It’s a curated list of things that I’m doing to usher in 2022 that’s manageable and self-care that is simple.
Host Brunch/Lunch
Start the new year with family, friends and delicious food! Make plans for brunch. It’s perfectly fine to have it on New Years Day. In the past, before kids I would snag a table with friends on New Years Day for brunch at Blue Mesa. Unfortunately, I may not see them for another 2 years. I decided I’m bringing back my brunches ladies! So I’m going to work on scheduling monthly dates and I will share a designed invitation to make it extra special.
Get Outdoors
For several weeks at dusk, I heard a very distinct sound of geese flying over my street. I was not quick enough to record it. It was such a wonderful sight to see. I don’t know if they will return and do the same flight pattern. Either way, it inspired me to make a point to enjoy the outdoors. To make a genuine effort to go outside even if it is for 10 minutes. I hope to get back to walking my neighborhood, riding my bike when it is reasonably brisk and to walk the trails at Harry Meyrs. As a family we used to walk daily. Too many distractions got in the way of enjoying the outdoors.
Bullet Journal (BuJo)
I carry a notebook that I typically write my blog ideas and other reminders. What I am showing is a trendy journal called Bujo where you customize some pages with stencils or freehand. Create a health tracker, meal planner, birthday, monthly goals, sleep patterns, track your TV hours, chart your mood in a grid, book bingo, meditation practice, bucket list ideas, etc. There are a plethora of ideas, but to see some completed pages check out Rylee Autumn for inspiration. Rylee offers discounts on various products from journals, stamps and other stationary supplies right on her website. This is a great way to hold yourself accountable and you may feel a sense of satisfaction when you log these items in.
Deep Clean
Annually, I go through all of our closets and bag the wardrobe that don’t fit the kiddos anymore. In the last 6 months, I have been throwing away kid towels and old bath towels. Once they become no longer soft or fulfill its purpose I just chunk them. Games, gift wrapping paper, crap you just hide in your junk drawer all is sorted out. Either it is thrown out or put in a container. My office space is probably been the toughest. I pile most junk mail, magazines and any paper items that become a clutter to get shredded. Batteries get put into an organizer. Counters in the bathroom and kitchen get a good clean. The interior of the microwave, refrigerator, stove, oven, shower, dishwasher, toilets gets cleaned. Although our bathroom gets the most traffic so I have to do that more often for my own sanity. The kids just love to fling their toothbrush onto the mirror leaving behind the toothpaste spit splatter.
Visit A Historical Home
When the curator returns from winter break I am scheduling a tour of the museum. I remember taking a school field trip to tour the Moody Museum in Galveston. I thought it was fantastic! In the my early 20’s a took a number of tours from the Alamo to a historic homes in Savannah, Georgia. This is definitely going on my calendar. What historical homes are in your area? Leave a comment below and tell me your favorite(s).
Post Holiday Sales
Let the WHITE SALES BEGIN! So looking forward to taking advantage of the after Christmas sales and ringing in those discounts for bath towels and pillows.
Binge a TV Marathon/Classic
Emily Goes To Paris. I have binge watched both seasons. Emily is a 20-something American from Chicago who moves to Paris for a social media strategy job at the French marketing firm, Savoir. It’s a branch of the Chicago headquarters, because I can’t imagine any French company ever welcoming an American–well a person who doesn’t speak the language into their doors. Really enjoyed Ashley Park (Mindy Chen) who is a broadway star that has a stunning voice. There is a bit of an awkward relationship with her hot chef neighbor Gabriel played by Lucas Bravo. I really hope this does not turn into a Mr. Big and Carried away affair. I find the language intriguing with the acting quite amusing as the main actor bungles through each episode. For my classics, I am thinking something like His Girl Friday. I have no idea what to expect or who is in it. I’ll share an update about it when I watch it.
Watch a Documentary and Have a Conversation About It
It was sensational world news that King Tut’s tomb was found. It was one of the beginnings of film to record or document their findings. I was curious and I watched it on Netflix and I’m so glad that I did. As a graphic designer I was thrilled to see the behind scenes of how not only the photos, but how they were able to colorize the film. There were a number of interviews in there, but one that I remembered was about how the media just made up the curse of the mummy to sell newspapers. Lord Carnarvon was integral in funding these historic digs and unfortunately he died from lack of treating a wound. I don’t want to give too much away. Lastly, Howard Carter was actually quite a surprising figure of how young, determined and talented he was. You get to see some of his early works which was the art from the Egyptian walls that he freehanded. Within an hour, well maybe less than that you will be able to watch a bit of their life unfold and reveal a bit of history. I look forward to discussing this recent documentary with a friend. What are some documentaries that you are watching? Tell me in the comments.
