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DIY Decorative Dollar Store Candles

These easy decorative dollar store candles will brighten any room in your home.


Today's post is a craft that Madison and I did, just for fun, but it was so easy to do that I decided to share it with you. How many of you are in love with the dollar store as I am? You can actually find me there a few times a month. In order to satisfy my crafting habit I can't always shop at Michaels. Sure Michaels, taunt and tempt me, but sometimes the price tag can be a little out of my range. You know the saying "sometimes it's cheaper to make it than buy it", sometimes it really isn't. That's where my dollar store comes in. Sure there are a few hit and miss items, but most of the time I strike crafting gold. Some of the items I almost always pick up are their candles, tissue paper and supplies for photography props. You really can't go wrong with a dollar. Madison has been sick for almost a week, and with this being spring break, I needed to keep her entertained. Road trips sometimes aren't enough. I already had a few items at home that I had picked up previously from a trip to my local dollar store and I just had to figure out what I wanted to do. What can I do with tissue paper and candles? Granted, these candles were purchased to be melted down to do another project, but this decorative idea was so much better.  Best of all, this project will cost you less than $5.

DIY Decorative Dollar Store Candles

Supplies Needed:

Candles
Colorful tissue paper (you can get a pack of 20 at the dollar store)
Blow dryer
Clear tape
Wax Paper


Directions:

(Hopefully you don't need photographic directions because I didn't think of taking any at the time. As a matter of fact, my supplies photo was taken AFTER we had already done a few. It's however, super easy so I think you'll be fine.)

Step 1. Cut a piece of the tissue paper to the width of your candle. You can even cut it a bit longer to have it overlap a little.

Step 2. Use a small piece of the clear tape and fasten the ends of the tissue paper to the candle.

Step 3. Wrap your wax paper around the candle with the tissue paper, and with your blow dryer on low heat, or high if you can stand the heat, move it in a back and forth motion to slowly melt the paper into the candle.


Now to make this fun, you can have the kids draw whatever their heart desires on their candle and personalized it. Think fun gifts for the grandparents and Mother's Day is fast approaching as well. Madison drew a "house with trees and clouds" on hers, and I wrote her name on the bottom. Madison thought that the one she made was beautiful and I have to agree. She had so much fun doing it and we shared some quality mommy-daughter time together. Since this is homemade, don't expect it to be perfect, and don't beat yourself up if it doesn't turn out the way you want it to. You should have seen the first one I made. However, it's our imperfections which make us beautiful and no matter how it turns out, you tried and that's all that counts.


So keep that light shining!

(Note: We burned these candles and since they burned in on themselves, they were fine to be lit. However, you may just want to keep them as decor, especially if the kids want to display their artwork.)

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How to Dress for a Job Interview - #PradoX3


Congratulations! You’ve landed a job interview! Now it’s time to meet your future employer and coworkers face-to-face. While there may be more to you than meets the eye, these people don’t know you and won’t care to get to know you, if you don’t make the right first impression and the Prado X3 can help you do that.  According to the latest research, first impressions are actually formed within seconds of meeting a person. With this in mind, you’ll need to prepare not only what you’ll say during the interview, but how you’ll look. After all, confidence speaks volumes and it’s easy to be confident when we look our best. Here’s how to dress for a job interview. Follow this advice, and the person interviewing you will likely keep you around longer the hear more of what you have to say.


It’s better to dress up than to dress down. You can get a pretty good sense of a workplace’s culture (and, therefore, dress code) with a little research. Become well-versed with the company’s website. Look them up on Glassdoor where current and past employees have left reviews about what it’s like to work there. This should give you a sense of what you’ll wear on a daily basis. For the interview, take it up a notch. For some places, that may be business casual and for others, that may mean a suit. The main objective is to come off as a professional, credible, force to be reckoned with!

Keep it clean. Everything about your appearance should be clean, from your hair, to your nails, to your clothes, to your shoes. How much is riding on this job and how far are you traveling from home for the interview? You may want to bring a backup outfit just in case you spill coffee on yourself. Go the extra mile by getting a manicure, even if you don’t normally. You’ll be shaking a lot of hands on your big day. And don’t even think about showing up with wet hair! Do you really want to come off as a person with time management skills?

