Since my posts of late have been very much centered on anxiety, and how to cope with different kinds of anxiety, etc., I thought I would veer away a bit this week and simply share a few of the things that I’ve been loving lately.  I really enjoy following along with other bloggers and business owners online, and I especially love getting a peek into their day to day lives and finding out about all the new and fun products, apps, shows, etc. that are making their list of favorite things.  Who knows, maybe I’ll even make this a regular series – let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in!

For now, here are five things that have been giving me life this month:

1. Self Journal

I found myself hesitating quite a bit when deciding what planner to purchase for 2020.  I love bullet journaling, but having a 1 year old (as well as a 7 and 9 year old) doesn’t afford me as much time as I would like to  be able to make fun daily, weekly, and monthly spreads.  I also have big goals and dreams for my online business this year (doing a major pivot which I’m pretty excited about, but that’s a post for another day!), and I needed a planner that could help me set and achieve my goals with ease.  But also leave me room for doodles, to track my water intake, and keep a running to-do list…and let’s not forget a habit tracker to keep my self-care and mental health goals top of mind!  After a long search, this planner/journal combo was the winner by far.  It’s a combo of bullet journal and planner with plenty of space each day to write or doodle each and every thing on my mind.  I also love that it’s a journal that breaks the year into quarters, thereby encouraging you to get going on your goals and not wait until the last month of the year to get ‘er done.  Also, since you write the days in yourself, you can start using this any day of the year.

2. Baby Sound Machine

Baby boy has stolen our hearts for sure, and is the cutestttt little man these days.  However, he’s also a holy terror, and he seems to be breaking one thing after another lately, from his brother’s treasures to most recently, our Roku stick, and not to mention the crayon art he recently doodled on our hallway walls that I shared on my Instagram stories the other day.  Additionally, he used the indoor slide he got from Santa to climb up next to his dresser and break his sound machine.  EEK!  Mama depends on that to get him to sleep, especially when the older boys are home (read: not so quietly playing) during weekend naptimes.  After looking into many options, I settled on this one.

We’ve been super happy with it so far!  It’s a much better sound than the old one, and it’s got a lot of bells and whistles, but still at a great price point.  As he grows, we can use it as a nightlight and a time-to-rise clock, which I’m anticipating will definitely come in handy once we transition him to a toddler bed.  LAWD HELP ME.  If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times:  it’s a good thing he’s cute.  And oh my word, is he cute!  Just sayin.

3. I Wished For You: An Adoption Story

Speaking of baby boy, we are getting so close to finally being able to adopt him!  I’m in full party planning mode over here, even though we don’t have our court date as of yet.  Soon!  We completed our last bit of paperwork and now we just wait to hear when the day will be – I’ll keep you posted!  In the meantime, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what it will mean for our son as he gets older to be adopted, and what questions he might have.  A sweet friend gave me a delightful book about adoption the other day that more has to do with international adoption, but is still a good read for our family!  This book, however, sweetly tells the tale of a baby bear asking questions about adoption and how he came to be part of their family to his mama bear.  The whole thing just makes me cry happy tears.  Truth be told, I’m nervous to have to deal with all those questions someday, but I love the idea of being proactive and reading books like this to normalize adoption and the fact that families are formed in all different ways.

Related:In honor of Foster Care Month – Our Family is Writing a New Story

4. A new podcasting microphone

When I started the Self Care Bestie Podcast, I literally had no idea what I was doing.  Truth be told, I’m still figuring a lot of it out as I go along.  One thing I do know is that I wanted to invest in some higher quality podcasting equipment this year, knowing that I would also be able to use it to create an online course (spoiler alert: I’m going to be creating an online course this year!).  Super pumped about the direction the podcast is headed, and was so excited to discover another blogger (with waaaayy more followers than me!!) suggested my podcast to her followers as part of her February Mind + Body Challenge.  You can read more about the challenge here!

It’s so fun to know that other people are enjoying the podcast! I’d love to have you check it out and let me know your thoughts as well! 🙂

5. Five Minutes in the Morning Journal

I really love the idea of starting the day off with positivity, gratitude, and focus.  This journal combines all three by encouraging you to take 5 minutes every morning for yourself.  Throughout the journal, there are suggestions for things to do, prompts to write about, and even what I would consider therapy interventions you can do from the comfort of your PJs at the kitchen table with your morning cup of coffee.  Morning self-care is my favorite self-care, so I have loved being able to utilize this journal to get me in the right state of mind at the outset of my day.

Do you have anything that’s been making your life a lot easier lately?  Let me know; I’d love to hear all about them!

P.S. Get your FREE anxiety reducing e-course here!