New Year's Resolutions

Hello, friends! Sorry about my absence, but I'm back! (Although I won't be blogging as often as I was.) Today I'm here to share with you my New Year's Resolutions, mostly to put them down into words and make myself feel more accountable since they're public! 

This year, I've decided my One Little Word will be "home." Both in honor of the fact that we will be moving home back to Omaha soon, and because I want to be more present in my home. My resolutions are an extension of that theme. They are as follows:

1. Minimal-ize, and organize.

I spent New Year's day going through my email and unsubscribing from anything that was just taking up space in my inbox, and taking up time to just delete it, and it felt so good. 

I want to extend that to the rest of my home. This is a good time to do that, not only because of the motivation that comes with the new year, but also because we'll be moving in a couple months and I have to do it anyway. I want to go through my home and get rid of anything that I can. Anything that's just taking up room or wasting time to try and keep organized. I want my home to be streamlined, and easy to keep tidy, so that I'm not spending precious time simply trying to keep up. 

This also, of course, includes my wardrobe, but more on that in a second. I also want to organize my photos, and my computer in general, since I spend a lot of time on it and want to be able to find pictures easily.

2. Improve my body image.

Notice I didn't say anything like "lose x pounds." I don't want my end goal to be losing weight, because if I set a specific weight goal, I may be disappointed. What I want is to be healthier and feel good about my body, and set a good example for my daughter.

While I take my blog pictures from the most flattering angles, every time I see a candid picture of myself, I don't like how I look. I recently saw one picture that was a huge blow to my self-esteem. So I got back onto My Fitness Pal, and have been eating healthier and exercising the last few weeks. I already feel better, but I have a long way to go. This is the main reason I haven't blogged any outfit pics in awhile-- I no longer feel good in any of my clothes. I don't think my style has changed so much as I've adopted an attitude of "why bother?" due to not liking how I look. 

Once I start feeling better about my body image, I will re-visit my wardrobe to see if it's still my style, or needs some tweaking. For now, I'm not bothering with buying new clothes, except workout clothes, because obviously I need to have cute workout clothes in order to want to work out. ;) 

(Please note that I'm not saying anyone built like me, or anyone at all for that matter, should feel bad about the way they look. This is something personal that I'm going through, and trying to overcome the best way I know how. I think you all are absolutely beautiful the way you are.)

3. Read at least one book per month.

This is the only resolution I actually managed to keep last year. The books I read, if you're interested, are as follows:

1. Ghost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick
2. Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
3. Goodnight, Nebraska, by Tom McNeal
4. Reamde, by Neal Stephenson
5. Naked, by David Sedaris
6. The Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman
7. 13 1/2, by Nevada Barr
8. The Recipe Box, by Sandra Lee
9. Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson
10. Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
11. Catching Fire
12. Mockingjay
13. The Dinner, by Herman Koch

I love reading, but usually when I'm just sitting around at home, I'm either on my computer or watching TV (or both). Sometimes I forget that reading is a viable and enjoyable option for my free time, so setting an easy goal like one book per month keeps me from forgetting to read altogether. 

That's all I've got for now. So what does this mean for the blog? I'm not sure. Since the bulk of what I post is outfit photos, and I'm taking a break from those and my wardrobe in general right now, and it'll probably be awhile before I start posting those again, I'll be posting a lot less frequently. I'll probably share recipes with you when I come across ones that are easy and healthy, but I don't want this to be a strictly healthy living blog. And I'll post occasionally about what's going on with my family, as usual. I have a couple of picture-heavy posts planned, but after that, who knows. I plan on just sitting back and seeing where 2014 takes me. 

Sorry for the long-winded post, but it was stuff that I needed to get out of my head and into written form, and in a public space to keep me accountable. Thank you all for sticking with me in 2013, and I hope you'll do the same in 2014! Happy New Year!

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Why Blogging Is The Perfect Hobby For Stay-At-Home Moms

 

In the few months I have been blogging, I have fallen in love with it. Before, I was depressed about being so far away from everyone I loved, not having any friends or really any reason to leave the house, no adult interaction other than with my husband, nothing to do in the quiet of the night after everyone else was in bed. I needed a hobby. I settled on blogging, and I'm so glad I did. I feel better about myself, I've discovered that I actually have knowledge that is worth sharing on the internet, I'm more experimental with clothes and food, and I'm even more deliberate about how I spend my time, both alone and with my family. I've made new friendships, and have learned so much. I never thought blogging would have such a positive impact on my life, but I'm so glad it has. 