Fit to be fierce. If your clothes are too tight or too baggy, you automatically look like you don’t pay attention to details. Try everything on beforehand and take a good, honest look in the mirror. What messages are you sending? There should be no gaping buttons, no dragging pant legs, no extra-long sleeves, and no excessive cleavage. Nothing about your clothes should distract the person you’re meeting from your overall look. This includes making sure seems and hems are mended and that you aren’t missing any buttons.

Accessorize wisely. While you want to show your personality and individual style, you have to make sure no single thing is a distraction, so keep it simple. Once you get the job, you can add a little more flare (as long as you remain professional). We all have a dress code we have to adhere to during our nine to five that’s more toned down than our usual look. Don’t feel like you’re hiding who you are or selling out.

Your perfume shouldn’t enter the room before you do! Nor should it linger when you leave! Scents in confined workplaces can be a real turn-off, and some people are physically allergic. Just remember that Estée Lauder herself said fragrance should be an intimate experience; a person should have to come in close to smell you.


The Prado X3 professional steam iron will have you looking your best. I mean no one likes wrinkles in their clothing do they? I know I don't. I have been using the Prado X3 for about 3 weeks and I have to say that I am really impressed. First of all this comes with pretty impressive packaging. This isn't your run of the mill iron at all. It heats up super quickly, in about a minute and while I have had a few irons who would drip water when I'm ironing, this hasn't done so. Their claim of anti-drip really is correct. Speaking of water, you can use tap water, no need for distilled but I still ended up using bottled water since we have very hard water here where I live. This has every feature that you can think of (vertical steam, steam burst, pivoting cord, stainless steel soleplate, anti-drop, anti-calcium, mist spray, continuous steam, 3-way safety auto shut off) and so much more.


Precision. Excellence. Simplicity. The Prado X3 isn't just a clothing iron, it is the most important tool that you have when creating a crisp, clean look. Simple in operation, professional in performance, and excellent in results. There is no comparison.


I love the 2 year warranty on the Prado X3, it is actually the most I've ever gotten on an iron, and with kids around, you need all the warranty you can have. This is a professional grade iron without the professional grade price.  The Prado X3 professional steam iron will have you ready for your job interview looking spick and span. It will eliminate even the most stubborn wrinkles. No need to use a professional service when you have the Prado X3 at hand. So pick one up today and ace that interview!

What do you think of the Prado X3? 


Here are the ways to connect with Prado:

Facebook | Instagram


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TSA Pre-Check vs CLEAR - Which is Right for You?

Trying to decide between TSA Pre-Check and CLEAR? We give you the rundown.


I love to travel and there's no better way to travel than flying the friendly skies. However, air travel can be stressful, especially with kids, so if there’s a way we can make getting through airports easier, why not take advantage of it. Am I right?! New services are cropping up, boasting little to no TSA wait times ahead of flights. I was previously enrolled in CLEAR but due to limited airports boasting their services I ended up canceling. Now they've actually gone ahead and added a few more airports, airports that I now fly in and out of. However, TSA PreCheck is also available and I wanted to do a comparison between the two and share my results with you. After all, ain't nobody got time to be waiting in long lines at security while you could have gotten in and taken several seats. Here's what I've found out for you!


TSA PreCheck is available at more than 180 airports in the United States, but not every airline participates. It claims passengers who use it get through the line in five minutes or less. Members don’t have to remove their shoes, light jackets or belts, and can leave liquids and laptops in their bags. It costs $85 for a 5-year membership.

Customers apply online and then make an appointment at one of 380 enrollment centers. There, a 10-minute background check and fingerprinting will take place. Applicants should be prepared with their passport, immigration documents (if applicable), driver’s license and birth certificate. Two weeks later, customers will be issued a KTN, or Known Traveler Number, to add to future airline tickets (as long as they’ve been considered “low-risk”).

Glitches have been reported and sometimes, names don’t match exactly with TSA PreCheck’s database, at which point the member will have to wait in the big line with everyone else. I can see that being an issue if you plan on not having a wait time, and end up having to go through the long security screening.


