The 4 Resources I Used for Making Pre-K Lesson Plans

A few days ago, I started writing a life lately post about what I’ve been up to lately. I didn’t mean to stop posting here in mid-February… but I did. The reason is that… I started a temp job at a creative agency, which takes up a majority of my time, plus I finally started picking up a bunch of freelance work… which takes up a lot of my time as well. As a result, blogging fell by the wayside.

And then… covid-19.

I have been going back and forth about how much to say. I think at this point—the world is better off with uneducated people saying less and all of us listening to people who do know what’s going on. That’s my stance, really. Listen to the people who know what they are talking about and do not take advice from random bloggers on the internet in regards to medical information. I think that goes for the rest of the time we’re alive, but especially now.

Very late on Thursday last week, we got news that schools in Oregon would be closed until the end of March. That meant Danny won’t be at work for the next 2 1/2 weeks. Forrest won’t be in school either. And I’ll be working from home on about 60+ hours worth of freelancing and contract work. Great!

How can I make this work?!

Here’s the thing about schools closing: on one hand, I completely understand that social distancing will keep people healthy and safe, and reduce the risk of catching and spreading covid-19; but on the other hand, schools are a stabilizer for many children in my community. And I don’t just mean children who rely on meals at school (although that is a very, very pressing issue); schools help kids feel safe in their routine.

I knew immediately I needed to set up structure in Forrest’s life to make sure we didn’t all lose our minds. And now, three days in, I can tell you I feel pretty good about my choice.

I wanted to share how I designed a schedule for us. It’s nothing strict. I’m not doing full homeschooling; I do not have the education or ability to do that. But having activities and structure is really important for Forrest; I wanted him to have opportunities to learn something new, try an activity, and play, which would also give me time to focus on my work.

First things first, I made a quick daily schedule template that I printed off for every single day. I have a blank version here that you can download for yourself—or you can use it as a starting point to design your own. Forrest and I are both early risers, so that is reflected in our schedule, unfortunately.

Once I had it printed, I started filling in blanks as I was able to, such as meal ideas.

Then, I started looking for educational resources to do at least 2 lessons per day.

What Resources Did I Find for Pre-K Students?

There is a lot out there for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten, fortunately. (And actually, homeschooling blogs do a lot of good work! I’m honestly really amazed.) I wanted to share the 4 resources I used the most. They are:

• Scholastic Learn at Home: Scholastic has put together lesson plans for pre-k and kindergarten (as well as other age groups!) that include free access to Book Flix and the Watch & Learn Library. Right now, they only have a weeks worth of lessons up, but they provided a good starting point for me in terms of picking themes. Plus, having access to Book Flix means I have access to a ton of books I can read to Forrest whenever he gets bored. I just log in on my phone and go from there!
  

• All Kids Network: I’m a big worksheet fan. You’ll probably be able to tell pretty quickly, but I found it easier to center our activities around a worksheet. It’s cheap and easy and means I don’t have to run to the store for craft supplies that I don’t have. All Kids Network is free to sign up and has a ton of free, printable worksheets. I used a lot of resources from here.
  

• 123 Homeschool 4 Me: This was my most used resource! This link is to the entire preschool and pre-k library. I used a ton of their resources, specifically related to spring and holidays. Their Alphabet Search pages are particularly fun and 3 days in, have become Forrest’s favorite thing to do. I just print a few and let him go!
  

• Pinterest: It goes without saying that if I’m looking for something, I’m looking on Pinterest. If I had a specific idea for something, I searched for it on Pinterest first. As an example, one of the Scholastic lesson plans uses a book about the moon; I knew Forrest would love that, but I didn’t have stuff for the craft they recommend. I searched “moon pre-k worksheet” and bingo! Found one immediately. Download, print, and done. I started saving all my favorite worksheets in a single board so I can return to them when I need them.

What Else Can I Do?!

I know organizing a schedule like this is not everyone’s bag. But the thing is, if you’re working remotely, structure will help you get your work done and not spend all your time yelling at your kid! Sanity is important. I’m not anti-screen time, but I don’t want Forrest watching the Simpson’s at 3pm every day (because that’s often the only thing on TV!!), you know?

Even if you don’t want to do a full schedule, I do recommend picking a few things to do every day. You don’t have to do specific lesson plans, but you can structure and make each day fun. Here are a few ideas to get started:

• Plan to spend time outside. You don’t have to go anywhere. But get your kids outside, even if it’s cold. Bundle up in coats and set up some washable paints or sidewalk chalk on the driveway. Or, better yet, do a short nature scavenger hunt. Go for a walk around the block.

• Pick one or two educational things each day. This will keep your kids brain’s active, as well as their bodies. They’re going to have a TON of energy!! Harness is with some crafts, worksheets, stories, and songs.

