Use_your_words_pod

07/07/2022

Some delightful words from Ross Gay from his Book of Delights✨
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15/05/2022

Self care is community service. Don’t let our society try to trick you into thinking otherwise.
Happy Sunday 💜
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11/05/2022

Wednesday’s are for Words We Love ☂️
Mister Rogers had a zen Buddhist perspective on child development & it couldn’t be more inspirational to us. It’s a practice. He knew this. He had bad days, he got angry, he got impatient, he got depressed, but he had the mindfulness to channel those emotions properly as to avoid them interrupting his most precious relationships, specifically with his work related to children. Thank you for all your wise words & way of living, Mister Rogers.
💜

07/05/2022

Last summer, we went to our first concert since the pandemic began. It was…. an interesting experience for many reasons, but the most exciting thing about it for us was that we discovered
They are preventing so much single-use plastic waste & their water is so so good. They have still & sparkling, and both are delicious. Our concert was and it was the least amount of plastic we had ever seen at an event. If water is going to be so expensive at sporting events, concerts, etc, the least the venues could do is use a company that feels worthy of our hard-earned dollars. 🏔🌊🌎💀
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04/05/2022

It’s scary out there sometimes, folks…We can’t forget how necessary it is to find the joy. It’s easy to be angry & miserable; dig a little deeper & look for the light.
Art in all its forms is part of that light for us.
These are some creators who help us get through the dark days💫

02/05/2022

Everyone has their own mental health journey, but we believe no matter where you’re at, a reminder to stay rooted in the present moment is helpful.
It’s not easy, but practicing staying present is often a good place to start when we’re feeling imbalanced for one reason or another.

30/04/2022

♻️Sustainable Saturday♻️
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Buying a waste-free phone case won’t save the planet overnight, but small changes in our daily lives can have a significant impact in the long run. Think about all the new models phone companies come out with…most of us have had an upgrade in the last 12 months or less… And most of those old phones had cases on them, and if all of them were waste-free, our oceans could be without that much plastic.🌏
Thank you for your products & your mission to clean up our pale blue dot 💚♻️🌱🌏
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25/04/2022

Hi friends! We wanted to share an update about UYW. ☂️
As some of you may have noticed, we haven’t shared an episode in several months. We have worked hard & learned a lot but the reality is that planning & recording & editing has gotten increasingly difficult with our different schedules/life happening, so we have decided to take a break from the podcast side of UYW. We are very grateful for all the love & support we have gotten & had so much fun dipping our toes in the podcast world.
We will still be utilizing our instagram to share things we are passionate about, so we hope you’ll follow along & take something positive and/or helpful from what we share. Our intention is to create a community where we can be open & honest about all things human in hopes that we can all learn from each other & continue the healing journey to grow into the best people we can be.
Sending all of you love & light,
Jillian & Maria
☂️✨🪐🌙
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25/04/2022

16/02/2022

Hi people! Maria here. I wanted to share this little story in hopes that it helps someone out there in some small way.
☂️
I was basking in the spring-like Chicago weather today from the home I work in and I was texting with some friends, all of whom work from home. And I was feeling pretty envious of their ability to take a long walk, go for a run, do a mid day yoga. I was wishing I could be home reading and doing yoga while the unseasonably warm rain pattered outside my open window. (Feeling a little sorry for myself no doubt, but it’s been a hard couple years so I allowed myself to feel that for a second and let it go).
Then, the universe being the sneaky magician she is, gave me an unexpected gift. The parents and the older child left the house, I put the baby down and did what I had to do around the house. Then turned the lights off, opened the back door, laid out a yoga mat, and got a quick flow/meditation in; their black lab laying at the open door breathing in the wet breeze next to me. I looked at the clock before I started and again when I was done (the family came home) and I thought it surely had been 20 minutes, but it was just 7 minutes later.
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My point, though long-winded, is that life is hard. Jobs are hard, whether they’re done from your couch or outside your home; relationships are hard, even when they’re happy & healthy; being a human is hard. And I am endlessly astonished at how much my perspective, mood, & body change after taking a minute to stop and breathe and listen, no matter where I am. Then when the frustrations, annoyances, irritability, exhaustion set in, I remember to take the advice of the wise and wonderful Bill Murray, and say to myself: it just doesn’t matter.
Let go and make space for something that serves you.
🦋
Hoping you all get a minute or 7 or an hour or day to yourself to help you stay present & grounded.
Peace & love,
Maria
☂️

