Tag Archives: new year goals

Friday I’m in Love

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Happy Friday and happy new year!

o n e

There is just something exciting about the first week of the year. We were back to work and back to school on Tuesday, so it was great to start the year with a four day week. I think we all were excited about a fresh start. We’ve been diligent about our work-out schedules this week, as well as keeping the house tidy after taking down all of the Christmas decorations. Here’s to making it a habit this year!

// source //

t w o

We have been really on top of our game this week with our breakfast, lunch, and dinners. I have been thinking about sharing our meal plan on a weekly basis, but for now, I’ll share it here. We did a lot of food shopping and prepping Monday, so I was really thankful to have that extra day this week to devote to getting ahead. For breakfasts this week, I made Italian Sausage Egg Muffins which been quick and easy to warm up each day. For lunches, Greg and I had jar salads. It was my first time doing these and I am hooked! They are so easy and super filling. Our favorite dinner this week was Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potatoes, but I’m also excited to try our Mexican Chicken Zucchini Boats tonight, inspired by this recipe. In the spirit of keeping it real, I will also share that the guilty pleasure we’ve been loving this week is the Cheez-Its Snack Mix. Oh my, that stuff addicting! I am hopeful we can keep this momentum going past the first week of the new year.

t h r e e

I have been getting back into podcasts lately. I haven’t listened to many since the first season of Serial, but the two I have been loving lately are Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey and I’ll Have Another with Lindsey Hein. Definitely check them out!

f o u r

Attention Florida residents — The Discover Disney ticket is back this year with both 3 day and 4 day options. We are so excited to take advantage of the great deal! Also, SeaWorld is offering the Preschool Pass again!

f i v e

I am loving several books right now. Last month, I finished Emily Ley’s Grace, Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy and it was amazing! I highly recommend it for any woman in any stage of life right now. I am onto The Magnolia Story and loving it so far. I am hoping to get it done before my classwork ramps up. I also got a couple cookbooks for Christmas too which is helping in the meal planning department: Run Fast, Eat Slow and Inspiralize Everything.

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Friday I'm in Love Linky Party

What are you loving on this first week of the year?! Don’t forget to hop over to see what Misha is loving and I’m also linking up with Carolina Charm today.

Have a great weekend!

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Friday I’m in Love

Posted in Friday I'm in Love by

Happy Friday and happy 2016!

o n e

You all have heard me talk about my Simplified Planner or the app, but I am back with another awesome Emily Ley idea. Right now, she is hosting a simplicity challenge on Instagram. 30 days to simplify your life. There is still time to catch up, head over to her Instagram page to see the tasks. Each are super easy and I feel so accomplished after each one. It’s a great way to start 2016!

t w o

As is everyone else in America, we are currently obsessing over Making a Murderer. We are six episodes in, so no spoilers please. Related: we’ve finally joined the rest of society and logged into Netflix, thanks to Michael.

t h r e e

We have also been all about the podcasts this week. We finally started listening to the Sugar Crash Kids podcast in the morning on the way to school and we LOVE it. Kenley asks for it every day. A couple sweet friends had shared about it last year, but I just hadn’t gotten around to listening yet. We were missing out. It’s so great! You should definitely subscribe to it on iTunes. You won’t be disappointed. I also have been catching up on Serial on my way home from work. I’m still undecided on whether it is better than season one or not, but I am definitely hooked.

Sugarcrash Kids

f o u r

It’s finally “winter” here in Florida! We’ve had temps in the 50s and 60s this week which has allowed us to break out our boots and puffy vests. Hopefully it stays a while, but who knows!

f i v e

During Christmas, I was introduced to the Turbie Twist by my family. As soon as we got back to Florida, my mom and I were shopping and I had to pick it up. I love the microfiber towels and I’ve shared before the DevaCurl towel that I had used, but the Turbie Twist is FAR better. I love it! I got mine at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but they are also on Amazon and at a couple other retailers.

The Original Turbie Twist® Super-Absorbent Hair Towel in Pink (Set of 2)

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Friday I'm in Love Linky Party

Now it’s your turn to join us for Friday I’m in Love! Share your blog link with us by clicking on the blue button below. The linky party will stay open the whole month of January, so add your post each week and come back to see what everyone else is loving!

Bring it on, 2015!