• Plan for quiet play time. I know some kids struggle with this, and I get it. But we set aside one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening for quiet play time. Forrest goes in his room and shuts the door. Thankfully, Danny’s office is right next to Forrest’s room and my office is right below Forrest’s room, so we can track him through sound. He’s gotten better each day about playing independently, giving us both at least two solid hours for phone calls, team check ins, or silent screaming because we miss other human beings.

• Make it fun. I think a lot of parents have approached this time with dread. And I totally get it. It’s overwhelming; everything is scary; we don’t know how long this is going to last. I think there are ways to make it fun for kids though. We are planning to a “family camp out” in the living room on Friday; we’ve been having Forrest help us with dinner, as well as cleaning up every day. Make things fun for kids, let them use their energy, and, most importantly, use this time to reconnect.

I hope you find these resources helpful! I know it’s a crazy world out there, but stay safe, stay healthy, and help your neighbors.

Book Review: 52 Lists for Calm by Moorea Seal

I don’t often write book reviews, but when I do, I like it to be something that I really feel matters.

I originally intended to have this post up last Monday, but—surprise! I started a semi-long term job that has kept me pretty busy the last week. My freelance work has also picked up a lot. Needless to say, I’m busy, but I’m trying not to let that toxic busy-ness make me insufferable.

I use a lot of Moorea Seal’s 52 Lists products. Her original 52 Lists book is one of my favorite journals ever; I did it the first time through in the year after I had Forrest and let me tell you, some of those lists really take me back to those harder days. If you’re new to journaling, or just need some inspiration, I cannot recommend it enough.

I use her 52 Lists planner every single day; it’s one of my favorite planner layouts and I’m already planning to purchase it again for next year.

So when I bought 52 Lists for Calm in late December, I knew I was going to enjoy it. I like journaling and I find it very easy—but I often struggle to really write down what is making me anxious, as I always worry it will make me more anxious to write about it. However, I knew I needed a way to work through everything that has been swirling around me since I was laid off back in July. I wanted this book to be that for me.

And thankfully, it does a good job of it!

I’ve written before about how beneficial I find journaling. No matter how you choose to journal, I think it’s beneficial to let yourself have some time to unwind. The primary way I use 52 Lists for Calm has been as a book to keep on my desk to grab whenever I need a few minutes to just write without thinking. Plus, even once you fill in all the pages (and I’ve probably filled in 75%), you can reuse the prompts: in a Google Doc or another journal or even on the Notes app on your phone.

52 Lists for Calm is separated into 4 sections: Being Present; Look Back; Move Forward; and Release. All of the sections have lists that walk you through finding ways to release your worries, really tap into what is bothering you, and release it. List 7, as an example, has you write out everything that is stressing you out—then destroy it, either through burning it, crossing it out, whatever works for you.

It is surprisingly cathartic!

My favorite section is probably the Look Back section. What can I say? I’m a Type 4 Enneagram, I love being introspective and nostalgia is my drug of choice. I loved List 14, which was all about writing out things that brought me comfort in childhood, as well as List 21, which prompted me to list things about myself that I feel scared expressing.

Basically, 52 Lists for Calm walks you through a bunch of different fun, interesting lists that let you peer directly into what calms you down. I think it’s easy to start a guided journal like this with the idea that it might fix your stress—but to me, it was actually more about finding things that I already knew work to help me calm down, see the bigger picture, and stop worrying.

I’m going to keep this review short and sweet: if you’ve been wanting to get into journaling, but find it overwhelming, I think 52 Lists for Calm will be a great place to start. Even if you’re an experienced journaler, I think it’s a great way to find some new prompts and get to writing. No matter what you use it for, I have enjoyed working my way through it. Moorea Seal designs beautiful books (let’s be honest: how it looks is 100% part of the package for me!) and that’s probably why I love them so much.

If you want to test 52 Lists for Calm for yourself, click here to buy a copy!

5 Writing Prompts to Get Your Creativity Flowing Every Day

The most important part of writing is doing it.

I’m actually not a fan of the old adage that you should write everyday, regardless of how you feel. If that works for you, then gah bless ya, as they save. It actually is something I practice myself—but I recognize that sometimes the amount I write day-to-day isn’t sustainable or healthy, and my desire to write everyday sometimes doesn’t come from having anything to write about, but rather a feeling that I “need to get things done.” There is also, of course, the fact that my writing is what pays my bills at this point.

This is all to say: if you want to write more, but the thought of having to write every single day to take yourself seriously is overwhelming and stops you, please know you don’t have to write literally every day.

It also goes without saying that it isn’t sustainable to try to write all day every single day. Like I said, writing pays my bills—but I’m not writing 8 hours a day.

If you are looking to write more frequently, or even every day, it can be really easy to get writer’s block. But sometimes all you need is to write something once and then the rest starts flowing. I like to do short writing exercises in the morning. I have a few books I pull from: Coffee Break Writing, The Story of My Life, and 52 Lists for Calm are 3 I keep on my desk to pull and work on. After that, I usually feel good enough to head into my work tasks.

