Dear Friend,

The past few weeks have been kinda heavy. In case you missed it, here are links to the lastest haps.

How to Choose A Word of the Year and Hold a Personal Summit {with MY word reveal}

How to Start and Maintain a Daily Meditation Practice {and how mine kinda saved my life}

Permission to Rest {for as long as necessary}

19 Tips For Taking Care of Yourself While Also Taking Care of Your Loved Ones

If any of these posts resonate with you, please be sure to let me know and/or pass them on to anyone you think would benefit.

With lots of self-kindness and love,
Tami

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Now on to the goodies!

 

For the last few months I have been doing these reflection posts after being inspired by Rosie's. Taking time each month to reflect on the good things that happen each day/week/month has done wonders for my ability to actually stop and notice the good stuff. 

Ten Things I Loved In February

Things I/We Did

1.     Rainy Day Book Club Hike to celebrate reading Cheryl Strayed's WILD.  Super excited to finally be part of a book club again. I only know one woman, but each time we meet I meet more cool, interesting, smart, funny women. Plus I'm reading books I wouldn't necessarily ever pick up on my own.

There are few things I find more satisfying than reading a good book and then getting to talk about it.

Are you in a book club? What have you read that you'd recommend?

2.     Showed up. This has been so helpful for me to build my relationship with my family and it sure has helped during my mom's illness. I'm also reaching out more which can be really difficult in times of need. Progress! 

3.      Rainy day play dates and nature walks. I am still deciding if I am a complete nutter butter or a genius for taking my preschooler out in the rain and to play in the puddles and mud afterward. It is totally gross and a pain in the butt to clean up, but she's super happy and being outside regardless of weather helps regulate my moods. I guess I'm a genius!

Any other ideas for keeping a super energetic toddler busy? I am seriously open to new ideas. Share your parenting gems.

4.      Prescribed rest. Twice. Permission slip to rest. I napped a lot with the kid in February, and I regularly go to bed in the 9 o'clock hour and this month I slept in as late as possible. And I do feel better when I get more rest.

5.     Connected with our ridiculously awesome neighbors. I had no idea what a great neighborhood I live in until we had a kid and suddenly we were enveloped into this community of like-minded generous and lovely families. It is so comforting to know someone right outside your front door can help if you need it or make you laugh. U Street Gang, you are allright!

Products and Services I Dug:

6.  Sprouts Farmer's Market. Is now a good time to tell you I've been finding a weirdly huge amount of comfort in the produce aisle? Like for real. If you follow my Instagram feed you can watch up close and personal just how I'm eating my life's savings away in fruits and vegetables.

7.  Amazon Prime. Just keeping up with my status as the last to jump on every band wagon. Free Kindle books, my favorite vegan protein powder, free movies - what is there not to like?

Books I Can Highly Recommend:

8.   Let's Explore Owls with Diabetes by David Sedaris. Do I need to go into how much I love David Sedaris? Good. This one was not my favorite, but still comforting like my favorite sweater, bowl of soup, cup of tea. He just cracks me up even when he's not being funny.

My favorite of his is Naked. Then Barrel Fever. If you haven't read those yet, stop what you are doing right now and get yourself to the bookstore. Or the library because that's how we roll.

9.    Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jen Corace. One of those random recommendations in the picture book section of the library. The magic words spoken? "My kindergarten class loved this one!" Thanks, Teacher I Wish I Would Have Introduced Myself To.

Do you read picture books? What are your favorites?

10.   Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I read the first Hunger Games a year ago and then the two sequels in a week. I am so fancy. Also I like reading young adult fiction when I'm sick. It's really all I can keep up with.

Videos I Fell For: .Style Tips from a Stylist on How to be Remarkable from Hilary Rushford of Dean Street Society. So adorable AND helpful.

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So what are you loving lately? I'm always on the lookout for what is delicious in food, drink, fashion, and life. Leave me your favorites in the comments or write a post of your own and link back here.

Image Source: My Instagram!