New Year’s Goals

New Year’s Resolutions. I just don’t make them anymore. Every year that I did, I felt like I was just setting myself up for failure. Instead, I choose goals. 

Goals are something to aim for. It’s okay if you mess up. It’s okay if you miss a day. It’s simply a learning process to reach those goals, and you can change or adapt as needed. 

Each New Year, I take a little bit of time to reevaluate my goals. I look back on the past year to see what worked, figure out what goals were reached, and decide which goals to keep, get rid of, or add. Because it’s the start of a new year, it’s a good time to make a new game plan for the year ahead! 

Togetherness: The Word of The Year for 2021

Happy 2021! I'm not one to wish away time, but I do hope 2021 is an improvement over 2020. I'm realistic enough to know that change won't happen immediately, but I do hope we return to some sort of normal this year!

2020 wasn't an awful year. It was just different, and it had its good moments and bad moments. One of the best parts of 2020 was all the time we were able to spend together as a family. That is exactly what made me start thinking about togetherness for my word of the year. 

The holiday season was great, but 2020 did not end well. Lexie was with her best friend's family when they experienced a tragic loss. We spent the past week praying and crying, and we're absolutely heartbroken for their family. We are reminded that time spent with family and friends is a precious gift that should be treasured and made a priority. If this year taught me anything, it’s that loved ones are EVERYTHING, which is why togetherness became my word for 2021.

Be The Best "YOU" You Can Be

Happy New Year! 2019 is here, and we're already hitting the ground running! Like many people, I'm thinking a lot about the year ahead, and focusing on a fresh start. This year, I decided not to make resolutions or goals, or choose a special word to live by. I feel like that just sets me up for failure at some point during the year. Instead, I'm taking the advice I frequently give my children: Be the best "you" you can be!

I'm trying to be realistic this year. Although I would love to fill my year with huge changes that will make my life run better, I know that isn't going to happen. I'm going to skip washing my face one night. I will forget to pay a bill or two. I will run late no matter how hard I try to always be on time. I'm not going to exercise 5 days a week. I WILL lose my temper and yell at my kids. My reality is that I'm a mom of four - soon to be FIVE - kids, and life with little ones is chaotic and things happen unexpectedly. Sometimes life gets in the way, plans and goals get pushed aside, and I have to accept that!

When I thought about what I really want to focus on this year, a few things came to mind. I want to manage the little time I have better so I can eliminate some stress from my life. I feel like time management is often a big struggle for moms. It's definitely my most difficult issue, and the leading cause of my stress! If I focus on simplifying things and staying organized, and making small yet doable changes in my life, I think I will be able to manage my time much better!

Perhaps if there's one word to live by this year, it will be TRY. As long as I try, accept mistakes I make and move on (because I am only human), and never give up, 2019 will be a success!

Here's how I plan on being the best ME I can possibly be and make my life run better...

2017 Goals + Word of the Year

I'm not one to make resolutions. Instead, I'm a person who believes that a new year means a fresh start.  It's a chance to make better life choices and simply improve a life that is already well loved!

Resolutions are binding and can be broken so easily. They NEVER work for me! So I choose to set goals for the year and choose a word to live by. If I don't meet every goal, it's not that big of a deal. But those goals and that one word gives me something to strive for!

For 2017, I created a list of goals for all areas of my life: Personal, Home, Blog and Family.  I thought of the things that I wanted to change in my life and brainstormed all the ways my days could run more efficiently. I ended up with so many goals in each category, so I had to narrow it down to a top ten in each category!

After I wrote down my list of goals, it was time to come up with a word to live by this year. At first, I was certain I was going to go with organize. If I could just organize every aspect of my life, things would run smoother and I wouldn't feel as stressed.

I quickly realized that I'm constantly organizing everything and it really isn't helping my stress level one bit. I tried to think of the area in my life that I struggle with the most, and two words popped into my head: Finding Balance. BALANCE. I struggle with this daily. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to find the perfect balance between taking care of four kids, running a home, maintaining a blog and social media, making my husband a priority, spending time with family and friends, and taking care of myself.

I'm not quite certain I will ever find the perfect balance. Just when I think I have it all figured out, something changes, and I have to start all over again. But I'm going to try. I'm going to focus on one word this year and that word is balance!

PERSONAL 

• Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier during the week. (No more going to bed at 3 AM!)
• Spend more time reading books like I used to.
• Make using my planner a priority.
• Do one thing for myself each day. (A bath or reading to decompress.)
• Commit to a monthly date night with my husband. (It rarely happens!)
• Commit to a monthly night out with my friends. (Also...rarely happens!)
• Plan more dinners with extended family and friends.
• Run and lift weights 3-4 times a week.
• Don't over-commit and learn to say NO. (One of my biggest problems!)
• Ask for help when I need it.  (I have such a difficult time asking for help.)

