33 well-planned articles of clothing. There are spreadsheets, books, and courses devoted to the concept. Wearers meticulously design them based on mix-and-match potential and classic looks. I did something crazier. I wore the same 5 dresses for 100 days. This was not well planned. Back in April, I decided to try out that Lularoe Nicole dress. Or 5 of them. Because when I like something I go all in. Laughing about my purchase, I told a friend “I should wear one each day of the week!” She said “When will you do laundry? And wouldn’t you need 7?” [See, this is why you have friends smarter than you] Ignoring these practicalities, I decided to go even deeper. Here’s what I gained by wearing the same 5 dresses for 100 days.
If you have longed for good fellowship with other Catholic women, see if there’s a Blessed Brunch in your area. These are potluck meals fostering faith + friendship. Blessed is She coordinates emails, the hostess opens her home and follows the guide, the guests bring the food + fellowship. If there isn’t one near you, consider hosting it yourself!
Cupcakes
An unsung benefit of having Catholic mom friends is all the babies = all the birthday parties. Ergo, lots of cupcakes.
Welcome to another session of Seven Quick Takes. I’ll be recapping the highs and lows of 5 years of attempting to find my crafting niche. Get ready to laugh, y’all. If you make it to the end, check out that giveaway!
{Clothes}pin this! – B
No pictures remain, but I followed this tutorial to the letter. I only stabbed my fingers with chicken wire seventeen times. A rousing success!
Don’t confuse energy management with time management.
Tell me if this sounds like you.
I make reasonable schedules and lists. I’m not double booked. But I just end up getting sidetracked, working slower and slower, or checking out to do something more relaxing. I cannot clear a to-do list!
It’s easy to overload your to-do list with short tasks. However even 30 minute events like confession or a high-intensity workout can completely drain you. Try rating each task you add to your to-do list with a 1-5. One for not at all tiring, to five for super exhausting. Suddenly the mid-afternoon slump makes sense.
Do you scramble every morning to get out the door? Do you feel like you start each day 10 steps behind? There’s just not enough time in the morning to get every last thing done. The key to smooth and easy days, is starting the night before. Here are 17 simple ways to make life easier for tomorrow.
I’m learning to trust, but neglected reading time. January was off-balance, but a little focus (and a lot of Jesus) can bring everything back together.
We finally started ABA, and it has been wonderful! My dear almost-3-year-old man separates easily, engages with his super-fun therapist, and has learned so much already. His goals are mostly language, attentiveness, and self-regulation. Yesterday we did a whole puzzle together, and then he helped me clean up his room (without being asked!) That never happened before!
How do you form good habits? Most of us say “I want a new habit, guess I just have to work out for a few weeks. If I stick with it, eventually it will become second nature.” Nope! Habits don’t magically appear out of repetition.
Here’s an example: Let’s say your New Year’s resolution for 2018, you wake up, and smack yourself in the face with a frying pan. It’s character building. You knuckle down, and keep doing it every.single.day. For 365 mornings in a row, you diligently whack yourself to uphold your yearly promise.
On January 1st, 2019, will you smack yourself again? I’m betting not.
First of all, this isn’t a sponsored post or Fitbit review. Fitbit Inc doesn’t even know I exist. Links are affiliate, because it’s a product I personally bought and love. Glad we got that out of the way 🙂
My sweet husband, understanding my desire for practical gifts, bought me a Fitbit Alta for my birthday present this year. After getting it set up, I’ve had so much fun with it!
Yes, you will be more active and less of a couch potato. With a glance at your wrist, you see how much or how little you’ve moved today. But that’s barely half the functionality. Here are some unexpected ways a Fitbit can made you a better person.
Less snoozing, since the Fitbit Alta tracks your sleep. I hop to it, when my silent, vibrating alarm goes off. If I don’t, there will be a digital record showing I hit snooze twice. Ok, 4 times. But now I’m beating the sloth-monster by rising on time!
In the neverending quest to get more steps, I’ve become a park mom. Every day, my son plays on the community playground. The fresh air and exercise benefit him too!
Among my friends, I’m a late adopter of the Fitbit technology. Now I have a new way to connect with them online. We’re in a private encouragement group on the Fitbit app. Plus, we compete in daily step challenges. You literally cheer each other on!
Another consequence of the accurate sleep tracking. I’ve had to stop playing the “I’m more tired” game. You know when moms compare and basically brag about being tired? Radical honesty. I’m only tired because I stayed up until 12:19 last night. But not that tired, since I was restless a mere 3x, and slept 7 hours through the night. I’m not going to one-up anyone. My lack of sleep is my own fault.
My dachshund, originally a reluctant partner for our long daily walks, is no longer one of the 53% of American dogs who are overweight. I’m a better pet parent!
I’m building community. To many of my neighbors I’m “the walking lady.” We see each other every day on my walks, or as I circle the playground. I frequently stop for a quick chat, and really connect.
As we learned from Legally Blonde, exercise creates endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don’t shoot their husbands. My husband hit a home-run with this gift!
How has your personal journey towards fitness and health improved others’ lives? Drop me a comment below!
How many times have you been unable to make a simple decision?
It’s not that you were tired, hungry, cranky, or otherwise indisposed. You were just frozen, unable to choose between a variety of options. We have all been there. The source of decision paralysis lies in anxiety! The best ways I have found to conquer decision paralysis are through changing a few negative thinking habits, and harnessing my little wins for future success.