“Sharp Dresser”
Time spent on drawing: 15:32 min
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Some days, all you want to think about is a really good pun. Today is one of these days!
🥄🔪
Happy Punday!
🙃
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #selfhelp #digitalart #health #art #justbreathe #follow #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #coronavirus #kindness #quarantine #isolation #socialdistancing #pun
15minutemusings
Sending Hugs from the Heart
“Sending Hugs from the Heart While We’re Apart”
Time spent on drawing: 34:06 min
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I’m a big hugger. I love hugs so much that I once even started a blog called Hug O' The Day where I posted a cartoon hug every day.
🤗
The hardest part of this social distancing thing is not being able to give my loved ones hugs. With no end in sight, we don’t even know when life will resume to being “normal”. Or at least, a new sort of normal.
🤷
While it's not a substitute for a real hug, today let’s send a virtual hug to someone we are missing from afar. Even if the distance is the house next door. Spread hugs, share love. It’s something we can control today. Forward this e-mail or copy and paste this picture and send it to someone who could use a little pick-me-up, knowing that you are thinking about them.
😘
As always, if you need someone to talk to, write back to me and I’m happy to chat!
👋
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #selfhelp #digitalart #health #art #justbreathe #follow #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #coronavirus #kindness #quarantine #isolation #hugs #socialdistancing #spreadlove
Award Your Successes
“Award Your Successes”
Time spent on drawing: 34 min
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We are all struggling through this difficult time. It’s a challenge to put one step in front of the other, but that’s exactly how we’re dealing with it: one step at a time. So, what do we have to show for it, besides a seemingly never-ending influx of bad news?
👣
So many of us are now finding ourselves in the impossible positions of simultaneously being stay-at-home parents, stay-at-home teachers, and stay-at-home workers. As if finding that balance isn’t hard enough, our basic luxuries of finding the items we need at grocery stores or going out to eat at a restaurant - heck, for many of us, going out at all - are temporarily unavailable.
⚖️
We all deserve an award. A giant one. A fan actually suggested that I create one for us, so immediately that’s what I did. Because we deserve to take a moment to let it sink in that we are going through one of the most insane, unprecedented periods in all of history. We are living and breathing through a GINORMOUS, life-altering event, with an unknown outcome. And we are taking it one step, one day, one week at a time.
📆
So congrats! If you are reading this message, you deserve to be awarded for surviving another day without having lost your mind completely. It’s no small feat.
🏆
In a time of uncertainty, be certain that you are doing the best you can. That’s all you can ask of yourself. We are all only human, and we’re in this together.
❤️
If you would like the coloring page version of this, or one of the alternate versions "STUDENT DURING QUARANTINE" or a blank version to create your own award, send me a message and I'll add you to the mailing list. Or sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/7351a30d6371/15minutemusings
🖍️
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #selfhelp #digitalart #health #art #justbreathe #follow #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor # #coronavirus #kindness #quarantine #isolation #award #parenting
Keep Your Head Up
“Keep Your Head Up”
Time spent on drawing: 42:07
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Andy Grammer is my favorite musician. He is the King of Kindness in music. Positive, insightful, clever lyrics are his jam. He used to perform as a busker in the Santa Monica Pier. After a particularly bad day in which he didn’t sell anything, he came home and wrote his song Keep Your Head Up. If you have not heard it yet, drop everything and listen to it now. If you have heard it before, listen to it again...and again. I’ve had it on repeat.
😊
Staying positive is hard work. The unknown is scary. Terrifying. I remember before I had my current job, when I was a freelance cartoonist making less than $10k a year, not knowing how I was going to find a full-time job for a respectable salary. I went to lunch with someone who was like a grandmother to me, my dear friend, “Bubbe” Ethel. She shared some sage advice with me that her husband had shared with her during difficult times: “You have two hands and two feet. You’re gonna make it.”
👐👣
Times are tough. We’re in this semi-quarantine state for the foreseeable future. We have friends, children, and family depending on us. Life as we know it is up in the air. But we all have two hands, two feet, and a head we can keep up. We can do this.
👏
Let’s take 15 minutes to listen to a music playlist that maintains our sanity. If you haven’t made one yet, Spotify is a really terrific, free resource.
🎶
What’s your favorite song that keeps you staying positive? Drop it in the comments! Let’s spread positivity, one song at a time.
