Free ways to be kind

I have always been big into being kind. Being kind is so easy. It’s much harder in my opinion than being mean. When you are mean, you have to work harder and think of ways to hurt people. There’s a common misconception that being kind means having to reach in your pocket and give money. While giving money is a great thing to do, not everyone can afford to give all the time.  I wanted to share some free ways you can be kind to someone else. Maybe if more people realize that you don’t have to give money, they might be open to being more kind. 

Open the door for someone else at the store. Let others go in front of you. Hold the door for as many people as you can. I remember one time, I was at the mall and there was a woman using a walker and I waited for her to come in and I held the door for her. She thought that was the kindness thing. 

Let someone go in front of you in the checkout. If you aren’t in a hurry, let them go before you.  It doesn’t take very long to wait. I always have a knack for finding the line that will have problems anyways. 

Smile at someone. My best friends mom is in a nursing home. The other day we went to go take her something. There was a woman in a wheelchair and I smiled at her. She smiled back. It was the coolest exchange. 

Say something kind to a stranger. Give them a compliment. If you like their hair or their outfit, tell them. You can definitely find something about them you like. Just even as them how they are doing?

If your baking, send some treats to a friend. I did my normal holiday baking and I sent treats to two of my friends who in turn shared them with others. Bring cookies to a neighbor. 

Spend time with people. I know that one sounds so easy and almost redundant. Honestly though people just want your time. They want to make memories with you. You don’t have to do anything special. Just give them your undivided attention. Put your phone away and focus on them. 

Offer to help a neighbor or friend. If you know how to do something a neighbor can’t do, do it for them. Offer to take them to the store if they don’t drive.  Loan them something.  Neighbors are friends that live next door. 

Mow someone’s lawn or shovel their driveway. All my neighbors have snow blowers and thankfully my neighbor will clear off my driveway and sidewalks for us. 

I would love to know ways that you can be kind without spending any money. 

What dating a blogger is like

While I was thinking about dating and random stuff while I was mopping the floor. I started thinking about what it is like to date a blogger. I have never dated a blogger, but thought I wish I could. They would understand almost everything about what I do. It would be so easy to connect on that level. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of single male bloggers online. 

There are some great dad bloggers but they are either married or attached. I am honestly pretty shy about talking about my blog in real life. I love blogging and I have made some really great friends and had some amazing opportunities from it. I am just weird about it. It's a strange job, it's not super mainstream. I remember talking to my aunt and uncle about my blog when I first started almost eight years ago. My uncle was kind of skeptical about the whole product thing. 

I mean how to do explain professional blogging to a potential love interest? I mean it's kind of hard. When I am talking to someone, I mention that I am a writer. I work with brands to promote products and services. Usually the reply is cool or how can I do that? I always say it takes a lot of work and discipline. Some are supportive others think it's weird. I wanted to write a post about what it's like to date a blogger, but I can only tell you what it's like to date me as a blogger. Everyone is different and writes about different things. So, I can't make a blanket statement about dating any blogger. 

I am very disciplined, I have things I have to do right away. Sometimes I have a client who asks if I can post right away. I usually accommodate unless there's a reason I just can't. 

I am great at multitasking. I am not answering an email or doing something to be rude to you. I am listening, I promise. I am not glued to my phone but I might need a few moments to do something. 

I wear a lot of comfy clothes. I work from home and I don't dress up to work. It's just not comfortable. I must be comfortable to be creative. It's just who I am.

I have a pretty open schedule during the day so if you want to grab lunch or go to a movie I am usually good with that. 

I sometimes work weird hours. I will resist texting you at 3 am while I am finishing up something. If you are up, text me. If I don't answer I am probably sleeping. 

I get invited to local events and I might take you along. You need to be professional too. You are an extension of me and my brand. 

I might mention you on my blog. I will usually ask first. I share a lot of stuff publicly. I won't share personal information about you or your life without consent. 

I like to take photos. You might be in said photo. I will have you sign a waiver and a non-disclosure agreement. I get invited to things like movie screenings that are embargoed. That means you can't talk about it, including social media. 

I have spent almost eight years building my brand so it's one of my babies, like Noah is. I have poured my blood, sweat and tears in to this. Your presence is important too. 

I might be guarded about certain things because of confidentiality agreements. Please don't take this personally. You may not have access to my email because of this. 

I will get stressed out. Sorry. It's just part of the job. Just hug me and give me some cupcakes. 

I might ask you to try a product out and ask for your honest and brutal opinions. I will include them in my articles maybe even photos of you using it. 

Read my blog. Get to know me better. I include personal stories in almost all my posts. If you need a list of keywords let me know. 

I might use strange blogging words like SEO. That means search engine optimization. That's basically how to get ranked better in search engines. 

I may have to go on a trip with short notice. Sometimes you might be able to go depending on the brand and the level of the relationship. 

I love creating and trying recipes. That means you get yummy food to try. Who doesn't love food? 

I'm a writer so texts might be long. I have lots of interesting things to say. I don't expect novels back but more than ok or cool would be great. 

I get excited about opportunities, so I will probably get excited about things you are just ok with.  Be excited with me. 

I might ask for your feedback sometimes. Sometimes you just need another pair of eyes to catch things. 

I can work from anywhere if I have internet or cell service which is always nice. 

I might have boxes around. Let me know if you need any. I can open a closed box with my bare hands. 

I have a very supportive community that I am part of full of amazing blogger friends who I love. 

That's basically what it is like to date me as a blogger. Hope you enjoyed reading it. 

Sand dollar wreath

 

My family has found many sand dollars through out the years. We used to vacation in Florida a lot. We would go on shelling trips. A shelling trip is a boat ride to an island where there are a lot of great shells. A couple times we have come home with bags of sand dollars. You have to often bleach them to make them white. Most sand dollars aren't white from the beginning. They are dead of course so bleaching them also helps with the smell. I love making crafts out of shells so I decided to make a simple sand dollar wreath.

You can either find them or buy them. All of the sand dollars I used we found. We don't like to buy shells unless they are not in the area. I have purchased star fish in the past. I buy them from The Shell Shop in St. Pete Beach. You can order them online too. They have an amazing selection. 

Here's how to make a simple sand dollar wreath:

1 wooden wreath from the dollar store

10 sand dollars or enough to go all the way around. 

Glue gun

Embellishments. I used a starfish I bought for a dollar. 

Place the sand dollars around the wreath and carefully hot glue them on. Over lapping them looks really neat. 

Once dried add your embellishments with hot glue. 

Attach a ribbon or a piece of cord and voila!