Self help
How to Plan a Productive Yet Relaxing Start to the New Year – tips for setting yourself up for success
Planning a productive yet relaxing year seems a bit of an oxymoron, am I right? However, with some easy tips, I feel you too can set yourself up for success this year.
Journal.
Keeping a journal is cathartic and beneficial. Because I have written in a journal off and on since childhood, I count my journal keeping skills as consistent even though I do not write every day. Putting your thoughts down on paper can ease your mind and provide organization to your ideas.
Journals are also a beautiful way to track your progress or see where you might have faltered. For me, this blog is a good journal outlet. It can be a progress tracker or show if there is an area to work on. You can read my post from a year ago, here, and compare where I was to where I am.
Use a planner to plan a productive yet relaxing New Year.
A planner of some sort will allow you to keep track of your obligations as well as plot your success. A planner gives visual encouragement to your goals.
I love a good planner. It is a thing of beauty. TJ Maxx usually has a great selection of yearly planners at cost efficient prices. Amazon does as well, like the one shown below. *As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission on any viable link at no cost to you.
A good planner can actually make your planning experience a relaxing one. Build in a day of rest for a productive yet relaxing New Year.
This tip seems counterproductive but I have experienced the most peace when I implement one day of rest per week. I call it Sunday Bumday. Try it out, you might be like me and find that by the end of an entire day where you do nothing, you are recharged to tackle your goals.
For a day of rest, literally do as little as possible. For me, the only obligation I have on my day of rest is to attend church and to have a lunch prepared. Besides those two items, I do nothing. There are no people invited over on Sunday, I do not leave the house. Typically there is a nap built in and reading time or something else that brings me joy. On my days of rest I might sew or attempt to play the violin or I might binge watch tv all day. There is so much freedom in having one precious day of rest. I might even go for a walk. Don’t just take my word for it, here is an article with scientific backing to promote a day of rest.
Now, these tips may not be life altering, but they may be just what you need to plan a productive yet relaxing year. Happy New Year!
A Year in Review: A look at my 2024 Resolutions
If you are handing out a pass or fail grade on my 2024 Resolutions, I’m afraid you would give me a failing grade. I did not complete the two resolutions I made from 2024, but I did learn from them. Here is what I learned.
My 2024 Resolutions
My resolutions for 2024 were pretty straight forward: 1. Run a 5k and 2. Write 52 blog posts. While I did not achieve either, there are definitely lessons I am taking away from the experience. You can read about all my hopes and excitement for the 2024 year in my January 2024 blog post.
It’s okay to change course.
In my mind, I was going to take 2024 and learn to run 3.1 miles in its entirity. I was an athlete in high school. Heck! I even played intramural sports in college. But something has transpired in me over the last 24 years of settling down and raising babies – I became more stagnite instead of active. There have been periods of time where I have attempted 5ks only to end up run/walking them instead of running them. While I did participate in a local 5k, there was an “ah-ha” moment for me in my preparation – I don’t enjoy this.
5k Run In the midst of my struggle to make the time to train for running, a neighbor invited me to walk with her and another neighbor at 5:00 each morning. 5:00 in the morning??? You will never mistake me for a morning girl. However, the invitation answered a prayer of mine to make more friendship connections and it revealed to me that I could be active (we walk 3 miles 1-4 times a week) and not feel like I was dying each time! My course changed from running to walking and I am so happy with the outcome. This is an activity that I have been sticking with.
You can fail forward.
My second resolution: write 52 blog posts afforded me the opportunity to fail beautifully. What does that mean to fail beautifully? I consider it beautiful because I learned so much this year in trying to increase my blog activity. While I only posted 29 out of 52 blog posts this year, I discovered that this is almost triple the amount of posts I have made annually over the last three years! That is quite the improvement.
This failure has only encouraged me to keep going, keep trying, keep learning. There is so much more I can improve upon!
And while you are looking at my year in review, feel free to check out some other 2024 recaps here from the blog, Corporette. Let me know – how did your 2024 go? What does your year in review look like?
The Ultimate Self-Care Routine for Busy Moms
Finding a rhythm and routine that keeps you sane as a mom is of top priority. Read along as I share with you my ultimate self-care routine for busy moms.
Recognize the season
Being a mom is one of the toughest jobs on the planet. You will never be able to convince me otherwise. So before I launch into this ultimate self-care routine, please note that each mom has various seasons in motherhood. Some seasons are way more time consuming than others. With that being said, use this self-care routine simply as a suggestion and uses it to fit your needs. Hang in there, mama! You are doing great!
