Happy 2019!

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I took some time off over the holidays to let my mind rest & to focus on family & friends… and also to get my creativity flowing again! I’m excited for the content I’m going to bring you this year!

Like many of you, I also enjoy fresh starts, novelty, and looking ahead to the future. As I shared last year, I’m not one for resolutions, per say… but I do like to set a few attainable goals for myself in the year to come.

The following are some of my goals for the new year, which may also be a goal you have for yourself this year, as well:

1.Take a family trip.

We didn’t take a vacation at all last year… with the baby being born mid-April, the timing just didn’t work out but this year, we definitely would like to go somewhere! I actually don’t know if we could call it a vacation… so we’ll call it a family trip, in the words of Daniel Tiger… or we could maybe even term it an adventure!

2. Use more essential oils.

I have always been interested in and have tried to use essential oils here & there but it wasn’t until late last year that I reaaaally became interested in them. I love all of Young Living‘s products & enjoy the learning process of it all. I’m trying to incorporate them into daily life, diffusing them in my home, using their amazing Thieves cleaning products, and making rollerballs & DIY sprays to aide in overall wellness. I’m totally hooked!

3. Follow & read from Reese Witherspoon’s book club.

Ever since Legally Blonde, I’ve been a Reese Witherspoon fan and I’m becoming even more so here lately! I’m obsessed w her store Draper James and adore her new book (that Santa brought me for Christmas!), Whiskey in a Teacup, that’s all about living that southern life. Instead of doing Book of the Month, where I’m tied to order every month, I love that I can casually follow & read books from Reese’s book club whenever I would like!

4. Finish that project… with us, it’s the kitchen.

We made major headway with our lil’ kitchen in 2018, thanks to my dad, brother, sis-in-law, and mom! A lot of you asked about the paint color we chose… it was Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace & we love it. A little bit of the backstory: We bought our house nearly 5 years ago (time flies) and we painted every square inch of the house, replaced  the floors, the trim, along with other things we did as well. The kitchen we basically didn’t touch because it was a) expensive and b) overwhelming c) tiny d) left me at a loss & uninspired and not sure where to go with it. We decided to replace the appliances, paint the cabinets white, buy a small island for extra counter space/storage, and a pantry as well. Now we need to replace the counter tops & sink & we are basically done!

5. Less endless scrolling.

I do love social media… obviously! However – my goal is to CREATE more content for you all this year and CONSUME less. After I put the girls to bed, it’s commonplace for me to enjoy a lil’ screentime, usually in the form of endless scrolling on Instagram. I don’t always walk away inspired. I usually find myself feeling like I need to post more or do this or that more…. and UGH. I recently went through and unfollowed a ton of accounts… that truly are awesome! They are! BUT, they were ones that left me consistently feeling envious or were not my style or didn’t feel authentic to me. Case in point: I already feel a lot better about what is showing up on my feed & it’s leaving me feeling happy & creative… but, still, less endless scrolling in 2019 is a goal for me.

6. Listen to more podcasts.

2018 was the year I started listening to podcasts in the car on my commute and I have to say, I want more of those in 2019. I’m talking educational, inspirational, creative podcasts that challenge me to think outside the box and past my daily life but that are still applicable in my everyday endeavors. I’ll have a full blog post coming at ‘ya next month, sharing some of my favorite ones that I listen to on the app, Stitcher.

7. Make time for 1 on 1 time with the kids.

2018 was obviously highly focused on my new baby! However – my toddler definitely needs me in new ways and I honestly miss the 1 on 1 time we had so much! To be completely transparent, it’s hard right now for me to devote 100% of my attention to either one & I don’t like that. I realize this is a completely normal, natural reality… but I still want to make time to devote quality attention to each one individually this year, even if it’s just a few minutes every day as I know there are tons of benefits when I do this.

8. More capsule wardrobe vs. fast fashion.

Who else is a bit over the fast fashion craze that’s happening right now, thanks to social media? I was following an unhealthy number of bloggers on Instagram that were inspiring me to buy-buy-buy. But, for what? I’m all for shopping, don’t get me wrong, and it’s always been a hobby of mine. BUT I have to see a PURPOSE in my purchases. I’m totally on board with the capsule wardrobe ideology that many of you may be familiar with. I have reduced the number of items in my closet greatly since Fall and I can confidently say… it has made getting dressed waaay more fun, simple, and efficient. I’ve also absolutely fallen in love with Madewell as it’s a high-quality, casual brand that I am constantly reaching for in my closet – including their denim, tees, and tops. So, 2019… if you’re not a high-quality, I’m going to “wear you all the time” item, I’m not buying you or I’m donating you, sorry. I ain’t got time (or money) for you if you’re not going to stick around for years to come. 🙂

9. Learn a new camera.

For my Christmas gift, I bought a used professional camera from my friend Ashley that I’m obsessed with. While I knew that this camera was a bit above my knowledge and ability photography-wise, I’m excited for this new challenge this year! At one point, I didn’t know how to take photos other than on Automatic with my old camera either… so I know I can learn this new camera, I just have to take my time.

