Inspired by one of my favorite blogs Brocante Home (who was in turn inspired by a feature in Harper’s Bazaar written by Diana Vreeland), Why Don’t You is a week’s worth of ideas for adding a little something special to your life. Simple ideas for lovely days!
Pick and choose what sparks your interest and fits into your schedule. Or use these simple ideas for special days as inspiration for coming up with your own ideas.
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WHY DON’T YOU? – SIMPLE IDEAS FOR LOVELY DAYS
Some of you lovely readers have reached out to tell me just how much you love these Why Don’t You posts every week. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Some of you have said that you like the idea but find them too long to read. To try to help you with that, I’m adding a bit of an “index” to the post.
This is a list of the ideas. Click on the ones that interest you to jump directly to them if you don’t care to read the entire post. I’ll warn you that this index isn’t perfect. It overshoots just a little but it will get you closer and you won’t have to scroll as much.
Invest some extra time with your kids this week.
Support the local economy.
We like to buy local produce and other food items as much as we can. Not only does it support our local economy, but it also is better tasting, fresher food.
Besides food though, there are other ways to support the economy and small business people in your community. My nephew has a side business as a woodworker – Iron Horse Woodcraft – and I recently ordered some items from him for my daughter’s upcoming birthday.
Rather than going to a large grocery store for her birthday cake, we have some lovely local bakeries like Chick Boss Cake that make incredible cakes, cupcakes, and freak shakes that we love to frequent.
Don’t get me wrong. We do shop at big box stores sometimes but we can usually find items that are far more unique and much better made at the smaller local shops. I love that it helps out another entrepreneur like me too!
Celebrate something silly.
I’m not the “we have to make every single day over the top Pinterest mom” kind of person. But I do believe in living the heck out of every day. For me, that doesn’t mean it has to be a day of climbing Mount Everest. Some of those amazing lived life to the fullest days have been spent finding time for snuggling with my grandson.
A day well spent to me is one where there is laughter and happiness. It’s that day when I’m in bed, falling asleep, thinking, now that was a nice day. So, sometimes we like to celebrate just something small and maybe a bit silly. Even then, it doesn’t have to be complicated!
When my daughter was little, we celebrated Big Bird’s birthday every year. He was her favorite! His birthday was also the first day of spring so we just did something spring/bird related. Sometimes we planted some seeds. Sometimes we made a trail mix with lots of seeds in them. Other times we simply read a bunch of books about spring and sang Happy Birthday to Big Bird.
So, Toy Story 4 comes out this week. The Toy Story movies are one of our favorites. These simple Toy Story Decorated Oreos are a quick and easy way to celebrate. If you’re looking for a way to keep the kids busy too, you could dip the cookies and then let them kids decorate them. It’s a fun activity!
Invest some extra time with your kids this week.
I know, we’re all crazy busy. I’m not suggesting that you set aside an entire day, but how about just 5 minutes a day? Take those 5 minutes to really listen. It’s hard because I know some kids, once you get them talking, want to go on for ages but I found with my daughter, it made things worse to tell her that I didn’t have time for her story right then or to listen halfheartedly.
Instead, I said, I can listen to you for 5 minutes but then I have to finish my work. We’d set an alarm and I would look her in the eyes and truly listen for that entire time. Sometimes, when the alarm went off, I had to say, okay we’ll have to finish the story later, but even that made her incredibly happy.
She mostly wanted to be really seen and really heard and that acknowledgement made all the difference.
If you’re looking for other simple parenting suggestions, check out 5 Simple Ways to be a Better Parent.
Get outside.
The weather here has been less than the perfect summer day we often dream about. Still, we are trying to get outside and at the very least, enjoy the lack of snow and ice.
Yesterday was a very overcast day. We could have cancelled out on our plans but we decided to forge ahead and went to African Lion Safari. We already had the tickets so the worst thing that could happen was that we got rained out and had to leave early.
It was actually the perfect day for it! Not too hot, we were able to really enjoy our day. Even better, the animals were all out and active! If you’ve ever visited a similar place, you know that on hot days it can be a challenge to see the animals because they tend to sleep the day away and hide in the shade.
Summer fun doesn’t have to be expensive. I’ve got some great summer fun ideas that are really budget friendly (many are even free!).
And if it is a really hot day, make sure to take the proper precautions! If you get really hot, check out these refreshing summer treats to help you cool off.
How to stay safe in the summer heat
Pamper your summertime skin.
Sometimes we think about the harsh winter weather and the toll it can take on our skin but forget that summer has its own challenges. The sun and heat can lead to parched skin. Chlorine can strip away the natural oils in your skin and hair, making it dry and brittle.
The fact that more skin is showing at this time of year means that we’re often even more concerned with taking care of it. Sunscreen, exfoliating away the dead skin cells, and diligent moisturizing are the basics for happy summertime skin.
How to keep your skin safe in the sun
Some of my favorite summertime products:
Pre Swim Lotion Balm – Chlorine Lotion for Swimmers – Chlorine Neutralizing Lotion and Swimmers Lotion by ExerShieldSun Bum Cool Down Hydrating After Sun Lotion – Hypoallergenic, Vitamin E, Cocoa Butter, Gluten Free, Vegan – 8 oz 1 Count
Sun Bum Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 | Reef Friendly Broad Spectrum UVA/UVB Protection |Hypoallergenic, Paraben Free, Gluten Free, Vegan | 3 FL. OZ.
Garnier Summer Body Lotion Light Sun-Kissed 250Ml
Dry Skin Body Brush – Improves Skin’s Health And Beauty – Natural Bristle – Remove Dead Skin And Toxins, Cellulite Treatment, Improves Lymphatic Functions, Exfoliates, Stimulates Blood Circulation
Himalayan Salt Body Scrub – 100% All Natural – Deep Cleansing Exfoliator with Lychee Oil & Sweet Almond Oil – Moisturizing Body Scrub Helps Remove Dead Skin Cells Leaving Skin Soft & Glowing
FOREO LUNA 2 Personalized Facial Cleansing Brush & Anti-Aging Face Massager for Combination Skin
Take a breath.
If you follow me on social media, you may already know that it has been a tough month. We’ve had a lot going on in my family’s lives and I was emotionally spent.
So on Saturday, I took the day for myself. I stayed in bed, ate comfort food, and had an Audrey Hepburn movie marathon, in between napping. I did some yoga, meditation, deep breathing exercises, and just spent time praying and talking to God. It was divine.
I actually feel like I need another one of those days but I don’t currently have time for it. So this week, I will be looking for smaller ways to take a breath. Yesterday we were on a family outing and I had a few minutes to myself. I sat in half lotus (a really comfortable position for me), lifted up my head towards the sky (there was no sun but somehow facing upwards makes me feel like I’m more open to peace), and did some deep breathing.
What could you do to take a breath in your busy week? A massage? Maybe a bubble bath? If you’re really busy, look for the tiny moments. Five seconds to splash some cool water on your face. A minute to massage some cream into your hands. Thirty seconds to sit outside and breathe in some fresh air.
Self care doesn’t have to be complicated.
50+ Simple Ways to Practice Self Care
Make a fairy garden.
There are so many varieties of fairy gardens out there now! These can be such an adorable touch to your backyard and something really fun that your kids will love. Buy the elements at many online and local gift shops or DIY it!
How to make a fairy garden affordably
What will you do this week to make your days lovely? Find more Why Don’t You? posts here.
Melissa Coble says
Some really lovely ideas here!