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  • About Us
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  • Healthy Living
    • General Health
    • Fitness
    • Weight Loss
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Natural Remedies
    • The Keto Diet
      • Keto for Beginners
      • Keto Meals
      • Keto Snacks & Sides
      • Keto Desserts
  • Family
    • Marriage
    • Pregnancy
    • New Baby
    • Parenting Tips
    • Kids Activities
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    • Anxiety
    • ADHD
    • Depression
    • Sensory Processing
    • OCD
    • ODD
    • Selective Mutism
Menu
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    • The Team
    • Contact
  • Beauty
    • Hair
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    • Skin Care
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  • Healthy Living
    • General Health
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    • Healthy Recipes
    • Natural Remedies
    • The Keto Diet
      • Keto for Beginners
      • Keto Meals
      • Keto Snacks & Sides
      • Keto Desserts
  • Family
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    • New Baby
    • Parenting Tips
    • Kids Activities
  • Special Needs
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Kids

17 Back to School Teacher Gifts Kids Can Make | Looking for cheap but meaningful 1st day of school gifts for the teachers in your life? Perfect for kids in preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school to make, these DIY gifts kids can make will not disappoint! Created with supplies you can pick up at dollar stores everywhere, these ideas are equal parts creative and inexpensive and will look good in your little one's classroom! #backtoschool #teachergifts #giftskidscanmake

17 Thoughtful Back to School Teacher Gifts Kids Can Make

27 Back To School Crafts For Kids | Perfect for preschoolers who are starting school for the first time, for kindergarten aged kids who are transitioning to full-day school, and for kids in elementary school, this collection of easy back to school activities and DIY art projects is full of ideas for moms to make back to school fun! #backtoschoolcrafts #backtoschoolactivities

Excited For School: 27 Back To School Crafts For Kids

38 Easy Breakfasts for Kids to Kickstart The Day | If you’re looking for quick and healthy breakfast recipes to kickstart your mornings, these ideas will inspire you! We’ve included make ahead ideas you can enjoy on the go, high protein breakfasts that double as fabulous after school snacks, as well as gluten free breakfast ideas and dairy free breakfast recipes for kids with allergies. #kidsbreakfast #kidsbreakfastrecipes #easybreakfast

Morning Fuel: 38 Easy Breakfasts for Kids to Kickstart The Day

27 Cooking Activities for Kids | Looking for easy and healthy recipes for kids you can incorporate into your classroom lesson plans? These fun ideas will inspire you! From taste tests and edible science experiments, to no bake recipes, to simple and creative ideas that have an education component, these recipes kids can make will teach important kitchen tips and life skills, and hopefully turn picky eaters into aspiring chefs! #cookingactivities #cookingintheclassroom #recipeskidscanmake

Cooking in the Classroom: 27 Cooking Activities for Kids

28 Meals Kids Can Make By Themselves | If you’re looking for easy, healthy, and fun recipes kids can make for breakfast, school lunches, and/or for dinner, look no further! Mornings and evenings just got a whole lot easier with this collection of tips for getting kids excited about cooking and simple recipes the whole family will enjoy. While these may not be low carb (LOL), who can pass up a pot of mac and cheese made by your own child?! #mealskidscanmake #cookingwithkids #kidsrecipes

Cooking with Kids: 28 Meals Kids Can Make Themselves

20 First Day of School Icebreakers for Kids | Attention teachers! If you’re looking for fun and engaging ‘getting to know you’ team building activities to help your students transition back to school, these ideas will not disappoint! Perfect for kids in kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school, we’ve included ideas for small groups and activities that can be enjoyed with the entire classroom. #icebreakers #backtoschool #backtoschoolactivities

Getting to Know Each Other: 20 First Day of School Icebreakers for Kids

36 Indoor Toddler Activities for Bad Weather Days | Perfect for rainy days and snowy weather, these activities offer the perfect way for kids aged 18 months to 2 years old (and beyond!) to burn off energy when cooped up inside. These at home ideas are fun, easy to setup, and double as great ideas for preschool and daycare. They make for awesome birthday party activities for kids, too! #toddleractivities #indoortoddleractivities

Fun at Home: 36 Easy Indoor Toddler Activities for Bad Weather Days

Teaching Fractions to Kids | Learning about numerators and denominators is a pretty abstract concept, and can be confusing and frustrating to children. If you want to know how to teach fractions to kids in first, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and/or 5th grade, there are tons of manipulatives and visuals available to help, and we’re excited to share 20 fractions games and fractions activities to keep kids engaged and learning! #teachingfractions #fractiongames #fractionactivities

Teaching Fractions to Kids: 20 Math Games and Activities that Work

25 Energizing Brain Breaks for Kids | Engaging your students in regular brain breaks in the classroom can help improve attention, focus, retention, self-regulation, and more! We’re excited to share our favorite quick and easy movement ideas to help kids shed excess energy, and have included ideas for children in preschool and kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school. These activities are fun, calming, and perfect for indoor recess days! #brainbreaks #brainbreaksforkids #sensorybreaks

Focus and Control: 25 Energizing Brain Breaks for Kids

11 Problem Solving Activities for Kids | If you want to help build your child’s social, critical thinking, conflict resolution, and anger management skills, these fun and effective ideas are for you! We’ve included worksheets, team building activities, task cards, and other creative challenges for small groups that can be used at home with parents or as a team in the classroom. #problemsolvingactivities #conflictresolution #selfregulation

