How To Use Time in Quarantine for Personal Development

When this  quarantine period started in mid-March, I was lost. This was the first time in nine years that I was unemployed. It was also the first time I was home with my daughter full-time. With no preschool for her and no work for me, it was totally different. I had been wanting a change, but not under these circumstances. I was afraid of getting sick. I didn’t know how I’d end up paying my bills. I was worried about our food situation. I had so many worries and questions floating around in my head.

Coffee with notebook. “Change Your Mindset”

Shift Your Mindset

Meanwhile, I was about half way through my coaching course with World Coach Institute. On one of those calls, I talked to a classmate about how I was feeling overwhelmed and lost. He told me that this time was a gift so that I could focus on my business. When I started thinking of it like that, I felt much more positive about our situation. After my mindset changed, things started to fall into place.

I think of this time as a gift. How can you reframe this time of being alone to something positive you can identify with? Maybe you think of this time as a change, a rebirth or a chance to rethink your priorities. Maybe this time can be a reconnection. A reconnection to yourself as well as your connection to those around you. Even though we can’t be in the same room, there are plenty of ways to reach out to each other.

How To Use the Time in quarantine for personal developmentHow To Choose Your Focus

If you are as overwhelmed and lost as I was, choosing something to focus on can seem like a daunting task. The obvious choice for me is my coaching business since it’s one of my big dreams for this decade and I was already taking the course. Have there been changes you wanted to make? Is there something you’ve always wanted to learn about? Is your home in need of cleaning and or organization? Have you wanted to start a new hobby?

Write everything down. Your dreams, goals, changes you want to make, things you’ve always wanted to try and then prioritize them. Then ask yourself, which of these things can I do from home?

Possibilities

  • Work on your business,
  • Spring clean,
  • Reorganize your home,
  • Do activities with your kids,
  • Start a new exercise routine,
  • Find a new hobby,
  • Take a course,
  • Read books,
  • Start a journaling or meditation practice,
  • If you’ve been running non stop, take a break.

How to crush your goals during quarantine

What other ideas can you come up with? How are you improving your life during this period of uncertainty? Scroll down and tell me in the comments!

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Welcome!

Girl pouring tea. “Welcome”

Welcome to NMC Coaching, short for Navigating Motherhood Coaching. I created this space to help mothers rediscover themselves, achieve their goals and create amazing lives. My approach to coaching is very individualized, so we will work together to find the solutions that will work for you.

My daughter and I when she was a baby.

My name is Darcey. I’m a certified professional coach who specializes in issues surrounding motherhood. My background is in early childhood education. I’m a mom to a happy and inquisitive four-year-old girl. I love books, cats, writing, the beach and seeing new places. If you want to learn more about me and how we can work together, take a look at my about page.

How Can I help You?

Enough about me. This blog is about you. I’m here to help you work through the challenges you are facing. What would you like to read about? What do you need help with? Tell me in the comments.

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10 Valentine’s Books for Preschoolers

I love sharing book recommendations and seeing all these blog posts with lists of books for different themes. Since Valentine’s Day is less than a week away, I thought I’d share our list of 10 Valentine Books for preschoolers. Here is what we’ve been reading and some new books we will read this week.

10 Valentine’s Books for Preschoolers

1. Love From the Crayons
by Drew Daywalt

Rosebud loves the book, “The Day the Crayons Quit”, so she’d probably love this one too. I haven’t seen this one before, but this will be one of our must reads for Valentine’s Day.

Description

Ring in Valentine’s Day–and love–with the New York Times Best-Selling Crayons! This charming new title featuring everyone’s favorite coloring crew is the perfect gift for that special someone on Valentine’s Day–or any day of the year.

Love is yellow and orange. Because love is sunny and warm.
Love is purple. Because it’s okay to love outside the lines.

This special gift book, featuring all the The Crayons from The Day the Crayons Quit, explores the bright colors and subtle shades of love. This is a must-have for fans of The Crayons, and the perfect gift for that special someone.

Happy Valentine’s Day Mouse

2. Happy Valentine’s Day Mouse
by Laura Numeroff

Rosebud loves the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” series, so I had to buy her this book last year. It’s a bit shorter than her other books, but it’s a simple introduction to Valentine’s Day.