CLEAR is currently available in only 17 cities (Los Angeles will be added soon.) and the lanes in those airports are not open 24/7. If you often travel to one of the cities that has CLEAR, however, it could be a great option for you. Customers visit a CLEAR lane upon arrival to the security line. A machine verifies identities via fingerprint or iris scan, so your identification and documents can stay tucked away. The company claims you’ll then speed through the security line in five minutes or less. You’ll still have to go through the second TSA screening, but won’t have to wait in line ahead of the metal detectors. If you’re also a member of TSA Precheck, you can skip the second screening.

At $179 a year ($14.92/month), CLEAR costs much more than TSA PreCheck. Additional adult family members can be added to the membership for $50 each. Children under 18 can be added for free. (Check with your place of employment before you pay because CLEAR offers corporate rates.) If you're wondering, they do refund for the months you haven't traveled if you cancel before your year is up. At least they did for me.

Applicants must be at least 18 and have a valid form of U.S. identification (The list of what qualifies is available on the website.). They can start the process online and complete it in person at the airport with an I.D. There’s no wait to be approved, unlike TSA PreCheck.


Neither of these services will be much use to you if you’re more of an international traveler, so keep that in mind. Each has its limitations and benefits. Which would be a better fit for you?

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Why Buy Sustainable Fashion - #prAnaMama


You may be hearing a lot about sustainable fashion these days. Companies that work in this area of the fashion industry aim to lessen human impact on our environment while promoting social responsibility. Many of the materials used in production are recycled, organic, or highly sustainable. The companies behind these labels make sure their workers are treated fairly and do everything they can to decrease our environmental footprint. Why does that matter?



The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 84% of unwanted clothes from the U.S. go to landfills and incinerators. The chemicals from these items end up in our groundwater and, if burned, are released as toxins into our air. Synthetic fibers take hundreds, if not thousands, of years to biodegrade!

Often inexpensive “fast fashion” (clothing made by manufacturers who get the latest trends to the marketplace as quickly and cheaply as possible) comes at a high humanitarian cost. The people who make these articles of clothing in developing nations work in under horrific conditions for minimal pay. The documentary The True Cost paints an eye-opening picture of this reality. In it, you’ll see that people who work in the fashion industry are essentially slaves. They’re sickened by the pesticides sprayed over the cotton crops used to make the garments to the tune of cancer, deformities, severe depression and suicides. Their children are born with disabilities. It’s really hard to watch that and then go back to your old ways of shopping! Is that $5 shirt really worth it after all?


We as consumers are encouraged to buy more simply because clothes cost so little. Our society teaches that the more we have, the happier we’ll be, but many of us are starting to awaken from this slumber. Is life really about quantity or quality?

When you buy from a sustainable clothing company like prAna, for example, you can feel good knowing you’re participating in a number of forward-thinking initiatives.  They promote ethical fair trade practices ensuring garment workers have safe working conditions, a voice in the workplace, higher earnings, and that women are treated equally. The company is a member of the Fair Labor Association, which works to improve conditions in the factories where their products are made. While prAna uses recycled paper in their offices, stores, and packing materials, they also take protecting the earth a step further by working to eliminate any wood fibers in their fabrics harvested from endangered, ancient forest regions. The majority of their products are shipped without the use of polybags, which only end up in landfills and oceans.


Are you starting to understand the difference a sustainable fashion manufacturer can make?
The good news is that more companies are getting onboard with this movement. The Sustainable Apparel Coalition exists to improve the apparel, footwear, and home textiles industries so that they’ll produce no unnecessary environmental harm and actually have a positive impact on the people and communities associated with their activities. You can find a huge list of companies who have teamed up with them on their website. Consider supporting only those companies who are making an effort to change.

For this post I'm wearing the Liana Sweater in a lightweight blend of soft Hemp and Organic Cottton. For the weather we're currently experiencing, I layered it with a cami so that I could stay cool. The wide neck gives it a casual feel while the asymmetrical hem totally makes it feminine.