🎵
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #selfhelp #digitalart #health #art #justbreathe #follow #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #coronavirus #kindness #quarantine #isolation #andygrammer #lyrics
Rainbows and Sunshine: a double post
Drawing #1: “Wishing a Rainbow for You”
Time spent on drawing: 32:38
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Drawing #2: “Sending Ewe Some Sunshine”
Time spent on drawing: 53:57
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Is it only Wednesday? This week has been the longest year ever.
😫
One of the most incredible things about human beings is the kindness that emerges during times of crisis. My friend Kelila Beth Green Siciliano, who homeschools her children, recently started a website and Facebook group OursandYRS: Our Online Village, filled with daily activities to keep your kiddos occupied during our semi-quarantined state. She reached out to me about creating coloring pages to print and mail to those under lock down in hospitals, assisted living homes, or nursing centers. She even included some suggestions for places to send them to:
Cedars Sinai
8700 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Kaiser
6041 Cadillac Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
Children’s Hospital LA
Michelle Lahat
4650 Sunset Blvd.
MS 38
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Country Villa Terrace Assisted Living Center
6050 Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Whether or not you choose to mail the coloring pages is up to you. Either way, you have double the amount of pages today to color!
👐
Spend 15 minutes choosing kindness today. Drop a heart if you agree!
❤️
Just Breathe
"Breathe"
Time spent on drawing: 23:12
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Yesterday a lot. It was the first day of our “new norm”. I’ve got three kids at home, a full time job, and there’s a lot of logistics to figure out. And the news updates are coming in fast and furious.
😱
It’s all a tad overwhelming. Okay, that’s a lie. It’s WAY more than a tad. I was so busy, I didn’t realize that I hadn’t eaten until 4 pm.
😳
There’s no way I can keep up for…weeks?...months?...at that pace. Today, I’m determined to schedule 15 minutes aside to just BREATHE. Meditate. I’m probably going to set an alarm on my phone around lunchtime, since I can easily forget.
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Share this post with someone who also can use a reminder to breathe. Sometimes having someone else hold you accountable to breathe is motivation enough to take care of yourself.
🌬️
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #selfhelp #digitalart #health #art #justbreathe #follow #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #coronavirus #breathe #quarantine #isolation
Traits of Focus
"Traits of Focus"
Time spent on drawing: 40:57
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I spent the better part of the last year and a half coping with various conditions that left me both physically and emotionally drained. Various ailments over the course of my pregnancy (including a 2-month battle with pneumonia) rendered me weaker than I’d ever felt in my life. A battle with postpartum depression after my baby’s birth rendered me a mere shadow of my once happy-go-lucky, bubbly self. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I would EVER bounce back.
😩
Everything seemed overwhelming. I didn’t want to draw for MONTHS. I just wanted to lie in bed with my baby. I felt helpless. I had no idea how to even begin to heal.
😭
Working on these 15 Minute Musings was a big answer to how I pulled myself out from the pit of despair. It’s more than just about making art. It’s about taking 15 minutes to focus on the things I’ve been pushing off. To make time for myself.
🤔
By working on myself 15 minutes at a time, I was able to build my strength up little by little until I feel like I’m almost back to my usual self. If the Coronavirus had hit even a couple of months ago, I’m quite afraid of how I would (or wouldn’t) be able to cope.
😱
After months of depression and physical weakness, I am done focusing on the negative. Most of what is going on is out of my control. After years and years of living life in nonstop motion, we have been blessed with a rare opportunity to significantly slow down the pace of life and focus on what’s truly important.
💭
I took 15 minutes to think about how I want to positively spend the time in isolation. I came up with five traits that I’d like to focus on: PATIENCE (especially with 3 kids at home for the foreseeable future), KINDNESS (on how to help others as much as possible with the resources I have), FAITH (I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and to just go with the flow of G-d’s plan), WASTEFULNESS (especially when it comes to paper goods and rationing groceries), and HEALTH (Eating better, exercising more now that I don’t have to commute to work).
🏃♀️
What personal traits do you now have the opportunity to focus on? What good can you contribute to the world at this very moment? Let’s inject some positivity into the world right now.
🤗
Drop a positive emoji that makes you smile in the comments! Share the joy.
🌈
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #selfhelp #digitalart #health #art #justbreathe #follow #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #coronavirus #quarantine #positivity #kindness #patience
Sunshine
"Sunshine"
Time spent on drawing: 24:51
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Oh the weather outside is frightful. And the news is less than delightful. And since we’ve no place to go...I figured I’d let some sun flow.