My Ultimate Self-Care Routine for Busy Moms
- Walk and/or run
- Devotions
- Wash face twice daily
- End the day with a book
Sleep
No matter the season of motherhood, adequate sleep has always been an issue. When my children were infants, sleep was hard to come by because I was meeting their needs (feedings, diaper changes, as they got older – chase away the boogie man). Older ages brought late night sports activities or waiting up for them to return home from dates. Now, in my mid-forties, lovely perimenopause is reeking havoc on my sleep schedule.
For the past few months, I have been attempting to go to bed earlier because I am getting up early in order to exercise. While the activity is good for me, it has also been good for me to attempt to go to sleep earlier. Now, if I can just sleep through the entire night!
Knowing that I will be waking up at 5:00 a.m. forces me to put aside the mindless scrolling and get to bed at a decent hour. First thing in the morning, I wake up, have a cup of coffee, then meet a couple of friends for a 3 mile walk.
Devotions
In a previous post, I’ve shared the importance of a quiet time. Why does this make the ultimate self-care routine for busy moms? Because a few moments of solitude to pray and meditate on what is most important in life gives me a purpose to my day-to-day.
Wash Face Daily
Why is this simple task so important? I’ve found as I age, the condition of my skin impacts my mood. When my skin is dry and the eye bags are heavy, I feel a little down. A little moisturizer goes a long way to boost my mood! And your skin care routine doesn’t have to break the bank. Recently, I discovered @lorafied on Instagram and she has some great tips for finding good skincare hacks. Below is some of her ideas for Dollar Tree Dupes.
End the Day with a Book
Reading did not become a hobby for me until adulthood. Now, ending the day with a book is a sweet treat for me. Reading allows me to unwind from the day and getting ready for sleep. Reading actually makes me sleepy and I look forward to becoming too tired to read. This habit is a part of my self-care routine because it helps my mind and body to slow down. Check out my Goodreads link at the top of my blog page!
Please share with me your ultimate self-care routine or feel free to copy mine!
Home Organization: Hacks for Every Room!
That title might be a bit deceptive. Not sure I have a hack for EVERY room but I will share the knowledge that I do have. Keeping a house running smoothly will require some home organization hacks along the way!
Functional Bathrooms
Having a double vanity sink would make one think there is enough space for all one’s bathroom products. One would be wrong. Having a proper organization hack will help utilize the small spaces underneath bathroom sinks. I’ve utilized double tiered shelving as well as hair appliance storage. You can check out my hair appliance organizer here. (As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission from any viable link.)
Smart Tips for an Organized Kitchen
No matter the size of the kitchen, there are plenty of items to fill it! For a small kitchen especially, there are organizational tips and tricks. For example, a lazy Susan is a wonderful hack for organizing spices. Upper cabinets that extend all the way to the ceiling are also a nice addition of space.
Snapware glass containers are great for food storage and stack nicely in the cabinets when unused.
Hacks for a Clutter-Free Bedroom
Under the bed storage organizers are a brilliant hack for saving space in the bedroom. I use a couple of zip-up storage containers.
In our youngest son’s bedroom, canvas storage totes are used to hold not only clothing but toys and books as well. You can read about our recent update to our son’s room, here.
Creative under-the-bed storage solutions. Any quick Google search can generate a wealth of home organization hack resources. An account I discovered on Instagram that has amazing home organization hacks is @lelaburris She also has a beautiful blog that highlights some great organization tips. You can read about it here.
Using these hacks, think of ways to create space-saving storage solutions and organization in your own home! Let me know what other home organization hacks you incorporate at your house. I’d love to hear from you!
Finding Balance: Tips for Juggling Work, Family, and Personal Time
Finding balance in work, family, and personal time will always be a challenge. There can be tips implemented to help bring the scales to a balanced position. Read along as I offer my tips for juggling work, family, and personal time.
Work
Boundaries in work provide guidance for how to not allow it to consume your entire life. Currently, I am implementing specific work hours. Working on my own allows for a lot of flexibility which is an attractive feature of my work; however, this feature also provides opportunities for me to put off doing necessary tasks. Setting specific work hours makes sure that I not only get my work done but that my job does not interfere with my family and personal time.
A good planner/calendar keeps my life on track. This article shares a variety of cool planners. I cannot function without my organizers. A full month calendar view and a day to day calendar view with provided lines for notes is a must. Below is a picture of the same brand planner that I have for the current year. The shown planner is for the 2024-2025 year.
This planner is the same brand as my current planner. *As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission from any eligible links.* Family
My family is the most important aspect of my life; however, my family, like yours is growing and with that growth will come seasons that will look differently than my current one. Why do I share that? Because how I serve my family now will not look the same in 5 or 10 years. Just as how I served my family 5 or 10 years ago is different. There needs to be a balance in how I serve my family and how I create space for myself.
