My Word for 2015: Intentional

This is the first year I've decided to pick a word for the year.
I'm not a huge fan of new year resolutions (or goals for that matter)
because I struggle in achieving them and find myself giving up far too quickly.
However, at the end of the year I always find myself wishing that past had been different.
I always finding myself wishing that something more had happened,
that I had changed, grown, in some way.
So, a word for 2015 seemed like a good thing.

This year my word will be INTENTIONAL.
This is a word that both scares and excites me.
It's a word that has been on my heart and mind for a long time,
but one I've ran away from because it is hard to be intentional.
I've wanted to be intentional in many areas of my life,
but honestly, as a mama, I constantly feel so tired
that I find it oh so hard to be intentional at all.
However, I'm tired of that!
I'm tired of getting to the end of my days
and asking myself, "What did I do today?"
I'll tell you that the answer usually invovles too much cleaning and Netflix.
Not something I'm proud of or something I want to look back on
and realize that is all I did with my days!
Therefore, even though I'm scared, I know that intentional is the word for me!

So how do I want to be intentional?
I've written things down in my journal that I want to be intentional about,
but I also realize that things may change when it comes to that.
Here are a few areas I want to work on when it comes to being intentional in 2015:

I want to be intentional in my relationship with Jesus. 
This is one of the main areas I want to be intentional in during 2015.
If I fail in any or all other areas, but can grow in this area I will be very happy!
For me, being intentional in my relationship with God involves many different things.
I want to be in the word more. Not just skimming through it, but really in it.
I want to have scripture on my heart and mind. I want to cover my life in it.
I plan on reading the whole Bible in a year
and plan on doing so with the help of She Reads Truth.
I also want to pray more, which for me looks like writing out my prayers in my journal.
In college I was so good at that. It was the way I survived, pouring my heart out to Him.
That's how I've always felt connected to God and I know it's important to do so.
I even bought a new journal to do so and hope by the end of the year to have it filled.
I haven't filled up a journal since college and I miss it!
Being intentional in my relationship with God also looks like going back to church.
If you know me then you know this has been a struggle for myself (and my family),
for a while now. I hope we can change that this year.
I plan on carving out time to be intentional with Him.
I'm hoping this year I can make a huge effort to get myself out of bed before everyone else,
and into the word before the day begins.
I know this makes a huge difference during the day!

I want to be intentional with my "me" time. 
Like I said I often get to the end of my days
and realize I've spent far too much time watching Netflix
or on the internet not really doing much of anything but waisting time!
Now, this isn't necessarily an awful thing. I mean, it is how I relax and I do enjoy it,
but I know that there are other things I need to do, other things I would enjoy doing if I just did them!
I want to spend more time reading books. I used to be such a book worm
and I know once I pick up a book I will truly enjoy the feel of it in my hands
and escaping into a story within words, not just through a screen!
I also want to spend more time with my camera (and not just my phone for IG).
I would like to learn more about how to use my camera
and capture things that really matter.
As I look back over pictures I have taken with my digital camera,
I realize how much more I cherish those photos and the memories behind them.
I would like to do more crafts and painting as well.
I've struggled in being intentional in this area because it takes more effort.
Usually "me time" is all about zoning out
and not doing something that involves much thinking.
I look forward to changing that and doing things I really do love!

I want to be intentional with my children. 
I want to get the kiddos on a schedule.
That is also something I've been meaning to do forever now,
but have been running away from because it takes a lot of time and effort.
I am not a huge scheduler, but I know it would be so good for them!
I also want to focus on getting them to obey me and being better with discipline.
Being consistent is super hard for me when it comes to those areas,
but I know it would be an amazing thing for my whole family if I got better in those areas.
I want to give them more attention.
So often I feel like I am in survival mode and truthfully that just sucks!
Survival mode to me looks like a whole lot of tv for us and me cleaning
far too much as a way of coping with crazy kids.
I know it isn't healthy or fair, so I want less tv and less cleaning.
I want to do activities and crafts with them.
I want to play and have more fun with them.
This may be on of the hardest areas for me to be intentional.
I know however, that my kids need me to be more intentional with them!

