5 on Friday

Whoop Whoop ! I am so happy it is Friday. I worked all last weekend so TGIF did not have the same meaning that it does this weekend lol. It's been a busy week! I thought I would share a 5 on Friday. I love doing these posts. Just a Hodge podge of stuff haha.


ONE
Well.....we finally met with a realtor on Wednesday. We discussed our options and listing our house. Nick and I love our house but it's just not where we want to be. Now is the time to sell, so that is just what we are going to do. We have a to do list of things we need to accomplish by the last week in February. If all goes well we will have it listed and on the market with an open house the first weekend in March. It is all very exciting, nerve wracking and stressful wrapped into one. That's how I tend to roll though. How did the kids take the news? They are ready to move like yesterday. They are so excited. We have decided we will probably rent for the next year. We have to make some big decisions on where we want to end up. Part of us wants land and the other part wants to move to my hometown. We will take the next year and evaluate .


TWO
I just finished a real page turner.   A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged. Into the Water was full of suspense and so addictive that I had to finish it as soon as possible. Would love to hear if you have read it and what you think?

THREE
As my kids I have gotten older I have started veering away from the pinterest worthy Valentine's boxes, crafts and what nots. I just don't have it in me anymore. Nick has been on me for years to just buy the store bought Valentine's Day cards. This year I finally relented and man oh man it felt good. He helped Meredith make a box this past weekend and we ended up recycling it for Max to use for his preschool party today. I kind of felt like it was a small victory and mom win (lord knows they are so few and far between). But Max loved it and that was all that mattered!

FOUR
Ya'll know I love me some Lilly Pulitzer! Yesterday they released some new items plus swimwear. I am in love. I am lusting after these two pieces!

FIVE
What is everyone giving up for Lent? The last couple months have been rough with lots of yelling and more than normal cussing on my part. I am not going to win mom of the year for sure. Mornings are super stressful when Nick is at the firehouse and I am left to get me and 2 kids up and out the door by 6:15. A lot of it could be avoided if I would just get out of bed instead of hitting my snooze button one thousand times. For Lent, I am giving up screaming and cussing (well not all together...no one is perfect. But towards the kids). Today went so much more smoother compared to other mornings when I was more mindful of how I wanted to be. Mere and I even had an extra 15 minutes so we stopped at Starbucks for a coffee for me and breakfast treat for Mere. After work, Mere and I have a girls night planned. She has a giftcard from Christmas that she wants to use plus dinner at her fave, Chipotle! I think it will be good for the both of us!! I love this list of things to give up for Lent if you are still searching for something!

Where we ate {MidiCi}

I wanted to share with ya'll a new place Nick took Max and I last week for lunch. Wednesday's are my favorite day of the week. It is the perfect off day to break up a crazy busy work week. Anyway, it happens to be Nick's off day as well. Lately, we have been grabbing lunch at different places and Nick has been wanting to try MidiCi  (which in Italian means "you tell me" ) in downtown Cincinnati. They make thin-crusted pizza that takes only 90 seconds to cook. Pizza (and salads. Mine was soooo good)  is ordered at the counter, then delivered to the table. Their crust, made from four ingredients, is hand-tossed. The pizza is baked in wood-fired ovens built in Naples, They also offer gelato, cocktails, Italian cheese and meat boards, salads and have an espresso bar with an Athena espresso machine (also made in Naples). The whole design of the place is very lavish and comfortable. Their bathrooms alone are to die for! We can't wait to go back.

Hello February + Life Lately (January)

What happened to January? I feel like it was literally just New Year's Day and now we are into February. I am not sad about it though. The winter blues are real, ya'll!! I  have had no motivation as of late. No motivation to blog (which was a fun outlet for me). No motivation to eat right:( No motivation to workout:( With the new start of the year I was supposed to be motivated to better myself and all that bull. I even had myself talked into it on the inside. But, well life! So here we are onto a new month. I am going to pretend this is my fresh start. Begin again, right? lol. Although I lacked motivation for much of January it was still a busy month.

The beginning of January Nick and I attended a Kentucky game. We try to go to one home game a year. Ya'll know I bleed blue. We saw a great game. The Cats had us on the edge of our seats in the last minutes of the game!! We started our day early with a stop in Versailles. We checked out The Amsden. It is seriously the cutest little shop featuring local merchants and also home to a coffee shop (with the most amazing floor)! I can't wait to go back. We also found an antique cabinet for our kitchen on Craigslist. We drove thru horse country to pick it up! We then made it to Lexington for some shopping at the KY shop and a late lunch at our favorite restaurant, Joe Bologna. We eat there every time before a KY game.

January also saw a few snow days. I hate snow but my kiddos LOVE it!

Meredith had her follow up appendectomy appointment at Children's. She did so well post op from surgery. I had no doubt this appointment would follow suit. She also served at mass for the first time. She was a nervous wreck and wanted to back out. I told her she signed up for it and had to at least do it once before she chose not to. Well, she ended up loving it. Lots of basketball games and celebrating Catholic Schools Week. My girl hates mornings except when Rupp gives her snuggles!!

Rupp had his man hood taken away. I was worried about the recovery for him. This dog is so unlike our Sophie. He is wild.....more fitting for my wild family lol.

Max finally got a much needed hair cut. Every time he gets his hair cut he looks a little bit older and makes me sad! He has also started to love to color. He can be entertained by this for a good chunk of time. He colors so well really well for a 5 year old and has to stay in the lines or he throws it away lol.

