How to make better to do lists!

Planner, Crystals, Productivity, Smart Goals, Work Smarter, Women in Tech, Lifestyle, Life Lately, Life Tips

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?

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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).  
  4. 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!

Planner, Crystals, Productivity, Smart Goals, Work Smarter, Women in Tech, Lifestyle, Life Lately, Life Tips

Easy Kid Approved Zucchini Muffins!

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

Blogmas | Gift guide for your daughters

Sharing some of the gifts ideas for daughters. These work perfect for kids ages 5-8 and include STEM/STEAM & skill building! Hopefully this provides some ideas or you can click directly on the link to purchase on Amazon.ca!

  1. Dot Lego bracelet making kits: Cute little way to design braclets using lego dots. Perfect way to keep kids entertained as a starter to legos for kids who don’t really like them
  2. Build a robot with Remote Control: funny enough, building a robot like this was my university capstone project, now I’m buying them for my kids christmas presents! Great for the kid who wants to try their hand at building and controlling a robot.
  3. Puffy sticker book: My kiddo loved another version of this book, it’s like playing dolls with thousands of possible outfits and activities.
  4. Dance gear: of any gear to support their extra curriculars: dance shoes, personalized sparring pads, high bar.
  5. Geodes kit: Awesome gift for the kid who’s into rocks and crystals. Adult help required, but you can actually crack the rocks to reveal the magnificent geodes.
  6. Viral Tiktok Bedazzler: no explaination necessary – will be a popular choice for the kids and their moms alike lol!
  7. Gimp: When kids are into making braclets, this is a great way for them to practice fine motor skills and following directions. This kit comes with key chain rings so can also be used to create gifts for grandparents or for school backpack zippers.
  8. Lego friends: A step up from Dots but not as complex as a start wars set with 1000 pieces. Kids can follow the instructions and make the kit in 45 min or less. Then endless hours of fun!

Want more? Follow my Blogmas 2022 journey here!

How to be a good mom? (it’s not what you think)

 

Who agrees with me that we should rename mothers day to Mother Figures day.

We need to be more understanding to the people who don’t have a mom, to the people who’s relationship with their mom is strained at best, to the people who dread this day because it makes them feel inferior, to the people who’s dad’s, grand parent, step parent, foster parent, aunt/uncle are mother figures, to the mom’s who just want a moment of quiet without the feelings of guilt and definitely to the mom’s who don’t think they are doing anything right (when they are actually doing everything right!)

If there is anything I’ve learned in the almost 5 years of being a mom is that it’s a thankless job.  It’s both exhilarating and anxiety inducing.  It’s a job where you have to be flexible and ready to change to keep growing and build something real.  It’s a job where you have to remain calm when everything is chaotic.  A job where transparent communication are critical to success.  A job where you have to lead with love (especially on the days you want to punch a wall or throw your coffee mug at a window).

But with all that said it doesn’t take a certain type of person, certain type of pregnancy, birth experience or even a certain type of upbringing to be a good mom.

To be a good mom you just have be a good human.

So if you are a good human or you know a good human who deserves a treat (mom, mom figure or non mom) hopefully you can find some inspiration below :)Mother Figures Gift Guide

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