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Beauty

8 Easy Step-By-Step Halloween Makeup Tutorials | Trick or treat?! Perfect for beginners, this collection of Halloween makeup videos will teach you how to create the perfect DIY Halloween costume! Whether you want something creepy and scary, simple and cute, or creative and beautiful, we've got tons of ideas to inspire you, including your favorite Disney characters! We've also included Halloween makeup ideas for kids, teens, and tweens.

Trick or Treat: 8 Easy Step-by-Step Halloween Makeup Tutorials

9 Flattering Haircuts and Hairstyles for Diamond Shaped Faces | If you're looking for diamond shaped face hairstyles for women, this post is for you! Whether you have short, medium, or long hair, this post has everything you need to know. Should you get a pixie cut? A bob? A lob? Will bangs look good? Should you part your hair on the side or in the middle? Which updos will look best? We're sharing all of this along with step by step hair tutorials to help accentuate your best features!

9 Most Flattering Haircuts and Hairstyles for Diamond Shaped Faces

How to Grow Out Your Bangs | If you're looking for tips and hairstyles to make the process of growing out bangs less painful (and fast!), this post is for you! Whether you have short hair, shoulder length to medium hair, or long hair, there are tons of hair hacks and styles to ensure you look stylish in the in-between stages of growing out your bangs. Learn if you should opt for a side or middle part, which updos you should try, and other hair tips to make the process more manageable.

How to Grow Out Your Bangs & Still Look Stylish: 11 Tips and Hairstyles

9 Best Haircuts and Hairstyles for Heart Shaped Faces | If you want to know what the best heart shaped face hairstyles are, this post is for you! Whether you have short, medium, or long hair, we've got all the tips and hacks you need to ensure your hairdo accentuates your best features. Should you get a bob or lob? Do blunt bangs work? Should you add layers to your hair? Does straight hair look best, or is wavy or curly better? Click to find out!

Simple and Stylish: 9 Best Haircuts and Hairstyles for Heart Shaped Faces

8 Braided Ponytail Hairstyles for All Hair Lengths | Perfect for a casual day with friends, for work, for prom, for a wedding, and even for sports, this collection of braided hairstyles is easy and stylish! With simple step by step braid tutorials for short, medium, and long hair, these looks are easy and stylish - even for kids! Click to learn how to upgrade your ponytail in minutes!

Stylish & Practical: 8 Braided Ponytail Hairstyles for All Hair Lengths

10 Flattering Haircuts and Hairstyles for Oval Face Shapes | If you have an oval face shape and want to know the best cuts and styles to help accentuate your best features, this post has everything you need to know! Whether you have short, medium, or long hair, we're sharing all our tips and secrets. Should you get blunt bangs or side swept bangs? Long layers or a pixie cut? A bob or a lob? We're sharing all this plus step by step hair tutorials to teach you how to add style to your locks!

10 Flattering Haircuts and Hairstyles for Oval Face Shapes

10 Hairstyles for Plus Sized Women | If you're looking for the best flattering hairstyles for round faces that will hide a double chin and highlight your best features, we've got you covered! Whether you're in your 20s, 30, 40s, or over 50, we're sharing the best haircuts and hairstyles for plus size women, with options for short, medium, and long hair. Find out if you should sport a pixie cut, bob, lob (long bob), if layers are in, and how to style your curly hair to flatter your face!

Hairstyles for Plus Sized Women: 10 Cuts and Styles for a Slimmer Face

12 Tips and Hacks for the Perfect DIY At Home Pedicure | If you want to know how to do the perfect pedicure at home, this post has everything you need! From the best foot soaks, to supplies and essentials to help restore dry, cracked heels and shape your toenails perfectly, to step-by-step pedicure videos and tutorials to teach you how to pain your nails like a boss, we'll teach you all the steps you need to take to get beautiful, smooth feet!

12 Tips and Hacks for the Perfect DIY At Home Pedicure

7 Rosacea Remedies that Work | If you want to know how to get rid of rosacea, this post will help! We're sharing the symptoms and causes of rosacea, the best DIY natural remedies and skincare products for rosacea, and beauty tips and step by step makeup tutorials to teach you how to hide rosacea. If you have rosacea on your nose, cheeks, neck, or all over your face, these tips and ideas will teach you how to treat it, how to prevent it from getting worse, and how to cover it up!