I'm also wearing the Mantra Pant and I have to say that this is one of the most comfortable pants I've ever worn. Now I'm 5'10" tall which isn't average for a female, and you can totally see the length on these pants. I've always had a problem finding pants that fit well, including giving me the length that I require without it looking like I'm wearing capris, these fulfilled both requirements. They are so versatile and can be worn from morning to night flawlessly, you wouldn't even want to change out of them.


So if you were still on the fence on whether or not sustainable clothing is right for you, I hope I was able to convince you, and if I was, why not give prAna a try, you won't regret it!

Where to purchase prAna

prAna clothing is available to purchase online at prAna.com and in some retail locations in cities and stores like REI. To  find prAna in your area, visit: prana.com/dealer-locator.html for the full list of locations.

Here are the ways that you can connect with prAna

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Youtube



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Palm Tree Wafers

These palm tree wafers will have you longing for summer!


It's spring but can you believe that I'm already thinking of summer. For the past month those of us living in Colorado Springs have been experience fairly warm weather. I'm talking weather 70° and up, weather that makes you think that spring was always here and it's time for summer. While I'm not big on summer, because to be honest, I don't particularly like the heat, I will take summer over spring and winter any day. I swear that spring just hates me. Spring brings with it allergies and the sniffles. My eyes turn red and I'm constantly sneezing and wishing that it will all just disappear. With summer, I'm perfectly fine and dreaming of palm trees and the beach. I mean what's better than the beach in the summer. Just look at how beautiful it looks in California! Now I know what Olaf means when he dreams of summer. Summer is just awesome!


This summer we'll be in Orlando, where it's practically summer all year round. OK I'm judging you Floridians when you cry about it being 50° and freezing. That is beach weather for me! We'll be hitting up the theme parks and doing what we do best when we're on family vacation, retail therapy, aka shopping. This summer I plan to not only face my fears and ride a few roller coasters, but I'll also be getting in-front of the camera more, instead of always being behind it. I want to commemorate my trip with the family and have a few memories that they can look back on when saying "mom was super cool". Anyway, enough of me rambling on. Let's get into what you came here to read about, our palm tree wafers. If me talking about summer didn't do it for you, then these palm tree wafers will.

Palm Tree Wafers

Ingredients/Supplies Needed:

Chocolate Voortman wafers
Light green chocolate melts
Brown M&M's
Green sugar sprinkles
Parchment paper
Decorating bag


Directions:

1. Lay your chocolate wafers onto a piece of parchment paper.

2. In a microwave safe bowl, heat your chocolate melts on 50% power for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.

3. Pour your melted chocolate into a decorating bag and cut a small tip off the end.

4. Use your decorating bag to dab a small amount of chocolate under the top of the wafer and press it back onto the parchment paper.


5. Using your decorating bag draw the outline of the palm leaves onto the palm tree and then fill them fill with the chocolate.

6. While the chocolate is still soft, top off with Sprinkles and a few brown M&M's.

7. Let your chocolate harden before you carefully take them off the parchment paper


Can you believe how easy these were to make. Well you know me, I never do anything that takes up too much time, after all when you're a mom, you really don't have the time to spend slaving in the kitchen doing anything too difficult. Get the kids involved and have them dreaming about summer as well.

What are your plans for the summer?

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How to Keep Your Dogs Healthy and Active - #NaturesRecipe


My dogs are my family. I think I have said it hundreds of time before. They are my family and just like my kids, I want nothing but the best for them. Having a pet is a big responsibility and it's not just vet visits and groomer fees, it's also about the food that they eat. I have always fed my dogs high quality food, one of them being Natures Recipe. So when I found out that Nature's Recipe can now be found at Walmart, I was really excited and couldn't wait to share the news with you. I shop at Walmart constantly for myself so being able to buy my own home supplies as well as my dog's food is an easy way to "kill two birds with one stone" as they say.


I used to purchase Nature's Recipe for both my cocker spaniels, Bentley and Ella, at a dedicated pet specialty store, after it was recommended to me by one of the employees. I was looking for a different brand of food because they were both tired of the one that they were currently eating. I decided to give it a try after reading the ingredients and they ended up loving it. However, my pet store isn't as close as my Walmart. Knowing that Nature’s Recipe is now at Walmart makes it very convenient for me, and I'm pretty sure that it will be for most of you pet lovers as well.


