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Happily Hafsa

A blog about mom life and how I navigate it.

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Be the first to know when I share new recipes, beauty tips/products or my latest mom adventure.

The Adventure Called Motherhood

Becoming a mom is one of the greatest privileges and the biggest challenge we face as women. All of a sudden, our priorities, goals and needs change to revolve around these gorgeous little people who are now a part of our lives. This blog chronicles my motherhood adventures. From the exciting to the mundane, and everything in between- I share my favorite beauty and skincare tips, my health and wellness goals, the best and easiest Instant Pot recipes and the fun I have with my little ones. Welcome to my organized chaos!

Instant Pot Recipes

Instant Pot Recipes

Delicious and quick recipes that help me get wholesome meals on the dinner table in no time.

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Mom Life

Mom Life

It's fun. It's crazy. It's overwhelming but you wouldn't trade it for the whole world. It's mom life and here's mine.

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Beauty for Busy Moms

Beauty for Busy Moms

It's hard to look your best while running after little ones. Here are some quick and easy beauty and skincare tips for you.

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“There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.”
– Jill Churchill

MOM LIFE
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Hi, I'm Hafsa!

I'm a wife and mom of two gorgeous little boys who are the light of my life. When I'm not busy running around after them, I'm a photographer, a wanna-be Instant Pot chef and a creative entrepreneur. My passion is helping fellow moms maximize their productivity so they can pursue what makes them glow. I accomplish that by offering ideas and practical life examples of how to simplify mom life to amplify productivity. I also love social media and it's power to connect people from diverse backgrounds and stories. My favorite things in the world are shopping, naps and tiny baby toes and I can't wait to get to know you better.
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The Instant Pot has transformed the way I cook and saved me hours of cooking and cleaning time. I have compiled my favorite recipes that I have tried again and again in this one spot to make your life easier.