HOME

• Buy one small item each week and add it to the gift stash in the attic. (A mug, slipper socks, clearance toy, etc.)
• Finally finish the main bathroom renovation.
• Set up a more functional playroom in the basement.
• Work on all of those fun backyard projects for the kids.
• Organize ALL THE THINGS.
• Make it a habit to unplug electronics and appliances when they aren't being used.
• Get a robotic vacuum. (This one sounds lazy, but we desperately need one to follow after the kids!)
• Create a cleaning checklist and a declutter one thing each week checklist, and stick with it!
• Continue to meal plan, maintain a running grocery list and start making Crockpot Freezer meals for those busy nights.
• Save money! Switch to different providers and use coupons more often. (Life for a family of six is expensive!)

BLOG

• Go through my reading list each weekday morning.
• Create a new theme and clean up my sidebar.
• Switch to a new email. 
• Reach out to companies I love for collaborations instead of only collaborating with those who reach out to me.
• Maintain a blog idea journal and jot down notes as I think of them.
• Carve out time to create content and write during the day and on weekends after the kids go to bed instead of staying up until 4 AM to blog.
• Start an email newsletter.
• Spend time each week scheduling posts on social media and share more posts from fellow bloggers.
• Schedule a block of time to reply to comments and emails each day.
• Share more lifestyle posts on my blog instead of only sharing them on Instagram. (So many of my fun ideas never make it to this blog!)

FAMILY

• Prepare as much as possible for the following day before going to bed. (Getting out the door on time is a constant struggle!)
• Begin our weekly Family Game Night in addition to our weekly Family Movie Night. (Lexie's suggestion.)
• Get a professional family photo taken this year. (Grant wasn't able to make it to the Down syndrome calendar photoshoot for two years in a row!)
• Update the list of chores for each child. Learn to delegate more instead of doing it all myself.
• Get rid of items that we don't need. Throw away, donate, give away or sell.
• Create a functional, organized living space in each room.
• Attend more events instead of getting caught up in the busyness of everyday life.
• Unplug from social media once a month and focus only on family. (Which I kind of did last week and it was amazing!)
• Start going on hikes together as a family again.
• Finally plan all of the day trips and weekend trips that we have been talking about for years!

This list may seem daunting, but I plan to read it each day to stay on track. I'm realistic and I don't expect to reach every single goal every single day. (If that's the case, I failed already!) Hopefully, I will achieve most of my goals and end up finding a good balance for all of the areas in my life!

Did you make any resolutions or goals for 2017? If you had to choose one, what would your word of the year be?

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Out with the Old, In with the New!

I can't believe 2011 is gone, and 2012 is here!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas break! Sadly, that came to an end today. Grant returned to work after a 10 day break, and Dylan returned to school. I miss my boys!

We finished out 2011 with a much needed staycation! We spent a lot of time with each other, and with our family and friends, had sleepovers every night, and enjoyed staying up late and sleeping in!



The day after Christmas, poor Lilybug woke up with a cold. She woke up screaming every hour Christmas night, and in the morning, she was not happy at all. When my baby doesn't smile, you know something is wrong!



Luckily, it was a quick bug, and she was smiling by that evening. We decided to skip our traditional day after Christmas shopping, and stay in all day. Dylan and Lexie spent a few hours with my dad. He took them to visit my uncle, and then took them out for lunch!

We spent the rest of the day getting Christmas presents out of boxes and playing with new stuff.



Is that not the biggest bag of garbage EVER?



On Tuesday, we spent the afternoon shopping, and got some great deals! That evening, we had some friends over to visit. Wednesday was another laid-back day. Grant visited his brother for a bit, so Dylan and I did some toy organization in his room. I'm pretty sure we stayed in our pajamas all day!



Speaking of pajamas, Lily has been the blowout queen lately. 3 pairs of pajamas in 12 hours? CHECK!



On Thursday, I visited my parents, and finally got to see my great-nephew, Gio. He was born 6 days before Lily, but at 28 weeks. He has grown so much, but is still a great deal shorter than Lily, and about 5 lbs less!




On Friday, we had a lazy afternoon at home, and then had to run a few errands, before visiting friends for the night. Unfortunately, there was a little snag in our plans. When I came out of Target, Grant informed me the SUV had no power. It had been acting funny occasionally, when I would start it, but now there was a big problem! We tried jumping it twice with no luck, and finally decided to just deal with it in the morning, and go on with our plans.