Easy Meal Planning
Jason and I started changing the way that we are eating daily. We are eating ONE MEAL a day (OMAD). We have about 3 big meals prepared that we eat throughout the week. We drink water throughout the day and have coffee with whipping cream. I nixed the whipping cream on my coffee. Most of the meals includes appetizer, vegetables and a dessert. Our meal takes place around Noon to 1pm. We eat within a two hour period. So far it is going very well. Baked Chicken, Prime Rib, Lasagna, Fried Chicken and many more recipes to share. To keep it simple, I am just going to do this weekly and tell you some things that I am learning along the way.
Start a Financial Challenge
Basically, it is a task to save money incrementally. During week one, put $1 in an online savings account. Week two, sock away $2 and so on until week 52. I was never into ice bucket challenges, but I am interested in challenging myself to save. December will be our 10 year wedding anniversary so I would love for us to do something special. So this would be a good goal for me to achieve. Check out Gathering Dreams blog for ways to reach $5,000 in savings.
Insulated Travel Mug or Bottle
Insulation is the main factor in a travel mug’s versatility. You’ll want to know how long it can keep your cold drinks cold and your hot drinks hot. Now that I am drinking water, I want to keep something in the car that I don’t have to worry about the toxins of plastics. Fortunately for me, my husband’s company sent a company gift that happen to include a very nice travel bottle that I will be utilizing. My kids have travel bottles…I fill Corban’s bottle every morning for school which has been a huge money saver on drinks. And he doesn’t drink from the public water fountains a benefit of the 2020 madness.
Sign up for a run.
Okay, some fun run or charity run will be something that I have to at least do once. And this is the year that I am just going to do it. I’m not saying I’m looking forward to it. I’m just marking it on my list as a challenge that I will do. Of course I will share photos and tell you all about it. So if you are in my neck of the woods please write a comment below or send me an email of a run or jog that is happening.
Volunteer
So I got to be a room mom for my son’s 1st grade Christmas party. It went really well and I look forward to volunteering more at school. I have been a political activist for several years in my community and I want to invest more time with my children. I’m very fortunate to be able to do that.
Have a Date with husband.
I don’t know how we are going to achieve this, but we have got to find a way for us to have a date night. The next best option is to light some candles and stick them on a table for us to have a drink while we play scrabble.
Hug husband everyday before he leaves to go to work and returns.
Hugging is allegedly good for your health. I hug my son when he goes to school. I just normally say my usual, love you and kiss my husband when he leaves. I don’t remember when we started that, but it has always been a thing. Hugs might even lower heart rates and blood pressure. I read that women who received a hug from their spouse had lower blood pressure and heart rates during stressful sections of testing. The researchers think that oxytocin might be the cause for their better heart health. Regardless of the health reason. I honestly should do this, because I love him. We take for granted our hours of life.
Pie
On Facebook, a woman named Sharon Weiss posted a photo on Marie Callender’s Facebook page, blaming the company for her burned pie. It was a day later that a friend of mine shared this online roasting that brought so many memes that I have not laughed that hard in a really long time. So with that I am inspired to make a pie regularly. My husband made cheesecake for Christmas Eve dinner and it was delicious. I was telling him how much I missed having a pie stand on my counter and slicing a piece after work. It was just one of those little pleasant things that I did. Not sure we will have a pie stand, but at least we will be making a new pie regularly.
Shred Day
I need to make this a monthly habit. Shredding can be therapeutic. However, if we wait too long it piles up and it can take all day. Depending on your shredder it may only go for a few hours before it gets overheated and you have to wait until it cools down. Years ago, I purchased my shredder from Amazon for like $20.00.
Go to bed earlier.
My day starts at 5am. Starting early helps me have time to do things while it is quiet that is work-related. However, my sleep schedule is another story. I am working towards getting to bed at 9:30pm.
Set up a Media Calendar
There are number of items that I want to improve on with my blog and services that I provide. Being more intentional in creating videos promoting my commission work, Pinterest posts as well as recording my podcast audio for my blog.
Read a book to your children.
When they were babies this was a regular thing to read to them before they go to sleep. With Corban we must have read 5 books times 30 for months. Jason periodically will put them to bed and they read 2 books before they slumber off. Usually when I get a special book from the library with Corban I would read it.
Have a spa day with daughters.
At the moment, my daughters are in the phase of dressing up in princess style dresses. I have blow drying their hair after their showers. I have painted their nails, but I would like for them to feel extra special with our robes, dipping our feet in warm water to painting their nails. Heck, I might even throw in some lemonade and a treat.
Go to the Library.
When Corban started school we got a library card and we were consistently getting books until we had a change in schedules that disrupted our outing. Gotta get back on the saddle and get back into this habit of checking out library books. Plus they have events for kids and it will be great for all of us to go. After a trip to the library we would get a treat. It’s the little things.
Don’t try to apply pressure for you to do this all today. This is something that I have already been in the works to usher my year to a good start. Maybe something from my list sparked or inspired you. If so, let me know how you are kicking off in 2022.
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