I want to be more intentional in my marriage. 
Can I just admit right here, right now that marriage has felt really hard this past year?
Like I want to throw my hands up and run away hard?
Well, as much as I wish I could say it wasn't my fault, that'd be a lie!
There is one big area I would like to work on when it comes to my marriage
and that is being kinder to my husband, especially with my words.
I can be really hateful, sassy, and mean.
It usually comes from a  place of hurt or fear, which may justified,
but I usually make things a million times worse just by opening my mouth.
I want to think more before I open my mouth.
More than that though, I want to pray more before I open my mouth.
I want to take my feelings and thoughts to
God about whatever before I say anything to my husband.
My guess is I would talk (and feel) differently if I did so!
I know this will be hard because I am super emotional,
but I also know that is would drastically change our marriage if I did so!

I want to be intentional about my health. 
I've been somewhat intentional this last year.
If you've been around then you know I've participated in Whole30
and it changed my life completely!
However, I still struggle with emotional eating.
I really would love to kick that issue to the curb
and lose the extra weight I am still carrying around.
This might mean another round of Whole30,
cutting down on sugar (if not eliminating is completely),
 and definitely means working out.

So far those are the areas I want to focus on when it comes to being intentional.
It's a lot, but I so desperately want these areas of my life to be different.
I want to enjoy life more and I think being intentional will definitely help me to do so!
Do you have a word for 2015? Have you had a word in the past?
Or is this your first year deciding on a word like me? Please share!

Working Out & Weight-loss Goals

If you follow me on instagram then you know about my workout goal. 

I thought I'd put it here on the blog as well + do more of an update. 

I'm tired of my body guys and it's even harder because of how thin I used to be. 

Before I had babies I weight 110 and now... well, I'll just put it all out there, I'm pretty much 160. 

It is hard, it sucks, its depressing. It is also not healthy. 

Instead of just sulking and just allowing myself to remain at this weight,

I've decided to do something about it! 

Because that's the only way things will change. 

My goal was to work out 30 days straight. 

I say was because I already failed. 

Actually, more like took a breather because I was feeling dizzy for a few days!

Now, I'm getting back at it and hopefully can go on strong from here on out! 

I started off by doing the walk at home video, but decided I needed to step it up a notch. 

I'm currently doing the 30 day shred and oh man, it is a butt kicker! 

I'm so out of shape.

I can barely do a push-up (I'm getting better) and I have to take breaks for water (shhh don't tell Jillian). 

As for my weight goal, I don't want to be back down to 110. That is too thin.

I'm aiming to get to 130 and really just tone certain areas. 

I know I also need to eat better, which is a super big struggle for him! 

Sometimes I do okay and other days I eat too much um, chocolate or ice cream! ;) 

I'm also currently doing body wraps, which I may or may not post about at a different time.

It all depends if I can gather up the courage to show the world pictures of my stomach! HA! 

Do you have workout/weight loss goals? How do you keep yourself accountable?

I'm using instagram everyday! 

What's your favorite workout? I definitely don't have a favorite.

Because well, working out isn't my favorite, but I've yet to regret working out! =) 