As overstated as this is – dinnertime really is the best time for me to lay eyes on my family and to hear about what is going on in their lives. Having a weekly meal plan in place, helps keep dinnertime on a positive track. I recently shared some ideas for meal planning, here.
In addition to natural conversations that take place around the dinner table, a visual aid for the family to track our activities is an asset. Currently, we have a dry-erase calendar established upstairs where my kids’ rooms are located. In the future, I would love to have one of the Hearth Display calendars in our home – its organization is next level!
Check out the Hearth Display account to see this neat family organizational tool. Personal Time
Is personal time an oxymoron as a mom? I will definitely be the first to say that personal time as a whole has evolved for me over the course of my marriage and time as a mother. As a new mom, I’m not sure how much personal time existed for me because my focus was my family and home. While I still focus on both of those areas, I have realized as my children grow into becoming young adults, creating space for me to be individually me is important. My identity as a mom will take a big hit when my kids have moved out of our home into their own lives.
Questions I ask myself that help me curate personal time are: do I, myself, enjoy this activity? Is this an area of growth I would like to explore? Will this event/activity help develop me as a person? Does this activity bring me joy or peace which in turn benefits those around me that I have a relationship with?
Two self-help tips I would offer: write in a journal and invest in a counselor. Journal writing doesn’t have to be daily but getting your own thoughts down on paper, help with keeping a balanced life. Spending time in therapy is beneficial to ALL – I do not care who tells you different. Do not know where to start on a counselor? Ask a trusted friend whom you know receives counseling on who they would reccommend. A counselor can also help you navigate this work/family/personal time balance.
Hopefully I have provided enough tips to help you find the balance needed in your life. Please share which tips you like most. I would love to hear from you!
Couch to 5K: My Progress Journey
There’s a reason why I only made two goals for the entire year. One goal was to write 52 blog posts in a year (notice I did not say I will write one each week;) ) and the other was to run a 5k in its entirety. Running a 5k has been on my radar for more than a decade. While I have participated in 5k races, I have yet to run the full distance of a 5k. Read along as I chronicle my progress journey.
Why a 5k?
I played sports from middle school through high school and then participated in intramural sports in college. After college? Nothing. I have dabled in working out here and there but nothing consistent. When I attempted a 5k about 10 years ago, I liked the thrill I experienced from running. Fast forward a few years to 2021 and I really tried to completely run the 5k distance (I quit training just shy of actual completion – ahh!). It is difficult to describe the breakthrough I had mentally while running. Ever since, I have been wanting to push through and actually run the entire 5k distance.
Running is a healthy habit I enjoy adding to other healthy habits that I have been trying to incorporate in my life this year. You can read about some healthy snack ideas I am eating here.
How’s it going?
In a word? Slow. To be honest, my body feels different at 45 then it did at 42 and 35. I have aches now in places that I’m not sure if I should or if that is just middle age. Currently, my left hip hurts while running. I’m using the C25K app (Couch to 5K) and very much appreciate the prompts it gives me to alternate between times of walking and running. I need that prompting to keep going. Left on my own, I’m not sure I would follow through.
Another support I have realized is crucial for my completion? My dogs. Taking my labradoodle and poodle along with me on my walks/runs helps me ignore any pain or discomfort I might have while I pay attention to them.
These are similar to the running shoes I wear.
*As an Amazon Associate, I am eligible to earn commission on any viable links.*What are the benefits?
Even if my body has pain or discomfort, I truly feel better physically and mentally when I complete a C25K session. My dogs also get the benefit of multiple times a week exersise. I’m halfway through my training and feel like completing my goal is a real possibility. I like that I have given myself the whole year to complete this goal.
Here lately my kids have joined me on my “walks” and I love having their company. We usually go out in the evenings and while it is still hot, it is better than in the heat of the day.
Stay tuned for my updates on this goal! Do you have a similar goal for this year? If so, it’s June – how are you progressing? I would love to hear from you 🙂
Top Graduation Gift Ideas to Celebrate His Big Achievement
May is the time for celebrations! And graduations are one of the main reasons to celebrate. This year our second son is graduating high school and I wanted to curate a list of top graduation gift ideas to celebrate his big achievement.
It seems like all of our first day of school pictures accumulated way too quickly. You can read about our first day of school preparations and traditions here. Now that we are at the end of our son’s senior year, I am thinking of his fun celebrations and not only him, but other graduates. What makes great graduation gifts?