01/01/2022

✨Happy 22✨

24/12/2021

Happy Christmas from UYW!
We are sending all of you extra love & light this weekend.
And we’re sending extra extra love to those of you who are alone this holiday; feeling sick due to covid or otherwise; in quarantine due to covid; missing a loved one; battling family dramas; overwhelmed with finances/presents; or any other stresses that come along with holidays.
Breathe in, breathe out. This moment is all there is.
❤️‍🩹🎄✨

25/11/2021

We’re back with a new episode!
We took a little break from the podcast to enjoy the summer and fall and adjust to the changes that seasons bring. Our episode in which we talk about that break and things we’ve learned is up now! We hope you enjoy.
*Link to spotify in bio*
All our love and gratitude,
Jillian & Maria
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07/11/2021

We had a lovely afternoon exploring nature with a trained forest therapy guide that we connected with through a local yoga studio,
Thank you for offering this experience!
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We are endlessly amazed with how much energy we get from being immersed in nature. There’s nothing like spending time with the trees and the breeze to get you grounded and focused. We encourage everyone to spend some time with nature and be patient enough to notice all it has to offer. 🌲🧘‍♀️🐿🌱🪵🐜
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20/10/2021

Wednesday Words of Wisdom from one of our favorites, Fred Rogers.
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Thanks, Mr. Rogers, for reminding us that the work we are doing matters. It gets hard, especially when the full moon hits, and we need all the reminders we can get. Breathe deep, parents and nannies and teachers and caretakers of all kinds.
We see you.
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12/10/2021

It’s a special day at UYW: it’s Jillian’s birthday!!!!!
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Jill has been working on being the best version of herself and has done the hard work of uncovering who she really is. Through traveling, getting sober, reflecting, reading, listening, having the hard conversations with others and with herself, she has been an example of what it looks like when someone gets real about working toward being their best self. It’s very inspiring and wonderful to witness her develop into who she was always meant to be. Cheers to 35, You should be very proud of how far you’ve come. See you this weekend for a Beyoncé dance party til we drop 🦋🌱🧘‍♀️💕🥳🦄

26/09/2021

If you are not happy with the family you’re with, you are allowed to quit. Of course, be professional and respectful, but you are not obligated to stay with a family just because you started with them.
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I quit a job after a week once because I had a feeling in my gut that it wasn’t the right family for me. It was definitely challenging and they didn’t handle it very well, but it led me to a family that I loved and stayed with for three years. Trust yourself.

25/09/2021

And legally!
Nannies are often underpaid, and/or paid under the table. Which May seem like a good idea at first, but if someone is a career nanny (meaning they’re not doing it on the side for some extra quick cash or while in school, etc) they need a living wage and a taxed income. Sometimes families don’t understand this and underestimate what the nanny’s work entails.
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I have heard so many things from parents related to my asking rate. “Well she really isn’t awake that much while you’re here”; “we don’t want you to do any cleaning or extra work”; “we asked our friends and they said they pay their nanny (insert low rate).”
I have come to understand that anyone who says these types of things are not the family for me. But that takes so much work and time to accept. A nanny can feel like we are there to be at the beck and call of the family. And while most of us are happy to help with extra things that come up, we should be compensated fairly so it doesn’t feel like we are being taken advantage of.
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Child care is an undervalued field in our society so we encourage you to be your own advocate and don’t settle for anything less than what you know you deserve. Not only are you keeping their children alive and safe and happy, you are managing their household.
Put some respect on my check! 🙋‍♀️😉👏

