Alot .Of. Tola

Celebrating Valentines Day during a pandemic is probably going to look a bit different than previous years past. A romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant or going to the movies might be off the table. That is okay! This year you have the time to channel the spirit of love toward yourself. Here are a few ideas of how you can love yourself the way you deserve.

Write a love letter: Take the time to recognize and appreciate all the things you do as a mother. Praise yourself for the way you take care of yourself and your family. Speak love over yourself and watch how wonderful you feel afterwards. If you find writing a love letter to yourself is a bit too difficult, write a love letter to the person you have a lot of gratitude towards. It’s a great way to feel all lovey and dovey.
Feed yourself like you love yourself: While preparing a special dinner for the kids may feel worth the effort, it’s important to do the same for yourself. Has it been a while since you’ve eaten a special meal in celebration of you? This Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to express your self-love with food! Whether it’s putting in the effort to make a dinner that usually takes too much time to cook or ordering in something a bit pricier than normal, if food is your love language, Go For It!

Shop This Post:

Treat Yo Self: Do something out of the norm for yourself. Has it been difficult to squeeze in a massage appointment because the kids are always home? Well for this Valentine’s Day schedule a non-negotiable treat for yourself. Has it been a struggle to binge watch a show that you desperately want to get through? Pop open your wine and get to enjoying your show because you deserve it!
Volunteer your time doing something you love: Take the time to see if there is an opportunity to spread some love by doing something you're passionate about. Would you enjoy sewing masks for loved ones? Do you want to volunteer taking care of animals? Call a farm and ask if you can scrub down a horse. Doing what you love to help others is one of the most rewarding ways to take care of yourself.

There are many ways to celebrate Valentine's Day in these unique times. Make sure you give yourself all the love and attention you want for the holiday. You deserve to feel special and adored, and how much more powerful are those feelings when they come from yourself?

No comments

It's a new year, but if you are like me you are still logging all the weight that 2020 has blessed us with! I know for me I did way more eating and sitting around, but with a new year and new goals I am trying to do better and set some changes. Here are few things you can implement this new year to kick start that fitness and health goals:

Embrace the “almost homemade” Everyone knows the key to weight loss is proper diet and you may be tempted to prepare everything from scratch to keep a strict count on your calorie intake. Please put down the pasta maker, bread maker and any other device you’re currently shedding sweat, blood, and tears over! Just because you have the time to make a nutritious meal from scratch doesn’t mean you have the mental or emotional energy to do so. Toss those frozen veggies and meat in the oven and season according to your conscience.

Stuff your face... with intention. Establish a game plan for what is going down your throat. Think portion control, craving plans and cheat days. For example, if you get those vague sensations of hunger fill yourself up with water and then see if you’re still hungry after some time passes by. Switch up the size of your plate to minimize huge serving sizes. If you’re craving chips, eat the chips! Don’t eat everything in your cabinet just to avoid eating what you actually crave. Put some effort in what your cheat day is going to look like. Plan a walk in the park, a dance party, or other active things you enjoy doing to celebrate those naughty calories hitting your system.

Sweat… Like a sane woman. It can be tempting to think that the new year version of you hits the gym for an hour everyday. If that is you… congratulations and keep up the good work. If the idea of going to the gym everyday fills you with dread, fatigue, and anger there is another method. Ease your body into a 3 days a week 20 minutes schedule, it’s not the least bit overwhelming and once you master this schedule you can work up to something more challenging.

Shop this Post

It takes a village....Figure out what kind of support system you’re in need of. Would delivered groceries take a load off your shoulders? Perhaps joining a Facebook group to bounce ideas of tips and tricks of how to squeeze a workout in while your child watches Cocomelon. Maybe you need a good ole accountability partner to send your scale numbers to. Figure out the best way to execute the plans of shedding the weight.