Description

This board book with sturdy pages is perfect for preschoolers, who will enjoy the simple introduction to the fun of Valentine’s Day.

“This title follows Mouse as he makes valentines for all of his friends,” said School Library Journal. “Each valentine is made to represent what he loves most about each of his friends, such as Pig ‘because she’s a good dancer’ and Bunny ‘because she’s the best at hide-and-seek.'”

Budding artists and crafters will love this book, perfect for pairing with Valentine’s Day activities. A surprise at the end adds to the read-aloud fun!

3. Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar
by Eric Carle

Who doesn’t love “The Very Hungry Caterpillar?” It’s a Valentine’s twist on the classic book.

Description

with #1 New York Times Best-Selling Title!
“You are the cherry on my cake; you make the sun shine brighter; you make my heart flutter.” Using a range of images from the World of Eric Carle, and featuring the Very Hungry Caterpillar, this special gift book gives all the reasons why someone special makes the world a better and brighter place. Perfect for that someone special any day of the year!

Mother and daughter reading

4. The Biggest Valentine Ever
by Steven Kroll

A great story with an important message about what we can do when we work together.

Description

When Mrs. Mousely asks her class to make valentines, Clayton and Desmond decide to make one together and give it to their teacher as a surprise. But things don’t go as planned. First Clayton puts too much glitter on the card. Then Desmond puts on too many hearts. Soon the friends are arguing and they rip the card in half. “I’m going to make my own valentine!” they both say and go home in a huff.
But then Desmond and Clayton realize that by working together they can make the biggest, best valentine ever!
Kids can use the colorful foil stickers to make their own valentines!

There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose

5. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose
by Lucille Colandro

Rosebud loves these books and now there seems to be one for every occasion.

Description

Our favorite lady is back and hungry for Valentine’s Day treats!

That lovely old lady has returned just in time for Valentine’s Day. Now she’s swallowing items to make a very special gift for her valentine!

With rhyming text and hilarious illustrations, this wacky version of the classic song will appeal to young readers as they follow the Old Lady on a wild Valentine’s Day adventure.

6. I Love You to the Moon and Back
by Amelia Hepworth

I’ve never read this before now, but it fits in with our theme of Valentines and love. It’s perfect for toddlers and younger preschoolers.

Description

The sun rises, and a bear and cub begin their day together. They splash in the water, climb mountains, and watch the shimmering sky. They show their love by touching noses, playing chase, and of course, hugging. A sweet, gentle rhyme, perfect for sharing with a special little one!

Mother and son reading

7. Love, Splat (Splat the Cat)
by Rob Scotton

We found this one on Youtube the other day and it was a cute story.

Description

It’s Valentine’s Day and Splat has a special valentine for a certain someone in his class. Her name is Kitten, and Splat likes her even more than fish sticks and ice cream. But Kitten doesn’t seem to like him at all. And then there’s Splat’s rival, Spike, who also likes Kitten. Will Splat’s heartfelt valentine win Kitten’s paw in the end?

8. Roses Are Pink Your Feet Really Stink
by Diane DeGroat

Of course, Rosebud wanted to read this because of the title, but it’s one of those books with a good message.

Description

Gilbert is all set to write fifteen friendly valentine cards to his classmates. But how can he write a nice poem for the boy who tweaked his nose, or the girl who made fun of his glasses? Instead, Gilbert writes two not-so-nice valentines…and signs the wrong name on both!

When his classmates read his poems, their feelings are hurt, and Gilbert’s prank quickly turns into pandemonium. But with the help of a friend and an honest apology, there’s always time for a change of heart on Valentine’s Day.

The Valentine Bears

The Valentine Bears
by Eve Bunting

Here’s a sweet classic book about two bears who celebrate Valentine’s Day together for the first time.

Description

Mr. and Mrs. Bear have never celebrated St. Valentine’s Day because they hibernate during the winter.

10. This is Not a Valentine
by Carter Higgens

This book is about showing people you love them every day, not just on a holiday. The message might be above preschoolers heads, but it’s definitely worth checking out.

