2016 Goals

I honestly feel like I was just writing last year's goal post a few months ago - and here we are a year later and I'm writing my new post,  I don't believe in resolutions but we can all use goals.  This is when I start thinking about things I'd like to work on and improve and it's always fun to go back and look how I did once the year ends.

Personal:

• Be more in the moment, really treasure this season in our life.  My kids are at such a fun age and before I know it, J will be in school too so I want to savor this time.
• Stick to my cleaning schedule and laundry schedule or at least find a rhythm that works for me
• Make an effort to cut down my screen time, it's a horrible habit
• Make more attempts for our family to eat healthy and clean
• Try new recipes and add some new favorites to our rotation
• Take my vitamins/supplements daily - sounds dumb, but I'm so terrible at this and really have no reason to be since I'm home
• Continue working on our home and making improvements here and there

Blog:

• Get on a blogging schedule like I used to be.  I want to find my groove and stick to it.  I hate that some weeks I blog consistently and others I fall short
• Comment and read more blogs - I'd love to discover some new favorites
• Grow my Instagram and reach a wider audience - it's my favorite way to connect with readers and to get a sneak peak into others lives, even if it is staged!
• Work on my photography to better my pictures for the blog - that means learning more about my DSLR and putting what I learn into practice
• Attempt more style posts. While I'm no style blogger, it is fun to step out of my comfort zone and arrange some outfits and pose awkwardly ;)

Have you set any goals for this year?  What would you like to work on?


PS - Tomorrow there will not be a Wino Wednesday, we'll start back up the 1st Wednesday of February - that gives you another whole month to sip some vino :)

Have a great day!

2015 Goals | How I Did

Back in January I set some goals for myself for the year, some silly and others serious.  I think like everyone else I started off pretty strong and then let up a little as the year went on.


These were the goals I set for myself:

Drink more water - This is always on my list.  I'm not terrible at drinking water, but there's still room for improvement.  I currently drink about 6 cups, I want to bring that to 8!

 I think I did pretty good with this goal, I'm at about 7-8 cups a day, not too shabby!  I'm not a big water guzzler but I always have a cup filled up and it typically follows me around the house.


Be a better friend - Again I'm not bad at this - but want to make it a point to pick up the phone more and call people.  With the kids it's hard to talk on the phone without raising my voice or having them interrupt.  Not to mention at the end of the night, I don't feel like talking - I want to sit down with a glass of wine and unwind.... I think I just talked myself out of calling people haha, text maybe?!  I kid ;)

I'm still mostly the same with this.  Being with the kids all day really drains me, and I'm not big on talking on the phone.  But I have been trying to reach out more and be more thoughtful of others.

Wear matching PJ's - Yes, I know this sounds silly, but I don't sleep in matching pj's and I'd like to look cute not only for myself but for my husband too.  Right now most nights I look semi-homeless... not cute!


I'm proud to announce that since this post I have bought two matching sets of PJ's, haha.  There's been improvement people!



Decorate the house - We did really good last year on this and I want to roll that into this year.   We basically finished the downstairs and this year, it's going to be all about the upstairs, which for me is the hardest part.  Decorating rooms leaves me at a loss.

We're slowly but surely making progress here,  there are a few things that we need to do but are bigger ticket items like replacing the back door and the kitchen (my dream).  Projects are never done in a house!

More patience - As a SAHM, my patience can lack a bit.  So I'm going to try to be more patient and change a few ways I handle the kids so that I can keep my sanity.  I think the biggest thing is hearing "mommy" a 1000 times a day!

Honestly, I don't think I've improved with this at all.... this will continue on the list for this year.  Wish me luck ;)




Less screen time - I'm guilty of looking on my phone too much.  Instagram, blogs, emails ect - I'm bad.  So I'm going to think about ways I can realistically cut screen time.  Any suggestions?


Another thing I could've done way better at.  I'm trying to set my phone on another side of the house while I do chores so I'm not side-tracked.

Better blogging - I want to continue to grow my little space here and keep learning more about blogging and ways that I can improve Kids and Cabernet!  It really has become a passion of mine and I want to see it be the best it can be!  Is there anything you want to see/hear more or less of?

