Ten resolutions!

If you are like majority of the world, then you make resolutions at New Year's and by this time of the year- you have either 1. forgotten what they were, 2. given up, or in the rare instance that you are different, 3. you have kept them and continue them.

I am a mix of those. Today, I am going to reflect on those resolutions and update them!

1. Spend time in prayer, devotional, reading with God daily. I can honestly say I do this. I bought a Christian Planner https://christianplanner.com/ at the first of the year. I read https://first5.org/ dialy and reflect in my planner. On the weekends, I try to read something from the bible, listen to a sermon, and we also go to church. 

2. Have time with my husband- dates, movie nights, whatever we can make happen with a toddler. We have made more of an effort to enjoy watching shows together, we have planned a date for our anniversary over Spring Break. I think when you have children, it is harder to manage this type of thing, but I think it is SO important to do to keep your marriage as a priority.

3. Take time to read and play with my son daily. It is so hard to get bogged down with work and household chores, responsibilities, etc. I try to make an effort every day to play with him, take him outside if I can, read a book to him, bath time, whatever we can do to just have some time together. He is a super busy 2 year old and growing so fast. I don't want to miss those moments with him.

4. Exercise as often as possible. I am almost 33 weeks pregnant so exercise is a funny thing these days. I just can't move like I used to. This belly gets in the way- it's harder to do! At the beginning of the year, I signed up with Beachbody on Demand and I am proud to say I have stuck with it. I workout 3-5 times a week usually. I change it up and modify as I need to. I know how important it is to continue to workout while pregnant and how it makes getting back to my pre-pregnancy self afterward so much easier.

5. Healthy eating and water intake. This comes and goes for me. I will say salads have been a craving, fruits and vegetables as well. BUT, I have also craved more sweets during this last trimester which has been hard. I definitely need to drink more water. I am going to re-prioritize this and try harder. I am running out of space in there, so eating is often small snack and meals throughout the day, otherwise a big meal makes me miserable!

6. Budgeting- this has been a priority for us always, but we really revamped it when we had Landry. We know how important it is to plan for the future and really think about college, vacations, and providing for our family. We have stuck to our budget, paid off debt and things continue to go well with that. I know one thing is for sure- just when you think it's not possible, God provides. Trust in him!

7. Family time. I feel we don't get enough of this. My parents are busy, we are busy. We struggle to find that time to just hang out or go do something fun. We need to make time for it though. I am going to try and make more of an effort to have dinner, go spend time with my parents, etc. Same for Tyler's family.

8. REST! I am so bad at this. I go go go go go. I rarely take time to just lay down and rest, prop my feet up and watch a movie, RELAX. I need to make more time, in the midst of the chaos of being a mom and wife, to do this. 

9. Continue with Ever and be as dedicated to it as I can. I have gone up and down with my side gig business. I really need to try and continue to focus on building my team and working harder to share these amazing products with those around me. It is something I enjoy doing.

10. De-clutter! I know, I know- Marie Kondo is like all the rage right now. My husband and I have always purged stuff. We do it several times a year. We donate things, we go through our clothes, household items, sell unneeded items, etc. We need to continue this. With 2 kids and more stuff than ever, it is important to remember that stuff is just stuff and it doesn't make your life. Get rid of what you don't need and what doesn't bring you joy.

What are your resolutions? Have you kept them? Forgotten about them? Ready to revamp and set new ones? There is not time like the present! 

Friday Favs!

FRIDAY! Woo hoo! The weekend is ahead and even though it's cold and windy here in Southeast Texas, I am ready for a couple days to rest and relax. 

Today I am going to share with you a few of my favorite things- beauty wise, clothing wise, mom stuff, kid stuff..... just some things I LOVE!

Beauty:

Of course I sell Ever skincare and makeup so those are my favs! I did a whole blog post on that yesterday and here is my link, in case you missed it!

https://www.everskin.com/with/melissaanderson

Another product that I love is:

https://www.revelnail.com/

Revel nail allows you to do an at home dip powder manicure. It takes some time to get used to the process and get better at it, but overall it is easy and I love it! This was one of my favorite manicures with it. The color options are endless! Saves time and money instead of going to the salon. 

Clothing:

I am pregnant right now so clothing options are somewhat limited. I can still wear a lot of my non-maternity shirts, but pants are a no-go. When I am not pregnant some of my go-tos for clothing are Maurices, Jane, and Zulily. I love a great deal! I recently found a new website that I am really liking!

https://ddpboutiqueauctions.commentsold.com/store

The prices are so affordable. They post new stuff all the time. it is cute and on trend! Check it out!

Current Shoe LOVE- Adidas Cloudfoam. SO COMFY for my pregnant feet. They slip on and tie. They come in cute colors. 

Mom stuff & Kid Stuff

This is a harder topic! There are so many things out there for moms, babies, and kids. I am recently reminded of that when I am preparing for baby #2. 