I have a few other prompts that I keep on hand for when one of those 3 books just isn’t doing it for me. I thought I’d share my 5 favorites to help you get started in developing a writing habit!

1. Write a List

No, not your to do list (although you should do that too, trust me, if only to get a handle on your time management skills.)

Sometimes, I write a list of whatever I’m thinking about: things I’m thinking about; funny tweets I’ve seen; books I want to read; tv shows I’ve been meaning to watch. Other times, I write more creative lists, like: my favorite flowers & what they look like; my favorite smells; things that remind me of my childhood Christmas; or things in coffee shops that annoy me.

How long I make the list is entirely dependent on how into it I get. Sometimes, they end up quite long. Other times, quite short. Sometimes, writing those lists will inspire me to write something else: a poem about Forrest or a blog post or an Instagram caption. Either way, they’ve done their job. Plus, it’s nice to have a bunch of lists to look back on.

2. Read Something You Love—then Reimagine It

This can be anything: read an article, a poem, a section of a book, a scene in a movie—and write a short reimagining of it. Write The Hunger Games from Gale’s perspective. Rewrite that famous William Carlos Williams poem. Turn Harry Potter into a story about Penelope Clearwater. Take Frankenstein’s monster and put him in Brooklyn, 2020. Whatever you choose, reimagine it as something else entirely—whatever that means to you.

If what I imagine is longer than what I can write in the 30-40 minutes I’ve given myself, I often just write a synopsis or a few bullet points about what would change. Sometimes, I’ll write one short scene of it or a prose poem. If I’m reimagining a poem, I might write it as an Instagram post or a TikTok video. It helps me think differently, make something new out of something very familiar. Be playful. Have fun. This is just for you.

3. Write American Sentences

What are American Sentences you ask? American Sentences were invented by Allen Ginsberg, as a 17-syllable sentence that mimics a haiku. (Haikus follow the 5-7-5 syllable rule; added together, it’s 17 syllables total.) This is a good rundown on American Sentences that has a ton of examples.

American Sentences require you to think carefully about what you’re trying to convey in your writing, as well as the rhythm of the words themselves. To me, it’s very helpful to write this way because it forces me to be more concise and direct. (You may have noticed my tendency towards being verbose. No apologies.) For me, it’s fun to play with language in this way when no one is looking—and it helps me feel more creative. Read some examples and try your hand at writing a few. I think you’ll be surprised!

4. Reread Your Old Writing

Whenever I’m feeling particularly stuck, I go and reread something I’ve written. At least once a year, I reread my former NaNoWriMo novels—and often find myself rewriting parts of them, tweaking the storyline or descriptions. I also will sometimes reread stories I started, but never finished. A prime example is a short story I’m currently working on, that I actually started nearly a year ago; I considered working on it for NaNoWriMo, but couldn’t nail down a plot. I reread it recently and started working on it again—getting an idea for at least 10,000 words.

Sometimes, rereading things we’ve written before will give us new ideas—or at least give us a few minutes of working on something that reenergizes us. This kind of writing specifically is helpful because it works on editing, which is a valuable skill we all need.

5. Write About the Weather

Recently, I started a weather journal. This was partly inspired by Nick Cave, but mostly was just a way for me to journal without putting pressure on myself to actually produce something or write something meaningful. Very often writing about the weather turns into me writing something else—things I want to remember, things I’m doing, what Forrest is up to, how I’m feeling.

Every day, write about the weather as you see it from where you are: what do you see? What do you smell? How did you have to dress that day? What does it remind you of? Describe it. Use all your senses! It doesn’t have to be more than a paragraph or two, but it feels like a lot at the end—and might give you ideas for something else to write about.

What Is a Sales Funnel (And Do I Need One?!)

If you’re a blogger who wants to make money, or a small business owner who wants to use your website to make more sales, then you need a sales funnel.

But for many people, they simply don’t know what that is. And we can’t create something to make our lives easier if we don’t know what it is or why we need it. So let’s talk about it. In this blog post, I’ll break down what a sales funnel is, the steps to creating one, how to automate effectively, and finally, provide a full example of a sales funnel.

First and foremost, before we talk about what a sales funnel is, let’s talk about why you need one. Let’s look at an example and I’ll use this example throughout the blog post. In our example, our business owner is named Sarah and she runs an Etsy shop that sells primarily personalized nursery signs, as well as other personalized art pieces and printables. Sarah has a decent number of sales on her Etsy shop, but wants to see that number increase—however, her art takes up a significant amount of her time, so she doesn’t want to have to spend hours of her day posting on social media, toying with ads, and more.

How can Sarah use social media and her existing blog and website effectively to increase sales?

The answer is a sales funnel. It will take some time to get set up and require a little bit of effort at first, but as time passes, she’ll be able to focus less and less time on it—and more time on her art.

Sarah needs a sales funnel because it will help drive sales to her Etsy store, give her a list of potential customers to turn to whenever she needs it, and give her control over that list of potential customers.

