A month later…

Well, clearly still working on that balance component, but not apologizing, because that’s life! Today, while listening to the radio — which I do every morning — the DJs were discussing new year resolutions and asking how people were doing with theirs, since it’s about halfway through the year. This year, I didn’t make an actual resolution list, but every year my list is pretty consistent, generally relating to finding a better balance and feeling healthier: cook/eat healthier food, exercise more frequently, practice yoga, practice meditation, read more often, and recently, to be more present with the babes.

When 2019 started, I was practicing yoga in Utah {which was amazing}, meditating regularly, was cooking more regularly/healthier meals, and was definitely focused on Bird and Lulu. I definitely hit some patches since then where I wasn’t as steadfast with meeting these goals, but I am in the process of revamping my intentions for the remainder of the year. Last post, I just started a new morning routine, which helped me feel more focused and calm at the start of the day — critical for me. Last week was more of a struggle since I was on vacation, visiting my family in New England, which was amazing, but I paused on my morning routine. Plus, I ate like I was a teenager — overeating, snacking on potato chips and waaaaay too much chocolate — my body is currently punishing me by producing a major zit; I guess if I am going to act like a teenager, I get to look like one too. Haha — just being real over here!

Picture on the right: Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent

However, the weeks before vacation, I continued the morning routine and also ran a 10k — in memory of my friend who was killed back in January. What an honor it was to run and the medal has her name on it; never have I felt more proud to receive a race medal. It currently hangs front and center on my display. She was a badass, thoughtful, and hilarious mama, neighbor, and friend — always pushing her limits and motivating others to do the same. Before I became pregnant with Lulu, we talked about completing a sprint triathlon {I may have mentioned the sprint option because I’m sure she would have completed a full triathlon without fail}; my goal is to get in shape to complete one in her honor by the end of 2020.

This morning I woke up early and finished a short one mile jog in the neighborhood to get myself back on track. I was greeted with this beautiful sunrise and an almost full moon {was two days ago} peeking out from behind the clouds. I was still lethargic when I arrived back at the house, but I didn’t meditate or practice yoga, which I desperately needed. Tomorrow is a new day and I will do better!

As for my other yearly intentions, I’ve certainly kept up reading, feel better about the focus I have when with the babies, and go through spurts with cooking healthier for the family. I am getting back on track with the latter and am seriously considering starting the Whole 30 again. Hubby and I did it several years ago and absolutely loved it! Tonight, I cooked up a beautiful salmon salad inspired by a Pinterest post: shout out to Cafe Delights‘ blog and marinade!

I really enjoyed that the marinade for the salmon was the dressing as well {you split it in half for the two purposes, you don’t use the marinade as the dressing} because it made my life simpler! Such a quick and easy meal and so healthy. For future posts, you can look forward to my book reviews from May, June, and July next week, then a post about our home organization in the next two weeks! It feels like it’s been forever, but we are so close now!

Stay tuned and let me know: how are you doing on your resolutions and/or intentions for 2019?!

Here, in the now

“The distance is nothing when one has a motive.”

Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice

Last week, I watched the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice {the only acceptable one to watch} as I was organizing. True, character Elizabeth Bennet is talking about actual distance in the quote above, but for me, I was energized by the thought of an organized house and I have exciting news! We finished organizing our clothes, kids’ toys, and books! Books are always emotional for me, but I am improving; I tend to borrow from the library and friends now, so I try to only purchase books that are my absolute favorites that I will reread.

Book for May, last book read, and current book!

Watching Pride and Prejudice this week inspired me in more ways than one; next month — my birth month — I am going to reread this classic! I still have my copy from when I was in high school. I fell in love with the story and with Jane Austen then: what humor and modern thinking for a woman in that time period. I also still have notes written in the margin I wrote back at the age of fifteen! I cannot wait to see what I wrote then and if any of my thoughts changed over the years. Happy birthday to me!

I meant to post this last week, but as you can see, I am back in the clutter of our home and life gets really distracting because there are what seem like a thousand items on my “to-do” list regarding organizing and simplifying our home. I am so excited to get my list done: once this happens, I will be able to relax and make more time for what I enjoy. Now, you may be thinking, ‘once you finish these projects, there will be more‘ and you are correct. However, if we can really live more simply, there will be less chaos in the house, and I will be able to focus, at that point, on just important daily events: time with family and friends, time to write, and time for self-care {reading, personal writing, trying new recipes for the family, exercise, meditation, etc.}.

This past weekend, I took a break from organizing since Hubby and I were in Colorado for several days {first trip away from the babies since Lulu was born!} to hike and see a concert at Red Rocks {absolutely amazing — more on this trip next post}. Now that we returned, I am continuing by posting more extraneous items for sale and rearranging our family room. It is amazingly fun to see my vision for the house come to life.

Hubby and I decided to do a week of salad dinners, since our weekend away was filled with fun, generous, and very filling eats. The salad pictured here is inspired by @nocrumbsleft and was absolutely delectable! Also, extremely easy, which I appreciate, since I put this together after we the kids went to bed. Continuously grateful for simple, healthy, and delicious meals.

Speaking of self care… in addition to trying something new for dinner this week, I finished The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman on the plane ride out to Colorado — can you say remarkable?! Loved it and will definitely review it in my book post at the end of the month. Cannot wait to talk about it! I just started The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley last night, but am already pretty enthralled with the characters, and only a handful of chapters into it so far. Will keep you up-to-date and maybe will even have time to finish before the month is over — is that too optimistic? We shall see!

What about you? What motivates you right now? I would love to hear from you!