What’s in my bag – Winter Edition

Posted on February 5, 2023 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Winter is all about feeling cozy and nourished. And sometimes all of that needs to be carried around in an extra large shoulder bag! And ofcourse, come summer I have reduced my everyday go a tiny top handle ;) + a few cotton tote bags for my round year favs!

Sharing what I have in my bag during the winter months!

Planner & Stationary: I love this vertical daily physical planner to keep with me always. I like to be able to jot down activities, plans or to-dos as needed
Camera: Whether it’s my Instamax or my DSLR, I like to have a camera because I want to be ready when creativity strikes
Water Bottle: Winter means dryness, so helping my prevent that from the inside out
Jewellery: If it’s not on my hands/fingers, then I’ve got some stashed in my purse. Whether its an extra set of hoop earrings, rings and bracelets, I like to have options
Literary Entertainment & Annotation tools: I once read a quote about never leaving the house without a book under your arm, I take that advice very seriously
Change: Yes I’m a Woman in Tech (and usually pay with my phone/watch/digital wallet), but having some form of cash on me just makes sense (random coffees or treats for the kiddos)
Hydrating potions: a few Sephora products because they are just that good (and required for the cooler months)
Everyday Essentials: Nail polish, extra hand cream, claw clip and nail necessities.
Handbag of choice: A little tattered but still loyal… my LongChamp has gone the distance!

Making the most of your next art gallery visit (with kids)!

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Bhanu Misra Marya

The kids had a PA day on Friday and we decided to go to the AGO! PA days can be hard to accommodate as a working parent and our usual PA day is some form of winter activity and lots of TV. But we decided to change things up and I took a day off to spend time with the girls!

It’s been about 12 years since the last time I went to the AGO (embarrassing!) And in hopes of not repeating my 12 year absence, I got a yearly pass!

The girls had a great time. The big open space, engaging environment and children’s spaces made for a great few hours of culture!

Below are some tips on how to make the most of your next trip with the kiddos to the art gallery!

Plan to spend 2-3 hours at the art gallery. That might mean packing snacks, water or even a lunch
Find out if the art gallery has amenities like coat check, digital passes & free stroller rentals. This will just help you plan your day
Figure out what exhibits you want to check out. Maybe there is a limited time on an exhibit or maybe the theme/topic of the exhibit will resonate with your family (ex: for us it’s Indigenous or anything related to South Asian culture)
View the art in different ways: up close, at at distance, on an angel and don’t forget to read the plaque!
Talk about what you see. It could be as simple as “did you see the bottom of their shoes” or “how many of xyz do you see in the painting” to “what does this piece make you feel”
If it’s a sculpture, copy what you see!
Don’t forget to visit the gift shop :)
Plan your next / follow up visit!

A day in my life – on a Friday

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I love reading people’s day in the life posts & vlogs. I find learning about other people’s daily routines and schedules interesting. So much so, that I’ve decided to share a typical day in the life of my own. Albeit a Friday!

Friday’s are a usually a lighter day of meetings which means I will try to add some tasks to get ahead (or catch up), admin and personal activities (related to my goals or life in general).

I also feel that #DITL posts need context. I have a corporate career, happily married mom to 2 kids with busy extra curricular schedules. But I’m also creative (running this blog, my Etsy store and pursing creative hobbies to ensure I build skills), habit stacker who is very intentional about how I spend my free time and what content I consume.

That said, there are a lot of things in my day that are non-negotiables, almost to the point that I don’t even think about doing them anymore – they just get done. (When people ask how I make the the time or prioritize my non-negotiables, I don’t know what to say other then “it’s like when I get up I brush my teeth…I do these things because I do them).

Anywho on to my Fri-yay!

632am – Today I was working from home but I still I meditate right after awaking. I love that early morning meditation. I feel like it works wonders for me. Following that, I put on my apple watch, drink a sip of water and journal. I get my AM hygiene routine out of the away before the rest of the house wakes up.