Less Of

This is one of those posts without a picture because that just takes more time.
I wrote this post the other day about my addiction to social media.
Its so hard to stay away from the internet, but I need to!
I got some great comments from women who could relate!
One lady even suggested we work on this together! Thanks Amelia! =)
So its, what I'm aiming for. To be on facebook, twitter, blogger, pinterest... less.
For two weeks I'm aiming to be on the computer 30 minutes a day.
As I've thought about only being on here for 30 minutes, that makes me a bit nervous.
Thirty minutes is not that much at all.
It feels like nothing and I haven't done well this morning.
So hard when you get all these notifications on your cell phone! Any way to change that?
I'm tired of being so addicted to the internet. It, so often, is a waste of time!
Yes, social media can be great, but so often I don't use it that way!
I just get on the computer to check something or just browse and its pretty pointless!
I don't want to waste time because the wasted time adds up and then I feel like I've wasted my days and that adds up to feeling like I'm wasting my life!
I don't want to live a wasted life! Life is much to important for that!
There's too much to do!
There's always kids to take care of and spend time with! There's always my husband to be with!
There's always something to clean and others things that I enjoy doing as well!
So my goal is to focus on those other things because living life in life is way more important than living life through the internet.
So, my goal is to be on here less... not hours and hours, which is what seems to happen!
Part of me think I cannot do this... its going to be too hard, I'm going to fail.
I'm trying super hard to not have that mind set and if I do mess up then I can just begin again!
While thirty minutes may not be much... especially if I need to get something done that will take longer, I'm going to try...or possibly give myself a bit more time, but not hours!
Giving myself grace!

What are your thoughts? Have you ever done something like this? What helped? What didn't?

Okay...off I go!

On my way to being organized

I'm not by nature an organized person.

I want to be because when things aren't in order it makes me a bit cranky.

So I'm going to try and hope it sticks. 

I found this rotating goals list on pinterest and thought it was such a great idea! 

Where better to start being organized than with a list of goals? 

Here's my version: 

I used picnik (while I can!) to create the banner and a sharpie for the boxes.

I decided, for me, it was best to put it in a protective sheet so it does get torn up.

For now I decided to just use a dry erase marker to write in my goals.
I don't have sticky notes and I can rotate my goals that way as well! 

I'm looking forward to using this for all sorts of goals... big and small. 

Motivation doesn't come easily to me, so I'm hoping it will help me get things done I rather not do

or things I've been meaning to do, but just haven't made the time for.

Things that will probably make there way on that sheet super fast are putting the photos that are on the computer onto disks, so the computer isn't so slow and also finishing Braden's baby book. 

I should probably finish that before baby number 2 enters the world! 

I'm also thinking about making these for the fridge! 

Super cute and will hopefully help me be a bit more organized too!

Goals for a healthy pregnancy (input wanted)

I want this pregnancy to be different than my last. Not that my last was bad...it wasn't, but I know this one can be healthier. When I was pregnant with Braden I really ate whatever I craved and because of that I put on more weight than I should have. I think that happens a lot during first pregnancies because you just don't know much. Its so much easier to put it on than get it off. I know that weight gain shouldn't be the only reason for my goals, but being honest here, that does scare me. I was never one to struggle with my weight until after having my sweet boy. There's more to it though. I know it will not only benefit me, but it will benefit the little one growing inside me as well. 

So, lets talk about some goals: 

I will eat well this pregnancy. This is hard simply because of cravings. I'm super bad at self control, but I am trying and I desperately want to succeed. At this point in my pregnancy its been hard to eat much of anything because the morning sickness has been hard, but I'm striving to eat more fruit and veggies, which I do love, so that's not really much of an issue. Truthfully, I'm unsure of what to eat, especially when it comes to lunch and dinner. I snack well, but other than that its a struggle. I think I may start a food diary... will help me keep track of what I'm feeding my baby!

Drink more water. I've never been a fan of water, but I know I need it. My first pregnancy I drank coke and my doctor told me that it probably didn't help with the weight gain. So no more coke! I usually have one caffeinated drink a day - a coffee, but other than that I need to fill myself with milk, juice, but mostly water! 8+ glasses a day! 

Exercise. Gosh, even that word hurts to type. Working out has never been something I've loved, but that is going to change! I am determined! For my birthday my husband got me a twister stepper, which is a huge motivation. Its sort of like a smaller vision of an elliptical, which I actually like. When the weather is nicer I know as a family we'll do more - going on walks and bike rides. That also motivates me because we'll be doing it as a family. 

Rest. Being pregnant the second time around is so much more tiring than I thought it would be! I've been pretty good at resting when the toddler does and I'm definitely going to make it a priority because a cranky, tired mama isn't good for anyone! ;) 

So, tell me, lovely readers what other goals should I have?
What did you do in order to have a healthy pregnancy?