Nature's Recipe contains no corn or wheat and is made with high-quality protein for both my dogs. There are no artificial flavors or preservatives and they also contain no poultry by-product meal. Their recipes are made with ingredients from nature to provide exactly what your dog needs to feel like his most vibrant self, each and every day. Just ask Bentley and Ella, who just love it. You can find them licking their lips after every meal. Nature's Recipe is definitely one high quality dog feed that I feel comfortable giving my pets because I know that the ingredients are good for them.

Today I also want to share with you three easy ways you can keep your dog healthy and active.


1. High quality dog food and treats:- Going into your pet store can be overwhelming. There are so many dog foods to choose from. However, you want to feed your dog a high quality dog food and dog treats. Look at the ingredients on the package and make sure that meat is the #1 ingredient. Make sure there are no by-products listed on the ingredients. Nature's Recipe always features meat as the #1 ingredient in their dry recipes making them a high source of protein for your fur baby.

2. Vet Care:- While no one likes visiting the doctor, it's important that you take your family pet to a vet on a regular basis. Find a vet that you can trust and one that your dog feels comfortable with. Routine visits will ensure that problems with your furry friend's health are caught early and can be taken care of ensuring a longer, healthier life.

3. Exercise:- While having a "chunky" dog might look good, it's not good for your dog to be overweight. Having an overweight dog can eventually lead to health problems. Feeding your dogs a balanced diet such as Nature's Recipe, will ensure that they have lots of energy, energy that they need to burn off. Take your dogs for walks and/or runs to the local dog park. If there is no dog park you can take them for a walk around your neighborhood. It's also a form of exercise for you as well.


And last, but not least, love your dogs unconditionally and keep them healthy and active, by feeding them Nature's Recipe, now available at Walmart.

Let's discuss: How do you help keep your dogs healthy and active? 

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How to Inspire Others


The desire to want to inspire others runs deep within most of us, at one time or another you shared a personal story with someone as a means to help inspire them to rise above their circumstances. Regardless of whom you are and what you do in life, anyone can inspire others. There’s easy ways to inspire others while still living life for what you believe in. Today we will share a few ways to inspire others so that you can spread a bit of positive cheer all over your network.


Be Compassionate
Learning to listen without judgement and find a place within to show your empathy to someone going through a tough time will inspire them to rise above whatever is going on in their life. If someone is venting to you about a scenario and totally frustrated, being compassionate to them in that moment of frustration will inspire them to rise above.

Respond Positively
If you truly want to inspire others then you will have to put a lid on responding with a negative or dramatic solution to someone’s venting. Each of us are human beings who have a right to vent, and sometimes we vent to our loved ones as a means to get them to respond positively to us. When you respond positively to someone in a time of stress, it inspires them to be more positive.


Build People Up
Giving compliments on a regular basis to your network of friends and family can surely inspire them to be better people. Human beings desire to be complimented, to have others notice their good deeds and successful actions. Take time to build people up with your compassionate and positive words. When you build people up on a regular basis, you inspire them to be better and do better in life.

Use Your Emotional Intelligence
Every human being has emotional intelligence, you can use this as a means to feel out how to properly respond to someone and engage with them. Get in touch with your emotional intelligence side as a means to respond to others appropriately and reach out to them in ways that push them to be inspired. This means using compassion, compliments and positive words when appropriate.


Practice Integrity
Speaking the truth at all times rather than spinning the reality of a situation is part of remaining a person with high integrity. When others know you will tell the truth at all times rather than spinning your response or a story out of line, they will be inspired. The truth really does set people free, integrity helps you to remain truthful at all times.

Random Acts of Kindness
Try to complete random acts of kindness every single day. Pay for the person behind you in line or reach out to do something kind for a friend. Each time you practice a random act of kindness you will inspire that person to pay it forward on their own with another person. This inspires others to give back.

