You know how there are days that you just say to yourself, UGH is this day ever going to be over? Do I have to wake up and do this? We all have BAD days, but you know that saying "A bad day does not mean a BAD life!?" Well, it's true. Life can be so much worse. Just because you have a bad day or bad report or bad anything doesn't mean it's the end of the world.

In certain moments, even certain days I catch myself thinking ugh, is it 8pm yet? (Bedtime in our house). Or why do I have to attend this event or can everybody just leave me alone for a little peace and quiet! The fact is we all need a little peace for our sanity sometimes, we all need a little one on one with ourselves, our partners and even our children. It's important to take that time out for ourselves. The truth about it is ... Some of us can't do that, some of us don't have anyone that can "fill in" for them while they take a minute or a night for themselves. The truth is some of us don't have the luxury of a night out because they are a single parent and maybe live far from family or don't have family left, maybe they can't afford a sitter or maybe they don't trust anyone because they have anxiety or have been in a situation before. The truth is the reason I'm saying all that is because sometimes I'm ungrateful for things that others clearly don't have.

Sitting here really makes me think about the little things I complain about and then how little and LUCKY I am. Even at the end of a rough day, there's always things to be grateful for! For instance ... Breathing, waking up, have a warm bed, roof over my head, food on table... the list goes on. 
Life as I know it is actually pretty great. Don't get me wrong I do not live the perfect life AT ALL, but I do feel blessed with the life I live. Every night before bed, I remind myself of this, I remind myself that even though there was a lot of tantrums, tears, no naptime and bedtime took over an hour, I have to remind myself YOU ARE LUCKY! You wake up... You have 3 HEALTHY, HAPPY (and sad at times) children, who love to play, who love you with all they have no matter how much you suck that day! You are lucky you were able to conceive three babies, carry them on your own, pay for them, afford them, give then food and a bed. You, Jamie, are so blessed.

Like I mentioned before I have days NOTHING is right and I whine about small things, that others can't whine about. EVERY November a lot of people do the 30 days of thankful - some people get annoyed by this social media posting, others join in and people like me took it all in and continue it through the year. During November while doing this 30 days of thankful I realized it reminded me of what I have and what others might not. We all can vent and no one is perfect, no family is flawless and no relationship is full of no fighting. Things like that make relationships and family stronger. By continuing what I call my Grateful posts , I have found myself going to bed smiling more and waking up more grateful - less unhappy. When I hear my babes at night lately - I don't complain ... Thank goodness she's crying, this means she's alive, thank goodness she wants me, this makes me feel alive, thank goodness she wants to be rocked - one day she will be too big.

All these things were becoming so blurry to me, until I start keeping GRATEFUL posts in my planner! I have a perfect spot on my weekly layout that I just write a word, or maybe a sentence, or a person. Really anything to remind me BE GRATEFUL BE THANKFUL! It's nice to look back and see why I'm grateful or who made me feel grateful. For instance, one of my good friends was diagnosed with cancer while she was pregnant. I didn't know her then but after diagnosed I heard her story and we talked and it was like I've known her for years. I can't tell you how many times I say I'm grateful she's in remission, I'm grateful for her perfect, healthy baby boy, I'm grateful we met, I'm grateful to call her my friend! I'm grateful for her in every way and as much as I hate CANCER, I'm grateful that it brought her me and me her. I couldn't imagine not having her around. Her strength and smile are so contagious. She's so courageous and I just I am grateful for her.

She is one example of why I keep this journal - it reminds me of who I'm grateful for and why. My soul sister - I'm so grateful for tee ball! I'm grateful I signed up my son and have met amazing families after 4 years. I'm thankful I got pregnant with my oldest when I did, I think about it every day, he made me a better person, he saved me, he was my reason to finish school and get my Bachelors. I wrote one day I was grateful for the rain, I was grateful to enjoy the gloomy day indoors with movies and all day PJs! I've been grateful for COFFEE a lot lately ... with late night editing ... coffee is a MUST.

My lists of gratefuls could go on and on. Even though I still might complain this keeps me remembering daily how much there is in this world to be grateful for! Try keeping a list - some great spots for them are in the notes page or on the side of the weekly layout. Or use the bottom of the weekly layout as I do.

Why not start today with what you are grateful for?

Easy DIY Christmas Gift You can Make with Kids

DIY gifts can be the cutest, most thoughtful gifts to give. Something made by someone you love is special on so many levels. But what about those of us who aren’t especially gifted in the talent of DIY?  Hi, my name is Candice and my hands won’t do what my brain wants them to when it comes to crafting.  It’s not that I don’t want to craft. I do.  It’s just that, well, my creations usually end up looking like those Pinterest memes – “How it looks on Pinterest [perfect] / How it looks IRL [barely recognizable].”  It’s also difficult to get time alone to focus on a DIY activity with a little one running around.  So, my DIY activities must have the following criteria; be easy-peasy and be something I can make with my son. If you’re in the same boat as I am or if you’re looking for a fun holiday craft to do with your kids, check out the DIY gift below.