Practical gifts
Entering a new, independent chapter of life requires a few practical gifts to ensure success and comfort. For Father’s Day, I had given my husband a classic weekender duffle bag that he could use for quick, overnight trips. My son’s girlfriend saw my son’s dilapidated duffle bag and asked me for the link to the one I had recently purchased. She made the purchase for my son’s graduation gift and I felt it was a wonderful gift for him!
Another area to consider in practical gift ideas are: items for future dorm or apartment rooms. Hanger organizers, collapsible laundry baskets, closet organizers, bath towels, hand towels, and kitchen towels all are useful gifts.
You can shop for this travel duffel bag, here.
As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission on any viable links.Fun gifts
Of course, everyone loves a fun gift! For guys, think of what they love. Do they love sports? Maybe an indoor Nerf basketball goal is a good idea. Even 18 year old Lego fans still love a Lego set. Try to think of hobbies and/or sports your graduate enjoys and buy a gift accordingly. If all else fails, everyone can use an Amazon gift card.
Memorable gift
Oh the Places You Will Go! is a fan favorite. Personally, I think you cannot go wrong with this book. Another graduation gift idea is to give a book that meant a lot to you. Are you a C.S. Lewis fan? His books are amazing.
One gift my son received this year that he and I both loved was a set of monogrammed cufflinks. This gift immediately upgrades a dress shirt and makes one feel special.
I’ve created a Guy Grad Gift guide on my Liketoknow.it page. You can check it out here. For more of my blog posts, check out the carousel below.
Winter Capsule Wardrobe: functional and stylish winter wear
To create a functional and stylish winter wardrobe, categorize your clothing into tops, bottoms, solo…
How to Plan a Productive Yet Relaxing Start to the New Year – tips for setting yourself up for success
Keeping a journal provides mental clarity and organization, while using a planner helps track obligations…
A Year in Review: A look at my 2024 Resolutions
The author reflects on their 2024 resolutions, including running a 5k and writing 52 blog…
Fun and Budget Friendly Weekend Activities for Families
Families can enjoy budget-friendly weekend activities by exploring local events, participating in collegiate sporting events,…
Thanksgiving Recipe: A Shortcut to Use
The author shares their journey of contributing to Thanksgiving meals, highlighting their love for pecan…
The Ultimate Self-Care Routine for Busy Moms
This post outlines an ultimate self-care routine tailored for busy moms, emphasizing the importance of…How to Start a Blog: Tips to Make it Happen
In today’s fast paced culture, one would think a blog is antiquated. However, blogs are a thriving mode for communicating with a mass audience covering any topic of interest. Read along as I share how to start a blog: tips to make it happen.
Family photo at Rosemary Beach 1. Select a niche.
I almost hate using this phrase for a subheading. If you spend any time at all online, you will hear the buzzword, “niche”. Honestly, sometimes it is stressful when I hear, “select a niche” or “niche down”. Take a deep breath and do not fear, selecting a niche might be easier than you think. What is it that you want to share? What perspective do you have that you want the world to know? For me, I like sharing about my home and family – our lifestyle. I have selected the niche of “Lifestyle Blogger”. When creating your own blog, select a niche ideal for you.
Much of my blog inspiration comes from what I share on my Instagram account. 2. Utilize a host site.
It is almost comical that I have a blog when being tech savvy is not my forte. The good news is, there are YouTube tutorials that can walk you through a step-by-step process for setting up your blog. These tutorials do a great job of helping you understand the ways to begin to monetize your blog. I decided to use WordPress to create my blog. WordPress has a wide range of templates to use when designing your blog.
Over and over again as I started my blogging journey, I saw information about bluehost.com. This is my host site for my blog. It allows me to own the name of my blog and its place on the internet. I pay an annual fee for the website name and site upkeep.
3. Determine a schedule.
Once you have hammered out the nitty gritty of a niche and have taken the time to set up and create the look of your blog, it is time to determine a schedule. Admittedly, this last one has been my weakness. For the 2024 year, one of my two goals for the year was to write 52 blog posts. I wanted to consistently show up on my blog in a way I had not previously done. Notice, I did not say I would post once a week – ha! I know myself too well and wanted to give myself grace in the event that something happened one week and I could not generate a blog post on a specific day of the week. Currently I am targeting releasing a new blog every week. A bulk of my blog posts have been released on Wednesdays with few exceptions. Determine a schedule that works for you and stick to it!
My hope is that these tips are just the motivation you need to start your own blog! Please let me know in the comments if you have a blog and what its name is. I would love to check it out!