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Why Photo Books Make Great Gifts - #BlurbBooks


We just recently celebrate a Disney land and sea adventure. While it wasn't our very first Disney land adventure, it was our very first sea. Madison and I have been on numerous trips and I've always managed to get most of it on camera. However, I have very rarely been in-front of the camera, I'm usually the one behind it. Also, once we get home our photos either stay on the memory card, get uploaded to a flash drive or memorialized on my computer. Lately I have been thinking of other ways that I could I could show off my photos so that everyone could see them, and photo memory books came to mind. I have made photo books in the past, quite a few of them actually, and have even given a few as gifts. I was however recently introduced to Blurb, an independent, creative book-making platform. They made it so easy to recreate my memories and best of all I could do it in either print or digital format. I decided that I was going to go with print.


I mean who doesn't love flipping through a good photo book? These slim, lightweight and polished creations turn our memories into professional-looking storybooks. Less bulky, less wasteful and less expensive than creating scrapbooks, photo books are the best way to preserve and share pictures. In a time when our society seems to be adopting a less is more mentality, photo books make much better sentimental gifts than any knick-knack ever could. I was able to upload my photos easily with Blurb’s free desktop publishing software BookWright which made it so simple for me. I think my most difficult decision was actually choosing which size and swatch I wanted. What I received after I placed my order, was a book of such exceptional quality that I decided I was going to keep it for myself.


I however want to share with you a few reasons why photo books make great gifts.

They're versatile. I can’t think of an occasion that a photo book wouldn't make a great gift for! They work for men and women, kids and adults, business owners, pet owners, teachers and clergy members. Photo books can be given for Mother's and Father's days, birthdays, weddings, baby showers, graduations and even as a thank you gift. They are especially great for the person who has everything. When in doubt, give a gift card to an online photo service so that the recipient can even make one in the future!

They're customizable. You can add as many or as few pictures and pages to a photo book as you'd like. You determine whether it's a hard or soft cover, whether it has a dust jacket, and even whether it will be leather bound! You can set the theme, you can choose how many photos go on each page, and you can zoom into each photo to make the subject larger, which is a great feature for older gift recipients who may not see so well. (You can’t do that with printed pictures without paying more for larger size!)


They're simple to create. If you don't have time for all of the above, simply allow the software to auto-populate the design template you chose with the photos you've uploaded.

They're easy to duplicate. Once you save and purchase your project, the hard part is done! If you want to purchase a duplicate, you can do so in the future because the project will always be in your account. If you make a photo book to give to one set of grandparents, for example, as long as you don't add text unique to them to the book, you can print a duplicate to give to the other set of grandparents as well. You get double the results without double the work!

They're environmentally friendly. Printing out copies of pictures, purchasing colorful papers, borders, stamps, stickers and embellishments in order to make a scrapbook is all very wasteful (and expensive). Photo books allow you to print everything on a single page, front and back, and fit multiple photos on each one.


They're portable. Regardless of if they're big or small, photo books are lightweight and fairly slim. This means you can move several from place to place without struggling under the weight of traditional photo albums!

They're fairly inexpensive. Photo books are a fairly inexpensive way to preserve those memories that you want to cherish for the rest of your lives. Much cheaper than a professional photoshoot and today I have an offer for you. Use discount code ANNMARIEJOHN for 25% off* your own photo book at Blurb.

So don't be afraid to get in-front of the camera. Start taking more photos of yourselves and your family and preserve them in a Blurb photo book for generations to come.

What memories will you be adding to your own photo book?


*Offer valid through May 15, 2017(11:59 p.m. local time). Valid only for photo books uploaded to and purchased through your own account. A 25% discount is applied toward your product total with no minimum or maximum order amount. This offer is good for five uses, and cannot be used for digital purchases or combined with volume discounts, custom orders, other promotional codes, gift cards, or used for adjustments on previous orders.
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Tips to Start Living in the Present


If one desires to live in the present moment, then they must become consciously aware of the here and now. To live in the present means to let go of the minute before and the minute that arrives next. One who learns to live in the present moment fully understands that tomorrow is not a guarantee. When you start to think in this way, live gets a lot easier for you to handle and you start to appreciate this moment more than you ever had before.