With the new month I need to get back on track with carb cycling since I failed miserably in January! I meal prepped this week which has helped except for my late night sweet tooth addiction!

Alright ya'll I think that's a wrap! Have a happy Friday!!

2018 {New Year/New Goals}

Happy New year y’all! I love the excitement of a new fresh start that a new year offers ! It has reenergized me! We didn't get all wild and crazy on New Years Eve. You know you are officially old or parents when you are not sure if you are going to even make it til midnight. We went over to our friend's house for a nice home cooked steak dinner and ice cream sundaes for the kids (and adults to lol). Then New Years Day I met one of my best gal pals at the movies with our kiddos to see Jumangi.  Ya'll it was sooo good. Our kids loved it too!

 

 

 

 

 

I am not sad to see 2017 go. There were a lot more lows than highs. With the blank canvas of a New Year I like to reevaluate myself and my life, make new goals, and try to better myself. I don't like making resolutions per se. I am more of a goal setter!!

2018 Goals

•  simplify. Purging and getting rid of the stuff that weighs us down is such an easy fix. I started this at the beginning of December with my bathroom. I threw out all the makeup I wasn't using and only kept my everyday makeup plus a few things I like to use when going out. I cleaned out under the sink and the drawers. I think I had a full garbage bag of just that small area. I also bought little trays for the drawers to keep things more organized. Yesterday I  cleaned out Max’s closet and a kitchen cabinet that I couldn’t open without things falling out. Wow. Such a difference it makes. When things are cluttered or you can't open a cabinet or your closet without things falling in your face you may have a problem (Nick will tell you I like my junk drawers. I get it honest lol. My dad was the same way. But this year I no more junk). I also got the tree down and Christmas decorations put away. It feels amazing having all our space back. Simplified again. I feel like I can breathe easier when things aren't overflowing with stuff!  Oh I also simplified my phone. I put all my apps in folders to make them easier to find!! What a difference! Next up is the basement and play room closet (I am literally afraid to touch either. I am thinking of just taking trash bags and start pitching it all!!) 

•  slow down  .I need to stop wishing time to go by. Nick said it best. We plan for these amazing things to do and just wish the time away or to hurry up and get here.  I need to find the joy in everyday. I think by slowing down and simplifying I can find that joy . Take one day at a time. Soak in the day to day. Cherish the moments with the kids. They are 5 and 10 and I can hardly believe it. It makes me sad that I haven't enjoyed it all as much as I should have. I would love to go back in time and know what I know now. But no time like the present to start .

• stop comparing. This one is going to be a hard one for me. This is something I have done all my life. I don't know if it is something that as a female is engrained in us. I see Meredith do it too. Maybe she learns it from me which is another major reason I need to stop. I can only be me. I can't be this mom or that mom so it is time to stop comparing myself to them. I do the best I can with my time and as a mom. If I need to do better it is not because I am not them. Social media is a major contributor to this. I try to keep things real even while I post the fun and perfect. Because there are a lot of unperfect moments too! Also we have a feeling of not fitting in at our current school and church. School isn't easy for Meredith and she struggles so much. When I say she works her butt off I mean it. Things do not come easy with having dyslexia. We do tutoring and have to put in a lot of extra work on our end as well. There is a lot of yelling and fighting to get things done. So when it comes to awards for the honor roll and she is just shy of getting it , it drives me insane and then I wonder if I was a stay at home mom and could focus more time with her if it would change anything. But Mere is great at so many other things. Soccer. Basketball. Art.  Again stop comparing Tracey! See why this is going to be hard??? This will probably be the hardest goal of all!! Focusing on the positives. I mean we have a beautiful home (we aren't living under a bridge), great kids (I mean some days I want to strangle them haha), we have traveled to some fun spots (hello Charleston, Disney, NYC). So goodbye comparison!! I am enough!!

• Read with my kids. I love to read! There is nothing more I love to do than enjoy a good book. Part of slowing down and focusing on the everyday is to read more with my kids. Meredith does not enjoy reading (dyslexia problems! ) But she does enjoy when I read to her. Time to put up the electronics and curl up on the couch and have some snuggle time while reading with them.

• Start a devotional I am hoping starting a devotional will help my overall attitude and stress level. This is a 2 part goal! Because I also have a goal of getting up an hour before I normally do so I can fit in a workout (that way when I get home from work I am not stressed to hurry up and fit one in. I hope this helps me feel less stressed and hurried. I tend to get stressed because I feel guilty not focusing on the kids after working all day. Then I start to yell when they bother me). If I wake up , immediately read my devotional for the day,and then workout I am set for the day. I feel like I can take on anything thrown at me. The problem will be when that alarm goes off at 4:15 am...yikes! But it will be worth it!  I am back to carb cycling also as of today. I am doing it on my own instead of a group. This is usually tougher on me. But I know I can do it. To read more about my carb cycling journey you can start here. 

Too many goals? Nah! I am an overachiever lol! Just part of my type A personality. All in all it is just about enjoying my husband and kids more. To take the time and breathe and simplify our life so there is more joy. Oh and on top of these goals I have separate goals for our house!! But those are more for the hubby to achieve! haha! What goals or resolutions have you set for yourself? I love hearing what everyone else is wanting to better for themselves!

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