Posted in Random by

I was going to skip posting my new year goals this year because I really hadn’t put much thought into them yet, but I really enjoyed reading my goals from last year (and then I went on to read 2013 and 2012). I can’t believe how far we’ve come since that first post of 2012 when I went back to work for the first time as a mama. So, I decided I wanted to get some sort of goals down so I have something to reference later and maybe in a couple years I can look and read them again. Better late than never, right?

I will quickly recap my goals from last year. (1.) I’m still working on getting back into shape. I met my goal and ran not one but two half marathons in 2014. (2. & 3.) I think we did a pretty good job of having ‘technology free time’ and I did continue to work on my blog, but I also knew when I needed to take a tiny step back from it when work and life got crazy over the summer. I’m glad I did because I realized how much I missed it during that short break. Not only am I working on this blog, but I also started contributing to Orlando Moms Blog and the Moms Magazine this past year, which was been a great experience. (4.) Christmas decorating was in full force again this season, but I still need to get better about remembering all those other holidays. (5.) I rocked the slow cooker recipes this year (and shared some here) AND I can say that I’ve been doing a great job at meal planning this year too (mostly thanks to my Emily Ley planner)!

On to 2015…

(1.) I really want to work on Greg and I having more time to ourselves, whether that be through date nights out, or just intentional date nights in. I think this will always be a work in progress, but I want to be intentional about it. I also want to do some family fun activities this year too! Crosby is getting older which is making it easier to get out of the house (without taking everything and the kitchen sink). We have passes this year to Legoland and Sea World, thanks to Christmas gifts and some awesome deals, so I want to make sure we put them to good use. The main goal is being more intentional with our time. I could write another whole post on the trials and tribulations of being two working parents in terms of time management, weekends, running errands, etc., but I will leave it at I am going to be more intentional with planning (or not planning) our time this year.

(2.) My race calendar for the spring is getting pretty full and I already have a wish list of races for the fall. I think my biggest goal in regards to running is to beat my 2:22 half marathon PR. I know it is going to take a little bit to get there, but I will run a 2:15 half marathon this year.

(3.) Since we spent majority of last year trying to figure out how to survive as a family of four, our house projects took a backseat. I am already starting a list of house projects I want to work on this year, so stay tuned for all the updates!

(4.) Yet again this year I am writing down another goal about getting to church. We have really fallen off the wagon in regards to our church attendance. I could give you excuse after excuse, but the bottom line is that we need to start small and actually start going to church again.

What’s on your mind for 2015?

Making 2014 Count

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It was fun to look back at our 2013 goals to see what we accomplished, and what is still a work in progress.
Here is a quick recap before we look forward to 2014.
(1.) Greg and I did a pretty good job of getting in date nights. We have a great babysitter we can count on and we aren’t afraid to call her. Each time my family was in town, we made a point to take advantage of the free babysitting.
(2.) We rocked our to-do list of projects for the house. There will always be projects, but we had a great time in 2013 transforming our new house into a home. My quilt, however, was put on hold.
You win some, and you lose some.
(3.) I did a pretty good job of getting behind my DSLR, but I still need a lot of work. I don’t think I will ever master my camera, so this is a constant work in progress, and I’m ok with that!
(4.) We struggled this year with our church-going. Plain and simple. There were several different factors for this, but ultimately the responsibility is on us. We need to get better.
(5.) Having fun and enjoying the ride. Done and done!

Now, on to making 2014 count.
I think my goals this year will resemble a lot of my goals from 2012.
We are in a similar spot as we were two years ago.
(1.) I, again, want to get back my pre-pregnancy body. So far, it hasn’t been happening as quickly as it did last time (thank you second child). My plan is to start running and working out. I would love to run the 2014 OUC Half Marathon again this year OR a Disney half marathon at the beginning of 2015. I know this goal is possible because I have already done it, I just think it will be a little more challenging with two kiddos, instead of just one!
(2.) I will be more intentional about having ‘technology free’ time, both during the week and on the weekends. So many times do I find myself playing with Kenley and also checking my phone; or enjoying time with Greg in the evening and both of us sitting on our phones or laptops. I want to be more present in the moment and not be so attached to social media. There are just times that we need to unplug.
(3.) Related (or unrelated), I want to continue to grow this blog. I want to document Crosby’s life as we have done Kenley’s thus far. I never thought I would say this but blogging and writing has become therapeutic for me. I really enjoy it and would much rather be putting effort into our blog than sitting on Facebook mindlessly scrolling through my newsfeed.
(4.) Since I was home on maternity leave this holiday season, i went ALL OUT decorating our house for Christmas. I have a plethora of Christmas decor now, but not really much for the other holidays. I plan to really decorate for the holidays and seasons throughout the year. This could mean buying decor or actually doing some of the projects I’ve pinned on Pinterest.
(5.) I’m sure some you know this about me, but I don’t cook. Greg is responsible for our dinners most nights of the week. It’s pretty much a running joke in my family. I blame it on the fact the I lived in the sorority house, then moved right in with Greg. I never had to cook for myself! However, I would love to change that this year, especially with my new Christmas gift, a KitchenAid mixer! I also would love to do a better job meal planning and trying new recipes. Again, maybe implement some of the recipes I have pinned on Pinterest!