23/09/2021

It is easier said that done!
Being a nanny means you are trying to navigate the emotions and moods of tiny children, and, if you’re in a situation in which the parents have been working from home throughout the pandemic, the different grown up moods and stressors as well. A nanny has a very intimate role within a family, and that can make it challenging to not get consumed by the family you’re caring for. I know I have found myself ruminating on an interaction with a parent or child in which you’re not sure you handled the right way. Breathe it down. Write it down. Talk it out. And let it go. Your time away from work is for you. Leave work and do what you need to do to unwind and focus on your life. Allowing yourself the space to let it go and focus on your mental and physical health has a positive impact on your performance with the humans you care for. Take care of yourself first. You deserve it.
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22/09/2021

We all have bad days. As a nanny, having a bad day—your patience was shorter; the kids were extra challenging; the parents are stressed; you’re extra tired—can make you feel like the worst nanny alive. Here’s your reminder that a bad day does not mean you’re a bad nanny. Do your best to make it through the hard days and learn what you can from them. You’re doing great. 💜✨☂️
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29/06/2021

Pictured below is about 2 weeks worth of plastic materials that aren’t accepted in most curbside recycling programs that my two toddlers and I (Jillian) have accumulated. Pretty disgusting right!! In the past I have thrown these items either in the trash or even worse in my recycling bin which contaminates that batch of recyclables. When a batch of recycling is contaminated, the whole batch is considered unusable and thrown away and causes the easily recyclable items to end up in land fills.

So, what am I going to do with all this plastic? Good question, I’m still in the process of figuring it out. And I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty overwhelmed by it all. However, with a bit of research and googling, I have come across some helpful resources. Turns out that the grocery bags and plastic films from packaging, which is a large chunk of my plastic collection, is recyclable at participating in store drop off programs. (My local jewel does it as well as target) and almost everything else can be recycled through a website I came across called TerraCycle. TerraCycle offers free recycling programs funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers around the world to help you collect and recycle your hard-to-recycle waste. Simply choose the programs you’d like to join; start collecting in your home, school, or office; download free shipping labels; and send them your waste to be recycled.

If you haven’t already, please check out our latest podcast episode, This One Wild and Precious Planet, to hear more about the ways we are trying to live more sustainable lives to help combat the climate crisis. ☂️♻️🌎

We would love to hear from our followers 😊 Please share with us your recycling successes and failures, recycling tips, sustainable product recommendations, etc

With love and gratitude, 💜🙏
Jillian & Maria

27/06/2021

💜Sunday Smiles💜
As some of you may have noticed, we have been pretty quiet over here at UYW this month. We have been adjusting to post-vaccinated life, and trying to soak in the summer with our family and friends.
☂️
We will continue sharing our thoughts/ideas/questions/etc via social media, and hope to keep engaging with our listeners in one way or another. While we may not be releasing episodes over the next couple months (still TBD), we are still digging deep on the topics that matter most to us. We have been reading a lot and taking notes on things we notice both in the time we spend with children and otherwise.
We can’t wait to get back into a steady schedule with episodes, including welcoming some lovely guests in the near future.
☂️
We appreciate all of your time and support always. We hope you’re all having a peaceful Sunday and a relaxing summer. Don’t forget to take time for you, and remember to implement boundaries that feel good for you. Just because restrictions are lifted, doesn’t mean we always have to say yes. Live your truth with zero guilt or shame. How others feel about your choices is their business.
We love you and we can’t wait to talk to you soon!
☂️
With love and gratitude,
Jillian & Maria

16/06/2021

🦋 Words of Wisdom Wednesday 🦋
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Fred Rogers is a hero of ours. We try to tap into his patient and compassionate energy every day with our littles. Of course, some days are harder than others, so having these little reminders in our pocket can help us get centered and remember how tender the little bodies we care for are. Empathy is everything💜☂️✨🌈
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09/06/2021

