There was a big shift in our family this week, as you may have have seen. If not, you can read about it here. A shift makes it sound better than it feels in reality, which is two large, gaping holes. We are gutted, to be honest. But what we have learned through losing my Dad, my grandparents, close friends, and beloved fur babies, is that time does not stop when you’re grieving. You so wish it did. But if life has to keep moving while you’re experiencing great loss, at the very least, you can look for simple joys to shine a little sun on the darkness. That’s what we did this week, and we’re so grateful to share the good ones with you today:

Make It.

You know those times you’re craving something sweet, but you don’t feel like whipping up a whole batch of cookies; making sure you remember to pull them out in time, having two dozen staring you in the eye when you really just needed one? We had that dilemma yesterday. And another dilemma resulted in my sous chef setting up our ingredients, and sneaking too much sugar.

The beauty of these cookie dough bites is that you very likely have all of the ingredients in your pantry. You can play with them to make them your own, and the recipe is super forgiving if you tweak it here and there:

• 1/2 cup of flour (we used gluten free vegan cauliflour flour). **Make sure you bake your flour at 350 degrees for 5 minutes to kill any bacteria since we’ll be eating it raw**
• You can either do another 1/2 c. of flour for 1 cup total, OR, we did 1/2 flour then 1/2 cup oats for more texture.
• 1/2 cup any kind of butter or coconut oil. (We have also cut this down and added some oat milk)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• Sprinkle of regular sugar
• Sprinle of cinnamon
• 1 T. vanilla
• Sea salt to taste
• Mix, ball, and enjoy! We store in the freezer for when we need a pick-me-up!

Read It.

I was born in the mid-eighties so I know nothing of seventies culture or the music scene at that time. To be completely honest with you, I have no idea how I ended up ordering this book, as it covers everything above. But I have to tell you – I am so glad I did. The writing style is incredibly unique to just about anything I’ve read before. It’s almost in an interview format where you get multiple perspectives of the same event. The way the author seamlessly strings it all together and keeps peeling back the layers is outstanding. It is complex, addicting, and voyeuristic. You’re the fly on the wall of all of these intimate stories, and what sounds like, quite the moment in time. The beginning may take you a chapter or two to start feeling it, but once you do – 10/10 ⭐️.

Watch It.

Have you heard about Fran Lebowitz before? We had not. But oh how I love this lady! She is a boss, and a force to be reckoned with. This limited series is kind of like our book of the week – different from what we had been consuming, and welcomingly so. Though ‘welcoming’ could certainly not be used to describe Fran, as she will gladly tell you, she does not like people. Her opinions of, well, everything, view of New York City, and snarky commentary make this show insightful, and a fun escape from a long day. I will warn you that she’s a polarizing figure, but it’s still a decent watch if you want to change things up.

Listen to it.

I learned so much in ten minutes and took so many wonderful nuggets away from this Ted Talk. Especially if one of your goals is to become a better listener in 2021 (as is mine), this is a must listen.

Feel It.

Words of wisdom I screenshotted this week to revisit when I need a reminder. And we may need that reminder indeed, as tomorrow is Blue Monday:

Try It.

10 Ways to Heal After The Loss of a Pet. I know we’re not alone grieving this week. I have seen so many of my friends’ news feeds with the same (terrible) sadness.

So much of this article about moving during the pandemic spoke volumes to me. The idea of completely upheaving your life in an already complicated, messy, scary time can be something you shut down right away. But if you don’t…this could happen ?.

15 Ways to Show Someone Gratitude (besides saying thank you!).

We can’t pronounce this, but it was one of the big reasons we moved south! Have you heard of the Norwegian concept of friluftsliv? Here are the benefits.

If you follow along on insta stories, you may notice Grey has a penchant for pajamas ?. Like clockwork, he changes into them by 2:30pm daily. This is the softest pair we have ever purchased (in 5 years!), and I wish they came in my size!

Are you good about all things taxes? I am not ?. Here’s a handy cheat sheet that tells you how long you should keep paperwork, receipts, returns, and the like.

The sweetest Valentine’s Day crafts to do with kids. We’re going to do #4 with Grey and send to the grandparents! I want to do #27 too!

I’ve never seen candles like this. So aesthetically pleasing ?.

5 Ways to become more self aware – which brings higher degrees of self-confidence, happiness, and overall wellness. 

Here is the top I was wearing for last week’s Make It. You made my day with your kind words about it! If you’re thinking about giving it a try, I sized up a size ??‍♀️.

I don’t know why I never thought to try a bedtime meditation with Grey. So many parents lately have been telling us it’s the trick they swear by!

Thank you for being here with us today. It feels like a much-needed warm hug. If you need one back, drop us a comment below and we would be so happy to send you some love!