Once E started school, my whole blogging schedule was thrown off.  I'm trying to find my mojo again and get back at it, because it's something that I really enjoy doing.  Do you all have any suggestions on how you keep your blog going with crazy full days?  Tell me all of your secrets!  Also, I'd love to hear what blog posts you like and prefer on here.  Thanks :)


That's it for my goals this year... How have you all done with yours? 

February Goals

One thing that I've really liked doing is writing down monthly goals, it not only keeps me focus, but also makes me accountable. The last time I shared my goals was in November, I took a break in December and last month I shared my goals for the year.  I plan on incorporating one of those per month.

November's goals were...

• Organize garage a bit - 100% done -- this feels SO good.  Our garage was such a mess, we'd just dump things wherever and had no system.  We bought a big tool chest and a big shelving unit and everything is in its place.  There's so much room the kids ride their bikes in there! 

• Go through my clothes and kid's clothes to purge what we're not using/doesn't fit - 90% done -- I did it for the kids and I, but I still think I can get rid of more things in my closet.

• Buy our new bedroom set - 100% done and LOVING the new furniture and the overall feel of the room!

This month I'm keeping it rather simple...

• Find a quilt for E's room - the final touch for her room is finding her a quilt set.  I'm trying to find one that's Pottery Barn Kids look and quality, but not their price tag.

•  Finish our laundry room - more on that another time - but we're doing a little makeover to ours and I want to get it done and share it with you all :)

• Drink more water - this is one that I made for the year, so what better time to start than now at the beginning of the year?

What are your goals this month?

House Updates

We've made quite a few updates since my last goals post.  I'm pretty content with the few things that we have done so far, a house is definitely a work in progress!  Like I said, 2015 is going to be the year of finishing decorating.


Master Bedroom

We gave our old queen set to my sister and got a king sized bed because the kids always come into our bed at some point at night, and we were having a hard time all fitting.  Also, our previous set was 10 years old and our taste has changed, not to mention whenever my husband went to work in the morning and got ready, our old pulls on the furniture would make TONS of noise - annoying!  We got this set from City Furniture and are loving it! 

We're loving the new set and how bright and airy the room feels!


The Playroom

We decided to clean out our "junk room" and make it into a playroom for the kids.  We were both tired of seeing so many toys downstairs and figured that even if the kids brought the toys downstairs, at least everything would have a place come cleanup time.  I didn't purchase anything for the room, just used what we already had to create a room for them to play in -- and some of their cute artwork helped.  There's still some tweaking that needs to be done, but the kids are loving their space.

It feels great having everything put away at night and being able to have the downstairs toy free!


Big Girl's Room

Not much has been done here - I bought some new art work, a mirror (comes today) and a burlap banner that needs to all be hung up.

Big Boy Room

Last week I went a little nuts and on a whim I packed up every baby item in J's room, and brought it to the consignment shop.  I so want to make him a big boy's room - he keeps asking for Star Wars, and where I normally don't decorate with characters, I realize that men never grow out of the Star Wars stage, so the force may be with me I can most likely get away with decorating with Star Wars and him not grow out of it for a while.

The Entrance

I bought a new print to hang and also some succulents in a frame to brighten up the entryway.  We also bought a Fishtail Palm for more pops of color.  I love seeing touches of green as we walk in!

One of our other projects happening in the next few weeks is putting a stackable washer and dryer in our laundry room to open up space and add some shelves, which will be great because all of our baskets will have a home, and there will be more room for detergents and possibly some room to add some of our towels.  Our linen closet is downstairs so it can be a pain when we need an extra towel.

Our gallery wall is almost finished too! I only need one more picture to hang, once it's finished I'll be sure to share.

I also gave into the 70% Rugs USA sale and ordered this baby for the family room - I'm in love and think that the yellow will bring a nice pop of color to the room!

What do you think of the updates?  Are you making any big/small changes to your house this year?



Linking up with Natalie and Annie for Thoughts on Thursday

2015 Goals

While I don't do new years resolutions, I did compile a list of goals that I would like to work on this year.  I prefer to do monthly goals because I feel they are WAY more attainable than setting goals for an entire year.  So I may incorporate these to my monthly goals - which  by the way, I will start sharing again  - I got off track with my sister's wedding.

Drink more water - This is always on my list.  I'm not terrible at drinking water, but there's still room for improvement.  I currently drink about 6 cups, I want to bring that to 8!