Description

This book is not a valentine. It doesn’t have lacey edges or sugary hearts. But it is full of lucky rocks, secret hiding spots, and gumball machine treasures. This is a book about waiting in line and wishing for cinnamon buns. About recognizing that if you care so much about someone not thinking you care, maybe you really do. But wait—isn’t that exactly what love is about? Maybe this book is sort of a valentine after all. A testament to handmade, wacky, bashful, honest love—sure to win over the hearts of all readers—this offering from debut picture book author Carter Higgins and children’s book veteran Lucy Ruth Cummins is the perfect gift to celebrate every relationship, from parent to child, sibling to sibling, partner to partner, crush to crush.

Valentine’s Books for PreschoolersThat wraps up our list of 10 Valentine’s books for preschoolers. There are so many books out there, so maybe you have found one you haven’t seen before from this list. What are you reading with your children this Valentine’s Day? Tell me in the comments. Happy reading!

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Journal Prompts For Valentine’s Day

I’m going to try to do these journal prompt posts more often because my Pinterest followers seem to like them. There are numerous benefits of journaling, but sometimes it’s hard to stay consistent and or focused, so here are some love prompts for the month of February. If you are just getting started with journaling, that’s wonderful. If you’ve been journaling for a while and you need some prompts to get you jump started again, I’ve got you covered! Many of the prompts are Valentine’s Day related, but don’t worry if you are single. I have something for everyone here.

Journal Prompts for Valentine’s Day

Prompts For Singles

  • What do you love about being single?
  • What do you miss about being in a relationship?
  • Describe your perfect partner?
  • What would your perfect date be like?
  • What are you looking for in a relationship?
  • What do you enjoy doing on your own?
  • What would you like to share with others?
  • Are there any relationship experiences that you still need to heal from?
  • Write an unsent letter to a previous partner saying whatever you feel was unsaid.
  • Write an unsent letter to your future partner.
  • Write an unsent letter to a friend describing your future partner as if you’ve already met him/her.

Valentine’s Teddy Bear with Flowers

Prompts for those in a relationship

  • Write the story of how you and your partner met.
  • What are your favorite things about your partner?
  • What is your bucket list together?
  • What are some of your favorite memories together?
  • What are your Valentine’s Day traditions?
  • What could the two of you work on to make your relationship stronger?
  • What things do you do well as a couple?
  • What do you see for your future as a couple?
  • What was your first date like?
  • What does your perfect day together look like?
  • What do you wish your partner would do differently?
  • Write a love letter to your partner.
  • What is the most amazing thing about your partner?

Journal Prompts for Valentine’s Day

Prompts for Self Love

  • What are you doing for yourself today?
  • What will you do for yourself on Valentine’s Day?
  • What are your self-care rituals?
  • If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you be doing?
  • What is your biggest dream?
  • What do you love about yourself?
  • How can you be kind to yourself today?
  • What are your favorite things?
  • What gives you energy?
  • What makes you laugh?
  • If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
  • Describe your dream vacation.
  • What have you accomplished so far?
  • What do other people love about you?

If you enjoy the prompts or find them useful for self discovery, let me know. Do you have any go to prompts that you use when you are having writer’s block? Tell me in the comments. Happy journaling.

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20 Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Your Pets

Are you buying a Valentine’s gift for your pet this year? If so, you are not alone. According to this article that was published last year, one out of five Americans will buy a Valentine’s gift for their pet. I admit, I’m one of those people. If you are one of those people too, but are still wondering what to get for your pet, I have some ideas for you. Here are 20 Valentine’s Day gift ideas for your pet.

Family feeding treats to golden retriever

Treats

What pet wouldn’t love a yummy treat this Valentine’s Day?


Cat playing with ball of yarn

Toys

Any of these toys will make your pet’s day!


Woman adjusting dog’s collar

Accessories

How about a nice new collar or leash with a Valentine’s Day theme?



20 Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Your Pets

Food and Water Bowls

Here are some cute bowls with a Valentine’s theme.

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Your Pets

A Cozy Bed

Who knew they made heart shaped beds for pets? Why not give your pet the gift of a comfortable bed this Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide for Your Pets

Will you be buying any gifts for your pets this year? Tell me in the comments. If not, don’t feel bad. The best gifts you can give your pet are free. Time, snuggles, praise or a walk together will show your pet that you love them more than any store bought item ever could. As always, thanks for reading and enjoy your pets this Valentine’s Day!