No-Bake Cinnamon Clay Ornament

Do you remember these?  I made these as a kid and they STILL smell deliciously warm.  There is something so inviting about the scent of cinnamon during this time of year.  These ornaments are easy to make, hard to terribly mess up, and edible (for those little ones who seem to put everything in their mouths).  

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of salt
• 1 cup of flour
• 3/4 cup of warm water
• 1/2 cup of cinnamon

Directions

Mix all ingredients together

With dry, clean hands knead the dough until it is completely mixed.  Dust your hands with flour if the dough is sticky

Place the dough on wax paper and roll out using a rolling pin

Use cookie cutters to cut out the ornaments

Poke a hole at the top of each ornament (large enough to string ribbon through)

It takes about 24 hours for the ornaments to dry.  Once that is done you can string the ribbon through, hang on the tree, or give to a friend, family member, or neighbor as a gift.  Easy-Peasy!

Featured Product: Happy Holidays Planner

Black Friday Bundle!

Get your Black Friday Bundle featuring new notebook and sticker designs! Each bundle includes a spiral bound notebook, 8x10 inch paper pad, 4 sheets of stickers and a wall calendar. The bundle is worth $65, but we will be selling them for only $50! We have a limited supply so be sure to get shopping early! Bundles will be available at 7am EST on November 25th.

Black Friday Sticker Sale!

All stickers will be $1 per sheet starting on Black Friday. Seriously. This is your last chance to purchase our current sticker designs, so grab them now.

All Interchangeable Covers: BOGO!

All Interchangeable Covers will be buy one, get one free on Black Friday! We will also be debuting 15 new Interchangeable Cover designs so you'll want to take a look and pick up some of your favorites.

The leaves are changing colors and the days are getting shorter! There's a crisp cool breeze that's cooling off the hotness of summer and that means one thing: pumpkin spice lattes, comfy sweaters, football, and boots! (Okay, so that was more than one thing!)

Fall Bucket List

Fall is quickly approaching, lucky for me it's my favorite season! Fall weather brings fall activities and lots of fall festivities to write in my planner!

I have 3 kids and we love doing outdoor activities in fall. Some as simple as walking or going and visiting new parks. Others include October festivals for Halloween and, of course, the apple orchard and the zoo. Here's my list of things that are a must for fall:

20 Things To Do in the Fall

1. Apple Orchard
2. Pumpkin Farm (we like to check out two different ones, we do the big one and find usually a small town one to support as well.)
3. Farmers Market
4. You Pick Farmers Market is always fun as well - make sure to wear boots (gets muddy) and nothing too fancy! You will definitely be getting a little dirt under your nails.
5. Make crockpot applesauce with the apples you picked at the apple orchard. Here's a great, easy recipe to follow.
6. Make apple cider. Here's one of my favorite recipes.
7. Make caramel apples, my personal favorite! We like to use Reese's pieces, M&M's, crushed candy bars and sprinkles. The  toppings list can go on, there are endless possibilities!
8. Attend a fall festival - one of our favorites is at a local amusement park. They have a dress up for Halloween and go trick or treating the whole month of October.
9. Family Photos!! If you want the most beautiful shots you can dream of, the October sun and backdrop is unimaginably perfect! Book now most photographers fill up early.
10. Go hiking! Some of the most amazing things you can do in fall are free and beautiful! We have a beautiful state park that is a couple of hours away from us in Illinois! Starved Rock State Park is beautiful, full of waterfalls and in the fall, the colors of all the trees are just perfect!
11. Make a scarecrow! I'm all about DIY! Go to the thrift store, get a flannel, some overalls, a hat, and grab some hay (most craft stores, Home Depot and Menards have this in stock during the fall). Get to stuffing! Put him (or her) on the porch or in the yard!
12. Make it a night in of SCARY MOVIES (or kid-friendly scary movies!) Some of our favorites are : Hotel Transylvania, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Coraline, The Legends of Sleepy Hallow, Beetle Juice, Corpse Bride and Harry Potter to name a few! For the adults, definitely Halloween movies and Saw, throw in some Freddy with that too! FREAKY!!
13. Rake leaves and jump in them! Collect some different colorful ones for an art project!

14. Make a colorful art project and frame it! For kids, something simple as a leaf wreath or a hand tree with leaves is an adorable keepsake. Here are some great ideas. 
15. Go to a haunted house!!!
16. Make an apple pie or pumpkin pie! (YUMMM) Here's a classic recipe for an apple pie.
17. Go to a football game! Whether it be a high school team, college game or NFL! Go out for a fun day of tailgating with some family or friends! GO TEAM GO! 🏉
18. Roast s'mores, grab some blankets and sit out and enjoy the chill of the fall with a good roasting.
19. My personal favorite is to carve or decorate pumpkins! I like to decorate the whole house in pumpkins - real and fake!
20. Go trick or treating. If your kids are grown, go with grandkids, neighbor kids, whoever! Whether it's cold, soggy, wet or even snowing. Bundle up, grab a Pumpkin Spice Latte and get to walking! Have fun!

Happy Fall Y'all!

This guest blog post was written by Jamie Lee, mother, entrepreneur and photographer at Reveal Photography. Please share and repost this blog entry with your friends! All we ask is that you give credit to Limelife Planners and the post author.