While Grant got a ride home to pick up his car, I pushed the kids around in the sit and stand stroller. The total combined weight of the stroller, Lily's carseat, and my three kids exceeded my own weight, but I did it in heels AND rain. When I grew tired of that, we stopped at the Target food court for an Icee Treat. We got to our friend's house a few hours late, but still had fun. Despite the stress, it was still a good day!



Finally, New Year's Eve arrived. It started out with good (inexpensive!) news. The car just needed a new battery. Grant's uncle, who works for GM, picked him up, and replaced our battery. We lounged around for the rest of the afternoon.



This year was the first year, in over a decade, that we just stayed home. We usually celebrate with a big party with my family, but everybody had their own plans this year! We invited some friends over to celebrate, some of which we haven't seen for two years!

Everybody had fun, and I'm still finding party popper string all over my house!





In another surprising turn of events, we didn't spend New Year's Day with our families, as we traditionally do. Instead, we spent it with good friends, eating Chinese food and plenty of snacks!













It was a great, fun start to the New Year!

2011 was an amazing year for us, and I'm really looking forward to spending 2012 with my loved ones!



Here's to a great, happy, healthy, safe 2012!

And...today my sweet Lilybug turned 5 months old!!!

Year In Review: 2011

2011 was a fantastic year!!! I'd have to say it was the best year yet, thanks to the newest member of our family!



In January, we rang in the new year with my family. We started the weekly baby updates. We cheered the Steelers on in the playoffs. We played in the snow.



In February, we cheered on the Steelers in the Super bowl (they lost). My belly shrunk. Grant got a new car. My sweet baby girl celebrated her 4th birthday!



In March, my belly continued to shrink (Thank you, hyperemesis. I wouldn't wish you on anybody.)! We saw our healthy baby at the big ultrasound, and chose not to find out the sex for the third time!



In April, I celebrated my 31st birthday. I lost even more weight. The kids welcomed a new pet into our family: Toby the hamster. The kids attended their first Pirates baseball game and went to the circus for the first time...and loved it! We had a wonderful Easter with our family! Dylan moved up from T-Ball to baseball, and our days were filled with practices, followed by opening day at the end of the month!



In May, little Nugget finally started to grow! Our lives revolved around baseball games. Dylan got the game ball after one game! We had a big family wedding, and I got to see my family from Texas, and they got to meet Lexie for the first time. We kicked off summer at the end of the month with birthday parties and picnics!



In June, our sweet friends threw us a baby shower for little Nugget! Dylan got a new pet (a hamster named Madison). Dylan "graduated" from Kindergarten, and finished out his season of baseball. It started getting really hot in May, and June was scorching, so we swam a lot! We had a preterm labor scare, but Nugget hung in there!



July was a busy month! We celebrated 4th of July. Lexie gave up her crib for the new baby, and got a big girl bed. I saw my Texas family again. Sadly, we lost our chihuahua, Pepe. That was very difficult for us. Grant celebrated his 32nd Birthday, and we had "dates" with the kids. Grant and Dylan went to a big convention, and Lexie and I got ice cream.



August was the best month! I miraculously made it to 39 weeks, but went into labor right after! We welcomed little Nugget into the world...a perfect baby girl! We became a family of five, and fell in love with the newest family member! Lily came home and fit in perfectly. Lexie went to the dentist for the first time and did great! Lily was tongue tied and got her tongue snipped at the end of the month. We enjoyed the end of summer break, and life with our new baby girl!



In September, summer came to an end. Dylan started first grade, and adjusted quickly to being in school all day. Lexie started her first year of school! Lily turned 1 month old. Grant and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. My family from Texas came back for a third time and got to meet Lily. Dylan decided he finally wanted to learn how to ride a bike, and learned right away! The month ended with a bang on the last day, when a speeding car lost control and landed in our garage!



October was filled with Halloween activities. Lexie had her first field trip to an orchard. Lily turned 2 months old, and got her first shots. The kids enjoyed a rare October snowfall. Lily had a great first Halloween, as the sweetest little pea (and pumpkin!).



In November, Lily turned 3 months. The kids enjoyed playing in the leaves. Dylan had two birthday parties. We had another sad incident, when our cat, Cosette, and Dylan's fish died on the same night. The month got happier with Dylan turning 7, Thanksgiving, and the start of the Christmas season!



The month of December was filled with Christmas activities. Lily turned 4 months old, started (and hated) solids, and got her ears pierced. We celebrated the best Christmas yet!

We were very blessed this year. This year was amazing! Here's to an incredible 2012!