MY GOALS for 2016

It's that time again! Instead of being sad or annoyed about the word "RESOLUTIONS", remember everything that you DID accomplish last year! What things happened last year brought you joy? What events made you cherish life even more and feel gratitude?

I too have goals that I did not accomplish last year, but for those that DID work out, I kept them on the list for my 2016 goals so that they don't get forgotten. I've added a few new KEY goals to the list, including ORGANIZING DIGITAL PHOTOS, a 365 DAY PHOT PROJECT, and spending NO MORE THAN $100 PER WEEK ON GROCERIES, and more!!! (See my YouTube video below or here: http://bit.ly/1OT43dJ )

For those goals that didn't happen, like particular physical goals (attending yoga, reaching a particular weight), I will simply try again but perhaps have a different way of approaching the goal. For example, my 2015 goal of attending yoga twice a week was too stressful schedule-wise, and I found that being stressed out in class RUINS the experience! (OF COURSE!!!!)

So what are the alternatives for me?

- Aim for one yoga class a week instead of two
- Do a yoga DVD instead
- Shorter spurts of yoga routines instead of an hour long class

For this particular goal (to incorporate more yoga), I've decided to take it on a month-to-month basis. I'll evaluate at the end of each month how things are going, and if my choice isn't working, I'll try something else. For January 2016, thankfully my gym has announced a new yoga class (Yin yoga, which I wanted) on Sundays, which are definitely doable for me. If I'm able to attend at least 3 of those sessions this month, I'll continue to purse this choice next month.

What are your goals for 2016? Do you want to spend more time with family? Drink more water? Save money for a little vacation? 

love + light,
Clara

Dollar Tree Learning Corner Tour & Organization

I posted a pic of this on IG awhile ago, and although this video has been on my "to-do" for over 6 months, it took a collaboration to get myself in gear!

A special THANK YOU to Jady A for inviting me to this collaboration, titled "Organized Children Spaces." I absolutely ADORE Jady A's channel and have for a long time (way before I started my own)! Check out her free printables for Early Childhood Learning at http://www.shelfwork.com.

This video takes you on a tour of most of the individual components of this system, and the star of the organizing show are Sterilite's standard shoe boxes. I originally bought the green ones from Dollar Tree, but lately have been finding them at Kroger or Family Dollar, also for $1 each. I like them way better than Dollar Tree Essentials' shoe boxes (I mention why in the video.

See video here: http://bit.ly/1HZecCK

Do you have tips and tricks to organize your child's learning spaces?

Love + light,
Clara

Yearly Questions for Kids

This year we will start a tradition of asking the all of the Slate kids (cousins, etc.) questions about life, and recording their answers in an Elf on the Shelf notebook I bought from DT! It'll be fun to see how their answers differ according to their unique personalities, especially over the upcoming years! 


YEARLY INTERVIEW FOR KIDS:

1.) How old are you? ___________________________________________.
2.) What's your favorite color? ____________________________________
3.) Favorite book(s)?___________________________________________
4.) Favorite toy(s)?_____________________________________________
5.) What is your favorite way to play outside? What sport and team do you like?
6.) My favorite TV show(s) is__________; my favorite movie(s) is_________.
7.) My favorite music/songs are ___________________________________.
8.) My teacher's name is ____________. 
      I love to go to school because _________________________________.
10.) I am really good at _______________, and LOVE to ________________.
11.) Every night I sleep at _____________, cuddling my _________________.
12.) I love to eat and drink _______________________________________.
13.) Animals are cool, especially the ____________because_____________.
14.) _____________________________________________make me laugh.
15.) ____________________________________________ make me upset.
16.) I want to be a _________________________________ when I grow up.
17.) My friends are _____________________________________________.
18.) If I had 3 wishes, they would be: _______________________________
                                                             ______________________________
                                                             ______________________________
19.) This year was busy with ______________________________________.
20.) My plans for next year are: ___________________________________
                                                             ______________________________
                                                             ______________________________


What questions would YOU ask? Feel free to copy and paste!

Happy holidays!

love + light,
Clara

Dollar Tree Fall Activities for Children | Cheap Activities Collab!

LOVE this collab! See my video for some Dollar Tree activities to do with children. Check out the other videos in this collab as well - some FANTASTIC ideas you won't want to miss!!!

See video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVqj_F7iyiI&list=PLYBU1iiv9k08fsgTIgfJILRZADz3p9k-X&index=27

Dollar Tree Haul! Mid September 2015

Dollar Tree Haul! Toddler Things & More New Goodies http://bit.ly/1iryKIA

Thrifty Toddler Room Tours Collab!