**NEW EPISODE OUT NOW** Listen anywhere you get your podcasts!
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Episode 5 is it now! In this episode, we discuss the climate crisis and how we are trying to make small choices in our every day lives to live more sustainably. We know that individual change is so important in helping reverse the effects of climate change, and we encourage you to try to make one small change today to be more eco-conscious.
We have to save our planet.
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We also encourage you to read book, This One Wild & Precious Life.
We’re all in this together, humans.
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With love and gratitude,
Jillian & Maria
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08/06/2021

Hi friends! *New Episode* coming tomorrow (Wednesday) morning!!
🌏🌲♻️🌊
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We are very excited to be sharing our new episode tomorrow. In this one, we are talking about the reality of the climate crisis, and the things we can all do each day to help reverse the effects so the next generation can have a habitable planet.
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We hope you listen and share any thoughts or ideas with us on ways in which you try to lower your carbon footprint. We are here to learn and grow. We’re all in this together, humans.
Peace and Love,
Jillian & Maria
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03/06/2021

We’re challenging all of us (ourselves included) to get a little more creative. —Buy/sell/donate to second hand shops.
—Use the online second hand store,
—look into a textile recycling company in your area.
—look into sustainable clothing and see what fits into your budget.
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These aren’t overnight solutions, but we all have to take baby steps in order to get our carbon emissions down in the next 10 years, and even more urgently by 2050, in order to have a habitable planet.
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When the next generation asks what you did to reverse climate change, what are you going to say?
🌎
Keep an eye out for our new episode on sustainable living coming soon!
Peace & love, humans.

02/06/2021

🦋 words of wisdom wednesday 🦋
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Keep an ear out for our new episode coming soon in which we discuss the climate crisis, and how we are trying to do our part in living more sustainably.
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We hope you’ll tune in and give us any tips you might have or any other thoughts on the topic—we are here to listen and learn.
with love and gratitude,
Jillian & Maria
☂️

22/04/2021

🌎 Here at UYW, every day is Earth Day 🌎 We try to live sustainable lives by making small choices each day that add up in the long run. Mother Earth deserves our efforts, no matter how small.
🌍
Here is a list of some of our favorite eco-friendly products/brands, and please share any we didn’t mention that you love:

(Their deodorant, body wash and lotion are faves) (treeless TP and PT!!)

(thrift a little, give a little)
(8 MILLION pieces of plastic go into our oceans every day)🌊♻️
(see statistic above, save the oceans 🐳)

(great for sensitive skin/eczema)






And of course, always use a reusable water bottle ( is Maria’s choice) and grocery bag. Plus, bamboo straws and bamboo toothbrushes are a great alternative to plastic. (*anyone know of an eco-friendly electric toothbrush brand??*)
♻️

20/04/2021

We are very excited to share our conversation with our first guest Sean Cahill ☂️✨💜

Sean talks about all things life, including his time coaching and teaching kids, his new role as a business coach, and the importance of being vulnerable in order to really connect with others.

We are asking our guests to choose a charity for us to share and donate to and Sean’s is Girls On the Run. We invite you to join us in donating and give them a follow!

There are several books mentioned in this ep which we will be adding to our stories. 📚

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

https://pod.fo/e/c609c

20/04/2021

We are very excited to share our conversation with our first guest Sean Cahill ☂️✨💜

Sean talks about all things life, including his time coaching and teaching kids, his new role as a business coach, and the importance of being vulnerable in order to really connect with others.

We are asking our guests to choose a charity for us to share and donate to and Sean’s is Girls On the Run. We invite you to join us in donating and give them a follow!

There are several books mentioned in this ep which we will be adding to our stories. 📚

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

We are very excited to share our conversation with our first guest, our friend, Sean Cahill. Sean is a business coach and has been a girls volleyball coach for several years. We talk to him about h...