Fill This Month With Love, For Free

As January comes to an end, the approaching tax season + a very small end-of-the-month paycheck has challenged me to find inexpensive ways to celebrate the month of love.  I am actually grateful for the challenge.  "Seasonal" aisles turned from  

red & green

to

red & pink weeks ago,

and my mind automatically went to, "What am I going to do?  How am I going to decorate?  What am I going to give?  What about a Valentine's party?"  I imagined going through a checkout with all of the items I'd need, and realized that I could easily spend all of my money on this holiday.  It felt like Christmas, in February.  As much as I would like to support local businesses this month, with no budget I was forced to shift my thinking away from what I'd buy and toward how I could celebrate the month for free.  

I declare that it is possible to fill this month with love and lasting memories, for free, with  

Love Notes.

Hide them, or leave them out in the open.

materials:

anything to write with

+

anything to write on

mirrors
{look what katie found}

acorns
{blue purple and scarlett}

toilet paper (OR paper towels, coffee sleeves...)
{jumbo coffee morning}

napkins (OR tissue...)
{see this incredible post at just something I made}

rocks
{blue purple and scarlett}

Hidden Hearts.

Don't point them out.  Just let your loved ones find them.

materials:

an eye for everything heart-shaped

Heart Origami

Try folding a grocery ad into a heart.

I wonder if I could fold one of my husband's shirts into a heart...

In books
{vintage french hen}

In toys
{lego}

On the way to the car, OR near the front door
{the paper butterfly}

{this would be sweet on someone's pillow}

When It Comes To Food

Any food made from batter---pancakes---can be shaped like a heart.

You can cut your food into the shape of a heart---cheese, bread...

OR

You can arrange the food in the shape of a heart---spaghetti noodles, vegetables on a plate... 

Random Acts of Kindness.

All you need is a recipient.  You can do something kind for someone as you go about your own day.
print yourself a reminder:

{courtesy of twiddler house}

{courtesy of photography by amber}

an idea list can be simple:

{spread kindness}

Find or Share Ideas

HERE , courtesy of SpreadKindness.org

+

HERE, courtesy of RandomActsOfKindness.org

More ideas to come!

A.

Thoughts on Mommyhood and Stress

{hence the size of my hips}

My husband knows that our two young boys can be hard on me.  

Even if I'm at eye-level with, and looking at my just-shy-of-3-year-old son, if I don't respond to his "Mommy" with "What?" or "Yes?" he won't go on to tell me what he wants to tell me...  

I must say the word "what" 50+ times a day.

My 5-month-old is also quite vocal---and grabbing at my keyboard right now.

And from his bedroom my just-shy-of-3-year-old is asking for his third "last drink" of water for the night. 

They consume me---my time, energy, and sanity.  It's somewhat often that I go alone to Barnes & Noble or Target after 9 p.m. just to hear my own thoughts, and I am grateful that my husband is supportive.  

I would also like to thank Barnes & Noble and Target for being among the three retail stores, that I'm aware of, that are open after 9 p.m.  


I would love to make it possible for every mother to take time for herself, and to recharge---daily, on-demand, and at any hour---without any worry at all for her babies.  Not everyone can easily call on someone to step in and care for their babies so that they can enjoy a much-needed, and much-deserved break.

Wouldn't a hybrid day-care/childrens museum/day spa/movie theater/restaurant be 

 fantastic?

Our two young boys also make me so happy.  Especially now that my husband will be pursuing additional Business education, I am considering ways to relieve stress on long days.  

see that post here  

Looking Forward To More Love

Unique decor ideas make me happy, and Love is so inspiring that February draws out hundreds of incredible ideas too many incredible ideas to count.

These are the first two I stumbled upon that started me thinking about my first Valentine's Day with my handsome husband, and my two little men-in-training:

{Fresh Home Ideas}
Wouldn't this arrangement be great
in an entry way, or over a fireplace?

Your nearest thrift store, dollar store, or IKEA could make this *36-photo frame arrangement affordable.

*If I've counted correctly

If the blue walls aren't a dead giveaway, 
{also Fresh Home Ideas}

I like this second idea even more now, having learned that my hubby has to attend a work-related convention in NYC over Valentine's Day, immediately following his return from a Boy Scout camp-out.

With Daddy's face on a pillow, the three of us can snuggle up to him even when he's traveling.