What is a Sales Funnel?

A sales funnel is a fancy way of saying: a system that drives potential customers from free content to paid content or products (or services).

The widest part of the funnel is the entry step: lots of people will enter, but not everyone will get to the bottom of the funnel. The middle part of the funnel is where you provide more and more targeted content. The bottom of the funnel is making a sale. That’s it!

However, a sales funnel won’t be the exact same for every single business or individual. Let’s talk about design.

How to Design a Sales Funnel

Think of a sales funnel as a customer’s journey towards buying your product. You want to be on their mind every single step of the way: invested in your brand, your product, and what both can do for them. For that to be helpful, you need to know who your ideal customer is and what motivates them.

What do they want from your product? From your content? What would be most helpful to them?

If you’re already making sales, what questions do you find yourself answering the most? What things do you notice customers needing?

And more specifically, besides your product and service, what is your customer interested in? What draws them in?

Once you answer all these questions, you can create a profile of an ideal customer. You’ve probably heard of these before; you can give this ideal customer a name, but you don’t necessarily have to. If you have more than one ideal customer profile, you can create a group of them. Once you have an idea of your ideal customer, you can design a sales funnel for one ideal customer (if you have a group of them as an example).

Let’s look at our example: Sarah sells personalized nursery signs, as well as other personalized art pieces. Her ideal customer for this sales funnel is currently pregnant women, aged 22-38, who enjoy: Pinterest, home design shows like Fixer Upper, and Instagram influencers like Elsie Larson. They want to design their nurseries to be beautiful, but functional, and want to learn more about design. That’s Sarah’s ideal customer; we’ll call her Helen. Now, what would be the first step towards getting Helen to make a purchase?

Step 1: Provide free content.

Starting with Sarah’s website, what content would Sarah post to attract potential customers like Helen? Here is what I would outline for Sarah:

• Design-focused content

• Nursery-focused content

• Using Pinterest as a promotion method

Sarah might consider questions that her customers typically ask, such as: “Can I see some examples of nurseries where you have signs hanging?” or “What are the best ways to hang this sign?” She might consider content that:

• Centers around customer photos of how they’ve styled their signs (in a style that would attract a potential customer like Helen)

• Provides the best additional decor to style her products

With providing free content, regardless of your product and service, there is a thin line to walk between providing your services for free and providing just enough value that customers remain interested. Provide enough free content that aligns with Helen’s interests and Helen will become a fan.

Step 2: Create an email list where you provide consistent (still free) content.

The first time Helen finds a blog post from Sarah, she might get a pop up with a CTA to join Sarah’s email list. She might skip that for the time being. By clicking Sarah’s blog post from Pinterest, however, she’s still entered the funnel—she just hasn’t moved down a step. But let’s say a week later, Helen returns to that blog post; she wants to see those signs again and how customer’s have styled them in a farmhouse style.

She returns to Sarah’s blog post, because she saved it to a board on Pinterest, and gets that pop up again. She decides to sign up for Sarah’s mailing list.

Congratulations! She has moved down the funnel.

By providing great free content, Sarah attracted Helen as a fan. By having an email pop up, she invited Helen to join her mailing list and receive even more tailored, free content.

No matter what product or service you offer, you need an email list. Read that twice, please. It doesn’t matter if you started your website or blog yesterday. Sign up for Mailchimp or Mailerlite and get your email list going now. Why is that? Because with an email list, you own those subscribers. Your website can go down or Instagram might get deleted, but no one can take your email list from you.

Step 3: Use your email list to launch low-cost products.

Sarah uses her email newsletter to highlight new products in her shop and provide styling options. Every month, she styles a sample sign in a different style or creates a piece of personalized art to style. This keeps her potential customers interested and aware of her products.

She also occasionally offers discounts on products in her email. She might offer 20% off orders for Valentine’s Day or 31% off orders for Halloween. No matter what, she provides a way for her subscribers, and her subscribers only, to receive a discount on her products.

Your newsletter and email list should be a place for you to continue to provide valuable content for your potential customers: your list isn’t purely to sell to. If you only send them sales-focused emails, you will see a lot of unsubscribes. For businesses like Sarah’s that sell products, using a newsletter that highlights new products and continues to provide valuable, ideal customer focused information is the best option. However, for other businesses, sending a newsletter that only provides value for a while is your best bet; an example here would be if you are a coaching service, you would want to send essentially shortened blog posts that answer common questions or that advertise your (already free) blog posts. You would only occasionally send an email advertising your services. Let’s talk about why.

Step 4: Use that warmed up email list to sell high-cost products or services.

Using her newsletter to continue to provide value to her customers, while also advertising her products, is an important part of the funnel. Helen might just read the first 3 or 4 newsletters she receives; but in that 4th or 5th one, she sees a 30% discount for signs and decides to finally go for it. Congratulations! Helen has gone through the entire funnel!

