I hope you enjoyed our notebook, a collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, thrifty ways to spruce up your home, and thoughtful reads. Nothing brings me more joy than to highlight other fabulous bloggers. Follow me on Pinterest for daily inspiration! Please note, there are affiliate links that do help support our site- thank you! xoxo
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From our marriage & parenting contributor, Mary Carver.
This month my husband and I will celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. And, thanks to my parents keeping our girls the weekend before the big day, we’ll actually get to celebrate with a night on the town.
Lest you think we are exciting and fancy, let me reassure you that “night on the town” really means eating dinner at Olive Garden, strolling around Target, and possibly renting a movie from Redbox. Still, any occasion – fancy night out, casual night at home, and everything in between – can be made a little more special with a playlist.
To help you do that, I’m going to walk you through my process for creating a playlist of songs that mean something to my husband and me – and just might create a romantic mood!
We’re going to talk about a set of decisions you’ll need to make before beginning, as well as how to pick the best songs for your list. And just in case it sparks your memory or creativity, I’ll share some of the songs that might make my own anniversary playlist!
First up, decide what tools you’re going to use. Will your list be played on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, or another site or app?
Next, choose a genre. While you and your husband might enjoy all types of music, a collection of songs works better when those songs have something in common (other than your emotional attachment to them). So you don’t have to commit to a dozen New Wave tunes from the 80s, but your songs should at least have the same feel to them.
Finally, decide how long you want the playlist to be. Is it just for the car ride to and from the restaurant? Does it need to last for an entire road trip? Will you only play it during dinner at home after the kids are in bed? Figure out an estimated time frame and select your songs accordingly.
And speaking of selecting songs, here are the types of songs I’d recommend for your anniversary or date night playlist:
What song was playing the night you met or on your first date?
For us this would be What’s Up by 4 Non Blondes or Kissed by a Rose by Seal. Hello, mid-90s!
What song makes you think of your dating days?
Dust on the Bottle by David Lee Murphy, It’s Your Love by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, or anything by John Michael Montgomery, Tom Petty, the Eagles, or Boyz II Men – clearly this will be a challenge for that same genre step!
What song played when you got engaged, or makes you think of your engagement?
I was away at college during our engagement, so Save Tonight by Eagle-Eye Cherry and A Bad Goodbye by Clint Black and Wynonna make me think of that season of long-distance love.
What song(s) played at your wedding or wedding reception?
From This Moment by Shania Twain, You Are the Love of My Life by Sammy Kershaw, One Friend by Dan Seals, and I Know How the River Feels by Diamond Rio were our wedding songs. Yes, we went full country!
What song reminds you of your honeymoon?
You can interpret and answer that song any way you want to… (You could also choose a song that you both liked or that was popular during your days as newlyweds.)
What song reflects a difficult time during your relationship?
Without a doubt, this would be Say Something by Great Big World for us. But since I can’t listen to that song now without tearing up, I might lean into the country sound and go with the just-as-fitting Hard to Love by Lee Brice.
What song reflects a season of reconnection or resurrection in your relationship?
I Hold On by Dierks Bentley is one of my favorites, because the lyrics talk about the good side of being stubborn – which is something it took my husband and me a long time to figure out!
What song(s) remind you of your children?
Since I can’t seem to escape the “gone country” theme my list is taking, I guess I’ll put I Love a Rainy Night by Eddie Rabbit and Elvira by The Oak Ridge Boys here. For some reason our girls got a huge kick out of those two songs for most of last year, and even the memory makes us chuckle now.
What current song makes you think of each other?
I don’t know if my husband likes it; I should probably ask him. But Greatest Love Story by Lanco – yes, I’m finishing strong with another country song – makes me think of him and our story every time I hear it.
This started out as a hypothetical idea for me, but thinking through all the songs that mean the most to my husband and me has me feeling nostalgic and lovey-dovey and just maybe like bursting into song. Clearly I’ll be making this playlist today! How about you?
What songs would be on your perfect anniversary or date night playlist?
I hope you enjoyed our notebook, a collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, thrifty ways to spruce up your home, and thoughtful reads. Nothing brings me more joy than to highlight other fabulous bloggers. Follow me on Pinterest for daily inspiration! Please note, there are affiliate links that do help support our site- thank you! xoxo
Thanks to my sponsor St Martin’s Press, I’m sharing about Kristin Hannah’s newest page-turner!
