One of my resolutions this year is to take time for myself. As much as I love being with my family, I have to make time for myself to do what fills my cup and will ultimately make me a better wife, mom, friend, daughter and sister. If I can’t fully enjoy the time that I spend with the people I choose to have around me, then none of my hard work is worth it.
As a mom, or a parent in general really, it’s easy to forget about your own needs and self care tends to fall to the bottom of the to do list. Although, I think there are cultural influences on social media that encourage more of a focus on self care which can have positive ripple effects throughout our lives and the lives of those around us. As Karamo makes clear to his viewers on Queer Eye, “You can’t take care of anyone else effectively unless you take care of yourself first.” Mama, as hard as that is to admit, we all know it’s true. When Lila and Levi grow up and leave the nest, I want them to value their self care and put their well being towards the top of their priority list. So why do I let them see me give and give of myself until I’m so stressed out that I can hardly function? What we model for our kids is what they will put into practice later in life. Taking care of ourselves as parents and knowing when to do so is essential to giving children what they need as they grow.
The good news is – there are sustainable options out there! I scoured the internet to find creative sustainable ideas that Lila could put together or get for her classmates on Valentine’s Day. These are some of the ideas that I came up with. I hope you enjoy!
As you can see, even though we missed the camera countdown in the photo booth for the first two shots, we had a blast and I can confidently say that as much as I love giving and receiving gifts, Bryan and I are able to find other ways to connect for Valentine’s Day and step away from our daily routines to remind each other why we chose to do life together.
I picked the items in this gift guide because they not only allow us to continue to feel like we are spoiling those we love, but also because the creators of these products aim to reduce the amount of waste in our environment with social and environmental justice in mind.
2021 was the year I realized that I need to truly prepare more and be way ahead of myself in order to not just “get through the day”, but to actually LIVE through the day. I don’t want to continue a common cycle that many Americans find themselves in where I go to bed dreading the daily rat race. I want to accomplish everything on my calendar and relish in them instead of simply check them off the list. That is a major goal of mine this year; let’s see how it goes!
Why is this a big deal to me? I need her to trust that I am going to follow through with my end of the deal with whatever that may be as she gets older. Right now, it’s getting ready in the mornings with enough time to leave and get to school for outside time. These are small opportunities, but opportunities nonetheless, to start building that trust with her that will hopefully carry through every stage of her life. I want her to know that she can trust what I say is what I will do and that I do have her best interest at heart. Of course I can tell her those things, but actions show that I mean it. You need both. Tell your children that they can depend on you, but also SHOW them that your are dependable. And if that means you need to change old habits, that’s ok! Start today! Be dependable.
I don’t know if you are like me at all, but sometimes compartmentalizing tasks helps me stay organized. Using an app to accomplish some of my sustainability goals helps me stay on track. These apps also help remind me that there is a team of people on the other side of my phone that are trying to live their best sustainable life, as well. We’re all in this together and we can collectively make a difference.
…this process can leave a lot of people dabbling in the idea of living more sustainably asking, “where the heck do I start?” I’ll give you a great first step… look in your trash can.
Why am I talking about embracing your natural hair color when I’m over here ogling over the endless opportunities to put the color of the rainbow into your locks? It’s pretty simple really; for the last four or five years I have not dyed my hair and I tried something new – I have intentionally embraced my natural hair color, awkward placed highlights and all. And I have been LOVING IT!