Snooze so you don’t lose. I know there is nothing more seductive than the fantasy of getting 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep as a mother, but fantasy seems to be the key word here. It’s time for the sheriff to come into town, and put the smack down of a schedule for both kids and parents. Throw everything but the kitchen sink at getting 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Experiment until you find a functioning system because proper sleep helps you lose some of those stubborn pounds.

What are some lifestyle changes you are making this new year?

No comments

While this year has just been unnormal, I think it has added on an extra level of anxiety for young moms. I can tell you before this year; I wasn't anxious but, the added pressure of working from home while still balancing being a full-time stay-at-home mom has been a mental overload. With the holidays coming, we are looking for some relief from all that the year has brought on but, it can also be very high stress and anxiety-driven period. Here are some things you need to do to stay ahead of everything and keep your head out of the fog of it all.

Stay ahead of things! The easiest way to help not get in over your head; start to feel like you are sinking. Make sure you are planning; even if you are not the plan-ahead type, make sure you have a stored out structure of things so you can stay organized. Also, it will help to shuffle around if need be.
Get all your holiday shopping and prep done as you go rather than hitting it hard all at once. I am taking my advice on this and buying the presents and getting things together this year as I go and as I see them. Will, help ease things off your plate, and then there is not that added pressure of having to get it all done in one sitting.

Be ok with letting taking the back seat; as moms, we like to be in control and be the one driving and leading things. But, it's ok to take the back seat and let somebody else take the lead on certain things.
Stop trying to make everything perfect! I know we all want to give our family, especially our kids, the very best holiday experience. But, the reality is life happens, so no matter how much you plan and how best you have it, life still happens. So don't allow that to get you worked up or put the extra pressure on yourself.
Find little ways to remind yourself to stay calm and motivated. For me, it's writing uplifting and motivating quotes utilizing my chalkola chalk markers (You can use my code TOLA10 for extra discount) to keep reminding me to stay focused on what matters.

Motherhood has so many layers to it, this sense of guilt to make each experience the best for our family. We carry that weight, and when the holiday season comes around, a lot of us are running like chickens with our heads cut off. Going above and beyond but, sometimes that can be too much for ourselves. So I hope this holiday season you realize you have given so much of yourself this year, and do your best and let the chips fall where they may.

No comments

6 comments

I have not always been good about taking care of my skin, but the older I get, am realizing I have to do better and take better care of my skin. But as we all know, these skincare products are not cheap one bit. Being a mom, I want to be able to get a good bang for my buck without necessarily breaking the bank. I have had to try out a few skincare products for the low at my local drug store to find out what works best for my skin. Here are a few of my favorites products that I would recommend.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water: I love this product, the perfect skin cleanser! It can work both as a makeup remover or just a regular skin cleanser after a day of being out and about.

Burt's Bees calming toner with witch hazel and rose: this was the very first toner I ever tried, and it has me hooked to toners. Ever since I started using it, I have noticed how much my skin has felt a lot more even as well as smoothened out. I love that it isn't heavy either I can use it any time of the day without feeling like an extra layer added to my skin.

Burt Bees Sensitive Eye Cream: this has completely changed the game for under my eyes. I honestly didn't know anything about eye creams before using this product, and never even saw the purpose to them. But after using this now, I am onboard for eye creams! My dark circles under my eyes have completely disappeared, and it has helped to make my eyes look more awake.

Cetaphil daily hydrating lotion: this has been my go-to for a while now. I love that it is very lightweight and almost feels like you are using water that hydrates without being sticky and laid on.

Dove Body Wash: I love any of the dove body washes so perfect for showers. You get out of the shower with your skin feeling so refreshed.

I know a lot of people hear drug stores and automatically think cheap but, that's not always the case. You might have to try out a few things to find the perfect match, but I believe when you find something that works for your skin, it is worth the savings you are getting. I would love to know are you a drug store skincare fan? What are some of your fave products?

No comments

Alot .Of. Tola

About me

Follow Me

recent posts

Blog Archive

Linqia