7:05am – Kids alarm goes off and I’ll hop on over to see how they are doing. There is usually some fight that needs to be broken up (slammed door, hogging the sink etc) but after that is diffused I’ll head downstairs to start breakfast and pack lunches (the hubby and I will rotate that job daily so if I’m not downstairs, I’m helping the girls get ready).

750am – Kids lunches are packed, breakfast is mostly eaten and we are out the door on the way to the bus stop!

8:10am – As soon as we get back from school bus drop off, I start my workout. I’ll warm up for a run with my air buds playing affirmations. This is a new routine and I find it works really well. As for my run, I have a daily rotation: 20 min, 3km or 4km. During that time I’ll watch a TedTalk or a podcast on youtube. Because it was Friday – I decided to treat myself to a little Netflix and a long run.

8:45am – I like to do a little resistance as well, so thats when I’ll turn on a motivational podcast (well slightly aggressive motivational speeches. (Think: Zig Ziglar, Coach Pain, Eric Thomas etc). I rotate between legs, full body and multiple arm days per week. After the long run, I wanted to cool down and stretch today.

9:00am to 11:45am – After a quick breakfast, I jump straight into meetings. But because I documented my day on a Friday – my meetings are light. So I try and keep my time blocked for sessions with my mentees, networking & skill building. On this day in particular I had a training session and then I did a brain dump of my work tasks before continuing a self study course.

1:30pm – Before grabbing a bite, I did a Move with Nicole 15 min Pilates class. Her classes are soo good!

3:15pm – Today I picked up my daughters early as we were going to my in-laws house. And it was straight to Karate for them.

6:00pm – Last Friday we celebrated Lorhi. Lorhi is the celebration to mark the passing of Winter Solstice. I love celebrating anything that follows the lunar phases. Time spend with family, playing games, building a fire, throwing peanuts into said fire, eating and drinking great food!

And that’s it! How do your Friday’s look? Is it the same every Friday or varied? These kind of days offer me the most work life integration – which is what I strive for everyday!

How to make better to do lists!

Posted on January 15, 2023 by Bhanu Misra Marya

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To do lists are the micro levels of my big dreams. Big dreams are astronomical, may take months or years to achieve them, require persistence and consistency. Consistency is where our daily to do lists come in.

I do want to preface this post by saying the following:

we shouldn’t be slaves to our to do lists
to do lists don’t own us
to do lists are meant to serve us

So if your daily to do list, post it or weekly planner spread is making you feel bad about yourself – throw it out, take a beat and start over again when you are ready!

We shouldn’t feel productivity debt (feeling like you always need to be doing something and rest is not deserved unless your to do list is completed) from not completing everything on our to do list & there is nothing you NEED to do to earn your existence.

But when you are ready to schedule the day you want to make it amazing – read on!

Side note: I’m writing this as I was feeling overwhelm trying to use notion. Notion is meant to be a tool to keep your life organized but there was too much scope creep in their product – for me at least. The idea that it might also need to look aesthetic, link to a Spotify playlist and my Pinterest mood board was a little too much. So I realized I need to step back and figured others might need to too.

So how do we make our to do lists work for us?

Figure out your big dreams, goals, priorities and projects. But also think about the habits you want to build and routines you want to have.
Pick a medium that works for you. Could be paper or digital, simple or complex. You’ll also want to choose a template: Is it just 1 sticky note for the day, or multiple colour coded ones, is it a weekly spread planner or an hour-by-hour list of tasks. This can obviously change but it’s a great idea to try something out.
Fill your list with your daily living + tasks that will help you got to your big goals. Example are meetings, but also your workouts (goal: to focus on fitness). It could be having lunch with someone and blocking 2 hours in the morning for writing (goal: to write a book).
Pick something to fail at. Not everything has to be checked off and not everything has to be done well. So knowing what can be moved to another day vs a non-negotiable will help you stay intentional and not feel like you aren’t moving forward.