But let’s go to that other example: if you’re a coach, what you’re selling is a service, not a product. It might cost more than a personalized sign. In this case, you would use your email list to warm up potential customers. Send them 4-5 emails in a drip campaign (this means they receive constant, small pieces of content designed to move them through your sales funnel) that aren’t about making a sale: these are purely to provide information. If you were a content coach, like I am, you might send emails about writing better Instagram captions, that show the data behind Instagram and making sales on Etsy stores, and more. Then, you might end that drip campaign with a single email that advertises your product or service. This gives your subscribers more of a chance to purchase from you—because they know you, they know your service, and they know that you know what you’re doing.

Think of your email list as a select group of people who love your blog content—but also want more from you. This is your chance to really flex your knowledge, show off your products & services, answer questions before they ask them, and then advertise what you do best. It might take a while to warm your email list up as much as you’d like, but having a plan for emails every month to provide the most information you can without giving your business away for free will keep them coming back for more.

What’s Next?

So, you know what a sales funnel is and we’ve walked through the primary steps. When creating your own sales funnel, it will probably be helpful to refer to this blog post and these steps. As you outline your plan, write out what you plan to do—and then write the steps of those plans separately. This might look something like this:

• Step 1: Provide valuable content on setting up your first blog

  • Blog posts include: [topic 1], [topic 2], and [topic 3]

  • Promote on Pinterest and Instagram

  • Instagram hashtags include: [examples]

  • Instagram accounts to tag include: [examples]

  • Instagram story to promote needs hashtags [1, 2, and 3]

That will help you not just create a funnel, but create a plan for the content you want to create, including social media posts, Pinterest pins, and more. From there, outlining email sequences, what products or services you want to highlight first, and more will be incredibly helpful. If you have a network of fellow bloggers or business owners, asking them to promote your blog posts can be extremely helpful as well.

I’ve created a small template you can use to outline your initial steps.

Thanks for reading! I hope this helps you design a sales funnel to improve your business. If you need help with any step, please don’t hesitate to send me a note.

How to Create A Quick Morning Beauty Routine

What energizes you in the morning?

What makes you feel totally prepared for a big day?

Routines are something that helps me feel more energized throughout the day. The less routine I have, the more likely I am to drift, feel anxious, and struggle to complete tasks. But if I have a routine in place where I do the same things upon waking up, then transition into work, I feel energized and more focused.

However, developing a routine when 1) you have a child and 2) you work from home can be a huge challenge.

A huge part of my morning routine has always been my beauty regimen. If you’re leaving the house for work, or school, or whatever, you know the drill: you have to do a few things before you’re ready to face the world. But what those things are can vary person-to-person.

One thing that doesn’t change is the fact that a beauty routine can help us feel more awake and ready for the day—and ready to transition into whatever routine (work, taking care of kiddos, whatever) you have that day! However, implementing a consistent routine that makes you excited can take time and effort. I want to guide you through the process so you can get a routine in place that makes you feel ready to face the day—and most important, makes you feel good every single day.

Why A Good Beauty Routine Matters in the Morning

You want to start your day feeling GOOD. If you’re not a morning person (and let me tell you, I woke up sick today and I’m not feeling the world at all), a good routine that makes you feel your best is a great place to start.

To me, a beauty routine isn’t just putting on make up or washing your face. It’s a combination of things that help you start with your best foot forward. Here’s my morning routine, as an example:

• Make & drink my coffee

• Light a candle

• Make my bed

• Take a shower

• Wash my face & moisturize heavily

That’s it. If I’m not leaving my house, just working, then that’s all I really need. But nothing makes me feel better than having my bed made, my room smelling good, and my body feeling clean. Plus, if I’m not feeling my best (like right now), it gives me something to focus on and put energy into that also revitalizes me.

Now, let’s talk what makes a great beauty routine.

1. Know Your Needs

Your beauty routine might not be mine (although you might find inspiration in it). So first things first, know your needs: what do you want to accomplish with your beauty routine in the morning? Feeling fresh after a night of sleep? Keeping your dry skin moisturized throughout the day or your oily skin matte?

What makes you feel best? Pampering or taking on a task that you don’t really love? What would help you feel energized.

Here are a few places to start:

• Does taking a shower make you feel ready for the day or does it sap your energy? If it isn’t comfortable for you, switch your showers to the evening.

• Do you have a face wash that fulfills all your desires? What about moisturizer?

• What would help you feel most excited for the day? A body lotion that smells like your version of heavy, a new cozy sweater?

2. Pick Your Products

The products you use in your routine are going to make a world of difference. I’ve included a good skincare routine checklist to help you pinpoint specific areas and the most basic steps you need for fresh skin every single day.

However, sometimes, it’s more than just a good, basic routine. What makes you feel luxurious? I want you to think of at least one thing that you love using every single day and start to include that in your routine. No more saving your favorite perfume for special events or that lotion that makes you feel like a queen. Use it today. Use it every day. Make it part of your routine because you deserve it.