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22 Unique Valentine’s Cards and Party Favors for Kids

Every year throughout elementary school, we’d hand out Valentine’s cards and our children are continuing this tradition. Most of the cards were generic and ended up in the trash soon after Valentine’s Day just because what would we keep them for? Occasionally, I’d get a more memorable card. Either it was homemade and there was something special about it. There could be a hand drawn picture, a 2d collage of hearts or something else that made it unique. One person even outlined their hand drawn pictures with puff paints.

22 Unique Valentine’s Cards and Party Favors for Kids

I am crafty, but not when it comes to making cards or drawing, so finding something store bought, but unique is the plan. Rosebud will be handing out cards at preschool, so I wanted to share these unique Valentine’s Day cards with you in case you are in the same boat. If you are looking for cards that pop up, smell good, are interesting shapes or include a little something extra, keep reading. At the end of the post, there will be some Valentine’s party favors as well.

Kid making Valentine’s cards

Pop Up Cards

Three dimensional cards are so cool!

Animated Cards

I’ve never seen this type of cards before. Rosebud and her friends are loving Paw Patrol, so these came up in my search.

Little girl smelling red rose

Scented Cards

Scratch and sniff is always fun for kids. They’ll come back to a card like this again and again.

Shaped or Cutout Cards

A little more interesting than the standard squares or rectangles.

Shiny Cards

If you want to add a little sparkle to the Valentine’s party, why not get something with a little shiny foil or glitter.

22 Unique Valentine’s Cards and Party Favors for Kids

Cards With Candy

Kids won’t be able to wait to try the candy!

Just a note about candy. Many schools are nut free zones, so some candy won’t be allowed. If you are hosting your own party or you know the kids, you might want to hand out the Hershey’s candy. There are a lot of children with allergies and we all know candy is unhealthy, so I am including a non candy option as well.

Cards with Non Candy Surprises

Kids will be excited to see what comes with these cards.

Valentine’s Party Favors

If you are putting together Valentine’s goody bags, these ideas are for you. I’m sticking with non candy party favors.



22 Unique Cards and Party Favors for Valentine’s Day

What are you doing for your kids Valentine’s parties? Tell me in the comments. If you are looking for some awesome Valentine’s Day crafts, snacks or Activities, head on over to Amy’s Balancing Act where she has this fantastic Valentine’s Day Idea Roundup.

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Journaling Prompts for the New Year

Although February is right around the corner, there are still 11 months left in the year. Why not start it off right with some journal prompts that set you up for success in 2020? Whether you’ve already made New Years resolutions and are sticking with them or have lost your momentum, take the time to think about what you want this year to look like. It’s also the star of a new decade, so think about your future as well. Think of your pages as clean slates that you can fill with what ever you wish.

I’ll start with prompts to look back because it can be helpful to revisit where you have been. Next, there will be prompts for goals and dreams for the year and finally, there will be prompts for the future beyond 2020.

Journaling Prompts for the New Year

Looking Back

  • What did you accomplish in 2019?
  • What were your set-backs in 2019?
  • What are your favorite memories from 2019?
  • Did you do anything new in 2019?
  • What was 2019 like if you could describe it in one word and why?
  • What did you accomplish in the last decade?
  • What were your favorite memories from the last decade?
  • Is there anything from the last decade that you still need to heal from?
  • What has been working well for you?
  • What do you want/need to let go of?
  • What was your theme from the past decade?

A cozy winter place to journal. A mug of hot chocolate next to a notebook.

Prompts for 2020

  • What do you want this year to look like?
  • What are your short-term goals for 2020?
  • What are your dreams for the year?
  • What is your word for 2020?
  • Did you make New Years resolutions? If so, are you sticking to them?
  • Make a list of new things you’d like to try this year.
  • What books would you like to read?
  • What would you like to do for yourself this year?
  • What family plans do you have this year?
  • Do you have any habits you’d like to break? If so, what?
  • What’s one step you can take today to achieve one of your goals?

Journaling Prompts for Success in 2020

Prompts for Your Future

  • What are your big dreams for this decade? It can be anything. The sky’s the limit.
  • Where do you think you will be in ten years?
  • Describe your dream place to live.
  • Describe your dream vacation.
  • Write a letter to your future self. What do you want him/her to know?
  • What do you want to do for fun this decade?
  • Break your big dreams down into smaller achievable steps and make lists.
  • What are your family plans for the decade?
  • Where would you like to visit?
  • If you woke up tomorrow and could change one thing, what would it be?
  • What does success mean to you?
  • What is your theme for this decade?