And whats your favorite healthy thing to eat while pregnant?

Any thoughts and encouragement welcome!

A book review: Unlocked

One of my goals has been to read more. I haven't been that great at it, but this past week I borrowed this book from a friend and loved it! I thought, since its one of my goals, I'd write a book review on it.

Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors. I've yet to read a book by her that I haven't liked and I doubt it will ever happen. Her words just draw you in and you can't put the book down! Unlocked is a story of two friends, Holden and Ella, who lost their friendship when they were little. They were best friends, but when Holden all of a sudden got autism, Ella's parents couldn't handle it and stopped their friendship with the family. 

Years later, Ella and Holden reunite all because of a school play. Holden is drawn to music... the one thing that makes him happy. Well, that and Ella. The music not only brings Holden a bit out of himself, but it brings friendship back into the lives of two families. 

I loved this book. It made me smile and cry. One of my favorite things about Karen Kingsbury is how she writes about faith. I love how her characters depend on God and hear Him speaking to them. 

I wish I could hear God the way the characters seem to... like He's right there!  Karen Kingsbury is no doubt my favorite author and I promise if you pick up one of her books, you'll love her too! 

Now, I'm off to read another book of hers! =)

Setting goals

I'm horrible at setting goals. Actually, maybe its not that I am horrible at setting goals... I do perfectly fine at saying what I want to do, but horrible at follow through. I wish I were a more motivated, goal-oriented person, but I don't seem to be. I want to work on that. I'm hoping that if I blog about them, then I will actually follow through. I hope so. 

I have things I "want" to do in multiple areas of my life, so I need to set goals in specific areas. Here I go!

Spiritually

Read The Word daily. Even if its just a single verse.

Journal a few times a week. Its my way of praying and I used to do it for hours at a time. 

Pray with my husband before bed time. We were doing so well at this and need to get back on track.

Pray with my baby before he drifts off to sleep.

Health and wellness

Drink more water. I'm not a fan, but my body needs it.

Exercise daily. Even if its just a walk. I want to learn to be better at running, so maybe I should try that.

Eat better. As in 3 meals a day.

Wash my face twice a day. Its so easy to go to bed without doing it!

I'm sure there is more I could add to this one!

Passion

I want to find out what I am passionate about. 

For one, I love taking pictures and I have this great camera, but I don't know how to use all the functions! So, thats my goal! Figure out my camera!

Write more.

Read more. I need to take a trip to the library.

That's it, for now...
I can do this. I can meet my goals.

::all pictures via pinterest::

Goals

I started a few this week.

Some big. Some small.

Some smart. Some silly.

Goal 1: Workout every day this week. 

That picture was an attempt of us flexing. Apparently, Braden was to worn out from all the working out he did. He decided it was nap time instead. I am trying my hardest to work out everyday this week. Yesterday, I considered all the walking we did at the strip mall to be a work out. Today, we went to the gym at the apartment. Hopefully I will do well this week and make it so eventually I will get some exercise in every day! I really want to lose the remainder of the baby weight!

Goal 2: Take outfit pictures somewhere else rather than the back porch (sometimes).

Headband, stripped tee, shoes, and belt: Target.  Gray tee and skirt: Thrifted. Earrings: Gift. Sunglasses: Walmart. Bracelet: Made by me out of a t-shirt. 

Does anyone else find it awkward to take pictures of yourself (by yourself) out in public? I do! It just feels weird and I don't like people starring at me. I'm the type of person who likes to blend in to the back ground. Setting up your camera and posing a few times kind of doesn't allow that. However, I was getting really tired of the back porch, so here we are, at a park. The good thing was no one was there! Baby steps I guess... next time maybe someone will be around and I can accomplish the "take my picture in front of people" goal. 

Had to get a picture of him of course. He was hot and sleepy. We didn't stay long after this...a short walk back to the car. Speaking of him, he is yelling at me, so I better go!