I joined my first book club when my children were small and I remember both how rewarding it felt to use my brain again and the challenges of carving time out to read. The beauty in being a part of that group though was that it pushed me to read books that were outside of my typical genre.
Historical fiction, for example, had never been on my radar until I joined a club.
Ironically, it is now my favorite genre.
Have you thought about hosting a book club? I have had the pleasure of hosting a local group and an online group and today I wanted to share 7 tips and strategies I’ve found for hosting a successful book club.
7 Tips for Hosting a Successful Book Club
1. Create Your Book Club Circle
Book clubs can be an opportunity to cultivate existing friendships or an opportunity to widen your net. If you don’t have an existing set of close friends, this can be a great way to get to know people from other contexts of your life. Consider starting a group through your church, with your neighborhood friends, a mom’s group, with your coworkers, your gym buddies, or as a way to get to know other moms at your child’s school.
Keep in mind, this club does not need to be just women either because men can add another dynamic to your book club discussions. If you have couples that you love to spend time with, for example, consider asking if they might like to meet up monthly for dinner and a book chat. I know that some of my best book discussions have happened when enjoying an evening with friends.
2. Have an Organized Kickoff Meeting
The quickest way for a book club to fizzle out is to not have a plan and get your members involved. With everyone’s busy schedules, it can be difficult to get a committed group and keep them committed for an entire year (or more).
In the past, our mimosa kickoff usually starts in September, once the kids have headed back to school. With a little more time in our schedules (sort of), it gives us a chance to regroup and make book selections. I ask each member to come with a book in mind and a month that they would like to host our chat. Allowing each person to make a selection and host gives everyone a chance to feel a part of things and allows the group leader to just micromanage the logistics.
3. Pick Books That Can Sustain a Discussion
The best books that we have talked about have meat to them and naturally cultivate an incredible discussion. Books with shallow plots are probably better for your beach bag than your book club discussion.
Stumped for a book selection this year?
Can I make a great recommendation for you?
As I disclosed earlier, I am partnering with St. Martin’s Press to share about Kristin Hannah’s latest novel and I TRULY believe this is a perfect pick for your book club reading.
I , honestly, would read anything Kristin Hannah writes, but her last few books have been among my favorite. The Great Alone is a contemporary coming-of-age story that is set in the seventies in rural Alaska. In this story, a former POW father comes home from the Vietnam War completely mentally changed from his experiences there. His behavior and decision-making is wildly erratic and when a property becomes available in rural Alaska, he decides that they should seize the opportunity to live off the grid and make a different life for themselves.
Braving harrowing and life-threatening conditions is what it is all about and thirteen-year-old Leni is caught in the middle of it all as they attempt to carve a new life in the wild frontier.
Living off the grid is not all it is cracked up to be and neither is surviving the difficult Alaska winters. Hannah writes so eloquently about this impossible marriage and the honest struggle of a Vietnam veteran.
As you can see, from my description alone, this has so many elements for discussion. The plot brings on the challenges of PTSD in veterans, what it is like to live with a mentally ill family member, homesteading (and if YOU could survive it), and if you would stay with your partner if they were putting your family through a potentially life-threatening lifestyle.
When I say that books have to have meat for discussion, you can be assured that there would be MUCH to talk about with, The Great Alone.
Look for books like these where the description alone showcases what kinds of ideas you could discuss in your book chats.
4. Don’t Be Afraid of Controversial Plots
One thing I have worried about is picking books that have controversial plots that might make people feel uncomfortable. What has surprised me though is that these are usually our very best discussions and that it is, truly, okay to have different viewpoints.
The way I lead these discussions though is that I ask that things are said with kindness and love, even if you don’t necessarily agree with one another. In an online discussion, I can swiftly delete comments that aren’t said with kindness, but that is a bit more tricky in an in-person book club.
Even in these tricky moments though, leading by asking everyone to be kind has always been a successful way to start a thoughtful conversation and I have never had any issues after stressing this importance.
It can be scary leading a controversial discussion, but I was surprised how it changed people’s viewpoints or hearing about someone’s personal story and why it made them feel differently than me. A recent discussion of a story on immigration, for example, lead to people sharing how it completely changed their viewpoint on the deportation process.
It makes me wish we had more kind and honest talks and how they could bring compassion to our discussions.
5. Prepare For Your Discussion
Discussion questions are so helpful to have, especially when first beginning your chats. I have found that selecting books with discussion questions already in place can be extremely helpful and relieve a lot of stress on leading a talk. The Great Alone, for example, already has a great discussion outlined for you.