How to Create a spring Capsule Wardrobe
I like the simplicity of a capsule wardrobe. I am not a big shopper and enjoy utilizing pieces that have more than one function. Read along for my ideas on how to create a spring capsule wardrobe.
1. Pull everything out.
While we did create a walk-in closet in our current home, it is still not a large space and I must utilize each square inch carefully. Having 2-3 times a year where I pull everything out, is beneficial for keeping an organized space. The benefit of pulling all items out of your closet serves as a visual reminder of what you do wear often and what you have forgotten about. Also, this is a perfect opportunity to seperate your clothing items by season. If you have available space, store your off-season items in another location. (Shhh! Don’t tell my husband, but I put my off-season clothes on the backside of his half of the closet 🙂 )
A closet organizer like this one makes seeing your wardrobe a breeze. This one has over 12,000 reviews! *As an Amazon Associate, I am eligible to earn a commission on any viable links.* 2. Cull unwanted or unused items.
In 2022, I attempted to wear a different outfit for every day of the year. You can read all about it , here. From that time on, I have really tried to focus on only keeping items that I enjoy or serve me well. Getting rid of unused or worn out items is essential to keeping a well curated wardrobe. Donate items you longer want or if you are like me and wear things until they fall apart, throw them away. Having a closet that is crammed with items tends to make you overlook what you actually have. A closet that allows you to easily see your clothing options creates an environment where you can choose your outfits with little complication.
3. Coordinate pieces and seek inspiration.
I happened upon Clothed in Grace on Instagram and am grateful for the guidance and inspiration she provides. Her site guides me in how to curate a seasonal collection. Below is her latest spring capsule wardrobe. When I have fewer items – tops, bottoms, dresses – then I am able to determine if what I have coordinates with my other clothing items. There is a cool website, combineclothes.com , that allows you to type in how many tops, bottoms, solo outfits, and extras you have then it will calculate how many possible outfits you can create from those items. With my current spring wardrobe capsule, I have enough items to create 1,450 outfits! I think that is plenty to get me through these warmer months.
This is a great site for inspiration and guidance in creating your wardrobe capsules! The benefits of following these tips for how to create a spring capsule wardrobe are: ease of outfit selection, ability to identify what items need to be added to your wardrobe, and a streamlined closet! Enjoy and let me know if you put these tips to use.
Healthy Snack Ideas
When making choices that are healthier for you, I’m surprised at how much (or maybe I should say how often) food you should eat. It is best to keep your body fueled every 3 hours. That could add up to six meals a day: 3 meals and 3 snacks. Read along for ways to add healthy snack ideas to your day.
Quick and Easy Healthy Snack Ideas
I did not think that I would like hummus. In fact, I really only like one flavor thus far – roasted red pepper hummus but the single serve containers of hummus with some sliced or chopped veggies are an ideal snack. Another quick and easy snack is the Lesser Evil popcorn. (As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission on any viable links. This is at no extra cost to you.) This popcorn is AH-mazing! It tastes wonderful and is popped using coconut oil. My kids make fun of me because I am a firm believer that coconut oil can do anything. Another quick and easy snack idea – fruit! Dark berries are really good for you but I think you can’t go wrong with fruit in general.
High in Protien Healthy Snack Ideas
Costco carries a great protien bar put out by Genius Gourmet. Their peanut butter and chocolate bar is my favorite. 000 Greek Yogurt by Oikos is also a great source of protein. Both of these snacks are super quick to grab and go! Including a bit of protein with every meal/snack is important to staying healthy.
Something Sweet
I LOVE sweets and cutting out sugar makes my sweet tooth ache! Lily’s Chocolate Bars are my salvation. (as an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission from any viable links at no extra cost to you) My favorite kind is any that have sea salt in them. Lily’s Chocolate Bars use stevia and erythritol to sweeten its bars. Lily’s Chocolate also produces chocolate chips for baking.
Another great sweets idea is smoothies. I love a good protein smoothie. One of my favorites I call the Big Mama. I got the recipe from the Trim Healthy Mama book and it calls the recipe Big Boy smoothie. For some reason I could only remember Big Mama and it’s stuck! Ha! Place one cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk in a blender. Add in a scoop of whey protein, Stevia to sweeten, a dash of vanilla, a cup of ice, a dash of salt, and a few frozen strawberries. Blend to the consistency you like. This hits the sweet spot for me! You can find the exact recipe here.
If you are trying to make healthier choices in your food selections, I hope these healthy snack ideas have been beneficial. This year I am focusing on making healthier choices myself and have shared some healthy habits I am working to implement in a blog post, here. Check it out and as always, please let me know what you think! Here’s to healthy eating!
