7 ways I’m romanticizing my life this Spring season

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If you are in the GTA / Southern Ontario area, you are probably thinking what I’m thinking… aka waiting for Spring to actually spring!

Cold days mixed with wet snow precipitation do make it harder to get into spring spirit but I did welcome spring by celebrating Holi with my family, setting intentions for the new season and sending my friends Nowruz and Ramadan wishes.

And I also got to thinking about things I wanted to change as I entered the new season. So sharing below 7 ways I’m romanticizing my life this Spring!

Why would I want to romanticizing my life?

For me, I think it’s important to remember that this is a journey and I must always remember to enjoy the journey and find the magic in the process.  I’ve recently read about the term “toxic positivity” which this isn’t.  Romanticizing ones life is about working through and appreciating all types of experiences.  But it’s also about ensuring your habits and routines allow you to be present and grateful.  I’m a big proponent of the art of leisure and dreaming big – which I think folds well into romanticizing my life.

 

  1. Drinking more Herbal Teas: I love me a double (or triple) oat milk cappuccinos! But I know I should be balancing them with lighter options. What better time than spring to infuse my days, evenings & body with orange blossom, chamomile and tumeric-ginger. Just writing it out sounds beautiful 💖
  2. Wearing lighter & brighter colours: I wear many shades of black and this winter I think I to it to another level. Costco had these kirkland brand oversized sweaters with pockets and I LIVED in those and black leggings. I’m not proud but I was comfy. That said, I need to step out of those threads and take pictures of myself fun/light/bright clothes that make me shine.
  3. Finish art projects abandoned in the dark cold of winter: For someone like me, creating art for the sake of it means that you’ll want to abandon some projects that are too difficult or feel overwhelming. But I also think it’s okay to put yourself in comfortable for the sake of growth.
  4. Deep dive into my HDC and Enneagram: A refreshed self-awareness, just in time for the change of season just feels right. Although I’ve dived into my HDC, I’ve yet to figure out my Enneagram. The potential in knowing these things about yourself can support your journey as well as broaden your horizons!
  5. Volunteer in place of donating money to charity: With the weather warming I think it’s a great opportunity to connect with people through common interest and shared community efforts.
  6. Start a Joy-Jar: I love this analog way of documenting your days. Instead of recording videos or taking pictures, take this opportunity to write down happy memories and store them in a jar. At the end of the month you’ll have handful positive reminders 🥰
  7. Create for me: Kind of like this blog, I want to CREARE & SHARE my art for nothing but me. Something between a persona scrapbook on a digital platform. So I’ll be sharing more of the art gallery trips, WIP art projects and street art. They unique way I see joy in every day beauty needs to be shared with the world (for me…)!

New York in 4 Days (Day 1)

About a week ago

On a whim, we decided to do a road trip to NY for March Break.

Going to NYC is a ALWAYS a good idea (well that’s at least how I felt before coming a mom) ha!

But I’m happy to confirm, it’s still a good idea with kiddos tagging along.

Since it was the first time our girls had been, we knew that we had to hit up some of the touristy spots. But we also wanted to try things we had never done before. And although the post says 4 days, it was actually 6 (because the travel days there and back were 10-11 hours each way! – which surprisingly also wasn’t as bad as it reads lol!

We decided the first full day post travel that we’d take it SUPER easy! We were staying in Weehawken and decided to take the kids to the Nickelodeon Universe Indoor Amusement Park. But not before hitting up Target!

In all honesty, this was the 1st of 3 trips to Target. This first trip was all about the clothes and accessories – spoiler alert I didn’t find much! TikTok made me think I’d be making OOTDs in my shopping cart 😆

The Nickelodeon Universe is located inside the American Dream mall. It’s a MASSIVE mall with every store, specialty restaurant + food court and every community amenity under the sun (ice rink, ski hill and waterpark!).

We spent some time exploring the Secret Garden. It’s a specifically designed garden made of moss, gnomes & crystals.

Then we spent about 3 hours at the amusement park.  With height appropriate rides (both joy and thrill) the girls really enjoyed themselves – even going on their 1st rollercoaster!

Next up? Checking out the tourist sites in Manhattan!

Making art and sharing lessons

I’ve been on an art kick lately.  What does that mean? I’m making art daily.  Whether it’s painting, canvas embroidery, digital art on the iPad, ink pen mindful drawing and of course photography! So today I’m sharing my art (++ the time lapse process of making said art) and some quotes that have profound life lessons in them!

It’s always hard, until it’s easy

Create more than you consume

When you figure out how to love yourself, everything changes

The world just reflects your own feelings back at you, reality is neutral

What ever you think, you believe and will shape your reality

The tools for learning are abundant, the desire to learn is scarce

Need to get started, quit talking and start doing

https://youtu.be/vKVN6PXzcuU

Sustainable Indian Party Wear – tips!

I’m the QUEEN of re-wearing my clothes on social media!  I wear the same dresses every summer and take pictures of myself in new places with them (and then post them to my grid).  I will often wear the same OOTD, week after week until I know all of my friends groups and family members have seen it! I do the same with my Indian party clothes.

When you have many Indian events (birthday parties, anniversaries and weddings – which are like 10 events each) it can get expensive and also environmentally unfriendly!  For that alone I try and get a good amount of wear out of my outfits.

Here are some of the tips to make good use of your Indian clothes for all of your events!

Indian Wedding Guest, Indian Party Wear, Sari, Lengha, Desi Clothes, OOTD, FItcheck, Outfit
  • Rewear your wedding lengha on Karva Chauth. For us ladies who celebrate – it’s the perfect excuse to re-wear the outfit you thought you would only wear once. I’ve worn my wedding lengha at least 10 times!
  • Switch up your blouses & chunnis! I think this is most versatile way of making use of lenghas. I’ve worn a western dress top as a blouse and also my mom’s vintage 1980’s blouse – it can completely change the vibe of an outfit
  • Learn to open a stitch and use fabric no sew hemming options: your body changes over the years. Being able to adjust your clothes on your own will save you both time and money.
  • Take advantage of dress rental companies: I’ve yet to do this but I think this is a great way of creating sustainability in your community.

Personal Power & Growth books on my TBR list

I’ve always been an avid reader. And I mean reading reading. Not just rom-coms or chic-lit – those of which I know book-tok made popular but I can only take so much of. I mean biographies, business books, classics and of course sci-fis. I like to change it up! But more so I like to give my mind good ideas to learn and innovate from.

Right behind reading sci-fi, I always gravitate to personal power books (some times negatively referred to as “self help books”). I feel like they allow me to interpret myself and my experiences in a positive way. Also they give me self-awareness so I can make more optimistic decisions or take better actions towards a goal.

Personal growth books help me expand. Make me realize that we are more alike then we think but also dares me to go to places I’ve never been before (both in life and in my thinking).

From reading personal growth books, I’ve come to realize that life isn’t just about external validation but rather reflection and of a introspective growth journey.

Today I’m sharing a few “self-help” books on my TBR. Things to help me expand my brain & nurture an opportunistic mindset.

What personal growth books do you have on your TBR?

5 side effects of running (that no one tells you)

As much as I love running and want to do more of it, use it to challenge myself through stretch goals and discipline – there are some things about running I haven’t shared.

Just a quick fun/sarcastic take on the others side of running!

  1. You are usually wanting to sleep by 10am
  2. You probably feel guilty on rest days
  3. You are always recovering from running (baths, foam rolling & theragunning)
  4. You are always hungry
  5. You are always doing laundry!