But you don't just have to take my word for it! I asked three other stay-at-home mom bloggers what they thought about blogging, and they were kind enough to share their answers with me:

Becky and Mandy of The Mommy Trilogy, and Autumn of Pretty & Mine

1) Has your image of yourself improved since starting your blog?

I don’t think my image of myself has improved as we have only been blogging for a few months.  I will say I have given myself permission to make myself more of a priority, though because of the blog.  I find time to work out and shop all in the name of “research” for the blog. ;)
 

This is a difficult question for me since I found out I was pregnant within the same time frame as starting the blog, and my self image is typically not great the more pregnant I get! The blog has encouraged me to make an effort in my appearance, even on days I'd rather be wearing sweats, if only because I know there will be pictures taken that may end up on the blog. ;) It's also introduced me to other pregnant bloggers and how stylish they can be, which also encourages me to put forth effort when it comes to my image. 

I would definitely say that my image of myself has improved since I started blogging regularly. I struggle a lot with insecurity, and my blog was a way for me to just put myself out there, the real me, and challenge myself to just be confident in who I really am. And you know what? So far people have responded incredibly positively, even going so far as to tell me that I'm inspiring! Very hard for me to believe, but definitely a confidence booster! 

2) How much time do you spend on yourself now vs. before your blog?

I don’t know if I spend more time on myself, but I don’t feel as guilty about it now as I did before!

As far as time on myself, I feel that the blog hasn't increased this much...I've always made a point to allow time to do my hair/makeup in the mornings because we are on the go so much and I feel much better about myself when I do. I've also always loved to shop and that is often my "me" time on the weekends when The Hubs can be home with the boys (I like to shop a few hours during nap time, he likes to nap on the weekends with them so its a win-win). However, just time spent blogging and reading other blogs, which could be classified as time spent on myself, has increased, and I find myself doing this many weekdays while the boys are napping when I'd typically be cleaning or doing laundry in the past! 

In my line of work (stay at home, homeschooling, mom), “me time” is hard to come by. But that's the great thing about blogging as a hobby. It can be done here and there, any time you have a few minutes. You don't need to get out a bunch of supplies, just to have to put them right back away because the baby woke up from his nap early. It's great to be able to just take a few minute break to myself throughout the day, to snap a few photos, edit, brainstorm, write... Before blogging I never took time for myself, because it seemed like anything I would do would just be too complicated. I've found the perfect hobby to fit into my lifestyle!

3) What's the best thing to come out of blogging for you so far?

Connecting with new people all around the country...and getting out of my comfort zone with my style--think pattern mixing!  
 

I agree with Becky-definitely connecting with new people, especially connecting with others who make you feel you are "not alone" whether that be as a mom, trying to lose that last 10 pounds, finding a style, or just keeping up with life in general.
 

It has given me an opportunity to rediscover my creative side! I haven't had a creative outlet for years, and was feeling like I had completely lost it. It has been so much fun to stir up the creativity within me!

I feel like I should also say, almost every time a read a blogger interview, their answer to this question has something to do with the relationships they have built and the wonderful blogging community. And I'm hopeful that soon I will feel the same way. I just haven't been around long enough! ;-)
 

4) Would you recommend blogging as an outlet for other SAHMs?

Absolutely!  I think if I would’ve started a blog when we first moved five years ago, and I decided to quit teaching and stay at home, I would’ve had an easier time finding adjusting...adult interaction even via technology versus real life is better than NONE when you are stuck in a house with twin one year olds! 

Again, I agree with Bec! Especially with a traveling husband, blogging definitely gives me an outlet for adult interaction and a way to connect with other moms for advice, or even just to vent frustrations and/or celebrate small victories in parenting!

Obviously, the answer is absolutely yes! Be who you are, share your life with others, have fun!

Thanks, ladies! Not every hobby is for everyone, but I really think that blogging has a large number of benefits for stay-at-home moms who are looking for something to do in their free time (or for  a reason to create more "me time") that will positively impact their life.

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