2018.

Hello. It’s been a good minute (or many good minutes) since I’ve written. In the last post, I said I would share some thoughts about my “intentions” or resolutions for the new year. Can you believe it’s February already? And I’m still making my list! I can be long-winded and a bit scattered, so I’m doing my best to keep the list short and sweet. This list is somewhat generic, but it's real. I love what readers wrote in a previous post about their goals and intentions for this year. Self care came up, morning routines, etc. Your thoughts are encouraging me. I appreciate what Robin Van Drunen said: Goals are important and they must be typed or written down somewhere or the accountability goes out the window.

So, here goes.

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PERSONALLY:

  • LAUGH (it off) MORE. Let it go. Underthink it. 
  • GET UP EARLIER.
  • DRINK 8 GLASSES OF WATER. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I say it every year. Probably because I truly WANT it to happen.
  • Take my vitamins and supplements EVERY DAY! 
  • GET ORGANIZED. I no longer want  to get frustrated as I’m getting ready to leave the house because I can’t find something. I want to DOWNSIZE MY BELONGINGS. And I want to streamline my mom-life. (I will go into better detail in posts to come, but if that doesn’t make sense, what I mean is this: I long for smooth mornings. Is there a world where it’s easy to find two clean socks (that FIT) every person in the house? Sounds trite, but lemme tell you…. Can I easily find my favorite lipstick (it could be anywhere between diaper bags or purse to my car glove compartment- not advisable because it melts, I know)? Does anyone feel me here? And if you don’t have kids, substitute water bottles for portable coffee cups. We ALL have these mornings where we swear we’re coming STRAIGHT HOME AFTER “THIS” AND GETTING OUR LIVES TOGETHER. So, that’s what I mean. 
  • WORKOUT MY BODY. Because this also works out my mind. I will do some form of a workout EVERY SINGLE DAY. I will. I’m writing my next column for Soap Digest based on this topic. I have a “strategy” that I’m borrowing form the business world. And I hope you respond to it. (I got many requests to discuss health and fitness). It’s currently helping me, so we’ll go into greater detail in that column and future blog posts. Hint: It’s about being S.M.A.R.T.
  • MOM and Step-mom. Just be better, I guess? This set of intentions is way more personal than the more generic ones above. I have a blended family. It’s hard and not something I often discuss. But, it’s my reality. Some activities we do, Huck is not present. He’s simply not with us (it's his time with his mother). I try and schedule as much as possible when I have him, but some things are out of my control. Like, we didn't have Huck for Joel's birthday party, so we celebrated again once we did have him. And Hayden… my sweet baby boy. We always feel we can do more as moms, right? Time goes by so fast and I want to soak it all up while he’s still little. Funny enough, I think if I’m aware of the previous intentions listed above, I’ll be a better, more present mom? I leave that as a question... if we work more on ourselves, do we have more to offer our children?
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PROFESSIONALLY:

  • Be more time efficient. I will learn to prioritize URGENT over IMPORTANT. Procrastination gets me nowhere I want to be. I want to be extremely prepared for all endeavors big or small this year. 

SPIRITUALLY:

  • Spend more time in prayer. Continue to attend the Women’s Bible Study.

Thoughts?  You know I love them and have missed being here on the blog, so leave a comment or piece of advise if you are inspired. Also, who has been implementing their own goals so far? Are any of you using certain tips to stick to them?

 


PS- for those interested in above photo details, sadly, I think this coat is sold out. But, my necklace is a staple. And I'm not the only one that loves it... if you visit the blog often, you might remember this post?


TWINNING in the $37 Peacoat!!

Our babies were so little! That's what I think about when I look at this picture below. Molly and Hayden were barely crawling. Now... well, life is mobile! Things have changed! And life goes by so quickly now, too. Some things stay the same...like some of our favorite outfits.

This picture also reminds me of my sister trying to get this Peacoat and it sold out record fast! I got many DMs from you all about that, too. These coats are back and have the most beautiful colors this year as well. When I saw it was back in stock, I had to let you all know asap! Check out the first post (it's WAY more detailed) HERE I wrote about this coat earlier in the year. (And again HERE in this post!) With the large tortoise shell buttons and oversized collar, it's even more in style now. Plus, a lot of the times we are wearing in these photos are back in stock. Scroll down for cliff notes;)

photo: Ashley Burns Photography

photo: Ashley Burns Photography

PHOTO: Ashley Burns photography

PHOTO: Ashley Burns photography

1. Necklace (on Ali- I have this one, too!) 2. Nameplate necklace 3. Bracelet   

Happy shopping. xoxox

ps- got your messages about sweaters… a few favorites right now below

TWINSIES in different colors ($37 PEACOAT?!) YES, PLEASE.

I met up with Ali Fedotowsky for coffee to help plan a little Bachelor get-together for tonight. (I know, how lucky am I to get to watch with a former bachelorette?!) Lo and behold, we were wearing the same jacket, just in different colors. I take this as a pretty big compliment because Ali has a fabulously approachable style. I've blogged about this jacket here  before (and the jacket sold out), but now that it's back in stock, it's worth mentioning again. I seriously get stopped about this jacket on the street. It's warm and cozy, but still looks sleek with it's clean lines and buttons. I like wearing it buttoned up, or open like Ali is wearing it (and don't you love her coat color? It also comes in black and hunter green). 

We both kept our looks simple, but funny enough, both had on our namesake jewelry. My nameplate necklace says HAYDEN on it, and Ali's says MOLLY. Ali usually has a statement piece of jewelry on as well. Today, she is wearing a pretty fabulous necklace -- I might need to borrow this or just get my own here or here. And I wouldn't be a decent blogger if I didn't admit I've asked her several times about her leggings. Every single time, she's wearing these compression leggings. I have my own go-to leggings (that some of you now love, too!), but I might add these compression leggings to my wardrobe, also.

We both tied our looks together with comfy, easy boots. Ali is wearing over-the-knee boots that I know she enjoys wearing often. And in case we might have forgotten, my coffee mug reminds us that we are not regular moms, but totally cool moms;). Yeah, right. Maybe she is!

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I didn't get a good photo of the fun, stackable bracelets I'm wearing today, so I pulled a photo from a previous post. My sister wears her "she believed she could, so she did" bracelet all the time. I love the reminder on my wrist to simply believe! And if you have a friend expecting, a great shower gift for a mom-to-be or a new mom (or a new bride!) is this custom "all because two people fell in love" bracelet from The Silver Loft

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So, HAPPY NEW YEAR... and to those of you tuning in for The Bachelor, have fun. Check back tomorrow with some thoughts from our viewing party tonight. #momsnightout! Thanks, hubby! xoxo

WEAR YOUR BIB!!

I'm loving the added glamor bib necklaces provide. They can take a plain dress and make it fabulous. Or a casual outfit (click on items in picture to get details- from $4 similar earrings all the way to the awesome AG denim skirt on SALE) and make it pop.  Today, on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, Nikki wore a great necklace.

I tracked it down for y'all (only $68), only to find it was sold out.  I wore a similar one last weekend (pictured above)... still available! Same price! Here are some of my favorites...get 'em while you can, I am told they are in limited supply.