☀️
Let’s spread a little joy however we can. Let’s take 15 minutes to figure out how to brighten someone’s day during such dark times (both literally and figuratively - anyone else having grey skies and rain??). Suggestions: send someone a gift card for coffee. Call a friend to check in on them. Order food for a sick friend. Help someone struggling with the current reality by reaching out to help. We have the ability to provide sunshine to those hard-to-reach places.
🌤️
Tag someone who could use a bit of sunshine today.
🌞
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #selfhelp #digitalart #momlife #art #justbreathe #follow #2020 #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #coronavirus #quarantine #positivity #sunshine #sun
Quarantine
"Quarantine"
Time spent on drawing: 35:03
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We are living in strange times. The whirlwind and the speed of which the Coronavirus has spread and altered our basic way of life is confounding.
❓
Are you having as hard a time processing it all as I am? It’s hard to stay positive when bad news keeps pouring in by the second.
❗❓
There’s not much we can control. We can stay clean. We can cancel events. We can work remotely. We can help people who are ill to the best of our abilities. But the reality is, for the average person, it’s mostly out of our control.
😔
To stay positive, I took time to write down a few good things about the current predicament. Let’s spread positivity and share your good insights as well. Spend 15 minutes focusing on positive. No looking at news, no focusing on drama. You deserve 15 minutes to catch your breath.
❤️
Share something good that’s come out of the global quarantines so we can help each other process this insanity. We’re all in this together.
🙏
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #selfhelp #digitalart #momlife #art #justbreathe #follow #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #coronavirus #quarantine #positivity #spreadgood #remotework
Mistakes
"Mistakes"
Time spent on drawing: 38:10
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There is so much to keep track of these days. Too much. It’s all overwhelming. Inevitably, we make mistakes. Loads of them.
😩
Life is not about the mistakes we make, but the actions we take to make up for them.
🙌
I once got some upsetting news, but I was at work and couldn’t process it fully. A friend gave me some good advice: take 15 minutes of time to grieve on the topic, so I could give myself proper time to react, and then return to life.
😞
Perhaps the same advice could be applied to a mistake. Is there something that’s been weighing you down? Spend 15 minutes thinking about the mistake, and a proactive solution to counteract it. Donate money to charity. Decide to volunteer somewhere. Do a secret good deed for someone. Perhaps having a game plan would help you hold your chin higher and move on a little.
🤜
If you need some inspiration, the song “Dear Me” by Eric Hutchinson has loads of wonderful advice he wish he could give his younger self. Every line is gold. I find it quite helpful for my current self and listen to it daily. His line “You’re gonna make mistakes, but they won’t define you” really resonates with me.
🤗
Drop some weights in the comments if you have something heavy that needs releasing. Here for you!
🏋️♀️
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #selfhelp #digitalart #momlife #art #justbreathe #follow #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #instaart #mistakes #erichutchinson #dearme #song #lyrics
Insecurity
"Insecurity"
Time spent on drawing: 1 hr 30 min
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One of the biggest battles I face on the daily is with Insecurity. Am I a good enough mother? Wife? Artist? Human being?
😬
It’s a battle that I face every time I open my mouth. Every step I take. Every move I make...okay, taking it back before it continues to spiral into a Police song. Although, that would be appropriate, given the subject of today’s cartoon Musing.
👮
I do have a huge insecurity every time I post. Why bother? Someone else has probably done something similar already. What do I bring to the table? But I decided with these Musings, they are to help me get through a tough time in my life. Before I started these I didn’t feel like drawing anymore. Now if I miss a day I can’t wait to work double the next day to make up for it. And if the Musings help someone else in the process, it’s gold.
💛
Anyone else battle with insecurity? Raise your hand - drop it in the comments.
🙋♀️
Today, take 15 minutes to do something that you feel insecure about. Feel free to share it with me privately for support, or if it helps, post below to hold yourself accountable to do the thing you’re uncomfortable with so we can all support you.
👊
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #selfhelp #digitalart #momlife #art #justbreathe #follow #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #instaart #insecurity #selfdoubt #battlewithin #confidence #help
I Wanna Be Serrated
"Serrated"
Time spent on drawing: 15:47⌛
Do you ever have an itch to just do something creative for creativity’s sake? Do you ever just need to take a break from the norm just to do something completely different? Do you ever have a pun so bad it just makes you laugh constantly and you just need to share it?
🙃
I present to you some of the best 15 minutes spent in recent history for me in today’s Musing. I dare you not to be singing The Ramones song after reading.
