Welcome to Hot Chocolate & Holding Close, a personal growth blog about wellness, relationships, parenting, pets, home maintenance, and writing.
Recent Blog Posts
Marie Kondo Tidy Challenge: Week 6 Tidying Sentimental Items
Week 6 of the Marie Kondo Tidy Challenge was to tidy sentimental items. Sentimental items are things such as diaries, letters, pictures, and memorabilia. Tidying sentimental items seemed daunting at first, but the rest of the challenge really prepares you for this...
Spring Home Maintenance
Spring is nearly here! The temperatures are warming and the snow has (mostly) melted. With the turn of seasons, it is now time to ready your home for warmer temperatures. Below is an easy spring home maintenance checklist that will cover what you need to do after the...
Tips on Working from Home
Over the past year, many people have switched to working from home because of Covid. Getting into a good routine for working from home can be tricky. Below are my tips for working from home. It has been nearly a year since I’ve been working from home. I never once...
How to Be Happy
How to be happy? That is a question on a lot of people’s minds lately. It seems Covid-19 is taking its toll and people are having trouble being happy and improving their overall well-being. Last week we talked about the misconceptions of happiness. We learned that...
Misconceptions About Happiness
It was the beginning of the pandemic here in the United States. The world was starting to put an increased focus on wellness and being happy in light of having to isolate from friends and family for long periods of time. However, people often have misconceptions about...
Different Types of Meditation: A Breakdown for Beginners
The very first tool my therapist recommended on my first day of therapy was meditation. What I had yet to learn was how many different types of meditation were available. My Story About Meditation I was excited. Meditation was something I had been wanting to get into...
Tips on Dividing Household Chores Between Spouses
Last week we started discussing the task of dividing household chores up between spouses. We talked through the background on your different viewpoints and how coming to an understanding of that can help you move forward. Then we went into how you can best approach...
How to Talk to Your Spouse About Dividing Household Chores
Dividing household chores between spouses can be a difficult task. It can often be a sensitive topic that leaves both people feeling under-appreciated. Read on to learn how to talk to your spouse about dividing household chores. In my experience, household chores...
DIY Burlap Magnetic Bulletin Board
After working from home for almost a year now, I find myself needing more space to hang a few key documents from work. Enter the DIY magnetic bulletin board. Initially, I was just going to buy something cute off of Etsy. However, when I finally found some that had the...
Marie Kondo Tidy Challenge: Week 5 Komono
Week 5 of the Marie Kondo Tidy Challenge was by far the most time-consuming week. Week 5 of the Marie Kondo 8-Week Challenge focuses on komono, which is everything not included in clothes, books, papers, and sentimental items. How on earth anyone could fit all of the...
