Family Archives | But First, Joy

Inspiring ordinary women to find joy in everyday things. Get My Newsletter

7 Things To Remember When Setting Rules for a Happy Family Life

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30 Ideas for a Family Date Night At Home (Free Challenge Printable)

Baby Things To Buy Before Birth: A Complete List

Healthy Family Tips: How small lifestyle changes make a BIG difference!

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100 Children’s Books to Read In a Lifetime

Best Fall Sensory Bins Activities for Toddlers

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5 Simple Reasons You Have an Unhappy Toddler

13 Games & Emotions Activities For Toddlers & Preschoolers

15 Fun Exercises For Kids Under 5 (to do as a family)

5 Signs That You Have Toxic Family Dynamics

15 Empathy Books for Children to Understand Feelings

Toddler Proofing: How to Secure Every Room in the Home

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Life-Saving Tips To Keep Children Cool in the Car

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Cheap Summer Outdoor Activities for Preschoolers

How to Teach Children Empathy

15 Thoughtful Ways to Say Thank You to Dads Who Do It All

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10 Nice Things Every Mom Needs to Hear TODAY

My motherhood journey starts here: Protecting baby’s lungs – Join me!

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Inspiring ordinary women to find joy in everyday things.

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Grab this sticker on 6.25.21 at the grand opening

Grab this sticker on 6.25.21 at the grand opening of my shop! 🖤✨

This is 1 of 20 self-care & spiritual 🌟 products that will be up for grabs. There’s a limited supply of everything so be sure to visit my stories to get a reminder. Or just set at alarm for 5:00pm Eastern on Friday, 6/25.

& That beautiful Buddha you see is from @tartbytara.🖤🌙 She makes so many beautiful things to enhance your sacred space & spirituality.

#selfcareshop #selfcarefirst #etsyshop #stationarylove #stationaryshop #stationeryaddict #stickercollector #witchyvibes #crystalcollectors #goddessenergy

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 💖✨ The big day is comi

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 💖✨

The big day is coming in less than 2 weeks! That’s right. I’ll be opening the But First, Joy shop on Etsy.

Be prepared for 20 self-love themed products: Notepads, stickers, bookmarks, art prints, magnets, and a very special card deck.

Visit the “BFJ Shop” Highlight on the @ButFirstJoy page for product reveals and more details!

Opening weekend is going to be a BIG DEAL. I’ll be giving away freebies for my first 5, 10, and 15 customers. Plus, I’ll have deals on shipping and a giveaway for my IG friends.

Bookmark this post and visit Instagram Stories to set a reminder for the opening day.

Thank you for all your positive feedback & support. I appreciate all of you more than you know.

#personaldevelopmentcoach #selfgrowthjourney #selflove #womeninbusiness #smallbusinesssupporter #selfhealer #stationaryshop #positivityshop #shophappy #shoppositive

BIG REVEAL ✨ The But First, Joy shop is ALMOS

BIG REVEAL ✨

The But First, Joy shop is ALMOST ready to open! EEEk! I’m so excited!

I’ve designed a variety of notepads to help with your healing journey. Affirmation pads, wellness check-ins, and even something for the moon babes – OH MY!🌙🖤

Visit my “BFJ SHOP” highlight and stories to follow all the product reveals and turn notifications ON for a grand opening date!

You won’t want to miss the grand openings deals, free gifts, and giveaways! ❤️‍🔥

#stationarylove #stationaryshop #selfcarematters #personaldevelopment #wellnesscheckin #mentalhealthcheck

I’ll just say it: Happiness & positivity aren’

I’ll just say it: Happiness & positivity aren’t human nature. #ad 🤭

Like many species, we are built to SURVIVE. Our brains tend to think of the worst that can happen in order to PROTECT us. This is especially true when we’ve experienced a lot of trauma.

This doesn’t mean happiness is a fake feeling. It just means that it doesn’t come as easy as we’d like it to. It’s something we must actively work toward.

the Pursuit of Happiness.

Except I’m here to remind you that happiness cannot be found solely in places or people. It starts, ends, and continues with YOU.

I actively call in happiness with my rituals and routines:

🕯 Using aromatherapy balms & candles from @iamscentered . the Happy and De-stress balms are GAME CHANGERS in my mood stability.

❤️ Writing affirmations such as: I deserve a happy home.

💖 Holding & wearing my favorite crystals that attract happiness: citrine and rose quartz.

🔥 Burning sage to cleanse my space.

🧘‍♀️ Practicing happiness meditations.

💐 Speaking positivity on a regular basis.

🌟 Surrounding myself with individuals who match my energy.

How do you actively bring happiness to your life?

— Visit @iamscentered to grab the aromatherapy balms you need and grab a happiness gift set while you’re at it!

— In need of crystals and sage? @mightymoonstones is my go-to shop!

— Crystal bracelets from @mymetaphysicalmaven

Did you spot that affirmations notepad? Details on that coming soon. ☺️

#positiveaffirmations #positivemindset #scentered #happinessisachoice #tipsforpositivechange #tipsforhappiness #personaldevelopmentcoach #positivewellbeing

I’m dedicated to doing the REAL work. 💁🏻‍♀️

I refuse to continue the harmful cycles created by the generations before me.