🎶
Today, spend 15 minutes doing something completely and utterly silly. Something that puts a big ol’ silly grin on your face. Bonus points if you make someone else laugh with it. No shame allowed.
😂
Drop a silly emoji if you can use 15 minutes doing something ridiculous. Watch a silly YouTube video. Look at the clouds and figure out what shapes they look like. Decorate an ice cream sundae with a funny expression.
😜
And don’t be embarrassed or regret any of it for a single second.
👻
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #selfhelp #digitalart #momlife #art #instagood #justbreathe #follow #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #serrated #theramones #parody #silly
Grit And Bear It
"Grit and Bear It"
Time spent on drawing: 16:19 minutes
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Happy Monday! It’s tough to start the week off after a weekend. But let’s just dive in together!
💦
I have so much going on this week, it’s almost too much for me to bear. But today I’m going to start off doing 15 minutes of the thing I hate the most tonight: taxes.
🤑
I don’t want to do it, but I’m going to set a timer for 15 minutes to get started. Hopefully that will be cause me to be deep enough in that I will have no choice but to keep going until I’m finished.
😅
What are you most dreading this week? Share your “Most Dreaded Thing” (MDT) in the comment, so we can help each other be accountable!
💪
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #instaart #selfhelp #digitalart #momlife #art #justbreathe #follow #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #bear #gritandbearit #grinandbearit #gritisit
Live Wisely
"Live Wisely"
Time spent on drawing: 34 minutes
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It’s Sunday Funday! Time to make the most of the second half of the weekend. Here I’ve included the wise owl waking up early to enjoy the fun day of a few of my favorite activities. But honestly, with three kids, Sundays are the days I least get to spend doing the things “for me”.
🦉
So today, take 15 minutes to make sure you get some “you” time, the things you like to do to make life worth living. 🏃♀️🎨🍦🎧🎶What are some personal activities that you can spend 15 minutes doing today?
🎉
Happy Funday!
😃
Be The Star You Are
"Be the Star you Are"
Time spent on drawing: 16:46
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People, rejoice! It's Fri-yay!
🎉
Does anyone else feel the weight of the long week? The good news is that the weekend!
💃
During the week many of us spend the majority of our days as bosses, employees, worker bees. We live for the weekends, where we can concentrate on our primary roles as sons, daughters, husbands, wives, siblings, parents, grandparents…
💖💕
We need a reminder that we are the stars in our own lives. Nobody else is in your driver seat or will be an advocate for yourself the way you will.
😎
Today and over the weekend, spend 15 minutes doing something for YOU, something that makes you feel like the star you are. Eat your favorite chocolate. Go on that run. Snuggle with your puppy. But just remember to do something that excites and delights you.
✨
Have a great weekend!
😄
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #instaart #selfhelp #digitalart #momlife #art #instagood #justbreathe #follow #2020 #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #instaart #bethestar #star #youarethestar
Super Tired
“Super Tired”
Time spent on drawing: 16:22
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It’s Thursday! The week is almost done. But the later on in the week it is, the more tired you become, amiright?
😴
So let’s spend 15 minutes tonight just relaxing. What relaxing activity do you do to decompress? Video games? TV show? Nice warm bath? A good book? Drop some suggestions in the comments!
💤
P.S. It’s almost Friday!
💃
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #instaart #selfhelp #digitalart #momlife #art #instagood #justbreathe #follow #2020 #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #instaart #supertired #tired #tire #Thursday #AlmostFriday #longweek #weekend
Ewe Are Pawesome
“Ewe Are Pawesome”
Time spent on drawing: 36:44
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Every day we strive to be the best we can be. We are our own harsh critics. Dealing with Postpartum Depression means truly struggling to see myself in a light that others near and dear to me see me in.
🙈
Spend 15 minutes thinking about all the ways you are proud of yourself. Write them down. If that’s too difficult at the moment, list 5 things that you are thankful for in your life and focus on those.
🌟
Keep on shining. Those who know and love you think EWE are PAWESOME.
🐑
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #instaart #selfhelp #digitalart #momlife #art #instagood #justbreathe #follow #2020 #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #instaart #ewearepawesome #eweareenough #youareenough #thankful #awesome #5things
Just Leap
“Just Leap”
Time spent on drawing: 41:26
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Yesterday, my musing was about being stuck in a pit of despair, unable to climb out. I’ve been in that pit a few times in my life. 🕳️What’s incredible is that each time I find myself in that position, I begin to emerge from it only by taking positive actions and displaying huge leaps of faith. After all, the only thing you can truly control in life is YOU.
