Ever have that feeling of being stuck?

Like the world is spinning around you, but you can’t make sense of it all?

I see you mama. I know you’re stuck. I’m stuck too.

The world’s most recent events with Covid-19 and quarantine have been the most surreal thing I’ve ever experienced. I turn off the news and create this little bubble inside our home, but then the constant “Mom! Mom!” I hear reminds me that my kids are at home when they should be in school.

We’re all surviving right now. We’re all just getting by. And if that doesn’t look perfect to you… that’s okay. Life isn’t perfect.

But here are some tips on what has helped me keep my sanity during this time. (Some may contain affiliate links, but I promise, they are all for fun.)

• Coffee. All the Coffee. My personal favorite right now is Dunkin’ Donuts in BULK. Made at home, of course. Just keep the pot going.

• A good book. Seriously. Pick up a book you can get lost in. I’m currently reading The Beach Club by Elin Hilderbrand and I just finished All We Ever Wanted by Emily Griffin. I couldn’t put it down. I also recommend reading the actual book and not the kindle version, if you can. Our eyes look at screens enough during the day.

• A good Biblestudy. A friend and I are currently reading through Proverbs together. Every morning, I wake up, and it’s the first thing I do. It’s helped me start my mind in the right place each day. I use the First5 app for this. It’s a great way to connect with others and start your day out right.

• Wine. All the wine. When the coffee runs out, it’s time for wine. Ha. If I’m being completely honest, I’ve probably had TOO much wine lately. I start each day thinking, I’ll go today without having any. Then 5 o’clock rolls around and I’m waiving the white flag to surrender. You do it too. We all do. Be honest. And in case you didn’t know, you can now have it shipped to your house. We’ve been using Vivino and finding great deals on bulk orders of our favorites. You’re welcome.

• Water. Since we are on the topic. Because I’m drinking so much coffee and wine lately, I’ve really tried to up my water game. I mean, I have to physically survive still, right? A bottle with a time marker has been a HUGE help in keeping me on track. I actually made myself a rule… If I don’t finish two of these… then I’m not allowed to pour myself a glass of wine. So at least I’m hydrated?

• Insta-cart. This. is. a. life. saver. Seriously…. even outside of Covid-19… I’d, pretty sure this is saving me SO much time from not going to the grocery store, especially toting two kids with me. They always deliver within a few hours and text back and forth the whole time with any replacements. If you haven’t tried it, you need to.

• An outlet. I’ll admit, I’ve had trouble with this one. As a stay-at-home mom, my immediate attention has been turned towards the kids. All the school work. All the house cleaning. All the meals. All the dishes. SO. Many. Dishes. We need an outlet for ourselves. Something to focus on. That is why I turned back to this blog. Somewhere to get my thoughts out. I love this community and the passion behind it. I am like you. You are like me. We connect in this way. Thinking of creating a blog of your own for the same reason? I highly recommend The Ultimate Branding Blueprint for a step-by-step on how to build one. It was a life saver getting this one started.

There you have it. My tips for sanity. But as you can tell… I still don’t feel completely sane all the time. Do any of us?? If you have any more tips to add… anything that has helped you, I’d love to hear about them below. Lord knows this Mama can use the help too!

We are knocking out our Georgia Bucket List this year and it feels great! The weather hasn’t exactly been agreeing with us, so we needed to head somewhere inside. We decided to take A Day Trip to Fernbank.

The trip itself took just under an hour for us and we decided it was worth the value to purchase a Family Membership. If we go back at least one more time, it’s worth the extra $30.

I hadn’t been to Fernbank since I was a little kid, but I was very impressed with how it is geared toward families.

We decided to catch the iMAX film of Flying Monsters in 3D. It was all about the evolution of flying dinosaurs. Pro Tip for the littles that have a hard time sitting through it: bring dum dums.

Ryder’s favorite part was the interactive play area. It was fun and educational at the same time.

And Sadie’s favorite was the interactive science area. We were able to do all sorts of experiments from large bubbles to sound domes.

There was also a Live animal encounter that Sadie loved and we learned the differences between lizards and snakes.

Overall, we had the best time on a Day Trip to Fernbank. We can’t wait to head back as it warms up to explore their 75 acres of outdoor adventures!

Who’s watched Tidying Up with Marie Kondo? I see you raising your hand. Don’t worry. I caught the bug too. It’s kind of like watching Hoarders, only better, because she gives simple tips and a process to follow. So you bet your bottom, I got on board. And I knew just where to start…. Tidying up a little boys room.

Not just any little boy. Mine of course. Since he just turned THREE.. and basically made the switch from 2T to 3T what felt like overnight. I’m not crying. You’re crying.

So I got to work. And guess what? It only took me about two hours TOPS. That was with a snack break. I followed her tips exactly. Pulled out EVERY single item in his closet and drawers. Went through one by one deciding… not only if it fit… but if it brought me joy. Since I still dress him, I wasn’t keeping any clothes that didn’t bring me joy to see on him.

Here’s a little bit of what BEFORE Tidying up a Little Boys Room looked like:

And then.. two hours later… Here’s the AFTER:

And here are a few of my favorite items:

I still have a lot way to go in decorating his room. But for now, he loves it. I’d love to know, what have you used for tidying up a little boys room?