How to Get Rid of Rosacea: 7 Rosacea Remedies That Work

9 Best Hairstyles for Big Noses for Women | If you have a large nose and want to know which haircuts and hairstyles can help draw attention to your other features, this post is for you! Whether you have short, medium length, or long hair, we're sharing our best tips along with cute, easy, flattering, and stylish hairstyles for school, work, prom, and even for the bride to be that you can re-create in minutes at home. Should you get a bob, lob, or cut bangs? Read the post to find out!

Stylish & Sexy: 9 Best Women’s Hairstyles for Big Noses

How to Give Yourself a Facial | If you want to know how to give yourself an at home facial, this post is a great place to start. We've included the best budget-friendly facial products and tools to invest in (think: steaming, masks, scrubs, peels, and more) as well as a breakdown of all the steps you need to take to make your DIY facial a success. Facials should be part of your regular skin care routine, and if you can't make it to a spa, these ideas will help you create your own home spa!

Self-Care Sunday: Give Yourself an At Home Facial in 6 Easy Steps

51 Hairstyles for Straight Hair | Contrary to popular belief, straight hair doesn't have to be boring. Whether you have short, medium, or long hair, we've curated tons of ideas to get you through all the seasons - summer, fall, winter, and spring! These ideas are simple, cute, and easy to re-create at home. From casual half up half down looks for school, to braided hairstyles for work, to formal updos for prom, weddings, and more, we've included step by step hair tutorials for each look!

Hairstyles for Straight Hair: 51 Tutorials for Every Hair Length

How to Take a Good Selfie | Trying to step up your Instagram game? Need photography tips and hacks to teach you how to take better selfies on your iPhone, Android, or other mobile phone? From poses and angles, to lighting and backgrounds, to choosing the right outfits, and more, we'll teach you how to take self-portraits like a pro! Whether you're taking a full body selfie using a mirror, laying down for a sexy face pose, or something in between, we've got you covered!

How to Take a Good Selfie: 15 Tips Every Girl Needs to Know

6 Nail Art Design Tutorials for Beginners | If you're looking for easy step-by-step videos to teach you how to create cute and fun free hand designs on your nails, we've curated 6 ideas to inspire you! Whether you have short plain nails, beautiful gel nails, or long acrylic nails, these nail art designs are perfect for every season - for spring, summer, fall, and for winter. We've included a list of tools you need to create these looks at home plus simple hacks for beautiful nails every time!

6 Easy Step-by-Step Nail Art Design Tutorials for Beginners

5 Step-by-Step Editorial Makeup Looks To Try | Bold meets beautiful with these fashion forward editorial makeup trends! If you love creative makeup styles, these step by step makeup tutorials are for you. You'll learn new makeup application techniques, including how to apply floating eyeliner, neon eyeshadow, and all over gloss for a dewy makeup look. And let's not forget about adding pops of glitter! Get ready to rock blue, pink, red, green, and yellow makeup with a hint of gold and silver!

Bold and Beautiful: 5 Step-by-Step Editorial Makeup Looks We Love

12 Hairstyles for Big Foreheads | Whether you have short, medium, or long hair, hiding a big forehead is surprisingly simple and easy. From side swept bangs with a deep side part, to wispy bangs and voluminous layers, to bumper bangs and victory rolls, to a loose ponytail with a side part, we're sharing tons of hair hacks and trendy styles for all face shapes that will take the emphasis off your forehead, making you feel confident and ready to take on the world!

Fashionable and Stylish: 12 Hairstyles for Big Foreheads to Try

How to Get Rid of Large Pores on Your Face | If you're looking for beauty tips, DIY natural remedies, and store bought products you can use to minimize the appearance of pores on your face fast, this post has tons of great ideas! If you have large pores on your face - whether it's on your nose, cheeks, forehead, or all over - we'll teach you how to reduce their appearance naturally. We've also included drugstore skin care products you can use for faster results!