10. Improve photo editing skills.

I just recently began fully utilizing Lightroom, on both mobile and desktop, as well as using presets for editing my blog & social media photos! I’m 100% hooked and I want to learn everything I can! I had always used a ton of different apps before – A Color Story (which I still love for filters & quick edits), Darkroom, and Camera+ but Lightroom is truly SO much better.

11. Practice more yoga.

I really love yoga, I do. But I don’t ever make time for it. I need to schedule it into my day and make it happen, both for my physical, mental, and emotional needs. I always feel SO good after I do it, it doesn’t take that much time, and I can do it in my own house. There are tons of great video workouts on YouTube, too. I’m not sure why I don’t practice more often, I’m realizing as I type this out. How much easier can working out be?

12. Eat more whole foods.

No diet. No calorie counting. Just eat more whole foods and less packaged ones… totally doable. But will require some planning & making sure these whole foods are easily accessible and prepped for meals and snacks. And maybe even paired with something I REALLY love… for example, having apples ready to go but knowing that I will eat them with almond butter (I’m truly obsessed and eat it daily).

13. Do more planning.

These planning products have left me inspired to plan more this year (I have the calendar & an agenda book too). And by plan, I mean truly PLAN. Writing out activities as well as goals for the month makes me feel so productive. I don’t always plan but I love the results when I do! This is a huge goal of mine this year. Meal planning, included! 🙂

14. Date night every month.

This is a prime example of something that needs planned or else it definitely will not happen. However, now with two littles, including an extremely talkative toddler that barely lets us get a word in sometimes, we’ve found conversations are difficult to come by before 8PM. The times we have went out (nothing crazy – usually just a nice dinner), it’s extremely refreshing to have adult conversation and to get back to things we liked to do before we were parents: Explore, go to new places, and just slow down for a bit. We are going to try our best to schedule a date night every month this year because we know the time together is worth it.

15. Print off pictures.

I have 11,000 photos on my phone. NO JOKE. That’s ridiculous, I know. But what’s even more ridiculous is the fact that I never print those! This year, I need to print them more often because it’s absolutely overwhelming to scroll through them to select the printables when you have that many to choose from! I also need them for the girls’ scrapbooks. I like to print from AdoramaPix because they are very high quality!

16. Rediscover the hot rollers.

Here I go mentioning Reese again… but, seriously! She talks about hot rollers in Whiskey in a Teacup & I realized I have 100% neglected mine for YEARS! This is how I always used to do my hair – because, I’ll admit, I don’t enjoy doing my hair (give me makeup any day, though…), and hot rollers and SO simple and SO good! I’ve already started using my hot rollers more this year & it’s been a nice break from my curling iron. I can put them in & forget about them for awhile… perfect for busy moms!

17. Use more sunscreen & take better care of my skin.

Ever since being diagnosed with melanoma a year ago, I have become more intentional with wearing sunscreen daily & this is something I need to continue to improve upon and take seriously. Also, I plan to keep up with my consistent nightly skincare routine (cleanse, tone, eye cream, Vitamin C serum, moisturizer, and facial oil), too and have fallen in love with Drunk Elephant products.

18. Take more day trips.

Again, it may take a simple plan to make this happen but we definitely always love it when we go on day trips! It’s nice to get out of the daily routine without having to spend a lot of money & be away for the night. On our list? Marietta, Chillicothe, and Cincinnati! Oh & I would love to visit Amish Country in the fall.

19. Organize the basement.

We’ve already started on this one! My husband bought a TON of totes to organize all of our seasonal items, clothes, and baby gear. We simply write on the side with chalk to label the contents & it’s instantly gratifying! We still have a lot of work to do but it’s a great start from where we were!

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Whew! I think that’s about it!

Again, a huge list… but I’m thinking over the course of a year, sooo, I think it’s definitely attainable! What are some of your new year’s goals?