Remember – it’s all about getting to outcomes (not getting things done). Your to do list should be on your side helping you build intentional habits and keep you 1 step closer to your goals!

Easy Kid Approved Zucchini Muffins!

Posted on January 12, 2023 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Storytime…(or jump to the recipe)

For the longest time, I was the mom who couldn’t trick her kids into eating veggies. I would listen to the stories of moms who would chop, blend and bake veggies into their kids foods, longing for the day that I would be able to experience that.

Not because I needed to LOL but because I wanted to :P

I’m not the biggest fan of cooking (I do it out of necessity). Yet, I still want to be able to make the best chocolate chip cookies for my kids (spoiler alert: they completely prefer the pillsbury eat raw or bake option and I’m not mad about it) or maybe even have a family recipe to pass along.

And I think my day has finally come!

BOTH my kids have FINALLY enjoyed a healthy baked good that I’ve made from scratch. I think because it doesn’t have cinnamon, peanut butter or almond flour makes a real difference. It doesn’t have that heaviness to it and is also school safe!

Best part it’s incredibly easy to make! Moist on the inside with a light crunch on the outside. It has zucchini and no white sugar or flour. And just for balance – a good helping of dark chocolate chips.

My kids loved it (after a highly persuaded first bite)!

Recipe for “Easy Kid-Approved Zucchini Muffins”

Ingredients:
– 2 cups of shredded zucchini
– 2 eggs
– ½ to ¾ cup of maple syrup
– ¼ cup coconut oil (room temperature)
– 2 cups oat flour
– 1 teaspoon baking soda
– 1 teaspoon baking powder
– ½ teaspoon salt
– ½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions:
– Put the wet ingredients in a bowl and stir together
– Put the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix together
– Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well
– Fill 12 greased muffins tins evenly and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes

How to come back to your higher self

Posted on January 8, 2023 by Bhanu Misra Marya

With 2023’s first major lunar event just passing us, I thought I might be a good time to talk about how we can really show up as our true, authentic selves. I’ve been fascinated by the moon forever, but more recently, I love tracking where it is in the sky, the phase and how we as human’s have been connected to the moon for millennia.

The moon helps us identify with ourselves. But understanding ourselves is a journey and on that journey there will be phases (pun intended) where you are truly in tune with yourself and times where you feel like you can barely see yourself at all (…just like the phases of our moon).

So it’s in those darker times, where the moon is not visible and you are struggling to live as your highest self, that we need to find our ways back to your path – your true authentic self.

Try these activities the next time you feel like you need raise your vibes and come back to your higher self.

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Gratitude: In the morning, randomly through the day and before bed. I always write a gratitude list in the morning, use the DayOne app to quickly write a gratitude list at any time of day and then mentally say what I’m grateful for before bed.
Love for yourself & others: Love comes in all shapes and sizes, even more so, the the love you have for yourself. Take time to care for your self (whether that’s acting on your goals, washing your face consistently, doing your favourite hobby or taking a weekly bubble bath). When it comes to others, making time for friends and loved ones, hugging and forgiving quickly are equally important.
Eat high vibe foods: When I’m eating processed, fast or fried foods, I immediately feel my vibrations sink. Not only do my jeans feel extra snug but I’m usually in an energy slump and crabby to myself and others. When I’m eating clean and a variety of foods it’s easier to feel good about myself, my environment and my situation.
Consume high vibe content: It’s not only what you eat but what you listen & watch that can effect how your higher self shows up. Listening to a TedTalk > scrolling Instagram should be a reflex. And believe it or not, after 5 days of switching to affirmations, motivational podcasts and learning new things on youtube and TedX – you’ll immediately find Social Media draining and not want to scroll!
Be active in nature: A walk outdoors is the immediate cure for a bad mood. Thats what I tell my daughters and what I remind myself as well. Fresh air can do wonders for your soul. Still trying to get out more often (only once a week because of the colder weather) but also trying to be creative about it (whether that’s a walk to the library with the family or a walk around the community center when my kids are in karate lessons).