Hey mama, welcome to the inside out mama's podcast. I'm Brittany Turley, mom of six, and I know what it's like to feel stuck and overwhelmed trying to be the perfect mom. But everything changed for me when I learned that small changes on the inside can bring big results on the outside. Each week, I will share simple yet powerful inside shifts or outside tips that can transform your approach to mothering, helping you thrive from the inside out. Ready to ditch the mom guilt and enjoy this season of life? You're in the right place. As a young mom, I read in several different places about how much impact our words have with our kids. And some of them even listed statistics on how many negative things a kid's hear in one day. You know, like, don't touch that, don't do that, stop that, no. After reading about that, I tried to do my best to speak positively to my kids, but it's hard and I felt like what I was able to do wasn't quite enough because it's so easy to see all the things our kids are doing and think that we need to help correct them and, we sometimes miss seeing and recognizing the good things they do. So, to help offset all of that, I decided I wanted to do something that I could remember better that would feed my kids more positivity. So I started writing them little sticky notes. I started writing one sticky note a night to one of my kids and I kept a little pad of sticky notes on my nightstand. And each night, not every night, I'm far from perfect, I would think of one thing that a child did that I could say thank you for or praise them for. They would be something like, You did so great at your school concert last night. I noticed you knew all of the words. You are amazing. Love you lots, Mom. Or, Thank you for helping your brother with his shoes today when he was struggling. It helped him and me so much. You are such a great big sister. Love you lots, mom. Other ideas or examples are thanking them for a specific thing that they did to be responsible, like clearing their dishes without being asked. Or noticing how they kept their cool and worked things out with a sibling that took their toy, or maybe acknowledging them for saying thank you when someone did something for them, or telling them that you appreciate their warm hugs when you get home, or, praising their hard work on something, even though they didn't get the outcome they wanted. Letting them know that you see their efforts, not just their results. Or thanking them for going with the flow of what needed to happen, even though they didn't get their way. Or telling them how proud you are for apologizing to their friend when they did something hurtful, and acknowledging that that was a hard thing and how strong they are. After I'm done writing the note, I stick it somewhere where they'll find it the next morning, like by their toothbrush, or by their bedroom door, or by their shoes. Some kids don't pay attention to them when I stick them random places, so I stick them sometimes on their forehead, and they wake up with a sticky note on their forehead in the morning. Some of my kids cherish these notes and have kept every single note that I write and they have a stash of them and they've told me that sometimes they look back and read through them. So this little exercise started out being for them. I wanted them to feel good, I wanted them to know that I was proud of them and I saw them and I was acknowledging all the good things that they were doing each day and their efforts. But now, I also do this exercise for me. After doing it for a while, I've realized how much it actually helps me. Maybe even helps me more than it helps my kids. After a long day of being with the kids, if I am heading to bed and I do this two minute exercise of writing one thing down for one kid. It helps my mind refocus on all of the good that that child, or sometimes I write more than one if I'm feeling like it, or multiple children do, and it prevents me from getting overwhelmed by all the hard things that might be going on during the day or even going on with that child. It helps me keep my negative to positivity more in balance. helps me go to sleep better because I'm ending on a positive note, and it gives me more encouragement for the next day. So I don't go to sleep feeling defeated or overwhelmed or frustrated. I go to sleep feeling, look at this good thing and focusing on that helps me sleep well and start the next day off better. Now, Some nights I'm so tired or maybe it's really late and I don't write the note. I just think to myself, one good thing that one kid did that day, just to give myself the reset. It is the best ending of my day, especially on hard days. Now, because I believe small changes on the inside bring big results on the outside, each week I'm going to give you a small changes challenge, something small that you could do throughout the week if you choose, that could end up bringing big results to your life. So for four nights this week, doesn't have to be in a row, Write one note to one child and put it where they can find it telling them something that you're grateful for or something positive that you noticed that they did, acknowledging them, and then notice the positive ripple effect it has on you and also on your kids. Remember, small changes on the inside bring big results on the outside. Thank you for joining me for another episode of Inside Out Mamas. My hope is that our time together inspires more feelings of peace, confidence, and joy in your mama journey. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a show. And if you're ready to take these insights even deeper, head over to brittanyturleycoaching. com to check out my digital workshop designed to help you reduce daily mom overwhelm without adding to your to do list. Thanks for listening, and remember, Small changes on the inside bring big results on the outside.