How to Get Rid of Large Pores on Your Face: 9 Tips and Products

6 Hollywood Waves Tutorials for All Hair Lengths | If you want to know how to do classic vintage waves on your own hair, these tips and tutorials are for you! Whether you have short, medium, or long hair, retro waves are the perfect way to add a little glamour to your look. If you're looking for wedding hairstyles for the bride (or bridal party), need an easy 'do for a formal event, or just want to add a little style for a date night, these step-by-step tutorials are for you!

Classy & Chic: 6 Hollywood Waves Tutorials for All Hair Lengths

How to Get Rid of Back Acne | If you want to know what causes back acne, how to prevent it, how to treat it, and the best back acne remedies to try, this post is for you! Why there aren't any DIY natural treatments that work overnight (at least not that we know of!), these tips and products work fast. Whether you have occasional hormonal acne, or chronic cystic chest and back acne, it is possible to treat it at home so you can look and feel your best year-round!

How to Get Rid of Back Acne: 11 Tips and Remedies that Work

11 Pin Up Hairstyles For All Hair Lengths | If you love 1940s vintage hairstyles, these step by step pin up hair tutorials will not disappoint! From pin curls for short hair, to 1940s headscarf hairstyles, to vintage waves for medium length hair, to pin up hairstyles with a bandana, to victory rolls for long hair, you'll learn how to do pin up hairstyles like a boss! Some of these styles are simple and quick, while others take some some time, but all of them are retro and gorgeous!

1940s Hairstyles: 11 Pin Up Hairstyles for All Hair Lengths

10 Hairstyles That Make You Look Younger | While anti aging products can help with wrinkles and fine lines, did you know that the cut and color of your hair can knock 10 years (or more) off your look? Perfect for gals over 50 - and even older women - these hairstyles will make you look and feel younger! Should you go with bangs? Long layers? Curly hair? A bob? A lob? We've got all the secrets, along with the best hair colors to hide wrinkles and make your skin glow!