I try to not limit our discussions to just outlined questions though. If it is a historical fiction book, for example, it helps to look up the true stories and images from that time in history. Reading or finding author interviews that explain why the author decided to write a book can also add a lot to a discussion.
6. Have Each Host/Hostess Decide How They Want to Host
I am happiest when I am entertaining our friends and family. It brings me great joy to share my table with them and feed them my food. Since this book is set mostly outdoors, I set up our outdoor table for a discussion.
It doesn’t have to be complicated though. This meat and cheese board, for example, is a fun way to share food with your book club friends without even cooking.
Sharing book club in the morning? Change the charcuterie board to a bagel board and load it with bagels and toppings.
The truth is, most people don’t love entertaining. It may bring them great stress, they may hate cooking, or they may be juggling a huge plate of craziness and can’t possibly add one more thing to their plates.
I GET IT.
Let each host/hostess decide how, where, and when works for them.
Food is not required to have a gathering.
Cooking is not required to have a gathering.
Opening YOUR home up is not required to have a gathering.
Allow each person to choose their style of hosting however or wherever they want to do it.
Book club should be fun and not stressful!
7. It’s All Too Much? Try an Online Club!
Painfully introverted? Haven’t found your people? Working full-time? New to town? Homeschooling? Single mom? Full plate?
Adding one more thing to your agenda can be an impossible task when you already have so much going on. Online book clubs can be an incredible option for someone that desires a book club, but just can’t make that happen in their day-to-day life.
As predicted, summer is already starting to fly by. I always think that there will be endless days of sitting with books and enjoying the sunshine, but we have already started the scheduling of physicals, running to and fro to friend’s houses, the endless outdoor chores, and that whole staying up way too late and sleeping in way too late thing too.
One thing I did pick back up though is my yoga routine and it has made me so happy to be back on my yoga mat again. If you are local and looking for a class, be sure to give this studio a try. I’m all about women supporting women in business and Abbi will be celebrating her first year as a business owner. If you have owned a business, you know there are so many hurdles and joys that come from finally getting launched. Getting that first year behind you is a major milestone so head over and show this passionate lady some support.
Here are 3 other things that are making me happy!
Operation Date Your Kids
As a mom of big kids, I find it challenging to keep them engaged (and off their devices in the summer). Since we nixed the pool membership this year, that freed up some summer funds to try something different.
I proposed that each kid get a solo date with me and they could pick any (budget-friendly) thing that they wanted to do with me for the week. Unfortunately, my sweet girl got sick so we ended up just popping stovetop popcorn and renting this sweet flick from the library.
My son did cash in on his date and asked if he could GO TO THE LIBRARY (insert all the heart-eyed emojis EVAH) and to grab a coffee together.
Two introverts were doing what we loved best…just sitting in silence, sipping coffee, and reading our books.
I did manage to squeeze a few fun facts out of him though on the way so I consider week one a success.
I can’t wait to see what they want to do next week.
I never thought I would be the type of person that carried around a selfie stick and, yet, here we are. I thought it might be a good investment for my website, but what I didn’t realize was how awesome it was to document moments with my kids.
I had one and it quickly broke and I never replaced it. This selfie stick is one of the most cleverly designed tech gadgets though that I have. It folds to a small size, but can be extended short or long for your shots. It also has a tripod which is so handy for my Marco Polo time and Instagram Stories.
Since it has Bluetooth, it syncs with your phone so you can take the photos. Charging is just like charging your phone- no batteries required.
If you want to document time with your kids this summer and be in the pictures, snag this ASAP. You won’t regret it!
A Sweat Proof Bra
It has been a million degrees here and I needed to replace my undergarments (*ahem*). After checking out the crazy-town prices on bras, I decided to check to see if Walmart offered some better options for my budget. I ended up buying three different brands (all of them are amazing- I’ll tell you more after I give the other two a test run), but the one that wins for this summer is this Hanes X-Temp Bra.
The reason why I like it is that it is made from fabric that is meant to adapt to the temperatures you need it throughout the day.
Boob sweat?
#thestruggleisreal
I spent a whole day running around yesterday and I was cool and collected in my bra…while the rest of me was a hot mess.
Hey, you can’t have everything.
I also LOVE the price on these and the fact that they don’t have an underwire. I purchased the nude option and you can’t see it under my summer white blouses.
