Oops and Daisies

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7 Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for the Busy Moms in Your Life

February 1, 2018 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

I’ll admit it. I like Valentine’s Day. I love that it’s a day dedicated to letting loved ones know that we care about them, and why. I’ll also be the first to admit that one of the top things I'd want as a gift would be to sleep in. But, in addition to sleeping in, what would the busy mom in your life value this year?  If you’re still looking for a few Valentine’s Day gift ideas, here are a few: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family & Lifestyle, More than Mama, Parenting, Work From Home Tagged With: busy moms, gift guide, gift ideas, me time, self care, valentine's day, valentine's day gifts

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oopsanddaisies

Developmental Editor | Creative Writer & Author | Coach
Just an imperfect mom trying to inspire and support women who want to write and create 👇

Writing does not have to be a solitary pursuit - t Writing does not have to be a solitary pursuit - that was one of my biggest takeaways from a Creativity Chat I had with Malwina Zaremba, who writes under the pen name Kate Dashwood.Another reminder: taking time for our writing/creativity is important, even when we’re busy. And Malwina is BUSY. She juggles a full-time job while working on her third romantic comedy book, AND running regular online writing workshops that delve into different aspects of the craft.“Creativity is supposed to be fun,” Malwina mentioned, and I loved that she emphasized this point as she talked about her process and how inspiration can crop up in the most unexpected of places. (Fun fact: the idea for her main character in The Bali Adventure came to her while she was swimming).Too often, we hear the stories about “starving artists” and the struggle to show up to the page… but we write because we love it, right? And finding ways to encourage that joy in the process is critical to building a thriving creative life that fits into our hectic lives.Thank you, Malwina, for the wonderfully inspiring chat, and I look forward to your Valentine’s Day/emotions workshop!*** This convo was part of my 100 #CreativityChats project… the goal? Learn how different people approach self-expression and the creative process. Where does creativity come from? How do people carve out time for their creative hobbies and pursuits? If you’d like to chat with me about your own creative process, send me a message.#Writing #WritingProcess
Nine years ago to this day, I was 41 weeks pregnan Nine years ago to this day, I was 41 weeks pregnant. We were waiting for baby boy to be ready to make his grand entrance into this world. We should have been full of excitement and joy… but I felt torn in two. Just days before, my sister lost her boyfriend and his brother because of a drunk driver. I couldn’t fly out to her. I couldn’t be there for her. I felt completely and utterly helpless. But Little Miss was excited about her brother. We were getting ready, and we were waiting… but everything felt out of my control. And right now, I feel a similar pain.Helpless to so many things that are outside my control. I didn’t know Alex Pretti. Or Renee Good. Or Keith Porter. I don’t know the thousands of people who have been detained/impacted by ICE. But I feel this pain… this is not the world I wanted my kids to ever grow up in. I feel like I need to DO something… but what? I feel like I need to do MORE (beyond calling my reps and going to protests). But I’m already pulled in a million different directions, and sometimes, just keeping my head above water feels like an act of resistance. I wish this was more hopeful. I wish I had some words of wisdom for this moment in time… but this moment in time just seems to keep repeating. And I don’t know what to do. Despite not knowing, I’ll keep showing up. I’ll use my voice whenever I can. I’ll focus on raising kids who know how to use their voices too. It still doesn’t feel like enough, but we all just need to do what we can.
Journal for five minutes, that’s it. Let’s see Journal for five minutes, that’s it. Let’s see where it takes you. #NotesFromMyPastSelf #Journal #LetsWrite #MomLife
Ever since I could hold a pencil in my hands, I’ Ever since I could hold a pencil in my hands, I’ve loved to create — from artwork to stories of my own imagination, it brought me a sense of peace few other things could.But I didn’t always show up at the page when I wanted to. Was it fear of judgment? Of my words not being good enough? Of not being sure where to start?As I’ve grown through my writing, I’ve realized:Everyone has a story that needs to be told.We often hold ourselves back from what’s possibleWe tell ourselves - I’ll start when I’m “ready.” When I’ve lived more. When I know what I want to say…But the thing I’ve realized? We need to let go of expectations when we show up to the page, and just give ourselves permission to SHOW UP.Facing the blank page can be intimidating. But not telling our stories, the ones that live inside us, can also lead to regret.So, if you dream of writing, consider this your permission slip. Now, go forth and write.#WritingLife #Journal #AmWriting
What happened with your first attempt at a novel? What happened with your first attempt at a novel?Complicated friendships have long been one of the many tropes that I enjoy writing about, so it only made sense that it played a central role in the very first novel I wrote while I was in high school.The general gist: Meg and Bliss haven’t been best friends in years, but after Bliss dies, Meg needs to cope with the permanent loss of someone who meant the world to her, even if they had grown apart.I wrote a lot of the book by hand; then again, back then, we only had one family computer. I took a few years to revise it, with fabulous input from my “first editor,” a high school friend that I also went to college with, and then I started querying it.Spoiler alert: it was not ready for the public. Now I consider that novel attempt my “training wheels”: not only did it teach me what goes into writing a book, but it also proved that yes, I could write a whole novel. While that story will never ever see the light of day (there are no ‘stakes’ in the book), it was a huge learning experience for me.#LizsWritingJourney #WritingProcess #BookWriting #AmWriting
Did I have three journals open in my lap the other Did I have three journals open in my lap the other day? Why yes, yes I did. I normally only have two journals going at a time (my bullet journal and my writing journal) but I’ve started plotting a new idea… and it needs its own journal! 😅🙌Can’t wait to share more about it with you when it’s ready! #Journaling #AmWriting #WritingLife
What is journaling to me? A place to… * Explore What is journaling to me?A place to…* Explore everything: from my thoughts and lived experiences to anything that catches my eye* Play with words and images and meaning* Capture things I NEED to remember* Record of my memories and my life* Challenge myself without expectation* Work out the ideas behind my stories, poems, and essays* Toy around with new ideas and thoughts* Reflections (and a lot of deep thoughts)Journaling is the quiet engine underneath my creative life, and I do not know where I would be today without it. Is journaling a part of your life?#WorldJournalingDay #MomLife #AmWriting
Do you remember your first big writing “accompli Do you remember your first big writing “accomplishment”?I don’t even remember what the short story was about, but I do remember opening the envelope. The letter had been printed because this was around 1994.I had won.The arts council chose my story—mine—for an award, and they were honoring me at an upcoming reception. They liked my story!!! The sheer fact that someone enjoyed my writing thrilled me… but I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I put the letter on the counter and left it there.My mom found it later that day. “You won?!” she had asked me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”Decades later, I honestly still don’t know. I was beyond proud of myself… but I didn’t want to toot my own horn. I knew my parents would find out, eventually, because, duh, of course I wanted to go to the reception, but for some reason, I just didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.Writers, have you ever had a reaction like this to one of your accomplishments?#LizsWritingJourney #WritingLife #SelfDoubt #ShortStory
3 signs your writing spark is still there… waiti 3 signs your writing spark is still there… waiting for you to be ready. #MomLife #LifeWithKids #Writing
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