3. How Much Time Do You Need?

Time is relative. When I say “quick” what do you think of?

For me, it’s 20 minutes or less. If I’m doing my hair (aka I need to blow dry and/or curl it), it’s 45 minutes. For some people, however, those times might be way too long or way too short for what they want to do.

It’s all up to you.

What time do you wake up in the morning? When do you start work? How much time do you have to get a routine in place? Are you willing to wake up earlier, or do you want to sleep in a little bit more?

Whatever time you choose, make it something that works for you. If you want to spend 5 minutes putting on body lotion and thanking your body, then incorporate that.

4. Makeup Is Optional

It goes without saying: your beauty routine doesn’t have to include makeup. But if you want it to, choose a few items of make up that make you feel your best. If you’re trying to condense your beauty routine, then committing to a full eye look or winged eyeliner every single day might not be something you can do.

However, if winged eyeliner makes you feel good, find a product that works perfectly and stick with it. Incorporate it into your routine so you always have time to get it done. Whatever it is you choose to include in your make up routine, make sure it makes you feel good, whether that’s an eyeshadow look you love or a lipstick that makes you feel more powerful.

5. Keep Your Routine Evolving

No two days are the same, so why should your routine be the same? Being able to adapt, whether it’s with skincare concerns or time constraints, can help you feel more confident when you start your day.

How to Approach Your Routine Every Day

Every evening, I write down a few things I want to start my day with. Like I said, mine usually includes making my bed, drinking my coffee, and focusing on doing one thing that makes me feel really good. (Today, as an example, it was coating myself in Vicks Vaporub and filling my diffuser on my desk with peppermint essential oil.)

You can use the graphic I’ve included to write down your beauty routine in the evening so it’s first thing on your mind in the morning. You know how prepared you need to be for each day, so take that into account, as well as how much time you have allotted and what you need to focus on.

Moving forward, establishing a routine will help you feel more pampered and ready to start each day. Take time for yourself so you can get your work done without feeling deprived.

8 Empowering iPhone Wallpapers to Download Right Now

About a week ago, I posted a graphic on Instagram thatI’d whipped up late one night. I loved it almost immediately, and it was totally a fluke. I didn’t set out to make it! Using a bunch of free Canva elements, I made a few more to post on Instagram. Just fun, slightly cheesy quotes about being exceptional.

I know these kind of quotes aren’t super popular with certain crowds. However, in the last few months, I’ve started writing down and saving simple mantras that make me feel empowered. I’ve included a few of them in these wallpapers because I find them so helpful.

Seeing these mantras every single day has helped me stay on track. Therefore, iPhone wallpapers feels like a perfect option. I had such a great response to that Instagram post that I decided wallpapers was the next step. I turned those Instagram graphics into wallpapers and voila! Here they are, ready for you to download.

To download, please use the subscribe form below to sign up for my newsletter list! You’ll receive a confirmation email shortly to confirm your subscription that includes a link to download all 8 wallpapers.

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If you use these wallpapers, feel free to tag me on Twitter or Instagram, and use the hashtag #thisweeksgoldstar on Instagram!

Beauty Review: January 2020 Ipsy Bag

Starting these Ipsy bag posts… man, what a challenge. I never really know what to say, but I guess one of the best things I can talk about is how my month was and how this bag made me feel. One thing I really want to emphasize is giving yourself little gifts throughout the month; while you’re building your career, or taking care of your child, or whatever… you deserve a few things for yourself.

And I want those things to be worth it. So month to month, the one thing I look for in every Ipsy bag is value. Is this bag both valuable monetarily and also to my life? Do the products make me feel good? Or do they make me feel blah?

So often, my Ipsy posts have been reflections of how I’m doing that month. Some of my saltiest reviews came when I was not feeling so great.

For a little context: the last few months have been some of the hardest of my life. I’ve struggled a lot, but I find myself doing better and better as time goes on. But December and January were definitely rougher months in the scheme of things—and honestly, November too.

With that being said, lately I’ve needed my self-care items to be even bigger than before. I’ve needed my therapy sessions; I’ve needed my bubble baths; I’ve needed my evenings to be quiet. Sometimes, I don’t get those things. Sometimes, self-care is just going to bed early or making an extra pot of coffee or closing my office door for 5 minutes to silently scream.

Not to give it all away quite so quickly, but this month’s Ipsy definitely felt like a bit of a let down. The last few months definitely have. But this month’s in particular is very disappointing and I’ll hit why on those specific items. Let’s get started, shall we?

You can read my past Ipsy reviews here. If you want to try Ipsy, you can sign up using my referral link here.

1. Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Cleanser, $3.19 value

I love the Glow Recipe, it’s such a great brand, but as I’m trying to repair my skin’s pH barrier, I’ve become more and more picky about cleansers I use. This one has a lot of pure soap ingredients—and it foams in a way I find slightly repulsive, for lack of a better word. The texture is akin to snot. There, I said it. It’s snot-like! It’s a snot-like cleanser and I don’t want to wash my face with it and despite being called “Blueberry Bounce Cleanser,” it smells like a Dollar Store.

I don’t like it! There!

I’m relegating this little sample tube to my travel bin; I think it’s OK for pH (I haven’t noticed any serious issues cropping up), but the weird smell alone is enough to make me avoid it. I give it a solid 3/10 in terms of how much I enjoyed it.

A full size tube is 160 ml and costs $34 (WHEW!). This sample tube is only 15 ml, making it’s value around $3.19. If I was nice, I would have rounded up to $3.20, but… I didn’t.

2. Luxie Fan Brush, $18 (Not Pictured)

I fully forgot to grab this brush while taking photos and didn’t notice until I was editing afterwards and wondering where my 4th item was. Then I remembered, “oh yeah, I got a 4th fan brush.”

You read that correctly: my 4th fan brush.

I have so many fan brushes, I expect to find all my cleanser samples fanning my blush samples in my bathroom any day now. (The blush samples are the kings of all the samples I receive, natch.) I have fan brushes coming out of my eyeballs at this point, which is funny only because no one needs a fan brush. It is the most useless brush. I don’t even wear highlighter anymore! What else is a fan brush used for? That’s right, nothing.

0/10. It is pretty. But… 4 fan brushes, guys. I’ve gotten 4 of them.

3. Urban Juve Lip Balm, $10

I love a lip balm moment, but guys. $10 for a lip balm this big?? For comparison, the Glossier Balm Dot Coms come in a 3 pack for $30, making them $10 a piece. And they have 0.5 fluid oz (which is HUGE!) This little lip balm has… 0.14 fluid ounces. Sorry, but that’s highway robbery. It’s not any different from Burt’s Bees either, it just has hemp in it!

If I’m going to spend $10 on a lip balm, it better be the size of a Moon Pie. I’ll take Glossier’s tubes of lip balm, but they’re on thin ice anyway. $10 for a Burt’s Bees size tube? Girl. 0/10. It’s just minty! It’s not even special!

4. Finding Ferdinand Lipstick in Very Berry, $6

You’ll be shocked to learn that I love this lipstick. Yes, I said it! I love one thing in this bag! And it’s this lipstick. It’s tiny, it’s cute, and it comes in a clear component that literally made me squeal out loud. I like it! What can I say? It’s a nice, bright berry color and perfect for spring. The formula is a little more dry than the average lipstick, which makes it more long lasting than a high shine formula. And at only $6, it’s pretty reasonable for a sample size that you can carry in your purse with ease. I give it an 8/10.

A full size is valued at $30 and the mini is $6. You can buy a set with both for $33 (savings!)

5. REALHER Eyeshadow in Victorious, $3.11 value

So, this shade is apparently in the Conquer from Within palette, but to me, that looks like a completely different color. Mine is a shimmery, pink-brown (I’d describe it as a dusty pink with a gold sheen if I was pressed). That looks like a straight champagne. They describe Victorious in the palette like this: “Metallic light slate. Perfect color to add a touch of highlight to inner corner of eye, or to work over entire lid.”

Ipsy, in comparison, describes it like this: “Rose gold is a universally flattering shade that’s always on-trend—this super pretty, shimmery color will quickly glam up your beauty looks, but it’s versatile enough to wear during day or night.”

Metallic light slate and rose gold are… not the same color whatsoever. So is this the same shade? A different one? With the same name? I don’t know!! Is this an extra that they slapped a random sticker on that they just needed to get rid of? God, I suspect so.

Either way, I did use the cost of that palette to calculate the cost of a single shadow.

Apparently, you can buy this brand in Neiman Marcus. Remember when Neiman Marcus was name dropped in like every song in 2004? What a weird time to be alive that was.

All that being said: I think I’ve received this same shade of eyeshadow about 40 times from Ipsy and I still am not going to wear it. It’s a perfectly fine eyeshadow, but… it’s not new! Ipsy, stop it with the brown-pink eyeshadows! It gets a 5/10: not awful, but I’m not going to wear it, so…

Final Thoughts

The total value of this bag is… $40.30. Womp womp. That’s pretty low. That may be in the running for one of the lowest valued bags I’ve gotten in… quite a while, actually.

If you can’t tell, there were some bummers in this bag. I don’t know why, but I get really annoyed when the cost of the bag is dependent on one item. An $18 brush does not a high value bag make, monetarily or enjoyment wise. I don’t need an $18 fan brush because I’ve already been sent 4 $18 fan brushes! That single brush ups the value of the bag significantly, but the other items are all valued at less than $10—except for the bizarre lip balm, which is so offensive at $10 that I actually find myself getting keyed up and mad.

Did this bag make me feel good? Honestly, not really. It was just sort of another thing, you know? I do love the make up bag—what blogger doesn’t love a bit of marble, huh?—but besides the lipstick, I wasn’t excited to use anything.

