found. More than anything, we have to want to see it. Seek and ye shall find, every day! And if we’ve tried everything and still haven’t seen the good, well then we can BE the good! We can go out there and do something positive. Make someone else see the good with our actions because everyone has the opportunity to create goodness in the world. Good people bring out the good in people so let’s re-stack those dominos and create a ripple effect of goodness to put into the world! One might say, “put on your rose colored glasses” and let’s see the good together!

Photo By Ryan Dempsey Photo

See The Good Adult Tanks – Mama Said Tees