🙌
The craziest, most rewarding experiences I’ve had in life were completely based on taking giant leaps of faith. There was that one time when I’d booked a 2-week trip to LA for a conference, not knowing where I was going to stay, just knowing that I wanted to spend extra time there to get out of the NY grind. A month before my trip, I ran into a friend who had recently moved to LA. He offered to let me crash on his and his roommate’s futon, solving my problem of where to stay.
🌴
The night before my flight, I remember bawling my eyes out to my recently-engaged girlfriend on the phone. I had been doing a lot of solo traveling for work at the time, and was very tired of traveling alone. I felt beyond ready to find a partner, a companion to travel with in future excursions. I vividly remember my friend saying that maybe I’d find a guy in LA. My heart was definitely open to it.
💗
The friend who let me crash on his futon? He’s now my husband. That trip provided us the time to bond and realize we had a lot in common. I took a leap of faith and was rewarded with a life-altering answer.
✈️
This is just one example. I have many other similar experiences. I’m thinking of them now, reminding myself that each miracle that happened to me was a result of me putting out what may seem to be a ridiculous thought into the universe that somehow manifests into reality.
✨
I remember another story where in my heart of hearts I wanted to get out of the country after a truly terrible year post-college graduation. I was desperate to find a 6-week program that would fly me abroad for free to Israel to work on my art. I wanted a program that would help me build a business plan but also allow me to visit my many family members there.
💭
How ridiculous does that sound? What kind of nerve did I have to ask for a 6-week FREE program including housing, airfare, food, and classes? It was oddly specific.
🤔
All it took was a fairly quick google search to find that exact program I described. I applied, and a few months later I found myself in Israel as a member of an entrepreneurial fellowship program that fit the exact bill. It lifted me up during another very bleak time in my life, and I am forever grateful for it.
🙏
What would your leap of faith be? I highly recommend taking 15 minutes to think about your hopes and dreams, no matter how ridiculous they may seem. If you think of something, send out extra good vibes into the world towards that goal. Close your eyes and picture it happening. Put your heart into it, and don’t be afraid to lean in to it, mind, body and soul. Let the universe know that you want it.
💖
Take the leap. It’s amazing to see how the net appears exactly when you need it most.
🐸
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #instaart #selfhelp #digitalart #momlife #art #instagood #justbreathe #follow #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #leapoffaith #manifest #leap
The No-End Nadir
“Nadir”
Time spent on drawing: 24:30
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I sketched the idea for this picture when I was in the thick of my postpartum depression. I can’t explain how deep the pain was when I felt exhausted, ignored, overwhelmed, and like there was no way out.
🕳️
I’ve been using my 15 minute increments to start climbing my way out, bit by bit. It’s been less overwhelming. I still haven’t reached the top yet, but I’m at least on my way up.
☝️
I felt like releasing this on a Monday was an appropriate spot. It’s a long week ahead, especially after a shortened President’s week last week. But the good news about it being Monday is that at least there is, in fact, an end in sight. :-)
🔚
I’m going to spend 15 minutes being outdoors today. How about you? How do you climb out of the Monday morning blues?
🌴
TGIFIFD (Thank G-d It’s Friday in Four Days!)
📅🙌
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #instaart #selfhelp #digitalart #momlife #art #instagood #justbreathe #follow #2020 #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #instaart #nadir #onlywaytogoisup #lookingup #climbout
Weekend Recharge
“Baby Recharge”
Time spent on drawing: 41:26
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During the week it’s just grind and go go go. The weekend is a time to fully recharge.
🔋
With a full time schedule I barely get to see my little baby during the week, so I try to spend a few extra minutes snuggling with her to absorb her yummy energy and carry it with me for the rest of the day. The weekend means EXTRA snuggles!!
👶💖👩
Take 15 minutes today to do something that makes you feel whole and recharged. A 15 minute power nap? A 15 minute run? 15 minutes at your favorite frozen yogurt shop?
🏃♀️
Share below what makes you feel a little more whole!
💪
P.S. You guys - this drawing is my first ever gif!! I’ve wanted to do one forever and never realized how easy it was to make them! More to come.
😄
#15minutemusings #15minutes #babysteps #selfimprovement #iPad #iPadArt #instaart #selfhelp #digitalart #momlife #art #instagood #justbreathe #follow #2020 #2020vision #2020goals #digitalink #creator #maker #happiness #success #feelgood #digitalcolor #baby #recharge #battery #whole