Elizabeth Helen Spencer is a mama, freelance writer, and English professor. We had a wonderful conversation about writing, teaching, and finding time for creativity as a busy mom. Listen as we talk about how Elizabeth got into creative writing, what she was doing in a skeevy dive in Philadelphia and who she met there, her experience living abroad in Prague, and the family fantasies we both have in common. Elizabeth shares some great ideas about how to make creativity a part of your life when you have a job (or two!) and a young child to take care of, and even if you’re not an early bird. We also talked about how to deal with fear when it arises, and what NOT to do to be happier.

Highlights of Our Conversation

• How to find time for writing
• Dealing with transitions, such as going back to work or your child starting preschool
• Being creative in the small things
• How Elizabeth got into writing fiction
• The surprising way she found her writing group and whom she met there
• Life as an American woman in Prague
• Writing by hand versus writing on the computer
• Our family fantasies
• How to overcome fears and challenging situations, such as a new school year
• What writing and sports have in common
• What's so great about coaching

Links and Books Mentioned

www.Elizabeth-Helen-Spencer.com

How Toddlers Thrive: What Parents Can Do Today for Children Ages 2-5 to Plant the Seeds of Lifelong Success by Tovah P. Klein

www.happinessmama.com

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Thank you so much for listening! I hope this podcast helps you be a little bit happier, and helps you go from striving, to thriving!

If you’re a mom who has thought about doing mixed media art or art journaling, today’s episode is sure to inspire and encourage you. I spoke with Iris Fritschi-Cussens, mixed media artist and mom of two who lives in London with her family.

We had a wonderful conversation about how she got started with mixed media, what it means to her, and how she finds time for art while also being the mother of two young boys and working with her husband in their event filming business.

Highlights of Our Conversation

• How Iris finds joy in her art
• What art has taught her about life
• How we art can help us deal with the tough stuff
• The meaning of creativity
• Finding time for creativity
• How we can help our children to be creative
• What Iris does when she makes a “mistake”
• Why she prefers to paint rather than crochet
• How to get started with art journaling
• Why America is a great place to do art
• How we can all be a little bit happier
• Iris’s courses, including her awesome free Inspiration Guide

Links and Books Mentioned

www.iris-impressions.com

NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson (Amazon affiliate link)

www.happinessmama.com

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If you enjoyed the podcast and want to help other mamas be happier, too, visit iTunes and kindly leave me a rating, review, and subscribe. Thank you!

If you need any help with that, visit www.happinessmama.com/itunes-review.

Thank you for listening!