By Brianna This post contains affiliate links. If you buy the product using our links, you're helping to keep Busy Nest News running. Thanks! The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers: Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose, and Sanity, By Meg Meeker, M.D.
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By Ariel Celebrating Overseas For those of you that don’t know, I spent the last three years living in South Korea. Do I miss it? Absolutely. But am I glad to be home? Yes, especially now that the holiday season approaches. It is hard enough to be separated from your loved ones during the holidays. That feeling only got worse for me without the comforts of my culture to fall back on. Having weathered a few holiday seasons abroad, I can confidently say it got easier each time.
So whether you are relocating for work or following a spouse abroad - like I did - this post is for you - the reluctant, the reticent, the excited, the ecstatic, the nervous, the ambivalent. I was all of those things - usually within the same hour. Simply moving across the country can feel just as overwhelming! Stick around these tips are applicable to anyone living outside their comfort zone this holiday season - the expats and the out of staters - we’re all in this together. Yes, I did just quote High School Musical. I learned how to make the most of my situation and – dare I say – embrace it for what it was. You can too. By Brianna This post contains affiliate links. If you buy the featured products using our links, you're helping to keep Busy Nest News running. Thanks! Proven Picks for the Littles on Your ListWhen shopping for the holidays, simply walking into a store and hoping to find good ideas for the little in your life can get overwhelming fast! There are so many toys available in early winter, and the malls and stores are packed with people. Likewise, shopping online can get a bit harried, too. You’re being inundated with ads everywhere from your inbox, to your social media account. You can certainly pick the most adorable clothes or toys you come across, but you might be disappointed by how little they get used after the wrapping paper has been discarded.
As you're shopping for presents this year, don’t be afraid of getting toys or books that are a little bit of a reach for your favorite littles. Rather than watch our kids play with everything until January, and then never touch any of it again, we opt for things that we can watch them grow into throughout the year, and hopefully enjoy for another year or two to come. This is a list of toys and products you can expect to put some miles on. Everything is at least useful, and hopefully beautiful as well. Let’s take a look. By Ariel This post contains affiliate links. If you buy the featured products using our links, you're helping to keep Busy Nest News running. Thanks! Gifts for the Mom-to-be on Your Shopping ListWhen you’re shopping for the pregnant lady in your life, please avoid falling into the trap of gifting exclusively to the coming baby. A few gifts for baby are, of course, nice and appreciated, but don’t forget that there’s a woman there who likes presents, too! I will admit during the hormonal rollercoaster that is pregnancy I may have become unreasonably irritated receiving only gifts for the baby - all the time! Not that I told anyone this.
Growing a baby is hard work, so this holiday season calls for next level pampering. The gifts we’ve selected are so indulgent, we’d love to get most of them even when we aren’t pregnant. If you’re stumped for ideas, start here! By Ariel Celebrating the Cozy to Stave Off the Winter Blues Though hygge is a defining characteristic of the Danish people, the term originates from a Norwegian word that means “well-being.” Just like the concept of well-being, hygge is nuanced, complex, and hard to define. It has been described as “the art of creating intimacy,” “coziness of the soul,” “like a hug without touching” or – my personal favorite – “cocoa by candlelight.” Hygge is a sense of safety, created through your physical, emotional, and social environment. It is experienced with all five senses – touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing. To the Danes hygge is both a noun and a verb. “Would you like to come over tonight and hygge?” Its derivative, “hyggelige” is both an adjective and an adverb. “That lamp is so hyggelige!” But to me, hygge is permission to celebrate winter – as best I can.
As someone who didn’t grow up in Denmark – or has even been to Denmark for that matter – hygge has become deeply personal. Winter is exceptionally trying for me. I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This means that, I am especially sensitive to changes in light. As soon as the days start diminishing, I start experiencing symptoms of depression. I feel hopeless or worthless. I lose interest in activities I usually enjoy. I feel sluggish and agitated. I am depressed. Some people call it “winter blues,” but don’t let the whimsical name fool you, when people experience SAD there is nothing whimsical about it. By Brianna I held a bottle of shampoo hostage yesterday. It worked great, but at what cost?
Let me rewind a bit. My little Monkey has just recently become interested in watching movies and TV shows. This is kind of good for me, because until then, she insisted I play with her all day. Not just keep an eye on her and interact periodically. No, Monkey needed her mommy to be on the floor, reading books, playing games, and singing to dolls ALL DAY. It’s been fun, but Mommy needs to fold laundry, make meals, and organize the family’s business, too. So now Monkey watches TV, sort of. She sits to savor some scenes, and runs around playing with her dolls, blocks, and playhouse the rest of the time. One favorite movie of hers, is Trolls. When we saw a bottle of shampoo at the store that looks like Princess Poppy, and even has her soft, pink hair, we decided to get it for Monkey. Well, that bottle of shampoo is now one of Monkey’s favorite dolls. I tried to get her to leave it at home, so we could go to the gym without a bottle of shampoo in tow (crazy). “No, Poppy is MINE!” Monkey informed me. |
AuthorsAriel and Brianna are friends who met while working in a library. Now they collaborate to develop life-enhancing book club experiences. Archives
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