Since it was Martin Luther King Day on Monday, I am ending this post with one of his quotes. It’s perfect for the start of the new year, trying something new or starting fresh.

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. Martin Luther King Jr.

I hope these prompts help you gain some clarity, celebrate your accomplishments and get you excited about your future. Do you have any favorite writing prompts? Feel free to leave it in the comments. Happy journaling!

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How To Achieve Your Dreams

Around the time I was brainstorming for the perfect word for 2020, this wonderful thing popped up in my inbox. Since the beginning of the year, I have been participating in the Best Decade Ever challenge with Mel Robins. For those who don’t know, it’s a totally free 30 day challenge that teaches you to dream bigger. In her live videos, Mel talks about the science behind dreams, why you should dream bigger and how to break those huge dreams down into achievable steps. If you are not participating, I recommend that you do. The program is simple, doesn’t take up much time and it has given me clarity on several areas of my life. It has given me that push to work on my goals plus be more intentional about self-care and bringing love into my life.

How to Achieve Your Dreams for 2020 and Beyond

Dream Bigger

The main part of the challenge asks you to dream bigger. Instead of just focusing on 2020, Mel is asking you to think about the next decade and how you can make it the best decade ever. What are your big dreams? What can you accomplish in this decade? You find out by asking yourself, what are my dreams? Then you write down the first five things that come to mind. You can do this any time of day, but I prefer to do this in the morning. If you do this each day, you start to train yourself to think bigger. It also helps with creating positive energy, seeing reoccurring dreams and can help you gain clarity. I’ve seen so many amazing dreams posted, but here are my big five.

  • Build a life coaching business,
  • Get in the best shape of my life,
  • Make a steady income from this blog,
  • Find a loving and supportive relationship,
  • Have a second child.

Some of my other dreams are to find my tribe, travel, build my dream house and move out of state. Most of these dreams are broad and not specific and that’s okay. There are no rules when writing down your dreams. Whatever comes to mind is perfectly fine. Don’t over think it. If you have the same dreams every day, write those down. If your dreams are different, that’s fine as well. If you never accomplish these dreams or if they change over time, that’s okay. The point is to learn the skill of thinking about your dreams and realizing that they are possible.

Believe in your dreams and they may come true. Believe in yourself and they will come true.

Self Limiting Beliefs

Most of the time, we don’t even get started achieving our dreams because we tell ourselves that our dreams are stupid. We tell ourselves that we are too young, too old, not smart enough, not good enough or that we don’t deserve it. The self limiting beliefs can be endless. We are our own worst critics. We tell ourselves things that we would never tell anyone else. Mell offers a free tool that helps you get clear on your self limiting beliefs and how to get rid of them. This is hard work, but we have to train our brains to think the opposite of what we’ve all been thinking about ourselves for years. Old habits die hard.

Check out this video on self limiting beliefs.

Coffee on a desk with a tablet that says, dream big.

Brick By Brick

Last year, I wrote a post about my take aways from the book, Take Control of Your Life. Also, by Mel Robins. In that book, there was a concept where you build a foundation brick by brick. Well, this is how you achieve your dreams. You break each dream down into small achievable steps. In week two of the course, one of the assignments is to simply pick one dream out of your five and explore it further for 15 minutes per day. What does that mean? Well, there are many ways to explore a dream. One of my big dreams is to become a life coach and build a business, so that’s the one I chose to explore further. I bought the book Becoming A Professional Life Coach and started reading it. I watched a video of a sample life coaching session. Another day, I read everything on the World Coach Institute’s website. I’ve read blog posts written by life coaches on how to get started, listened to The Life Coach School’s podcast and I’ve done what I call a life coaching brain dump. This is where I’ve generated business ideas as well as a todo list for steps I need to take to get started.

Here’s another example. What if your dream is to start a parenting blog? Your first step would be to do a brain dump. Write down anything that comes to mind regarding your blog.

Dare to Dream word cloud

Blogging Brain Dump

One area may be exploring topic ideas. What do you want your blog to focus on? Here is a list of possible topics.