I am on a journey of healing not only for me – but for everyone who comes after me.

For my kids, grandkids, for other women & mothers who don’t think they can BE more or DO more than their parents did for them.

I’m not going to front: Breaking cycles is painful. It’s hard. It takes real work. It takes a lot of boundaries. It takes difficult conversations and cutting people off.

& most of the time, it’s so ridiculously lonely.

I recently realized that I’m the only one in my family who can admit and recognize the harmful patterns our family has allowed to survive for generations…

Addiction, self-loathing, verbal abuse, a victim-complex, the lack of open conversations, and negative mindsets.

IT ENDS WITH ME.

And it’s a battle I’m fighting alone because others think I’m overly sensitive, hyper-aware, too outspoken, too worried, or too careful.

I’ll be all of those things if it means giving my kids peace of mind, if it means giving other women courage to say:

THE CYCLE ENDS WITH ME.

What cycles are you breaking in your family?

Happy World Meditation Day 🖤✨ When I’m re

Happy World Meditation Day 🖤✨

When I’m really out of touch with the universe – I take my meditation outdoors.

I spend the first few minutes listening and feeling all that Mother Nature is offering me. The warmth of the sun on my skin, the sound of birds singing in the distance, the wind in my hair, Earth underneath my body, the sound of waves crashing on the shore – wherever I’m at, I take it in and spend time in gratitude.

Then, I go within. I listen to my breathing. I pay attention to how it feels to breathe in my body. My lungs filling with air, my body sinking into the ground, my mind wandering to new places.

At that point, everything is stripped away and I’ve let go of the day’s stresses and worries. I give in to my inner-self and become unaware of my surroundings, allowing my mind to go wherever it must in order to find peace and healing.

Meditation is a wondrous thing. It can remove you from the present and take you somewhere completely new – much like a book except meditation has a magickal healing power. It can change your mood, remove your stress, and heal the dark parts you didn’t realize were lingering.

I welcome you to spend time in meditation today. Find a guided meditation on YouTube or Spotify, if needed. Whether it’s 5 minute or 30 minutes, make time to meditate and see where it takes you today.

#WorldMeditationDay #MeditatetoMedicate #MeditationTips #MeditationMom #SelfHealer #SpiritualGuide

DON’T BE ASHAMED TO MAKE YOURSELF A PRIORITY. ‼️

As women, we’re constantly being taught to put others first. We are expected to push ourselves to our breaking point for our children, careers, partners, and family.

The world wants us to DO it all and BE it all but to not take credit for any of it.

They say to love yourself and be confident but not too much or you’re arrogant.

Don’t show or express emotions because it makes others uncomfortable. 😏

Don’t ask for what you want & need as a woman in this world because that’s selfish and bossy.

LADIES: I want to encourage you to throw all that BS out the window. 🙅🏻‍♀️

We ARE here to be seen and heard. 👏 So, take up space. Be loud. Be bold. Drop the F bomb. Wear the low cut dress. Laugh at inappropriate things. Leave your house a mess. Or, do the opposite. Just BE YOU. Say and do nice things for yourself because YOU DESERVE IT!

Women are the mothers of the world. 💟 We are meant to guide just by being our authentic selves.

So, take what you need to take. Take the affirmations and if you need more – click the link in my bio. 👈

LET’S CHAT: What do you need to hear today?

#takewhatyouneed #positiveaffirmations #selfhealing #bekindtoyourself

HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU? 🥺 Life is goin

HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU? 🥺

Life is going great. You’ve finally accomplished a big goal or you’ve found a place of comfort and healing. You’ve reached new levels of growth...

Then, out of nowhere... 💥 you have a mountain of uncomfortable and difficult things happen to you ALL AT ONCE.

That’s what I’m currently experiencing.

It’s hard. I’m not going to pretend that it isn’t. It’s hard to stay optimistic and motivated when it feels like it’s YOU against the world.

BUT...

I want you to remember this:

When you’re doing great things, you’ve reached a new level. Your aura and vibrations are just... different.

So, new things are thrown your way. You’re being tested. The universe is attracted to these new vibrations and it wants to see what you’ve got.

The universe (or God) is asking you: Do you believe you’re WORTH the better things that I want to give to you? Are you strong enough to handle the weight that comes with bigger and better things?

The answer is: YES. YOU CAN HANDLE THIS. YES. YOU ARE WORTH IT. DON’T DOUBT YOURSELF. 💁🏻‍♀️

Keep those vibes high, my sisters! 🌟 Feel what you need to feel, go through the motions, and get back up when you’re ready.

Show the Universe that you’re ready to accept all the things you’ve been working for. & The more you show up with all your gloriousness – the more beautiful things you’ll attract. 🖤✨

How will you show up today and tomorrow? Even when you’re at your lowest?

For me, I promised myself to move my body no matter how much physical or emotional pain I’m in. I’ll show up doing least 1 nice thing for myself daily. I will NOT revert back to my old ways of coping: negative self-talk, bitterness, and emotional spending 😬.

BECAUSE I AM WORTH MORE. I want to live better so I will BE BETTER even when it’s hard and feels impossible. 💖

#selftalk #loveyourselffirst #personaldevelopment #showupforyourself