So living through a pandemic is tough. I wanted to talk today about some things that always seem to turn my frown upside down.

Of course every suggestion might not be for you, but take what you like and leave the rest. That’s my advice.

Also, please don’t think that I think I’m a genius telling you these, like you’ve never heard or thought of them. I just wanted to tell ya what works for me and what I wanna get better at. And maybe give you PERMISSION to do the things you know/want/should be doing but….ya know….life gets in the way!  Ya feel me?

5 Ideas to Get Smilin’

#1.) Be present with your kids:

Is there anything better than a baby laugh? Probably lots of things come to think of it. But still…they’re pretty great. It’s hard to stay mad when you hear a baby giggle. 

Try hanging out with your kids like you’re just another kid. Sometimes I try to remember what it was like before I had kids and I was fun Aunt Dee Dee. I used to basically be a 20 something year old preschool kid. I would play with my niece and nephew just like I was a kid too.

I had that luxury because I was their aunt, not their mom. But you could ease up on the mom duties and just be present with your kiddos for even 30 minutes and I think you’d start to remember why you had those lil’ balls of love, frustration and exhaustion in the first place. 

If you don’t have any kids of your own, go hang out with some kids. I mean, kids you know, and have permission to be around. Don’t be a weirdo. Haha!

But, kids are pretty fun when you’re not all stressed about being responsible for whether or not they turn out to be good humans. Or take a dog on a walk. They’re fun too. Just sayin.

#2.) Ask for help:

I have to admit, This one is really hard for me. To be honest I usually don’t really feel like I NEED the help, so I shy away from asking.

But the thing I’m starting to learn is that it’s ok if I just WANT the help. It doesn’t mean I couldn’t do it all on my own and survive. Because let’s be honest… I totally could. 

But…it might make you (and me) smile more if we just start asking for help when we want it. 

Wanna sleep in one morning? Ask your partner. Of course you COULD wake up with the kids 100% of the time. It’s humanly possible. But it’s nice to sleep in too, so just ask for what ya want!

#3.) Treat Yo Self:

What’s something you really love? Do it. Buy it. Eat it. Whatever!

I’ve been wanting to play around with Procreate on my iPad FOR-EV-ER! I have a bullet journal that I got LAST CHRISTMAS that I still haven’t opened. Come to think of it, I have a Hand Lettering Book and Pen and Ink set I got probably three Christmases ago that I also have not opened. Because I don’t make time to do it.

Let’s be honest, an extra episode of Sopia the First or two wouldn’t kill Ruby and I could do something I want to enjoy. Basically, the things that I would have 100% done already if I didn’t have kids. 

Whatever it is you wanna do that you’re putting off, do it! It will definitely lift your spirits! 

Bath bomb? Jamberries (remember those nail stickers? Are those still a thing? I was a consultant and have like a million sheets…I should do my nails!)

Eat some ice cream…real ice cream, not Halo Top! (my new thing is vanilla ice cream and then I crunch up a couple Ritz crackers on top…lemme tell you it’s amazing! mmmmm

You get the point…whatever it is you wanna do…make the time to do it.

4.) Block a Betch:

Have you ever blocked someone on social media? I’ve hid people but I was too scared to block them because I thought they’d find out and be upset, and I didn’t wanna do that to anyone.

But really, do you anyone that just annoys the eff out of you on social media? If you block ‘em, they just disappear. Like they don’t exist in your little social media world anymore at all.

Maybe I’m dumb and other people already know this and do it, but… It’s different than just not being their friend or hiding them in your feed, because if you’re in a group with them or they are friends with friends of yours you just won’t see anything from them.

If you ever find yourself with someone that always seems to get an eye roll from you on social media. Just block ‘em. 

The co-dependent, em-path part of me felt like it was just too mean. What if they find out? What if it makes them sad? Well, if following them is causing your life to suck even a tiny bit, they gotta go. They can deal with their own feelings if/when they ever figure it out. But you, my dear, deserve to smile.

#5.) Just Breathe

I recently discovered Breathwork. I guess it’s a form of meditation? I dunno… Only recently learned about it. Whatever it is, it really focuses your attention on your breath.

For me this is powerful because I always have 10 million thoughts going on in my head. Things I need to do, Things I should have done, things that might happen, things that might not happen, the never-ending to-do list.

This is a block of time that I can *try* to just focus on my breath and get some time to myself. Plus it sounds like an important thing, so your family might let you do it uninterrupted. “I really need to do my breathwork, sorry!” Then boom, you’re FREE!

BONUS IDEA: Do Nothing:

Simple. Right? Just give yourself permission to do nothing.

If you’ve already been listening, or you follow me at all, you know I love shows on Bravo. I can binge some Housewives with the best of ‘em. 

As a matter of fact, when I was pregnant with Ruby I was in a birth class and they made us go around the room and say what we do to unwind and I literally said, “I watch Real Housewives.”

I had planned on doing that during the early stages of labor, but things didn’t go as planned…but that’s another story. 

Anyhoo…whatever your total veg-out activity is. Do that. Oh, I like naps too. Those are good.

Just give yourself the green light to freakin’ stop for a bit, ignore your responsibilities, and do nothing.

Your next step:

Well I guess your next step depends on which idea you’re gonna tackle first, so I’m just gonna break it down for you for each one.

#1: Be present with your kids:
I made a set of 52 cards with fun EASY activities you can do as a family. You can go grab ’em right here!

#2: Ask for Help
Write down something that you wish you didn’t have to do and then ask someone else to do it. Boom. Simple as a pimple.

#3: Treat Yo Self:
Make a list of 3 things you want to do or buy or experience. Then make it happen! (You might need to ask for help to make it happen, you see how all of this kinda works together?)

#4: Block a Betch:
If there’s someone bumming you out on social media get rid of them. They don’t have to exist in your world. So don’t let ‘em. Here’s some instructions in case you’re like me and you aren’t used to doing it yet! 

#5: Just Breathe:
Try doing some breathwork. The girl I love is named Kathleen Oh and here’s her free 20 minute breathwork recording. So… go try it! 

Bonus Idea: Do Nothing!
Pretty self-explanatory. And a little bit the opposite of “taking action,” but I think it can be hard for us sometimes to just chill out and take a nap or watch some tv you love.

The Bottom line is:
Give yourself a break.