  • Developmental milestones,
  • Toy/product reviews,
  • Self-care for moms,
  • Breast-feeding,
  • Sleep routines,
  • Kid friendly recipes,
  • Educational activities.

You get the idea. List as many possible topic ideas as you can think of. Then do another list of action steps that you’d need to do to get started. Some possible items on your list might include

  • Coming up with a domain name,
  • Researching and finding a web host,
  • Explore WordPress themes,
  • Design website, (Banners, logos, layout etc)
  • Do research on writing a blog post (SEO, proper format, Pinterest etc)
  • Create written content,
  • Find images,
  • Create social media accounts for your blog,
  • Learn how to promote and drive traffic to your blog,
  • Learn about ways to earn an income from your blog.

The point of these lists is to have a place to get started. This way you can see what small steps you can take, what skills you need to learn etc. You can also do a list of steps you’ve taken if you’ve been working on your dream already. That way, you can see your wins and it will keep you moving. Staying with the blog example, one big step would be to choose a domain name. This will be the website address where your blog is located. To achieve this step, you may want to write a list of several blog name ideas. Then choose the one you like best and see if it’s available. If it is, your next step would be to buy the domain. Then your next step would be to find a hosting provider. If you know which one you want to go with, you’d simply go to that website and sign up for a plan. If you are an absolute beginner, your first step may be to do research and compare various hosting companies. There isn’t a right or wrong order to exploring your dream. Just do one small part or actionable step each day and that is how you get started. Brick by brick!

How to Achieve Your Dreams

As I write this, I’m wrapping up week two of the course and am looking forward to making more progress on my dreams during weeks three and four. I will keep you posted. What are your big dreams for this decade? What is one step you can take today to get startedd? Let me know in the comments.

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Valentine’s Day Gifts for Your Little Girl

Valentine’s Day is less than a month away. While I think it’s over commercialized like everything else, I want to make the day fun and special for Rosebud. Our tradition is that I surprise her with a small Valentine’s Day gift in the morning. I haven’t decided exactly what her gift will be yet, but I’ll admit that shopping for little girls is too much fun. It gave me inspiration for this post. If you are shopping for a Valentine’s gift for little girl, I got you covered. This post has plenty of gift ideas to get you started.

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Your Little Girl

Build A Bouquet Play Set

Rosebud loves this flower play set. There are a few different kinds and they all look like they can be connected. I got her this set last year and she still plays with it, but I’m thinking of getting her a second set, so that she can make her flower gardens bigger. This toy is great for color recognition, creativity and learning about different kinds of flowers.

Little girl playing with jewelry

Jewelry

Most little girls I know love jewelry. Rosebud has this bracelet and necklace set with rose pendant. She is not a fan of jewelry, so I’m saving it for when she’s a little older. This set is very pretty and I was surprised that it seems well made. I was impressed with it for a little girl’s necklace. There are tons of options for girls jewelry. The options are endless.

Little girl with teddy bear

Stuffed Animal

Stuffed animals are a classic gift. You can go with a classic teddy bear or with something unique. Something soft and cuddly is always nice.

Mother and daughter reading book

Books

You can’t go wrong with books. There are so many great Valentines books out there. Here are just a few to give you an idea.

Girl in red dress

Valentine’s Dress

If you are going anywhere fancy for this Valentine’s Day or if your little girl just loves dressing up, you could get her a nice dress.

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide for Girls

Kinetic Sand

I got this sand for Rosebud for Christmas and it is the coolest thing. It doesn’t dry out, you can make so many neat things and it doesn’t make a huge mess. There are lots of cool molds you can buy and lots of colors of sand to choose from. I’m thinking of getting the purple shimmer for Rosebud because purple is her favorite color. You could go with red to celebrate Valentine’s Day or maybe white shimmer for winter time.

Mother and daughter doing crafts

Art Supplies

If your little girl is an artist like mine is, why not get some Valentines themed art supplies? I love art because it allows children to use their imaginations.

Little girl at play kitchen

Play Food

Speaking of imaginations, Rosebud is loving her play kitchen and all the pretend food to go with it. Why not get your child’s favorite food in toy form? Maybe one of these desserts or the fruit salad?