I hope you enjoyed our notebook, a collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, thrifty ways to spruce up your home, and thoughtful reads. Nothing brings me more joy than to highlight other fabulous bloggers. Follow me on Pinterest for daily inspiration! Please note, there are affiliate links that do help support our site- thank you! xoxo
Keep on window shopping by visiting all of my Small-Budget Crushes. This post contains affiliate links that help our site! Thank you for supporting me! xoxo
Our son made it through his first year of high school and we couldn’t be prouder. This was such a big transition (for all of us) and it has been such a joy to see him flourish in his new environment. Since his sister has a sleepover, on the last day of school, we got to take this kid out on his own and celebrate with a little pizza.
I know that I say this often, but it does feel like I blink my eyes and another year together has passed. We are looking forward to another year of savoring the memories with them and even have planned a super secret epic adventure for his 16th birthday. I’d tell you what it is, but I have discovered that my kids follow me around on the interwebz more than I think that they do.
To not acknowledge the elephant in the room today would be wrong on my part. It is so sad to wake up and hear the news of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade this week. I have struggled with both depression and anxiety so I feel like I have a strong understanding of the ups and downs of mental illness. The ups can be so beautiful, but the lows, for me, have felt awfully lonely. The world we live in, with our constant sharing and highlight reels, can make all of this even more crippling. These words really resonated with me today.
I’m not going to pretend I have the answers, but what I do know is that I never EVER have been sad when I reached out to a therapist or to my family doctor to treat my illnesses. It takes a lot of bravery to say, “I’m not okay.” Over the years, I can see the patterns and behaviors that contribute to my illness. I also can see the people who hinder my mental health and have learned how important boundaries are. The other thing is that I have started telling people I love that I’m not okay and that I need help.
For a perfectionist, it makes me feel very vulnerable that I can’t get my shit together.
Each time I say it out loud though, I try to take action.
Today, I just wanted you to know that you are not alone and you are loved.
Saying it out loud takes bravery, but the next steps can be so rewarding to feel present again in your life.
Here are three silly things that are bringing me joy this week…
If you are looking for a fun card game that you can carry in your purse, that has quick rounds, and a blast to play (no matter your age), then you must check out Love Letters.
The story around the game is that all of the eligible young men (and many of the not-so-young) seek to woo the princess of Tempest. Unfortunately, she has locked herself in the Palace, and you must rely on others to bring your romantic letters to her. In this 16-card game, each player starts with only one card in hand; one card is removed from play. On a turn, you draw one card, and play one card, trying to expose others and knock them from the game. Powerful cards lead to early gains, but make you a target. Rely on weaker cards for too long, however, and your letter may be tossed in the fire.
The rounds are fifteen minutes (or less) and are so much fun. We brought this out to dinner with us and it was the perfect way to pass some time while waiting for our pizza. This game also happens to be less than $10, which sits perfectly in this frugal girl’s budget. Check it out!
Bob’s Burgers
One of the things that has been bringing me a lot of joy in the evenings is curling up with my hubby to watch, Bob’s Burgers. I’m probably the last person on the planet to discover how hilarious this show is, but I absolutely adore the writing, smart animation, and music in this show.
Are there any other Bob’s Burgers fans out there?
I have laughed until I’ve cried through several of these episodes and I’m going to be sad when we are all caught up because watching a handful of these has been just the fun medicine I needed when I wasn’t feeling good.
I think that I heard about these from Jessica, over at The Mom Creative, and kept this info in the back of mind for our next summer season.
I have become a HUGE fan though of Jockey Slip Shorts (on sale today, buy 1, get 1 50% off so I’m stocking up!!) for underneath my summer dresses.
Although, I love the idea of Spanx, I don’t find them comfortable or as breathable in the summer. That said, I need something to hide underwear lines and prevent that summer jiggle (hahaha!). These Jockey Slip Shorts are a great compromise and have been such a great foundation piece under my clothes.
I highly recommend these!
A few quick things I also loved this week-
This movie– although I was UGLY CRYING through it. SO incredibly good. Run, run, run to the theater to see it.
I hope you enjoyed our notebook, a collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, thrifty ways to spruce up your home, and thoughtful reads. Nothing brings me more joy than to highlight other fabulous bloggers. Follow me on Pinterest for daily inspiration! Please note, there are affiliate links that do help support our site- thank you! xoxo
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