Hey y’all.. Happy New Year! (I’m 9 days late, but I wouldn’t be my hot-mess self if I wasn’t late at this like I am at everything else! 🙂)  It’s *finally* snowing in West Virginia, so I’m curled up with some hot tea and a blanket ready to tackle this blog thing again! This is my 2nd ever blog post.. which makes me realize what an epic slacker I am, considering I started this blog 6 months ago with the intention on writing a post every week. But I’m gonna refrain from being hard on myself because, #momlife .. and just make a goal to do better this year! As a full-time working mom I’m pretty limited on me-time, but that’s on the resolution list as well. In fact I made a whole list of things I’m gonna kick ass at in 2019.. but let’s rewind a few weeks first!
**Left: My mom, dad, Connor & I at Disneyworld for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! Â Â Â Â **Top Right: Connor on Christmas morning. Â Â **Bottom Right: Connor, family Christmas pictures
I hope everyone had an amazing holiday season! Ours was pretty magical this year. Connor will be 3 next month and let me just say, being a parent at Christmas is even better than being a kid at Christmas! The excitement and joy he had all month long (P.S. we started Elf on the Shelf this year) made me want Christmas to last forever. We really soaked up all the memories – a week at Disney with my parents, the Polar Express train ride, gingerbread house & cookie decorating, family Christmas movies, & anything else we could think of.  My heart was already full, but the holidays this year definitely made it bubble over. ❤️
And now it is 2019 which means a new year, a fresh start, and a great chance to get motivated again! Â I started this blog with the intention of holding myself accountable, giving myself an outlet, and enjoying some productive time to myself. I have NOT done a great job at that.. but it’s time to start again. Â All of my fellow moms out there can relate to the fact that we usually put ourselves last. Other than my three 12 hour shifts every week and 2 hours a month to get my lash extensions filled (my guilty pleasure.. worth every penny!), my little guy is pretty much by my side at all times. Â I take him with me for all my appointments and errands. Â He wakes up with me, goes to bed with me, and doesn’t nap anymore. Â It’s pretty easy to lose your identity as a woman/individual when you feel mostly defined by your role as a mother. Not that I would trade it for anything in the world, but you guys get where I’m coming from!
So I’m promising myself to do better at making time for ME and reconnecting with myself.  I don’t really like the term “resolutions” so instead I’m calling them #goals.  I took some advice from my girl Rachel Hollis (if you haven’t yet read the book Girl, Wash Your Face you NEED to add it to your book list!) and decided to write down my goals for the year as if they’ve already happened.  And I’m not gonna lie, this was super empowering.  Seeing those words in present tense made me feel like a boss who’s about to conquer the world!  Here’s a look at what I came up with.. in case it inspires you to do one for yourself! 🙂 P.S. I’m not the best “doodler”.. haha!
Pretty fun, right?! Â So anyway, one of my big goals is to become a morning person and utilize those earlier hours for some me-time and productivity! Â Enjoying my coffee in peace, devotionals/scripture/time with God, blogging, and oh yeah, READING!!!
I have recently discovered all things self-help: books, podcasts, blogs, journals. Â And let me tell ya, I am here for it. Â There’s something about reading/hearing real-life encouraging stories that gets me motivated to be the best version of myself! Â So I decided to load up on some books as a way to challenge myself in the new year. Â There are several different aspects of my life I wanted to focus on bettering, so I just got a little smorgasbord of titles to dive into! Â Motherhood, marriage, self-love, fitness/health, & faith are at the top of the list. Â I got all of these from Amazon.com, and I have a whole wish list of more books saved to my account.. but I figured I should start somewhere!
Below is a little snippet on why I decided to get each book, as well as an excerpt from the description. Click on each title for the link to buy it from Amazon!
Present Not Perfect – “A journal for slowing down, letting go, and loving who you are.”  The subtitle speaks for itself! One of my goals for this year is to be present in my relationships, whether it’s my marriage, my relationship with my son, or my friendships. Not to mention journaling is good for the soul! ❤️
Grace Not Perfection – I feel like I could make a life motto out of this book title! I am constantly reminding myself to show myself a little grace because I will NEVER be perfect, and that’s ok.  *  “..this book gives women tangible ways to simplify their lives to give space to what matters most. With a focus on faith, Emily reminds readers that God abundantly pours out grace on us—and that surely we can extend grace to ourselves.”