Here’s to hoping next month brings me a little bit of joy. I need it, y’all!

What Are the Benefits of Journaling in Your Daily Routine?

Do you keep a journal? A diary? A planner?

More specifically: do you have somewhere to dump all your thoughts, feelings, anxieties, tasks, plans, dreams? It doesn’t have to be a traditional diary. It can be in the daily part of your planner, or the extra notes pages in the back. Or it can be an app you use every day. A notebook you use for your grocery lists. Your Notes app. A Word document on your computer or your Google Drive.

Do you see what I’m getting at?

I’m a lifelong journal keeper. And recently in therapy, my therapist asked if I journaled and I basically started listing all the years I’ve kept journals and diaries meticulously. (My earliest saved, complete journal is from my sophomore year of high school. It’s a Harry Potter notebook.) We talked about the benefits of journaling and things I can start journaling about everyday to start thinking more about.

Journaling has so many benefits. Professionally, mentally, emotionally, personally… and making journaling part of your daily routine is super easy. There are so many ways to incorporate journaling—but that’s not what we’re here to talk about.

Journaling in the traditional sense isn’t for everyone; some people just plain don’t like writing by hand. And that’s ok! You can use whatever medium you like best. But, I do think journaling, no matter how you choose to do it, can benefit you in the long run. Think of it as self-care… and these are all the benefits.

1. Organize your thoughts in your journal.

I spend a lot of time journaling purely to organize everything I’ve got running through my head. I always have a million concerns, tasks, things to think about, ideas… and writing them down helps a lot. Sometimes I do four-point brain dumps, where I organize my journaling into MUST-SHOULD-COULD-WANT TO to help me roll through my tasks and overwhelming, pressing thoughts of what I want to do that day.

Other times, I just sit and write out something I’ve been thinking over. An idea that I’m not sure if I should go for or not.

Journaling gives you a chance to pour out everything you’ve been thinking about. Something you want to refer back to or just want to work through. Use journaling to organize your thoughts, answer your own questions, and work through any problems you might be having.

2. Improve writing skills by journaling.

Plain and simple: if you want to be a better writer, journaling will help you get there.

Learning to write things accurately, you write out longer sentences and better solutions, writing in a way that is compassionate or friendly or solution focused… it’s all in journaling! As well, writing, just like any art form, is better with practice. You only become a better writer by writing… so even if you’re not ready to post blogs or publish a novel quite yet, keeping a journal is a great way to write every single day.

3. Use your journal to track goals & problems.

Me: I want to do this every single day.

Two days later: wait, what was it I wanted to do?

Yeah, if you’re like me and you forget things if you don’t write them down, a journal is a great way to focus on your goals, remembering them day-to-day, and tracking what you struggle with, what helps, and more. It can also help you identify and talk through issues you have with goals, as well as noticing patterns in your behavior.

4. Journaling may help relieve stress.

For a long time, journaling has been added to superficial lists of how to “reduce your anxiety or fix your depression.” And I’ll be the first to tell you: I don’t think it will do that. Like at all.

However, if you’re someone who carries a lot of stress chronically, I can really relate. And I’ll be the first to tell you that writing everything down, getting all of those random little stressors out of your head and onto a page… will make a huge difference in your life! Sometimes, if I’m feeling particularly stuck on something and it’s stressing me out, taking a few minutes to just list everything that makes me feel stressed about that task is all I need to get on with it.

Journaling at the end of the day is also a good way to turn off your brain and keep those little stress points from keeping you awake.

5. Journaling gives you time to self-reflect.

As we go through our lives, there will be time where we have to make choices. And if you’re like me, sometimes you wonder if you made the right choice. Self-reflection is an incredibly valuable skill; it can help you assess your goals, figure out patterns of behavior that hurt or help you, and be you a better person. Using journaling to ask yourself questions like “did I make the right choice?” or “did my behavior hurt someone?” can be hugely helpful.

As well, it can help you assess things you’re afraid of. One big thing I’ve been tackling in my journaling lately is my fear of asking questions—and when that started, what it’s protecting me from, and more. Throughout my journaling, I try to note times during the day when I could have or should have asked a question and what I felt in that moment. That type of self-reflection is helping me overcome something that has impacted my life ever since I was a child.

6. Journaling can improve your memory.

I have a fairly good memory naturally, but a lot of it is because I write everything down, in the moment and in my journal. At my therapist’s recently, I was listing all my family member’s star charts and she paused me to say, “you have such a good memory!” It’s a blessing and a curse.

But if you struggle to remember things, especially tasks or things people ask you to do, journaling can be a huge help. The act of taking notes has been long confirmed to help improve memory. So writing things down as a way to remember helps you remember, even without seeing the notes (or journal) itself. If your 2020 goal is to remember more of your day-to-day and improve your memory, then journaling is a great option.