So I am definitely in that weird time flux of having a baby again and feeling like everything is going so fast and so slow all at once. On the one hand I can’t believe how much has happened in the last six months. It feels like much more time should have passed for all this to be possible. On the other I feel like it has been a complete whirlwind and I’m going to blink and it will be December. I’m guessing at least some of you feel the same! I just filled out my Powersheets for the month of July and before jumping into a few things there I wanted to celebrate some of the little by little progress that’s happened during the first half of the year…I’m just going to be re-capping a few of my favorite wins or improvements, so if you are curious on the full run down of my goals for the year, you can look back at this post.

*I have become queen of hydrating. I didn’t think I could possibly drink any more liquids and then summer hit and I NEEDED even more. I still drink coffee every morning but other than that I’m almost exclusively on water or tea during the weekdays because I don’t want to drink anything that will cause sugar crashes or dehydration. This is a big shift for me!

*Seeing the doctors I need to- I will confess that I have major anxiety when it comes to medical stuff. I am used to waiting until the last possible second to go see a doctor- as in don’t go see an eye doctor until I run out of contacts, etc. I have been proactively scheduling check ups for not just myself but also my family because I want us to live long happy lives

*Expressing gratitude- I feel like I’ve had a thankful attitude for the past couple years, but oftentimes I keep that gratitude to myself and I have found that I’m being called to share that in various ways and loving the ripple effect of some of the smallest gestures of gratitude.

*Making memories- taking the time to take photos and back them up/scrapbook them. Taking time from the to-do lists for dance parties and laughter and one more story. Allowing sweet, snuggly 3am feedings of the baby to be beautiful memories instead of just tired times.

*Put the phone down- I am JUST NOW seeing the fruits of the little by little progress on this. I spent the first half of the year feeling guilt when I was away from my phone and missed a call or took a few hours to return a message and I’m learning that if people are annoyed with that it is not my burden and that being able to focus without the phone distraction (or putting it in airplane mode and just using it for a camera or music player!) has been so helpful.

*Budgeting: I have worked really hard on keeping track of this which is the first step toward making changes. I’ve noticed things I wouldn’t have otherwise and while this has been a harder step than I thought it would be, I’m excited to see how this continues to grow over the second half of the year.

*Loving our home and starting a garden! It has been lovely enjoying flowers and eating food that we grew and it became an unexpected bonding time with my son to garden.

*Grow deeper friendships- I am so thankful for focusing on this. I have needed community so much this year and I am hoping in the seasons to come I can start embracing more hospitality to continue to grow these relationships.

There are a few more- one of which will hopefully get its own blog post soon, but these are some highlights I’m pretty proud of!

 

GOALS FOR JULY:

I’m making a few pivots and reflecting and refreshing during this season. I am focusing on slowing down, deciding what I need to simplify, and not feeling guilty for needing rest. I’m posting a picture of this month’s tending list instead of going over it piece by piece, but you will see that there’s less on it than last month and to fight the temptation to add more and more I added lots of stickers to fill in the white space! So here are a few highlights:

*SOCIAL MEDIA FAST: The past few months I’ve played with a social media free day each week. Now I’m flipping that on its head and only getting on social media once a week. Even instagram which has been my main social media platform this year.
*BLOG FAST: I’m taking a mini vacation and not really planning to post in July. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in August and I MAY post one entry that I’ve already started working on but I’m not sure yet. You can always go catch up on old posts 🙂
*VACATION!!!!: One of the reason I’m taking breaks is to REALLY enjoy and be present with the time we’re setting aside to get away and recharge. I am SOOOOO looking forward to this.
*LAUGH TOGETHER AND TAKE MORE VIDEO: This is a family goal. I promised myself I’d take more video of the baby this time around and I have not done that so making it a conscious, daily goal now, and laughter… no one should be too busy for laughter. And hearing my kids laugh is my favorite sound in the world.
*SELF-CARE: I did pretty well with this in early spring but it has slipped as the days got hotter and I got more exhausted/cranky/tried to add back in too much. We’ve also been passing around illness the last two months and I’m ready for that to be DONE so those habits of vitamins and eating well are back to front and center. Time to focus on this and not feel guilty about it!
*CREATE AT LEAST 1x a WEEK: This is actually part of self-care for me. Using my hands and making something, whether for myself, as a gift, or as part of my small business, is SO good for my mental health!
*GO VEGAN ONCE A WEEK: I’ve been pescetarian for years now, but I have realized that I have a small addiction to dairy. So I’d like to try and just be conscious of that and remind myself that there are lots of yummy recipes out there with absolutely no animal products in them. Plus, probably forces me to explore some healthier choices by getting out of my default go-to meals.