Welcome to Hot Chocolate & Holding Close, a personal growth blog about wellness, relationships, parenting, pets, home maintenance, and writing.
Recent Blog Posts
How to Battle Mental Health Stigma
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The goal of the month is to bring awareness to and battle the stigma surrounding mental health. Given the day and age, it feels crazy to think that there is still a battle to be had with the stigma surrounding mental health, but...
Love Your Child Best by Using the 5 Love Languages
A few weeks ago when I was refreshing myself on the 5 Love Languages for a previous post on Connecting with Your Spouse Through 5 Love Languages. This book takes the same concepts as the original love language book and gives specific examples on how to bring them into...
Getting Past Resentment: A Reflection on My Own Experience
You’re infuriated. You can feel your heart pounding out of your chest and your blood is boiling. The cause? Your partner, staring down at their phone, while you do all of the things. Sound familiar? Read on to learn how to get past resentment. My Story For me,...
Take the Trip
When my husband first brought up getting separated, I was devastated. As the time neared that we would normally take an annual family vacation, I felt so lost and alone. However, instead of cancelling the vacation, I took the trip. My advice if you are ever in a...
Create a Soothe Your Baby Checklist
Most parents have been there. 3AM and the baby won’t stop crying. Or maybe your time frame was 5-8 at night like mine was with my daughter. Either way it can leave you feeling at your wits end with no idea what to do. Suggestion: create a soothe your baby checklist....
Connect With Your Spouse Through the Love Languages
I’ve never been a huge fan of valentine’s day. It’s always seemed a little overdone to me and just not quite as genuine. The other day I was watching an Instagram live between a few coaches and they were talking about their simple Valentine’s day plans. What I liked...
Shift Your Life by Asking for What You Need
Some people have a word of the year and others have a question of the year. I typically only do a word of the year. However, lately, I have had a question popping up over and over again: “What is it that you need?”. I think a lot can be shifted in your life by asking...
2022 Word of the Year
I’ve never been one to focus on accomplishing new year’s resolutions. They’ve always felt a bit abstract and unnecessary to me. Inspired by the Happier podcast by Gretchen Rubin, I did start picking out a word of the year. I like the idea of setting an overarching...
Importance of Creating a Will
No one likes to talk about the what-ifs of what might happen if something were to happen to them. However, accidents do happen and you should think ahead. Read on to find out the importance of creating a will. What is a Will? A will is a legal document that provides...
How to Practice Gratitude in Daily Life
Thanksgiving is always a time to focus on gratitude. While it does make for a great reminder, gratitude is something that should be done regularly, not just one day a year. Read on to learn more about how to practice gratitude in daily life. What is Gratitude?...
