Whether you spend your day in an office in the city or with your little ones at home, sometimes the day to day of our lives can start to feel mundane and dare I say dull. Am I right?
For me, I spend my day juggling 2 kids and 1 baby, while scheduling conference calls during nap time. I am incredibly happy and gracious for my life, but sometimes? The days are just LONG.
So how do we put that sparkle back in our day?
You may not love the first bit of advice I have to share, but it is key to sparkling up those days.
UN-PLUG. For just 30 minutes a day, you guys! Let go of the to-do lists, the emails, the Facebook birthday-wishing and instgramming that gorgeous stuffed pepper you’re about to eat. Like, really let-go.
It’s hard. I know. I struggle with it myself, but carving out some un-plugged time and filling it up with more fulfilling, totally present, real-life experiences is the key to sparkly days.
I promise.
Here are 5 simple things you can do for just 30 minutes (or less) that will make an ordinary day feel a little more extraordinary!
1. Exercise
“Ugh. Did she HAVE to start with exercise?” … I hear you. I’m not an exercising machine, but trust me just 30 minutes. Walking, Yoga, Zumba, cardio– whatever one you enjoy (or hate the least). Do it early in the morning. Get it out of the way. It will clear your mind, give you energy and set the pace for your day. I started doing this a month ago with a fitness challenge group I joined and it has made a world of difference– seriously. The days that I don’t exercise are definitely harder.
2. Family game night
For those of us who are home with the kids most (if not all) of the day, its easy to look at this and think “Um, I’m playing ALL DAY”– but are you really present or are you multitasking playing with scouring Pinterest for dinner ideas? (I’ll be the first to say I am guilty of this.) When was the last time you played a board game or did a puzzle with your family? If you heard crickets when you thought about that one, it’s probably been too long and may feel like a foreign concept. “Oh! we’re not game people”… and maybe you’re not, but give it a try. As sad as it may sound, I use to find myself being bored with board-games because, well… they’re slow! Then one rare but beautiful spring day, my daughter and I had zero to do. We spent the day in Bryant Park and played round after round of Candy Land and Jenga, and that’s when I realized– when I allowed myself to slow down mentally– playing board games was actually super fun and refreshing.
3. Plan (but don’t book) A Get Away
That’s right. You don’t have to actually book it– just imagining and setting a new goal towards one can add a little sparkle in your eye. Something to look forward to! Who cares if it might take you 2 years to get there. For the moment, grab a pen and paper– write down where you would go, what you would do, what you would want to see. If you are a clothes horse, as I am, you can even browse some catalogs for outfits you’d wear. Just visualize it and jot it down. And while this next part sounds like goes against my original advice, creating a Pinterest board for this may actually be a great idea for on-going inspiration– but first take 30 minutes, unplugged to write it out on paper! Trust me.
(oh and pssst! I have a fun way you can win a sparkly dream get away at the end of the post)
4. Paint– even if you’re a Piccas-No
Recently, I discovered the new trend of “paint and sip parties”. I have absolutely zero drawing/painting ability, but just playing with paint colors on a blank canvas was incredibly therapeutic. I actually went out and purchased a few small canvass’ and basic acrylic paints for myself. Now, I occasionally make time to zone out and recharge with a paint brush. Of course, I’ve yet to find something to do with my lovely (in the eyes of my kids, anyway) paintings, but who cares! It makes me happy.
5. Gratitude List
I find this especially helps when I find I’m overwhelmed or focusing on all of the things that aren’t going according as planned. Take a minute to write a list of all the things in your life that you are grateful for. You will be surprised how good it feels putting it down on paper.
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What Makes You Sparkle?
Well, to kick off the launch of Dasani’s new Sparkling Water, Dasani is asking fans to upload a photo of what makes them sparkle to twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #SparkleWithDASANI for the chance to win a Sparkling Getaway to the Westin Diplomat in Ft. Lauderdale, and includes airfare, hotel and spa treatments for 4.
Just looking at that picture makes me sparkle.
Winner will be selected in early August. So share your sparkly moments, my friends! (Oh! You’ll also want to like @dasaniwater so they can contact you if you win!)
Good luck! xx
Disclosure: Dasani is a paid sponsor of ComplicatedMama.com All editorial thoughts, opinions and advice are our own.