Happy New Year! It’s officially 2019. Are you ready for it? Because it’s here!

My kids woke me up this morning at 7am… and while tired, at first, once I got a view of the sun rise… I was SO grateful.

It had to be one of the coolest sunrises I’ve seen from our house and a perfect way to start out 2019 in a state of awe and gratefulness.

So now that it’s here… what next? How do you actually get motivated in the New Year?

The first day is usually spent still in vacation mode. Everyone is off work. You’re still in a daze from the champagne you clinked at midnight. But before we know it… we’ll be down to 364 days this year.

So how do we kick our own booty into gear? Because let’s face it… sometimes motivation doesn’t come out of no where. Sometimes getting motivated comes from the momentum you gain after just starting.

Here is my Top THREE tips that have helped me get excited and motived to kick off the New Year.

• Make a Vision Board. If you’ve never done this, I highly suggest it. I make mine on Canva and save it to my desktop. Then it’s in front of my eyes every day. You can also print it out and hang it somewhere. Or, if you’re crafty, grab some magazines, scissors, and glue and get to work old school style. Whatever floats your boat and will be pleasing to your eye. The idea is that with pictures, your brain will be stimulated and excited to work toward those goals. At the end of the year, it’s really cool to look back and cross off the ones you’ve accomplished. This was mine from 2017.

• Make a Game Plan. We all know by now that I’m all bout planners. But print outs or regular calendars work too. If you’re planning to get fit – print out a work out calendar or schedule your gym time. If you’ve got a money goal in mind, work backwards each month to figure out exactly what you need to do to get there. If you’re wanting to travel somewhere, plan a time to sit down and map it out. Without a game plan, the days will slip away… we will blink.. and it’ll be June.

• There’s nothing wrong with a little retail motivation. I have nothing against cliches, especially when they are true. And I think there’s nothing wrong with adding health to your New Years goals. Maybe it’s walking more, yoga, or full on working out. But a new pair of shoes is always motivating. I’ve got these in my cart already. Same goes for other goals… a new planner, a new notebook. You choose.

If you have more ways that you’re using to help get motivated in the New Year… I’d love to hear them! Feel free to comment below or find me over on Facebook.

Christmas is over and I don’t know about you, but I’m in a bloated haze. I’m tired of sitting around the house and eating leftovers, but I’m not quite high energy yet.

BUT if I don’t step it up, I’ll be ringing in the New Year with no plan of attack. And if how you start your Monday determines your week… then how you start your January determines your year. 

So I came up with five tips to help you (and me) get on track before we are counting down to ZERO.

Ready? Not really? Good. Me either, but let’s do it anyway.

1. TAKE DOWN ALL THE CHRISTMAS DECOR. Some people like to keep this up for a while. If that’s you, totally cool, but it’s not me. I like a clean slate. I’m a decorate early… take down right away kind of girl. It just makes me feel good to not have such a chore on the top of my to do list when the new year rolls in. (Hint: I start by putting it ALL in now room. Usually my dining room. Then bring in tubs to pack it away. Clear tubs are great, but if not – make sure to label them to make it easier on yourself next year! You can find some easy labels here.)
   

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2. FILL OUT YOUR PLANNER. If you haven’t learned yet. I LOVE a good planner. I currently use The Simplified Planner by Emily Ley. Pick a good time, uninterrupted and spread out the year in front of you. Add in birthdays, special dates, anniversaries, school days, basically any dates you already know for 2019. Then sync it with your spouses calendar or an online calendar, if you have one. I also use the google calendar on my phone for important appointments I may need reminders about.
   

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3. PLAN YOUR NEW YEARS EVE. Listen, It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but the last thing you want to be is stuck on New Years Eve with NOTHING… thinking to yourself, next year I should…. Instead, grab a few supplies from the Target Dollar Spot and pick up some Champagne to toast. If you’re going out, make reservations now. You’ll thank yourself later.
   

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4. SET YOUR GOALS. I’m a goal setter. I firmly believe in it. Do I ALWAYS reach my goals? No. But having goals written down in one place, at least gives me something to work towards. What are your most important values? Start there and find three areas where you want to improve. Maybe it’s your marriage. Maybe it’s at being a Mom. Maybe it’s in your health. Don’t be afraid to be “cliche.” This is YOUR life and YOUR goals. Make them for YOU. You can download my free Goal Setting worksheet here.
   

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5. ENJOY THE MOMENT. In just a few days, 2018 will be gone. You will never get it back. Your kids will grow older this year. You will experience new things. You’ll have new stressors and new joys. We all want our kids back in school already (trust me, I know). But I have to remind myself that this time is precious. As I write this post next to my daughter building legos that I’ve picked up off the floor one too many times… and my son singing a little too loudly into a karaoke machine. But one day, I will miss this. One day, they will grow out of these moments. Even if 2018 was a hard or rough year for you, end it in reflection. Soaking up the moments of present that you have RIGHT NOW. For once it’s gone, it becomes the past.

Liked these tips? Don’t forget to connect with me on Facebook to get more organizing tips or follow me over on Instagram to see how we ring in our new year!