INSTANT POT RECIPES

RECENT POSTS

Beautiful Boy Nursery Reveal

Delicious Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

Why We Love Goldfish Swim School

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Instagram post 2244651894096259624_4038845033 Let's talk numbers!⠀ ⠀ When it comes to Instagram- likes, follows, unfollows can lead to major negative feelings about ourselves.⠀ ⠀ Last year, I was stuck at the same number of followers for 5 months with tiny growth. Even now- in any given week- around 50-60 people unfollow me.⠀ ⠀ It's always a hit to the ego- especially for someone who teaches content strategy. ⠀ ⠀ Here are 4 realizations that helped put things into perspective for me when I was struggling. ⠀ 1- My business is bigger than my Instagram account. While my Instagram growth plateaued last year, I still made more $$ than in any previous year, grew my email list by 200%, launched a membership site and build 14 websites for clients. What are you missing in your picture?⠀ ⠀ 2- You don't need a huge Instagram account to have huge success in business. @lindsayandco had her first 5 figure launch with less than 5000 followers. @brandonlucero has 1500 followers but made over $5 million in his business last year. Too often, likes and followers are a vanity metric that has NO bearing on our actual success.⠀ ⠀ 3- We talk a lot about authenticity but it is equally important to talk about transparency. I've made a commitment to not do anything that I cannot be transparent about with my community- even if it means a flatter growth curve. This means saying no to quid pro quo arrangements like comment and growth pods.⠀ ⠀ Would I want my community to know that I'm simply sharing an account because we're in a pod together? Probably not.⠀ ⠀ Our perspective on sharing others needs to come from a place of service- how does this content serve my audience- and not from an emphasis on vanity metrics (will this help me grow faster?) that also create unrealistic and unachievable expectations for newer accounts.⠀ ⠀ 4- There are no shortcuts. When I started putting the work in my account and showing up consistently, it started growing again. Focus on creating the right content for the right people and the growth will come.⠀ ⠀ My dear friend- your worth and impact is far bigger than the number of your followers or your growth trajectory on Instagram.⠀ ⠀ Have you been struggling with this and was I able to help?
Instagram post 2241732266235717519_4038845033 One of my goals for this year is to address the things that stress me out before they’ve resulted in a meltdown. I think that's an essential aspect of taking radical responsibility for your life- not waiting for things to completely break before you fix them.⠀ ⠀ Something that has really helped me achieve and maintain equilibrium is journaling. I can see the incredible difference it has made in my life. I’m a calmer parent, less anxious and less prone to getting angry with the kids. I am getting much better at releasing negative emotions because I write them out and work through them. Most importantly, I’m getting better at defining my big visions and executing them.⠀ ⠀ I shared a little bit about journaling a few days ago and many of you asked for advice on getting started and how to keep going so here are 5 tips!⠀ ⠀ 📔You don’t need a lot to get started- any sturdy notebook and a pen will do. Don’t delay getting started on this habit because you’re missing a fancy journal with a lock or special pens.⠀ ⠀ ⚠️Set clear and definite boundaries. Just like your family would not walk in on you in the bathroom, make it clear that they simply cannot touch or read your journal. Your journal needs to be a safe place.⠀ ⠀ 📝That blank page can be super intimidating. Don’t worry! I’ve written out 10 journaling prompts that I use myself to get started. Grab them from the link in my bio.⠀ ⠀ ⏰Make it part of your routine. I write in my journal before I sleep every night. It helps me lay out my thoughts about the day and release any negative energy I may have accumulated so I get better sleep. A different time might work for you but pick a time and stick to it.⠀ ⠀ ✨You will see the most benefits from journaling when you do it consistently but don’t turn it into a writing assignment that gives you anxiety. Once you get in the habit, you’ll feel the difference when you don’t do it but remember, there will be days when you just can’t get it done. It’s ok!⠀ ⠀ In truth- journaling is an act of self-care for me and does more than any bath or face mask. Double tap if this got you excited about journaling and ask any questions you have below!⠀ ⠀ #momlife #creativejournaling