Critical Thinking: 11 Problem Solving Activities for Kids

38 Summer Activities for Kids | Looking for ideas to keep your kids busy at home this summer that are fun and educational? Whether you have toddlers, kids in preschool or kindergarten, or older kids, there are tons of things to do that are inexpensive and easy to setup. Check out our favorite indoor and outdoor summer activities, as well as summer group games for kids and summer science experiments designed for the mad scientists in your life! #summeractivities #summercrafts #summergames

Boredom Busters! The Ultimate List of 38 Summer Activities for Kids

16 Summer Water Activities for Kids | If you’re looking for fun and creative ways to keep your kids cool and entertained outside this summer, these ideas are for you! From a DIY sprinkler and pool noodle waterfall, to outdoor games like water balloon pinatas and fill the bucket, these summer activities will be turning backyards into awesome summer retreats for kids everywhere on hot summer days! #wateractivities #summeractivities #outdooractivities #summerfun

Get Outside! 16 No Fuss Summer Water Activities for Kids

17 Button Crafts for Kids | Perfect for children of all ages – from toddlers to school-aged kids – this collection of easy DIY art projects is sure to keep your little ones busy. With so many ideas to choose from, like jewelry, magnets, keychains, frames, and bowls you can display with pride around your home, these creative ideas make the perfect gifts kids can make. They also make fun activities you can enjoy in the classroom! #buttoncraftsforkids #buttonactivities #kidscrafts

Fun at Home: 17 Fun and Easy Button Crafts for Kids We Love

16 Pool Noodle Crafts for Kids | If you’re looking for easy DIY projects to do with your kids on bad weather days, need creative classroom crafts you can enjoy year-round, want awesome outdoor activities for summer vacation, or need birthday party game ideas, this post has it all! With 16 games, activities, and crafts to choose from, you’ll never hear the words ‘I’m bored’ again! #poolnoodlecrafts #kidscrafts #poolnoodlefun

Crafting on a Budget: 16 Pool Noodle Crafts for Kids

22 STEM Toys for Kids | If DIY projects aren’t your thing, but you want to find a way to incorporate STEAM learning into the kids activities you and your children do at home, this collection of ideas will inspire you! With ideas for toddlers, kids in preschool, kindergarteners, and for elementary aged kids (ages 6-12), we’ve curated 22 of the best STEM toys for girls and boys! Science, engineering, math, and technology has never been easier – or more fun! #stemtoys #stemactivities #stemprojects

Learning Made Fun: 22 STEM Toys for Kids of All Ages

24 Family Activities for Kids of All Ages | Looking for fun ways to spend quality time with your kids at home? Whether you need ideas for toddlers, kids in preschool, kindergarten, elementary-aged kids, tweens, or teenagers, we’ve got you covered. These boredom busters are perfect for weekends and school holidays, and will keep your family entertained and off their electronics in the summer, fall, winter, and spring! #familyactivities #boredombusters #familygames #familygamenight

Things To Do At Home: 24 Family Activities for All Ages

29 Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Kids | If you’re looking for easy kids activities for an upcoming birthday party, or to enjoy during summer vacation, on lazy weekends at home in the backyard, or while camping, at the park, or at the beach, this collection of scavenger hunt ideas with clues is sure to inspire you! With a selection of both indoor and outdoor ideas to choose from, you can enjoy these during fall, winter, spring, or summer! #scavengerhunt #indooractivities #outdooractivities

29 Indoor and Outdoor Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Kids

32 Felt Projects for Kids | If you’re looking for crafts and activities you can enjoy with your children on bad weather days, we’ve curated 32 ideas to inspire you! We’ve included easy no sew ideas for toddlers and preschoolers, simple sewing projects for beginners, and more advanced DIY ideas for older kids to make. With free patterns and printable templates, you’ll be amazed what you can create with some felt, glue, thread, and a needle! #feltprojects #feltcrafts #nosew #kidssewingprojects

Crafting at Home: 32 Super Fun Felt Projects for Kids

11 Working Memory Games for Kids | Looking for inexpensive (and free!) working memory activities for children with developmental delays like ADHD, executive functioning disorder, and autism, as well as students with learning disabilities like ADHD? With 7 strategies and 11 activities designed to develop a child’s memory, planning, and organization skills, this collection of fun ideas will help make learning fun at home and in the classroom! #workingmemory #workingmemorygames #specialeducation

Don’t forget! 18 working memory games and strategies for kids

11 Scooter Board Activities | Looking for fun occupational therapy ideas to do at home or in the classroom to develop a child’s gross motor skills, improve focus for greater learning, reduce stress and anxiety, and help with self-regulation? From awesome ideas children can do independently, to obstacle course inspiration for teachers and therapists who have access to a gym, these heavy work activities for kids are so much fun! #scooterboard #grossmotor #grossmotoractivities

Gross Motor Play: 11 Super Fun Scooter Board Activities for Kids

14 Team Building Activities for Kids | Looking easy and fun ways to teach team work, inclusion, social skills, communication, and problem solving in the classroom? These cooperative games and activities will inspire you! We’ve included indoor and outdoor ideas, ‘getting to know you’ icebreakers for the first day of school, and activities you can enjoy with your students all year long to encourage ongoing collaboration and team work. #teambuilding #teacherresources #teaching #classroom

14 Fun and Engaging Team Building Activities for Kids

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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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