Mother and daughter with heart

Crafting Kits

Rosebud is still too young for some of these things, but if you have a school age girl, a crafting kit might be the perfect thing. Some ideas are jewelry making, latch hook, gimp, modeling clay etc. Not only is creating something fun, but you could do these activities together. It could just be a relaxing activity after a long day at school or you could make Valentine’s Day gifts for others together. Either way, it’s a way to spend quality time which leads me to the last gift idea on my list.


Little girl with Valentines gift

Quality Time

    This doesn’t cost a thing. Well, it doesn’t have to. The main thing to show your children on Valentine’s Day is that you love them and want to spend time with them. Do you have a favorite activity that you like to do together or as a family? Here are some ideas.
  • Baking cookies together,
  • Taking a sight seeing walk,
  • Doing each other’s nails,
  • Spa day with facials and or foot bath,
  • Watching a favorite movie,
  • Reading books together,
  • Planning and cooking a meal,
  • Playing board games,
  • Doing puzzles,
  • Exploring places around town that you haven’t seen before,
  • Writing in a 2-way journal.

If your child is older, this would be a fun way to stay connected. Sometimes it’s easier to talk about things face to face, so it’s a great way to keep the lines of communication open. While this is not exactly an activity that you would necessarily do together, I think it counts as quality time as you are taking the time to stop and listen.


Valentine’s Day Gifts for Little Girls
Will you be getting your little girl a Valentines gift? Do you have any special Valentine’s Day traditions? Tell me in the comments. Happy shopping!

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How To Choose Your Word for 2020

I know this post is long overdue, but before I get to that, I want to wish you all a happy new year. I hope 2020 has started on a positive note for everyone, but if not, this post can point you in the right direction.
How to Choose Your Word for 2020

December was a busy month for me and I needed to take a break from the blog and although I’m posting today, I don’t know how often the entries will be coming. I suppose whenever I get inspired. I’ve really needed this break so that I can focus on other things. While I love the blog, I was having to devote way too much time to it. With being a single parent, working in a highly stressful job and dealing with other obligations, it was getting harder to carve out time for anything else, so I’ve had to rethink my priorities. I want the blog to be successful and I know that blogging is hard work, but I need to coast for a while. One of the reasons I’ve made this decision is because of the new year. I wrote in my journal and thought hard about what I want 2020 to look like.

Happy New Year 2020

Why one word instead of a New Years resolution?

I have always hated New Years resolutions. I make tons of goals for the new year, get excited about them and there’s a big push in January, but by February, everything gets dropped. Then there’s the guilt and all the negative self talk about why I didn’t accomplish my goals yet again. This year, I’m doing things differently. I’ve decided to choose one word to live by this year. I did this last year as well, but wasn’t really following it with intention. In order for this to work, you have to be passionate about the word you choose.

The word love in roses.

My word for 2020 is love. I chose the word love because after soul searching, I found that love was the most meaningful thing that I needed to work on for this year. Both for myself and others. This also means that all the goals I’ve chosen to work on for 2020 are connected to love in some way. some of my goals for the year include

  • Getting in better shape,
  • Being more present and patient with Rosebud,
  • Taking more time for self-care,
  • Changing my mindset,
  • Being in a loving relationship.

These goals all relate to taking care of myself or others. Having a connection between the goals will help to make them achievable. My intention for 2020 is love, but yours may be different. Maybe your word is action, happiness, mindful or change. It can be any word. Here are some suggestions if you are still having trouble coming up with a word.

How to Choose Your Word

  • 1. Write in your journal about what you want 2020 to look like. Are there any common themes?
  • 2. Brainstorm a list of words and see which word or group of words resonate with you the most.
  • 3. Make a vision board using images, words and or quotes. Are there any words or themes that pop out at you?
  • 4. If you are torn between two or three words, take time to think and then come back the next day. Do you have any new thoughts?
  • 5. Be sure your word and and any goals connected to your word energize you. Think about intentional things that you can do every day to bring your word to life.

How to Choose Your Word for 2020

Be Intentional

For my word, love, I have thought about what I can do everyday to bring love into my life. I can practice self-love by exercising and taking care of my body daily. I can send out loving energy by writing down a gratitude list of things that I’m thankful for each day. I can reach out to people to increase the chance of finding a meaningful relationship. There are so many things I can do to bring love into my life and that is what I intend to do in 2020. How about you? Do you have a word for the year? What are your plans, dreams or goals for 2020? Tell me in the comments.

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