Here are several things that made my life much easier as a mom:

https://www.thewonderweeks.com/

You can get the APP for this. It is a life saver when it comes to having a baby. I could put in the baby's due date and then see what to expect when they go through a leap or growth spurt. It definitely kept me from feeling like I was crazy for thinking my baby was acting "different" for a few days or weeks.

https://www.sheamoisture.com/products/mommy-baby-kids.html

This stuff is my fav! It smells SO good and you don't have to worry about harsh ingredients for you or baby!

You can sometimes find these products at Marshall's for cheaper and sometimes Target will carry them as well. I highly recommend these:

FOOD AND DRINK

Here are a few things I am really loving lately. I try to watch what I put in my body. I try to be cautious of sweets and too many carbs or processed foods.

I love these drinks- cherry limeade is my fav. They are zero calories. I don't drink them every day, but when I need a break from water all day, every day this is my go to right now.

Carb master products are sold at Kroger. I pick them up with my ClickList order. They are lower carb smoothies and yogurts. I haven't found a flavor I don't like yet. It gives me a little sweet something after lunch without loading up on sugars and calories. 

These are just a few of my favorite things...... what are some of your favorites?

Let's talk routine!

Routine- a sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program. (other words used to describe it- procedure, practice, pattern, regimen)

It sounds kinda scary doesn't it? Or it sounds more like HARD work than anything. Until it's not. It took me a long time to realize that establishing a routine, making a permanent part of what you do, and learning to love that routine makes it NOT hard and NOT scary. In all honesty, I crave routine. I enjoy routine. Even when it's not fun stuff that I have to do- like laundry or dishes. At the end of the day, it makes me feel so much more calm and relaxed when things are done. It also is its own accountability system. You can easily tell if someone is off routine. It may be they look a hot mess, their house is a hot mess, they are late, they forget something....the list goes on. Now, I am not trying to say that every day will be perfect. IMPOSSIBLE. BUT, I am saying that a little routine can go a long way to making life better and easier. 

Here's a rundown of my working mom routine on a regular school day:

6:00- Wake up- I might hit snooze once, but I am definitely up by 6:10.

6:10-6:30- Hair, makeup, dressed for day. My Ever skincare and makeup routine make it super easy to do this quickly! See our beautiful palette, mascara, and lip gloss below! I make it a routine to have clothes picked out for the week so that I am not searching for an outfit. In face, I iron everything that my husband and I will wear to work for the week on Sundays. Takes 30 minutes, makes life easier!

6:30-7:00- I usually pop some oatmeal in the microwave to cook while I am unloading the dishwasher, packing lunches, and just straightening up the living room and kitchen. I might take something out for dinner or put something in the crock pot. I always meal plan. I us ClickList from Kroger and grocery shop once every 3-4 weeks. I freeze a lot of stuff- bread, cheese, whatever so that I am not constantly at the store. I make one run a week to get fresh fruit and maybe milk or something small I have forgotten. ClickList is a GAME CHANGER. No more browsing the aisles and getting unneeded stuff. No searching the stores for what you need. They do it for you, you pull up and they load up ALL your groceries! Done deal!

A little after 7:00, I am out the door and off to work! 7:30-3:30 is my work schedule. Sometimes we have meetings or other obligations, but for the most part I am off and home by 4:00 every day. 

When I get home, I usually visit with my son, have a snack with him and then get changed into work clothes. I am currently doing Beachbody on Demand. Occasionally I will get in a workout on my lunch break, but sometimes it is at home and I never spend more than 30 minutes on it. By 5:00-515 I am done and ready to get dinner going or finished. We eat around 6:00. After dinner and cleaning up, it is play time and then bath time. I aim for 7:30 to be relaxing as a family. bedtime is between 9:00-10:00. Then it is time to do it all again.

Other things I do around the house that are routine:

I clean, like really DEEP clean, every 2 weeks. Otherwise, I keep things picked up, the floors cleaned, and bathrooms cleaned weekly.

I do laundry twice during the week usually and then finish on the weekend.

I pay bills when we get paid twice a month, usually on that day so that I don't forget or let things slip away from me.

We have old people medicine containers LOL! I fill those up on Sundays so that we have all our meds and vitamins set out for the week and we aren't fumbling with bottles.

We hire someone to mow our grass- game changer, time saver.

We usually make runs once a month to get haircuts, household items, car washed (we pay for that too), and run errands. 

I use Amazon Prime for EVERYTHING else we need in between. Stuff for home or work- I order it and in 2 days it is on my porch.

I have subscribe orders for things like diapers and wipes, coffee, dog food. It comes and I don't even have to think about it. 

We regularly clean out and purge clothes and items we don't use around the house. That alone has become a routine and makes us all feel better when we have less clutter hanging around. 

Organization and routine are key for me as a working mom. It makes me feel more sane on the crazy days. It helps me to enjoy those things like working out, cooking dinner, washing clothes....because it is not stressful. 

What are your daily routines? What do you do to make life easier? How can you incorporate any of these things into your routine to try and live a healthier life, get some exercise, get some rest?