Middle Age & Fabulous: 10 Hairstyles That Make You Look Younger

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‘HOW YOU DO ANYTHING IS HOW YOU DO EVERYTHING.’ —Jess Sims
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While some people love reading self-help books or listening to inspiring podcasts, quotes, mantras, and song lyrics are my jam. I spend hours upon hours scrolling through my social media feeds each week searching for motivational quotes and sayings, and I copy the ones I love most to the notes app on my phone so I never forget them. 
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I have a quote and lyric for pretty much every feeling and occasion, and if you follow me on stories, you know that I try to share something motivating and inspiring every morning. 
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I’ve recently been using short quotes/mantras to help me stay focused. Mantras are typically used in meditation, but they are also a fabulous tool to help you stay grounded. The idea is to pick a word or phrase with meaning to you, and each time your mind starts to wander, you repeat the mantra over and over to bring yourself back to the present moment.
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I use mantras to help me stay productive with work, to keep me motivated when I want to push myself during my workouts, to stay present when I’m overwhelmed and trying to do too many things at once, and to stop me from ruminating about the things that make me stressed and anxious. 
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If you’re looking for inspiring quotes and mantras to help you stay focused, present, and calm, here are some of my favorites!
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‘Be present where your feet are.’
—Unknown
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You don’t have to. You get to.
—Jess Sims
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Easy is bullshit.
—Christine D’Ercole
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Feel the burn, step closer to the fire.
—Emma Lovewell
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A setback is an avenue for a comeback.
—Alex Toussaint 
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Hold the vision, trust the process.
—Unknown
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No challenge, no change.
—Robin Arzon
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Acknowledge the fear and do it anyway.
—Emma Lovewell
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Impossible is just an opinion.
—Paulo Coelho
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Treat your body like it belongs to someone you love. 
—Hannah Marie Corbin
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Fix your ponytail and try again.
—Unknown
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👇🏻 What quotes and mantras keep you focused and present when you’re overwhelmed or anxious?
‘ALL GREAT CHANGES ARE PRECEDED BY CHAOS.’ — ‘ALL GREAT CHANGES ARE PRECEDED BY CHAOS.’ —Unknown
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f you’ve been following me on stories, you know we moved to a new house a couple of weeks ago. I was going to document the whole thing, but moving during a global pandemic in a city that is completely locked down with a child in virtual school is… 🤪
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This was the biggest move I’ve ever undertaken, and my Type A personality really struggled with how little control I had over everything. Lists and schedules are my jam, but it seemed the harder I tried to keep things on track, the quicker they fell apart.
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I eventually decided to just embrace the chaos. I allowed myself to let go and just enjoy the excitement of it all and it ended up being the smoothest, most enjoyable move I’ve ever experienced. We’re still waiting on furniture deliveries and have lots of painting to do, but since no one will be visiting us for months (years?!) on end given the state of the world right now, there is absolutely no pressure.
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And that feels great.
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If you’re struggling, here are 4 things that helped me find order in the chaos that has been our lives for the last several weeks:
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✔️ EXERCISE. I start every single day with a hard workout to get those feel-good endorphins flowing. It makes me feel accomplished, helps me work through whatever is on my mind, and sets the tone for the rest of my day.
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✔️ ENERGY MANAGEMENT. I do all of my most pressing tasks when my energy is high and my mind is clear, and save all of the monotonous, mindless stuff (think: responding to emails, meal prep, folding laundry) for the evening.
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✔️ NEVER TOUCH SOMETHING TWICE. Once I ‘touch’ a task, I deal with it then and there so it’s taken off of my plate, rather than ’touching’ it multiple times and allowing it to take up extra energy and mental space. This is one of the best productivity tips I’ve ever read and it’s been a life-saver for me lately! 
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✔️ DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT. I struggle the most with this, but the last few weeks have been a great exercise in challenging a lot of my Type A tendencies.
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👇🏻 How do YOU stay on track when you feel overwhelmed?
‘SELF-CARE ISN’T SELFISH.’ . If you met me I ‘SELF-CARE ISN’T SELFISH.’
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If you met me IRL, you’d probably [hopefully?] never know I suffer from anxiety, and would likely assume I’m just a high maintenance, high strung, Type A personality. All of those things are in fact true, LOL, but what you may not realize is that each of those traits of mine are the result of years of feeling anxious and worried and stressed.
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I grew up at a time when we were taught to keep our struggles to ourselves, and when I think back to grades 3 and 4 when my anxiety was at it’s absolute worst, it pains me to remember how much I suffered in silence. I feel proud that I was able to overcome some pretty tough stuff on my own, but I refuse to let history repeat itself.
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I will not raise my daughter in a world that stigmatizes mental illness.
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According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 38% of Canadians say their mental health has declined since the start of the pandemic, and people already struggling with their mental health were 2 times more likely to say their mental health has declined further. 
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One of the biggest hurdles for anyone suffering from mental illness is overcoming the stigma. It is the number one reason why people living with mental illness do not seek help.
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Today is #BellLetsTalk day and Bell will donate 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for every applicable text, local or long distance call, tweet or TikTok video using #BellLetsTalk - all at no cost to participants beyond what they would normally pay their service provider for online or phone access. 
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MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS.
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Let’s end the stigma.
