Hello from Florida!! I’ve missed you gals, I have been posting to instagram but have missed writing, so I’m back and SUPER REFRESHED. We are SO lucky to have this little condo my parents bought in Jupiter (Tequesta) 15 years ago. We’ve been coming on practically every vacation and it feels like our second home. It’s so nice to have that familiarity with a different place, somewhere you so look forward to going back to because you know exactly what you’re going to get. You know the best ice cream spots, restaurants, have a certain marker at the beach you always go back to, etc… We are so thankful my parents decided to make this their retirement home because we love it just as much, and maybe even a little more! We actually seriously thought about moving here last year but for many reasons it didn’t work out and that’s okay.
SO goals. It’s a new year and I love this time to reflect on the past years achievements and look forward to the next. I got the Emily Ley planner and I’m SO excited to start putting it to use! I’ve got lots and lots of goals that I’ve been writing in my journal and I’ll share a few here…
Personal
1. Start working out 3 times/week in the mornings after Brian goes to school. I haven’t worked out in months and I feel it. This December, I was running to catch a train to NYC and by the time I got there as the doors were opening I literally couldn’t speak because I was so out of breath, NOT COOL. (especially because I wanted to ask someone if I was boarding the right train but literally couldn’t). I’ll be keeping y’all posted on my fitness journey so stay tuned!
2. NO MORE WINE DURING THE WEEK. I love my wine but I rely on that glass of red to unwind when the kids go to bed I think a little too much. SO I’ll start drinking tea or something instead, whomp whomp.
3. GO EASY ON MYSELF. My house is a mess, I have two toddlers running a muck, things are going to be out of place and I have to teach myself to let it be. I’ll try and keep up with the actual cleanliness with a new schedule (bathroom 1 on day 5, etc…) but I can’t keep up with the constant mess all the time. It’s something that has driven me crazy but I’m going to try and let up a bit, who cares about a tidy house. Also, dinners. I can’t make a meal every night so I’m going to utilize the local spots that make not being a cook so easy. Our local grocery store has so many options like premade meatballs, sauce, grilled chicken, you name it! Also, we have so many Italian delis around us that make dinners easy to pick up.
4. SCHEDULE. A lot of this has to do with balancing my work and family life but I’m going to make a schedule and do my very best to stick to it. I’ve enlisted help in the new year. I’ll have a babysitter two days a week from 9-3 so that I can hopefully get all my work done in that time and then be able to be an undistracted mom and wife the rest of the time, or at least while the kids are awake.
5. DECORATE A FEW ROOMS IN OUR HOUSE. I want to finish Grace and Brian’s rooms ASAP and then tackle the formal living room. And then finish our master bedroom. I’ll take y’all through once I’m home from Florida (new youtube channel!)
5. GO TO CHURCH. I love going to church but we easily fall into the lazy Sunday mornings that distract us. I want to get into the practice of getting our kids dressed and out the door every Sunday to mass in the mornings. It’s a good habit and I never feel better than when I walk out from our time with God. Thanking Him for all we have, and praying for all that we need as a family, as a community, and as a world just centers me.
PROFESSIONAL
1. CONTENT SCHEDULE. I’ve already made one for the whole month of January, woohoo!! Having this will help soooo much so I can actually plan ahead.
2. Speaking of content, ADD VIDEO. I have a youtube channel to go along with the blog and I’m going to start using it to post hair and makeup tutorials, fitness tips, home tours and lots of other fun stuff. You can subscribe here.
3. INCREASE PAGE VIEWS BY 100%. I’m going to take a course on pinterest and SEO and hopefully this will work to drive traffic to my site.
4. PHOTOGRAPHY SCHEDULE. I’d like to have a photographer every other week to do outfits and help with any other content I need photos for.
5. START PITCHING TO BRANDS. I think I know who I’m going to hire for this one but just have to do a little more research…
6. START A BLOGGING 101 SERIES. I mentioned this on my instagram stories and got an overwhelming response from so many of you wanting to learn how I got started in blogging and tips and tricks on how you can launch your own blog. I don’t know what this schedule will be like but I think it will be an every other week type thing.
7. ATTEND A BLOGGING CONFERENCE Don’t know which one or where but would love to connect with other bloggers and learn from the bosses.
8. DO MORE LOCALLY. I’ve had the privilege of working with so many local brands and I’d like to keep that up and highlight the awesome entrepreneurs we have in Fairfield County.
9. HOST A FEW PARTIES. Remember the Rose Soiree I hosted along with my friend Steph? I’ve got a couple more of these good ideas up my sleeve and want to do one in spring/summer and fall, fun fun!!
And right now that’s a wrap! What are your top three goals for 2017, I’d love to hear!! Comment below 🙂
photo by Casey A. Friese