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I’m linking up today with Little Baby Garvin, which prompted me to think about a word for 2014.
This year my word is RELAX.
My brother is always giving me a hard time about how we are always on the go,
so I want to take some more time this year to just RELAX.
I also found myself pretty stressed out during this holiday season.
Why do we do this to ourselves?
RELAX.
That’s what I’m going to do this year.

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What are your 2014 goals?
Do you choose a word? What is it?

hello 2013

Posted in Family by

As we rang in the new year, I found myself revisiting my New Year goals from this time last year.
I decided then that they were goals, because I don’t like resolutions.
I quickly realized what a different place we are in and how much has changed in just one short year.
The memories of returning to work after maternity leave flooded back to me,
and I was able to breathe a sigh of relief that in this new year, I don’t feel that stress.
The year wasn’t always easy, but to see where we are now, I can safely say, we survived.
A year ago we were still in uncharted territory learning to be Kenley’s parents,
to understand what it means to be working parents, and yet, still be a married couple.

The reason I wanted to look back was to see just how we did with our new year goals.
as well as look forward to 2013 to see what we want to accomplish.

For a quick look back:

(1.) I have gotten back to my pre-pregnancy body (and then some) by running a half marathon,
and mostly by breastfeeding for over 11 months.
I didn’t share much about that journey because I wasn’t sure how to do that (maybe next time?),
but one of the biggest goals of last year was to have Kenley on breast milk for at least a year,
and we most definitely succeeded and it was most definitely a family effort.

(2.) We have also grown our blog over the past year.
I say we because, even though I may do most of the updating, it is really a family effort.
There are many, many nights that Greg was on dinner & dishes duty (for example) so I could sit down to write.
A lot of people ask, how do you do it all? and the answer is that I don’t! Not by any sense of the word.
We have a great system down and I couldn’t do 99% of the stuff I do without his support.
We’ve done a good job of documenting Kenley through her first year & beyond
and our goal is continue to do that, as well as keep friends & family up to speed on our ever-changing girl.
It is definitely fun looking back through posts of the last year and seeing what all we did!

(3.) We did a lot of great updates and projects in our old home,
and I don’t think either of us would have thought that we would be living in a completely different house
at the start of this new year, but we feel really good about how we left our first home,
Kenley’s first home (tear), for the new owners.
And we actually completed some Pinterest projects! Always a good thing.

(4.) I still feel that our church-going habits are a work-in-progress.
There are ups and downs through the year. We will get on a roll with attending,
then have a couple busy weekends in a row and not be able to go.
Finding our place in our church will continue to be a goal for us this coming year.

(5.) I think I deserve a huge pat on the back really learning to let things go.
Having a child has totally helped me be more “go with the flow”
and really not stress out over things that are out of our control.

Looking forward:

(1. ) First and foremost, this year, there will be more Greg and Kendra time.
I’m not sure how that is going to look yet, but it is a priority.
It may just be ‘no technology Tuesdays’ or date nights in, or even date nights out (gasp!),
but something’s going to give. We love being Kenley’s parents more than anything in the world,
but we need to pay more attention to intentionally being husband and wife.

(2.) Now that we have found our house, we need to transform it into our home.
I am very excited about the (forever long) to-do list that we have,
but it will be fun slowly making this new house our own.
Sort of along those lines, I want to also learn more about sewing.
I got a new sewing machine for Christmas (!!) so I am determined to use it properly.
I am planning to make (at least) a quilt this year.