Go with Your Initial Thoughts – stop fearing what judgement will occur if you go with your initial thoughts and feelings in this moment. You are entitled to fully love or fully hate this one present moment, because remember this moment passes quickly. Your feelings shall change in the blink of an eye. Always go with your initial thoughts as a means to allow your mind to think for itself in each present moment.  You may not always act upon those thoughts, but acknowledge they are there and they are your own.

Notice that You’re Breathing – far too often anxiety or depression will get us so overwhelmed that we neglect this present moment of being alive. Notice that in this moment, right now, as you read this article – you are breathing! When you take a moment to really think about the fact that breathing means you are alive, you will be able to calm your mind and be extremely grateful for this present moment.


Listen to Calming Music – while each of us uses a different genre of music to feel at peace, the simple act of listening to your choice of calming music will naturally guide you towards living in the present. When we listen to calming music our mind is focused on the beat and the words, which in turn allows our mind to relax and live in this one moment. Calming music may actually be one of the best ways to start living in the present moment by allowing you to be at peace within your mind.

Move on from the Past – last, but certainly not least, you will want to forgive the past. Without the forgiveness of our past mistakes, regrets or trauma, we won’t be able to live in the present. Even if you don’t feel like forgiving someone to their face, learn to forgive them within your own soul as a means to be at peace. When you find a way to move on from your past, you will feel ridiculously free and almost naturally start living in the present.


If you are not yet living in the present, then you are living an illusion. One cannot step backwards to yesterday or forward to tomorrow. One who focuses on days that have passed or days that have not arrived are devoting too many thoughts to instances that are unchangeable or have yet to arrive. Try to use some of these tips we shared today as a means to start living in the present moment, we are sure this will help calm anxiety  and allow your mind to feel a bit more lightweight.


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DIY Dollar Store Floral Headbands

This DIY Dollar Store Floral Headband will take you from winter into spring flawlessly!


So I've been asked, why do you like crafting things as much as you do? Let me go into a little backstory. As you might know, that's if you've been a regular reader, or just happened to be going through posts, I suffer with depression. Depression is a severe illness and not one to be taken lightly. My depression started almost 5 years ago when my father died and became even more compounded when my mother passed away a few years later. I however have an amazing therapist. It was during one of our sessions that she recommended doing things with my hands. She suggested knitting, crocheting or even taking up pottery. I am going to be honest with you, I thought she was full of sh*t, but I figured, what would it hurt? What she suggested however was totally out of my league. While I knew how to crochet, I did not know how to knit and or to potter. I ALSO DID NOT HAVE HOURS TO SPEND DOING ANY OF THOSE! As a mother of 4 with 3 of them being at home, I don't have the countless hours to spend doing any craft, and that's why my crafts usually take my readers 30 minutes or less. Today's Dollar Store Floral Headband will actually take you about 2 minutes from start to finish.

DIY Dollar Store Headbands

I am going to be honest before I start with this tutorial. I'm even ashamed to call it a tutorial because it's two simple steps and as I mentioned, it takes about 2 minutes, unless of course you plan on making as many as you can. This is also one of the least expensive crafts I've done as all materials were bought at the dollar store, thus the name. I'm not even going to insult your intelligence by adding step by step photos either. So without further ado - here goes!

Supplies Needed:

Headbands (I purchased the ones with the holes)
Fake Flowers
Glue Gun


Step 1: Gather your supplies together. Separate the flowers that you want to use and decide which you'll be using on which headband. Cut the stem of the flower as short as you can go. I purchased the headbands with the holes (3pk) so that the end of the flower can go in seamlessly and easily into the hole on the headband.

Step 2: With your glue gun attach the flower to the headband. Secure and you're done! I did two of them with one flower and another with three (shown in first photo) so that I could have a variety.


Can you believe how easy that was to do? It's a great way to bring some life back into those old headbands you may even have laying around the house. I love looking at flowers and with spring here for most of us, why not add a few to your hair?


I think they look adorable in Madison's hair. Don't mind her, she said I was "interrupting" her play time. So pick up a few flowers and some headbands and make this super easy DIY Dollar Store Floral Headband.

Are you excited for spring? 

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