Instagram post 2236713400522752887_4038845033 Today is my birthday.⠀ ⠀ I often think about the pressure that women face in society as they age. The same number of years that take a guy from “hot” to “distinguished ” take us from youthful to Botox, photoshop or both 😂⠀ ⠀ The same number of years where men hit the director and VP targets are often the years where many women spend away from the workforce and nurturing little humans.⠀ ⠀ When I was younger, I had envisioned a very different life in my mid-thirties than I have now. I’d look “perfect,” be well on my way up the corporate ladder, live in a perfect house with a full-time nanny close to my mom’s house, have a boy and a girl with a fluffy kitten to round out the picture.⠀ ⠀ And yet- I wouldn’t trade my life today for anything.⠀ ⠀ Nope I don’t look perfect as defined by the typical standards of beauty. The greys are coming in double time, the love handles are extra lovely, I am much more likely to hurt myself while sleeping and anti-aging products get me every time 🤦🏻‍♀️. I’m an entrepreneur. My house is lived in- not perfect, nowhere close to my mama and I mother 3 amazing little boys and no cat.⠀ ⠀ Adam is 8 and I remember looking at my mom when I was 8 on her birthday and thinking that she was the universe in one person. Do you remember how strong we imagined our parents to be, how sure of themselves we thought they were, how we looked at them as powerful beyond our imagination?⠀ ⠀ Now imagine living our life as the person that our babies see. Imagine living our lives with strength, purpose, focus and fullness.⠀ ⠀ This is what the mid-thirties are to me. They are the chance to live my best life, ignoring the fluffy outdated expectations I had set for myself in my youth based on unrealistic standards. My 30’s are a chance to take radical responsibility for my happiness, toss fear aside, focus on health over appearance, love my loved ones with all my heart and step back from the things and people that no longer work for me.⠀ ⠀ Onwards dear friends because truly, we are only limited by our imagination and our willingness to the hard things.⠀ ⠀ How do you feel about ageing and hitting the big milestone birthdays?
Instagram post 2231045351517797345_4038845033 I’m doing something scary. ⠀ ⠀ I left my two older kids, my currently sick with the man-flu husband, and brought my 3 month old baby to attend an event in Los Angeles. ⠀ ⠀ I’ve had so many mamas tell me how it’s so awesome that I’m doing it but they don’t think they could ever do it.⠀ ⠀ “Omg. You’re so brave. I could never do this because [insert reason here].” ⠀ ⠀ I could tell you- oh but you can. You just have to want it enough. ⠀ ⠀ You *have* to want it. You have to want it enough to step out of your comfort zone. You have to want it enough to be willing to do hard things like leave a sick husband and carry a baby for 4.5 hours on a plane and the struggle that includes. You have to want it enough to be willing to give your babies a hug and head to a flight though your heart is still reeling from the news of someone larger than life dying in a flying accident.⠀ ⠀ And that’s part of it. ⠀ ⠀ But there’s another element that made this trip possible. ⠀ ⠀ And that is support from those around me.⠀ ⠀ Support from my incredible husband who made it possible by being the rock on which I build my dreams; my amazing MIL who flew in to help when everyone got sick; friends like @lindsayandco and @jessicajofisher who reminded me to keep the right mindset; and so many more. ⠀ ⠀ If you are a mom with big dreams, I’m here to tell you two things. ⠀ ⠀ 1- You have to want it enough to be willing to get really uncomfortable ⠀ ⠀ 2- You have to start honing your support structures now to build the future that you are dreaming about.⠀ ⠀ I’m super uncomfortable right now and I’m leveraging my support network. Some incredible things are coming this year and I can’t wait to serve all of you in a way that makes it possible for you to do the amazing things you want to do!⠀ ⠀ What is something that you would love to do but don’t feel like you can because you’re a mom?!⠀ ⠀ #mompreneurlife #dreambigdreams
Instagram post 2226689598413713702_4038845033 There was a time not too long ago when I looked at becoming a mom as the end of life as I knew it- and let’s face it, the end of all fun.⠀ ⠀ I believed truly that motherhood meant endless chores, catching breathers between mealtimes that were too close together, always playing catch-up with my to-do list, no potential for doing something for myself and constantly being harried. This is after I had already considered my professional opportunities dead and buried.⠀ ⠀ But here’s the truth.⠀ ⠀ In motherhood, I have found the BEST, strongest, most resilient and creative version of myself.⠀ ⠀ A few years ago, I attended an event where the speaker said, “the quality of your life is a direct reflection of the quality of the questions you are asking yourself”⠀ ⠀ And what questions was I asking myself?⠀ ⠀ “Why me?!”⠀ “Why is my life so hard?”⠀ “Why does my husband have to travel and why do I have to do all the things by myself?”⠀ “Why do we have so much laundry?”⠀ ⠀ And on and on and on this list of questions around my self-misery went until that day when I stopped and looked at my life.⠀ ⠀ I was tired. I was overwhelmed. My house was a mess. I was unhappy and because I was unhappy, my husband was stressed out and my son was anxious.⠀ ⠀ And so I asked myself.⠀ ⠀ “How can I change my life so I can do the things I want to do?”⠀ “How can I become more efficient at doing the things I need to do?”⠀ “How can I create systems and routines that allow me to be a good mom, good wife and still make time for passions?”⠀ ⠀ And the rest is history.⠀ ⠀ Our subconscious is an incredible thing. And when I started asking the right questions, I was able to find the capacity and the resources to build upon the foundation that already existed.⠀ ⠀ Think of the questions you ask yourself.⠀ ⠀ What is one question you’re asking thats holding your back from the life of your dreams?⠀ ⠀ Lets see how we can reframe it so the answers help you create a life by design, not by default.⠀ ⠀ #momlifelessons #motherhoodslens

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