(3.) I need to stop relying on my iPhone to take all my photos this year.
I’ve become way too dependent on it and I have a nice camera that I need to use.
I also have a new lens that I need to learn to use, so there is no time like the present.
Remember (over six months ago) when I gave you Michael & Karolina’s sneak peek?
Yes, I realize, I still need to blog about their session and how much fun it was.
Hopefully, I’ll have a few more to share this year, who knows?
At the very least, I need to start using my camera more,
and while I’m at it, I could stand to get in a few more pictures too.

(4.) Church will still be a goal for us this year.
I understand there will be Sundays that we just don’t make it to church,
but I would like to take advantage of our church podcast service
and still worship, even if it’s not in person.
I don’t want this to be a cop out. I want it to be a secondary option for worshiping.

(5.) Have fun!
Life is short and it’s moving very quickly.
We’re going to enjoy the ride.

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What are your new year goals?

How will your 2013 look?

a {very} new year

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2012
While it’s a new year for everyone, this year is a new year for us in a different way.
We rang in the new year as parents, with a baby sleeping down the hall.
How weird is that?
I was drinking Monster, just so I could stay awake until midnight.
Oh how times have changed.

Today is the fifth day of the year and I feel am already overwhelmed.
I’m now a working mom with a stylish new, must-have accessory.
My breast pump.
I returned to my position in the workforce this week,
and I’m not going to lie, it’s been hard.
Real hard. 

Heading into the new year I had a few “resolutions” on my mind,
I’ve never been big on resolutions, so they are nothing too concrete, just things I’d like to do this year.
However, after this week (of only working three days, I might add)
I am thinking how am I going to have time to do anything this year?!
Cue the overwhelmed feeling.

Now, I know that Rome wasn’t built in a day
and I know that we’re going to eventually get into a routine.
Greg so sweetly pointed out today that returning to work after 12 weeks
would be hard on anyone, even without a baby.
Which is a very valid point.
Which is why I’m still a tad optimistic about my goals, I should say,
[rather than resolutions. I just don’t like the word resolutions], for the year.

– 1 –

I want to get back to my pre-pregnancy body.
I think that’s a reasonable goal for any new mom.
While I’ve lost almost all of my baby weight, and yes, I’m thankful for that,
I just don’t feel like I used to. Maybe that’ something I need to accept,
but I really need to get into a work out routine.
I know it’s going to be hard because I just want to spend every free minute
snuggling on the couch with Kenley.
But, thankfully Greg is really good about just getting on the treadmill
and getting it done, so hopefully that’ll rub off on me!

– 2 –

I want to be more intentional with my blogging.
I never want to feel like I HAVE to do this. I WANT to do this.
I LIKE to do this. It’s a way for me to relax, vent, have some me time.
I also love that I am documenting Kenley’s life (or any future children we birth),
how fun is it going to be for her to look back and read about all the fun
and even not-so-fun stuff we did when she was growing up.
That’s why I do it. And that’s why I’m going to keep doing it.
It also doesn’t hurt that we can keep our family & friends
across the country updated too. (You’re welcome)

– 3-

I want to keep updating, upgrading, and decorating our house!
We’ve done a lot of fun stuff to it this year,
both big and small.
I want to keep transforming it into a home.
Our home. Kenley’s first home. 
And I want to actually DO some of the things I’ve pinned on Pinterest.
What a concept!

– 4 –

I want for our family to become more regular attenders of church.
We go when we can, but sometimes make excuses not to,
which I think is normal. Maybe?
But that is something I want to work on.
I am also thinking very seriously about becoming more involved.
We love our church, but I don’t really feel like we’ve found our place there. Our purpose.
I don’t know, just something I’ve been thinking about,
hopefully by the end of 2012 I’ll have it figured out.

– 5 –

Finally. I want to learn to let things go.
Not be so stressed.
Life is short.
I am going to have a messy house.
I need to deal with it. And I’m already starting to get a little better.
I know my to-do list is going to be endless.
There is always going to be a dirty bottle, pump part, diaper or clothing article, to wash.
I need to get over it.
I’m never going to have it all together.
I need to learn that no new mom really has it all together. Right?
Right.
Again, we’ll get our routine eventually and we’ll take it day by day!

I hope to reference this post as we progress through the year to see how we’re doing.

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I’ll leave you with this.

Aside from the chaos of trying to get out of the house at a decent time this week,
yesterday, I clipped the recycling bin with the front of the car
so all of our empty glass and plastic containers
were all…over…the…street.
Awesome.
And today, I definitely pulled out of the garage with my coffee
on…top…of…my…car.
Even more awesome.