‘STOP TRYING TO CALM THE STORM. CALM YOURSELF, T ‘STOP TRYING TO CALM THE STORM. CALM YOURSELF, THE STORM WILL PASS.’ —Unknown
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My daughter went back to school virtually today, and while the Type A in me is excited we’re back in some kind of routine, I had forgotten just how chaotic and impractical distance learning is. A province-wide internet outage took down her teacher within 2 hours, shattering any hopes I had of grabbing a little time to myself to get caught up on all of the work stuff I’ve been putting off for the last 3 weeks. I’ve dried tears, prepared snacks, provided new Zoom logins, helped with grade 4 math, and I even made paper plates out of construction paper for a last minute craft.
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Wash, rinse, repeat.
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All is good in our world again, and soon we’ll dive back into those math problems and whatever else is on tap for homework before I retreat to my office to print off tomorrow’s agenda and worksheets. We’ll all play Roblox before dinner to help us unwind after a crazy day, and I’ll stay up later than I want to tonight trying to get caught up because I know tomorrow will bring more unforeseen challenges, and I hate starting my day feeling behind schedule.
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Parenting in a pandemic is extra messy, and if this sh*t storm has taught me anything, it’s that we need to give ourselves a hell of a lot of grace right now. There will be days where we’re super productive and get through everything on our never-ending ‘to do’ lists, but there will be many more days where we feel like we’ve accomplished absolute nothing.
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It’s on these difficult days that we need to remind ourselves that our most important job right now is making sure our kids are healthy and happy, and that they feel safe and loved. When they look back on this time, they won’t remember if the house was clean and the laundry was folded, how often we ordered takeout, or if we gained weight. All they will remember is how we showed up for them - even on the days we were struggling to show up for ourselves.
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If the return to reality has you feeling overwhelmed today, stop trying to calm the storm. Take a deep breath, get present in this moment, remind yourself what’s important, and focus on that instead.
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We’ve got this. 💙
BACK TO REALITY… . Are you ready to get back at BACK TO REALITY…
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Are you ready to get back at it?
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While we’ve certainly been busy organizing, packing, and getting our new home ready and didn’t really relax as much as we’d hoped to over the holidays, I’ve enjoyed operating at a slower pace the last couple of weeks. We’ve stayed up late, slept in a little bit each morning, had too much to eat and drink, and enjoyed a break from routines and schedules. 
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Toronto is currently under lockdown, so my daughter is going back to school virtually tomorrow while my husband and I continue to work from home. It’s not ideal, but we’ll make it work and I’m excited to get back into a routine. The time away from my computer helped me reset and recharge, and I feel like I’m starting 2021 with more realistic expectations of myself. And that feels good.
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2020 was definitely not my favorite year, but when I look back at the last 12 months, a lot of really great things came from it. It gave me more time with my husband and daughter and brought us much closer than our busy, pre-2020 lives would’ve ever allowed. It helped me reconnect with friends I had lost contact with due to the craziness that is being a working mom. And it helped me form amazing new friendships that I will cherish forever.
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I know 2021 is likely going to be just as challenging - if not more so - as 2020 was, but for the first time since becoming a mom, I finally feel like I have a tribe of people around me. I feel less lonely than I’ve ever felt in my life, which is hilarious since we have been holed up in our house for ~10 months, but it feels pretty amazing.
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I’m not sure where I was going with this post, but suffice it to say I’m ready to caffeine and conquer! ☕️
‘ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE. KNOW THAT ‘ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE. KNOW THAT IT IS YOU WHO WILL GET YOU WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, NO ONE ELSE.’ —Les Brown
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I think we can all agree that 2020 was the absolute shits, and I know we’re all looking forward to a chance to start fresh in hopes that the universe will be a little kinder to us in 2021. 
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Of course, our lives aren’t going to magically go back to the way they were at 12:01 am. It’s not easy to be positive right now, but instead of getting stuck in the suck, remember that the only thing you have control over is your attitude.  You can continue to feel sorry for yourself and mourn all the ways your life has changed, or you can straighten your crown and focus on all of the good things happening in your life.
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If you dig deep enough, you’ll see that there is so much to be grateful right now.
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And if you can’t think of anything that you feel proud of or that brings you joy, then it’s up to you to create it. Accept responsibility for your life. Stop making excuses and be the change you want to see. 
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Instead of thinking of 2021 as another year of lockdowns and restrictions while we wait for vaccinations to take place and herd immunity to take hold, look at it as an open book. 
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12 new chapters. 365 new chances. 🥂
‘BE PRESENT WHERE YOUR FEET ARE.’ —Unknown . ‘BE PRESENT WHERE YOUR FEET ARE.’ —Unknown
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What do you do when you have downtime?
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I haven’t had time off since last Christmas. We hit the ground running in January as we were planning a 2-week family vacay in March and wanted to do ALL THE THINGS beforehand so we could unplug and enjoy the trip. Our vacation obviously got cancelled, and we’ve been on autopilot ever since. I feel like the pandemic has either made people really busy, or extremely bored. There’s no in-between!
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My team and I have been busy working ahead over the past couple of months as I really wanted to unplug and unwind for a few weeks over the holidays and now that the craziness of Christmas is over, I don’t know what to do with myself!
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I’m caught up on This Is Us, we finally watched The Undoing, I’m almost done Open Book, I’ve done a lot of drawing on my iPad, I’ve had a lot of wine, I’ve eaten a ton of chocolate, we’ve played games, I’ve done my nails…and I’m bored, lol. But unless I find something else to do, I have to face packing up this house (we’re moving, ya’ll!) and I can’t face that just yet.
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👇🏻how do you unwind?
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