The Magic of Motherhood – This one pretty much sounded like all the mom blogs wrapped up in one book. Sign me up!  *  “Motherhood can often feel overwhelming and isolating. You find your feelings swinging between joy and uncertainty, intense love and anxiety, laughter and tears. Through it all, you constantly ask yourself, “Am I the only one who feels this way?” The Magic of Motherhood will reassure you that you’re not alone. Full of encouragement, humor, and wisdom that will speak to you right where you are, The Magic of Motherhood is like a long-overdue coffee date with your best girlfriend.”
Hands Free Mama – Because I know I am addicted to my phone and that the life right before my eyes is passing me by.  Time to snap out of it!  *  “Hands Free Mama is the digital society’s answer to finding balance in a media-saturated, perfection-obsessed world. It doesn’t mean giving up all technology forever. It doesn’t mean forgoing our jobs and responsibilities. What it does mean is seizing the little moments that life offers us to engage in real and meaningful interaction. It means looking our loved ones in the eye and giving them the gift of our undivided attention, leaving the laundry till later to dance with our kids in the rain, and living a present, authentic, and intentional life despite a world full of distractions.”
Love & Respect – Men & women are naturally seeking 2 different things. Women seek love, men seek respect. Â As I work to better my marriage, I’m ready to try understanding exactly what it is my husband needs from me! Â * Â “Reveals the secret to couples meeting each other’s deepest needs–without love she reacts without respect, and without respect he reacts without love, and a painful, negative cycle begins.”
The 5 Love Languages – A bestseller that I’ve been dying to read forever! I’ve taken the quiz before to know that my husband and I have COMPLETELY OPPOSITE love languages. Time to dive in and figure out what that means and how to start speaking each other’s language!  *  “Falling in love is easy. Staying in love—that’s the challenge. How can you keep your relationship fresh and growing amid the demands, conflicts, and just plain boredom of everyday life? Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today.”
Love Unending – “Rediscovering your marriage in the midst of motherhood.”  *  Again, the subtitle speaks for itself! I’m all about reconnecting with my husband this year.  I know he’s been pushed to the back burner since we became parents, and I’m ready to fall in love with him all over again!
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Because who can’t use a little motivation when it comes to the cleaning/organization department?! Also, after I bought this book Netflix announced it’s doing a series on it, using the author to show us in real-life how it’s done. Can’t wait to read/watch!  *  “..this international bestseller featuring Tokyo’s newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.”
The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation – I’ve got a long fitness/health journey ahead of me, but I’m determined to become a healthier, stronger me in the long run. This book seemed like some good motivation to get me started! Â * Â “No matter who you are or what difficulties you’re facing, you can empower yourself to have the body you want to have, become the person you want to be, and live the life you want to live.”
The Obesity Code – I try not to buy into fad diets, but I’ll admit I’ve tried a ton of them. After briefly doing Keto (and feeling pretty great on it), I realized there’s definitely something behind the insulin/blood sugar phenomenon that drives hunger, weight loss, etc. I thought this book would help me understand it better!  *  “Everything you believe about how to lose weight is wrong. Weight gain and obesity are driven by hormones—in everyone—and only by understanding the effects of insulin and insulin resistance can we achieve lasting weight loss.”
Good Days Start with Gratitude Journal – Because again, journaling is good for the soul.. and I have so much to be grateful for. Â * Â “..a self exploration journal designed to focus on being thankful for what we have, the big things in life, as well as the simple joys.”
My Prayer Journal: A 3 Month Guide to Prayer, Praise, and Thanks – This one speaks for itself. There’s a place to write a daily verse, prayer requests, things you’re thankful for, and “Lord teach me to..” Seemed like a great option for growing in my faith this year!
The Woman’s Study Bible, NIV – I’ve had the same Bible since high school (which means I’ve had it for more than half my life!), but it’s been sitting in a drawer beside my bed for quite some time. I decided I wanted to focus on spending more time in His Word this year, so it was time for a new Bible. I did a lot of research before settling on this version, which my parents graciously bought me for Christmas! ❤️
I would love to hear some of the books you’ve bought that may be similar to these! And I hope my reading list inspires you to find some books that will ignite the spark and help you feel confident, proud, strong, fulfilled.. whatever it is you need in order to KICK 2019’S ASS!!  Thanks for reading my blog… Until next time, mamas! 🙂
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