Photoshoot for the “Young at Heart”

A person can be young at heart no matter their age. It’s a feeling, an attitude, and a mindset, and it’s golden when it’s caught on camera!

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The sparkle in their eyes and their fun and youthful personality should be celebrated and remembered.

You can do both by giving a photoshoot to someone in their golden years that really lets them shine! It’s an experience they won’t forget because they’ll have print and digital photos to remind them.

Once you’ve gifted them the photoshoot, help the person brainstorm ideas for the theme, location, outfits to wear (or have fun with costumes!), and props to use. Planning it can be as fun as the photoshoot itself!

Just IMAGINE photos of great-grandpa, great-grandma, grandpa or grandma, etc. getting their photos taken and…

14 Days of Love Notes for Valentine’s Day

- - Valentine's Day

Do you know what makes a holiday better? The anticipation and excitement leading up to it!

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Valentine’s Day is coming up soon. Here is a fun way to use the first 14 days in February to show someone how much you love, cherish and appreciate them. Do this for children and adults!

The Many Reasons Why I Love You

People often say “I love you” but they often don’t go into specifics about what exactly it is about the person that they love. Telling someone the many reasons why you love them is much more powerful and meaningful.

So here’s what you do that I call 14 Days of Love Notes.

Instructions:

Cut out 14 paper hearts. Starting February 1, write a love note or affirmation on a heart every day and tape it where your Valentine will be sure to see it. It could be on their bedroom door, on their bathroom mirror, or different places around the home. Continue writing on a paper heart every day for 14 days.

Tip: I used red and pink construction paper and taped it to my son’s bedroom door with painter’s tape so it wouldn’t damage the paint.

Your loved ones will enjoy reading your daily expressions of love!

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Smartwool Socks

As a kid and young adult, the thought of giving or receiving socks as gifts made me want to vomit. Lame.

I’m in my 30’s now and I’ve officially changed my stance because of one, specific brand… Smartwool.

Smartwool socks are high-quality socks made of Merino wool.

Merino wool is not traditional wool. It’s much softer and lighter. It has amazing qualities such as being all-natural, moisture-wicking (perfect for people with sweaty feet like me), antimicrobial, and breathable.

It’s truly nature’s miracle fabric!

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Sympathy Cookie Cake

There are entire businesses built around giving cookie cakes to celebrate special occasions.

I remembers as a tween when I suddenly became too cool for a birthday cake. Instead, I wanted a giant cookie cake from Great American Cookies (from the mall!) for my birthday party.

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The cookie business has evolved since then. Now you can order someone a Sympathy Cookie Cake.

Maybe you know someone who had an accident, who lost a pet, who lost a job, who had a bad breakup, or who is going through a difficult time overall.

A Sympathy Cookie Cake might be the perfect gift to show someone you care while cheering them up.

Personalized Sympathy Cookie Cake

When my friend, Vahid, broke his elbow long-boarding, his employees surprised him at the office with a mini cookie cake from Insomnia Cookies.

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MasterClass.com | Online Classes From Famous Celebrities

I’m sure at some point everyone has probably dreamed of getting the inside scoop from a famous celebrity to learn what makes them so good at what they do.

We all want to know the secret to their success!

What can Helen Mirren teach us about how to be an award-winning actor? Or Serena Williams on how to become a tennis superstar?

Wouldn’t it be great to have the opportunity to learn first-hand from some of the world’s greatest minds?

Well, you CAN! MasterClass.com gives you that type of ACCESS and knowledge.

Online Classes From the Best Minds & Talent in the World

Learn how to become a better writer from James Patterson, Bob Woodward, R.L. Stine and Judy Blume.

Learn how to become a better cook from Gordon Ramsay and Wolfgang Puck.

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Pumpkin Spice Gift Basket

For some people, this is their favorite season of the year. They go crazy for it!

I’m not talking about fall y’all. Or about winter, spring or summer.

I’m talking about Pumpkin Spice season! When pumpkin spice everything is available for a limited-time-only.

I myself go crazy over Pumpkin Spice cereal.

I once made a Pumpkin Spice Gift Basket for a client. This particular client had a tradition of hand-delivering appreciation gifts to their most important clients around Thanksgiving.

The Pumpkin Spice Gift Basket came with a decorative tag that read…

“We’re as crazy about you as we are pumpkin spice!”

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Baby Shark | Singing Plush Toy

- - Christmas, Kids

I first learned the “Baby Shark” song more than 10 years ago at Girl Scout camp as an adult volunteer.

Baby Shark Doo Doo Doo Doo…

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I thought it was adorable with its catchy tune and fun hand motions. Nobody I knew outside of Girl Scouts had even heard of the song.

Now the “Baby Shark” song is EVERYWHERE after it went viral!

“Baby Shark” A Global Sensation

After billions of views on YouTube, it’s safe to say it has become a global sensation!

Kids and adults alike know all the words, and it’s being played at sporting events. My boys and I attended Hot Wheels Monster Trucks LIVE, and they played it there too!

My youngest niece who is turning two years old loves to dance to the Baby Shark song. She can listen to it over and over and over again.

That is why for her birthday I am giving her this adorable Baby Shark Singing Plush Toy! (Also comes in Mommy Shark and Daddy Shark versions.) All she has to do is squeeze it, and she can listen to the song as many times as she wants.

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Say Thank You with Pocket Praise Cards

- - Business

We often focus on the big moments in life, when it’s really the little moments that mean the most.

This is definitely true when it comes to appreciation.

Small acts of appreciation mean a lot–such as a handwritten thank you card. They let people know that who they are and what they do matter.

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A thank you card takes time to compose. A person has to write several sentences to fill a traditional-sized thank you card.

What if you only had to write one phrase or sentence and it was still meaningful?

That’s the beauty of Pocket Praise cards!

Spread Positivity With Pocket Praise Cards

Pocket Praise cards are small note cards that spread encouragement, gratitude and positivity when handed out in the workplace.

Their small size of 3.5″ x 2″ makes it quick and easy to write a handwritten thank you card. It only takes a minute to recognize someone for a job well done!

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Escape Room Experience

- - Uncategorized

My family and I were trapped in a room… We could only escape by unravelling a series of clues… We had one hour… Or else… Tick. Tick.

For the next 60 minutes, my sisters, nieces, brother, brother-in-law and I bonded by working together to search for clues and decipher them.

What is an Escape Room?

“Escape Room” adventure games offer a unique experiences for families and groups ages 12 to 100.

You pick a themed room with distinct story line, and your team has to complete your mission to “escape” the room in 60 minutes or less.

It’s a one-of-a-kind experience working together under that type of pressure.

For us, it was an adrenaline rush filled with lots of laughter. So much laughter.

When a clue was particularly perplexing, someone would yell, “That’s it! We’re gonna die in here!” That always cracked everyone up.

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Elephant & Piggie Books

When my son, Aiden, turned either one or two years old, he received Elephant & Piggie books for his birthday.

Before then, I had never heard of Elephant, Piggie or their author and illustrator–Mo Willems.

Well, Mo Willems is a children’s book genius and his books contain a unique style!

It wasn’t long before I ordered more books to add to our new collection.

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Mo Willem’s Elephant & Piggie books are filled with simple drawings that allow the words, facial expressions and body languages to stand out and make the story come alive.

The books also touch on important life lessons that children should know such as how to be a good friend, how to be kind, how to be patient, how to share, and how to work together to solve problems.

Award Winning Book Series

Several of Mo Willems’ books have won prestigious awards, including the Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal. Before he wrote children’s books, he worked as a writer on Sesame Street.

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