Shelly

Create Play Learn

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Create. Play. Learn. These three things are what I live for. What I want my days, weeks, years to look like. Yes, there will always be chores, tasks, jobs to do but let’s all create, play and learn more. Take time to do these more and your life will definitely be more fulfilling. What are you working on creating, playing or learning more of?

30 is the New 30

Hello loves! Today marks my 30th Birthday celebration here on planet Earth. I’ve never been one to be worried about getting older or telling my age. I don’t see age as a bad thing, in fact, I see it as a way to show how wise and experienced you are!

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I don’t have any special plans to celebrate my Birthday since we’re on Whole60 and most of my friends and family live a couple hours away. I am very excited to spend time with my family, inside, with a fire and look forward to the big Birthday celebration that will happen in September (Disney World)! For my blog life celebration, I wanted to share with you 30 things that I have learned over the past few decades. Some of these nuggets of wisdom are profound, some are silly, but they are all very meaningful in my life.

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  1. Invest in people that invest in you.
  2. Don’t compare your weakness to another’s strength.
  3. Always use SPF.
  4. Don’t cut your own bangs.
  5. If something isn’t working, don’t give up, just try something else.
  6. Some people can’t breastfeed, and that’s ok.
  7. If you feel sad, it’s possible that you’re just bored.
  8. It doesn’t hurt to ask.
  9. If you want to be better at something, you have to practice.
  10. Finding a great stylist, masseuse and nail tech in the same town is near impossible.
  11. If there’s something you like, just do it/wear it/sing it/read it/make it!
  12. Coloring books are the poor person’s therapy.
  13. Germs are good.
  14. NASA is awesome.
  15. The Beatles are the best choice for any mood.
  16. There is no ‘too old’ or ‘too young’ for Disney World. Ever.
  17. Photography is an invaluable skill.
  18. ‘Making someone’s day’ makes my day.
  19. Never move if there is a sleeping child on you.
  20. Tell people you love them, every chance you get.
  21. A BigMac and Gatorade will cure any hangover.
  22. Say what you’re thinking.
  23. Don’t be afraid of power tools.
  24. Do be afraid of spiders. They’re the worst.
  25. Nothing is more calming than the sound of the ocean.
  26. Buy yourself flowers.
  27. Living in all four season’s is awesome, except the 80% of the time when it’s too cold or too hot.
  28. There’s no such thing as too many Christmas decorations or nail polish
  29. Volunteer. It makes your heart happy.
  30. Puppies are so worth it.

What’s the biggest nugget of wisdom that you’ve learned from your past? Am I right about the spiders? Ew.

Relaxation IN Anxiety OUT

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I have a new mantra for when I’m breathing and trying to calm down. I picture relaxation coming in through the new air I’m breathing in and anxiety going out with my used air. Sometimes just doing this for a few minutes can really help re-focus what’s important. It helps me not get so frustrated when Sophie is throwing the third meal I’ve made her on the floor or when Lexi won’t stop wining to go outside, even though she won’t step foot outside. There’s no room in our minds or bodies for anxiety. Just breathe it out.

 

Page Turners Book Selection: February

Hi friends! We’re so happy to announce our book selection for February! We wanted to give you plenty of time to get your hands on a copy. So, without further ado, our book selection for February is:

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 The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Dissapeared by Jonas Jonasson

It’s about a 100 year old man who decides he’s not going live in a nursing home anymore and starts a new adventure. Maybe I’ll be inspired by it!
I’ve seen this cover all over the place and was curious. Like most books, I see it on an endcap somewhere, read the back, check out it’s ratings on Amazon and usually end up getting it from the library. This book was no exception, other than I got it on Kindle because it looked so good!

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Remember that there are only 28 days in February, so start reading as soon as you’re done with January’s book selection, Eat Pray Love! We’ll be discussing Eat Pray Love on January 30th. Lisa and I will have separate questions on each of our blogs so you can participate in either or both discussions.

PS. Seriously loving Eat Pray Love. In search of japa mala beads and she’s not even to India yet! Also, I’ve started meditating.
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Top Posts of 2014

Hello lovelies! I wanted to do a summary post of all the awesomeness that was had in 2014 here at DIY Mama! I had a roller coaster of a year blog-wise. Some days I wanted to stay up til dawn writing and crafting while there were weeks of me not feeling motivated to share one thought. I hear this happens and that it’s ok.

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I’ve also learned a ton on the tech & social media side of things, although I feel I’ve only begun to scratch the surface. Let’s see what you all thought were the best posts! They were interesting to me because they weren’t all in my top 5 but I do remember really loving writing each of these. Here were your top posts for 2014:

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Top Adult Attractions

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Now that I’ve had my first full year of blogging, I’ve realized there are two major things I need to work on for 2015: photography and branding. I was all over the place last year, mostly because I was learning how to use my DSLR (still am), editing programs and how I wanted DIY Mama to feel. I’m very thankful to all of you as readers and I’ve loved being able to share myself with you this past year! What was one post that stood out to you?

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