See a PLAYLIST of all the collab videos here! http://bit.ly/1Oftdk8 

FAVORITE Dollar Tree bin! Use as a drawer anywhere, even under the bed!

Looking for a few ways to save money on a toddler's bedroom? Some of our advice can be used for children of all ages! My video highlights ways to save money on organizing, decorating, and teaching life skills to a toddler!

Repurposed pink hospital bins (brought home unused from hospital)

IKEA Kallax shelf with DIY storage bins

My FAVORITE spot in our house is my daughter's closet! Why? We turned part of it into a reading cubby, and she LOVES it!

READING CUBBY!!!! My FAVORITE space in the house!

Our reading cubby has a Pottery Barn Kids shelf to hold books (GREAT for saving some room), a pet pillow relaxing and reclining, and Dollar Tree decals - even UNDERNEATH a closet shelf, so we can see them while we're lying down! Also, I added some Dollar Tree glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling (but they don't really glow in the dark, just FYI :) ). Such a fun space to read, sing songs, create stories, cuddle....and yes, even sleep! LOL

Enjoy creating a room for your child while still saving money! And get them involved too - after all, it's their space and they'll love it even more because it was partly the child's creation! My Boo loved putting these Dollar Tree decals up in the reading cubby.

SO grateful that all of these ladies joined this collab! Like everyone, I have YT channels to which I gravitate, and I ADORE these ladies' channels! A few of these were some of my first subscriptions! 

See the Thrifty Toddler Room Tours Collab playlist at http://bit.ly/1Oftdk8 See some of our beautiful toddler bedrooms and learn how we saved some $!‪#‎dollartree‬ ‪#‎dollartreeaa‬ ‪#‎dollartreefinds‬ ‪#‎toddler‬ ‪#‎toddlers‬ ‪#‎childhood‬‪#‎child‬ ‪#‎children‬ ‪#‎ikea‬ ‪#‎target‬ ‪#‎organizing‬ ‪#‎family‬ ‪#‎claraslate‬@deb.anderson @stilakiss33 @crystal_tara @doitonadime @ashleycooper_dthauls @patriciakeele @thepurplealphabet

Dollar Tree Haul 7.27.15 | Hask Hair Treatment, Crayola Collectibles, Jumping Activity with Boo

Of COURSE luck would have it that my first post after the intro would be a DT haul. Yes, the addiction is real. New Haulllaaaaa w/new hair treatment, Crayola collectibles, bathroom hack, and my Boo!!! ‪#‎dollartree‬ ‪#‎dollartreefinds‬ ‪#‎dollartreebeauty‬‪#‎dollartreehacks‬ ‪#‎dollartreediy‬ ‪#‎claraslate‬ ‪#‎crayola‬ http://bit.ly/1U1BwBE

Introduction to New Blog

Oh my....how did this happen? I told myself over and over again that blogging will NOT happen. The amount of time and effort that goes into my YouTube channel is enough already! But yes, here it is. I keep hearing the first few words of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" in my head...

"IS THIS THE REAL LIFE? IS THIS JUST FANTASY?"...

Well, I'm thinking that blog is going to be closer to my "real life." While I LOVE making videos for my YouTube channel, it doesn't allow me the freedom to be myself 100%...not that a blog could really do that either, but at least I don't feel so restricted as to keep my thoughts and words under an "X" amount of minutes.

Making short, compressed videos, while fun (and much more rewarding than I had anticipated because it brought me to YOU!!!) is not "THE REAL LIFE"...no, how can it be? And yes, I could do vlogging, and even make videos up to an hour long just talking about my thoughts, but I don't know if I'm ready to do something like that.

SO, where do the remnants of my daily thoughts end up? Probably here. Will it last? Time will tell, I guess. WELCOME to the REAL CLARA SLATE....hopefully you weren't brought here simply because you were looking for Dollar Tree stuff, because there is definitely going to be some non-Dollar Tree topics here.

If you ARE only interested in Dollar Tree stuff, please feel free to visit my YouTube channel, at https://www.youtube.com/user/claraslate ! If you prefer to ignore this blog completely, believe me, I totally get it. I'm not hilarious, I'm not a supermodel, and I'm not a wonder woman with an immaculate house and Pinterest-worthy decorations.

So, hopefully what brought you here is merely a wish to get to know me better and discuss some things...whether you are a long time friend or family member, a new friend, or a new subbie to my YouTube channel! I'd love to hear your thoughts...but anything nonconstructive or disrespectful will probably end up in the trash, just fyi :)

Love + light,
Clara Slate