It’s a been a while since I wrote my last post. It wasn’t for lack of ideas: life has been intense, quite a rollercoaster actually. Among the big changes, I have started on a new job, in a new field and office. Adjusting to this new routine has taken few weeks. Along side with my new position, I have started an exciting journey to implant new positive habits in my life. I will write more about it in a separate post, but the point is, I have struggled to squeeze blog writing in all of this. No worries, I kept taking notes of things I wanted to share with y’all and I have plenty of drafts to finish up and publish during summer and fall! Let’s get back into the good writing habits with a simple collection of favs I want to share. Things that gave me joy and, in some cases, have even become a game changer for daily life. Here goes!

An inspiring read: Becoming

Are you looking for the next book to read? Look no more. I was completely blown away by the celebrate Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming. Michelle shares about her family, her intense life before meeting Barack, and their long journey before they even entered the White House. Living under the spotlight for 8 years wasn’t easy. Her memoir is raw, honest, and even though she went through an incomparable experience, most women will relate. Because underneath it all, there’s a woman who fought all her life to be true to herself, find a balance among career, self-realisation, motherhood, and supporting her husband in a demanding career. You’ll love it. I recommend to buy the audiobook on Audible, narrated by Michelle herself. It’s so powerful to hear her story through her spoken words.

Learning new recipes with Yummly

I have recently discovered this fantastic recipe app and it has changed my life. This may sound dramatic, but hear me out. I am used to make a weekly menu every weekend. We are quite picky and don’t want to eat the same dishes over and over. I also appreciate learning new things and trying new flavours. On top of that, I have recently cut my meat intake and this has forced me to expand my vegetarian recipe collection. I have struggled with finding reliable recipe websites. Yummly is super convenient: you can filter recipes with many criteria – special diets, allergies, cooking time, ingredients to avoid, variety of ingredients, and so on. It’s very easy to save recipes to personal collections and dishes are realistic and tested (and reviewed by users!). I have found great new ideas we have tried, tested, and loved! Give it a try, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

A YouTube channel you need to subscribe to

Chris Ulmer was a special need teacher who, quite by chance, became a paladin for diversity and acceptance. His YouTube channel, Special Books by Special Kids (SBSK) now counts 1.5M subscribers. Chris tours the world to interview people of all ages who are living with different kinds of conditions. He gives them a platform to share how they live, love, and more. The channel also became a community, full of engaged supporters who connect with the interviewees to express solidarity and also politely ask questions about the different lifestyles and challenges. I have learned so much from Chris’ videos and I am sure you’ll love them as well.

A sweet animation series on Prime

This original Prime Video series for children is just so cute! Both my kids love it. Personally, I especially appreciate it comes dubbed in a bazillion languages, so it’s multicultural-family-friendly. It’s a story of friendship, positivity, and facing obstacles with imaginative solutions. In some ways, it reminds me of Curious George. I’m always on the lookout for stimulating content when it comes to screen time, and this is a good catch!

An introduction to minimalism

Don’t worry, I’m not here to convert you to minimalism. It’s not for everyone (definitely not for me). However, few months ago my family underwent an interesting change after watching this documentary on Netflix. I had been attracted to the idea of cutting on the amount of stuff we owned for a long time, but struggled to make consistent change. Watching that film together with my husband triggered a real conversation and we took it on to make some adjustments. In few weeks, we cleared the house of several boxes of pure junk. We made space where we didn’t think it was possible. If you are fascinated by doing something like that, the documentary Minimalism can be an easy start to learn more about how you can set your mind to act on it.

I hope you will enjoy these little pearls I have collected for you. If you find any of these useful or enjoyable, don’t forget to let me know. I love to hear your feedback. Have a great and sunny July!