*****
How are you planning on celebrating Valentine's Day?
*****

Here It Is...My New Year's Resolution

In the last year it feels like I've spent a lot of time at home alone with my boys, and indoors.  Little Brother arrived in August, and I felt like I was starting from scratch in managing our home, working part-time from home, and parenting now TWO boys.  Within the two months that followed each of them underwent one surgery, and after being hurled into three holidays these last three months have been a blur.  Although I miss my husband, who has returned to work, I welcome the return to normalcy and it would feel wonderful to act more towards, and with others this year.  


In my opinion, the key to any New Year's resolution is realizing that your resolution is likely on this year's list because you didn't do it, have it, or succeed at it last year.  If it didn't come easily for you last year, it likely won't come easily for you this year.  This means change.  This means "new," "different," "extra..."  A new routine, a different choice, an extra effort...


If the perfect me lived the perfect life last year, my New Year's resolution would be "do what I did last year."  I'm not perfect---and yet I demand perfection of myself the moment the clock strikes 12:01 A.m. on New Year's day?  It's because the beginning of a new year feels like this,  

{beautiful}

and then a failure reminds me I've brought all of my imperfections into the new year with me, and that feels like this,

{Rural Ramblings}

But of course we're going to fail, in the beginning---which is difficult to accept because when we fail I'll confess that I feel like I'm just not meant to succeed at this, because I don't have what it takes, and I may never have it.  However, failure plays an important role in our perfection, and change takes practice.  

Be kind to yourself, and when you fail imagine a fresh snow and begin again.

Now that I have a new direction in mind for the new year, it's time to chunk it down and gather a few ideas and helps for making it happen.  Which of your New Year's resolutions bubbled to the top of your list for this month?


A.

Polar Bear Prep 101

{buy this print}

Cold nights, combined with the 1st season of The Colony, has left me thinking about how well Papa and I would do here at home with our two cubs if we lost power for more than the typical 2-3 hours.  A house-fire or an earthquake could force us out of our home altogether and into low temperatures, made worse by wind and nightfall.  This is Polar Bear Prep 101, to keep the mood light in a potentially frightening situation.  Polar bears are superbly insulated and dressed to survive extremely low temperatures.


Even though you can't prepare for every potential disaster, there IS value in preparing for the disasters that are probable for your area.  If you survive, you will then be able to protect and rehabilitate others.  If the worst should happen and you do not survive, your neighbors and family members may still benefit from the items you acquired in preparation.


Our freeze-free period lasts an average of 167 days of the year, and on average January is our coldest month.  This month, especially after night fall, a power outage---generally a minor and short-lived inconvenience---could create a real need for warmth.


Here is a basic list of items you'll want for warmth: 
*No cotton.  When it's wet cotton is worthless as an insulator and heavy.
}  knit hat, if possible one that covers your ears---most heat is lost through your head
}  scarf---if possible, use it to cover your ears and neck
}  ear warmers
}  thermal socks
}  winter shoes
}  gloves
}  hand warmers
}  thermal underwear
}  dry clothes---"wick, warmth, and weather"
}  blankets---newspaper is a better cover than no cover
}  sleeping bag
}  a method for drying wet clothes
}  a method for heating/boiling water, for warm drinks
}  hugs and snuggling---to create warmth


For the most comfort you may also want to research:
}  alternative sources of electricity
}  battery-powered and other sources of heat
}  other forms of shelter


                                                                              ***
Fortunately, your body has two built-in mechanisms to protect you from the cold:
1}  In an effort to insulate itself and limit the amount of heat you lose to the environment, it'll move blood away from your skin and outer extremities---ears, fingers, toes---and toward its core.
2}  You will shiver. 

***

ULTIMATELY, the cold-weather illnesses you're trying to prevent are Hypothermia and Frostbite. 


Hypothermia---Your body has lost more heat than it's producing and your core body temperature has dropped---mild hypothermia sets in at about 95 degrees F (Fahrenheit).  Your body loses heat about 25 times faster in water than air---if you're forced to choose between being wet or going naked, go naked.  In terms of symptoms, hypothermia will affect your body's core---the brain, heart, lungs, and other vital organs.


Frostbite---Your skin has fallen below the freezing point (32 degrees F, or zero degrees Celsius/Centigrade) and ice crystals are forming within your skin cells, killing them.  Your ears, fingers, toes and other areas prone to reduced blood flow in cold temperatures are also more prone to frostbite.

***

There are millions of results for key words such as "frostbite," "hypothermia," and "cold weather survival"---please feel welcome to post a helpful link!

A.