Be a better friend - Again I'm not bad at this - but want to make it a point to pick up the phone more and call people.  With the kids it's hard to talk on the phone without raising my voice or having them interrupt.  Not to mention at the end of the night, I don't feel like talking - I want to sit down with a glass of wine and unwind.... I think I just talked myself out of calling people haha, text maybe?!  I kid ;)

Wear matching PJ's - Yes, I know this sounds silly, but I don't sleep in matching pj's and I'd like to look cute not only for myself but for my husband too.  Right now most nights I look semi-homeless... not cute!

Decorate the house - We did really good last year on this and I want to roll that into this year.   We basically finished the downstairs and this year, it's going to be all about the upstairs, which for me is the hardest part.  Decorating rooms leaves me at a loss.

More patience - As a SAHM, my patience can lack a bit.  So I'm going to try to be more patient and change a few ways I handle the kids so that I can keep my sanity.  I think the biggest thing is hearing "mommy" a 1000 times a day!

Less screen time - I'm guilty of looking on my phone too much.  Instagram, blogs, emails ect - I'm bad.  So I'm going to think about ways I can realistically cut screen time.  Any suggestions?

Better blogging - I want to continue to grow my little space here and keep learning more about blogging and ways that I can improve Kids and Cabernet!  It really has become a passion of mine and I want to see it be the best it can be!  Is there anything you want to see/hear more or less of?


I hope I can work on these and although I may never be perfect in these areas at least make some sort of improvements.


What are your goals this year?

October/November Goals

I'm loving documenting my goals each month because it makes me feel  much more accountable to finish (or at least start) them each month!

October Goals

Stick to cleaning schedule - Success!  I'm happy to report that I have been sticking to my schedule and I'm a lot happier.  The house feels so much better!

Decorating playroom: 25% done - I got a Playroom Rules picture and the kids painted some awesome pictures that need to be hung up.

Decorate living room:  25% done - I bought an area rug that I LOVE and that's about it.  I think I need to go on Pinterest for a few ideas, I kind of feel stumped on what to do next.  My decorating style is very minimalist and clean, so I don't know where to go, I think I kind of like it the way it is now.

Print family pictures and get our gallery wall finished: 50% finished - the family pictures are FINALLY printed!!!  I'm so proud of myself, haha.  Now I need to buy some frames (hopefully this week) and get the gallery wall finished.

Find artwork for kids' rooms:  70% done - I found tons of cute stuff for E at Hobby Lobby, but not for J.  He's in a toddler bed so I feel like I'm limited to his decor.  There are no cool bed sets for toddler beds, and I just feel like we're in this "in between" stage for his room.  I may wait until he's a little older and make it a big boy room then.  With that being said, I need to get hubby to hang E's stuff on her wall.

Curtains bought AND hung in dining room:  This wasn't on the list, but it's something that I have wanted to do for a long time.  I finally found the perfect curtains and I'm loving how they look.

 

November Goals:

Since I went on vacation and 11 days of November are now over, I'm not going crazy with the goals - I'm just going to focus on finishing the above goals and attempt to...

• Organize garage a bit

• Go through my clothes and kid's clothes to purge what we're not using/doesn't fit

• Buy our new bedroom set - I'm so excited about this one, we'll finally have a king sized bed and white furniture that I've been wanting for a long time.

I'm excited to get all of these goals done, and am loving these monthly goals - it's like a little challenge for me.

Happy Tuesday!

September/October Goals

Last month I wrote down all of my goals for the month and I felt like it really held me accountable for things I wanted to accomplish, so I think I'm going to keep this up as  a monthly thing.  Plus I've been so into writing to-do lists lately, this will just be an extension of that obsession ;)


September goals:

• Working out 2-3 times a week - Fail.  I haven't been to the gym like I had originally planned, but we have been getting out a little more with the kids these days, I walk around the neighborhood as I follow them around on their bikes/cars.  It hasn't been consistent though, which is why I call it a fail.

• Potty training - Success!  J was potty trained in 2 days, and I couldn't love it more!!  He's been waking up with dry diapers at night for a couple of weeks too, so I might be putting him in undies at night soon too.

• Finish cleaning out spare bedroom aka new playroom - Success!  I'm happy to report, the room has mostly been cleaned out and we got our toy storage and ALL of the toys are in that room now.

• No Shopping in September - Success!  I was tempted a couple of times, but all in all it was pretty easy, and I plan to do these type of months more often!

• Print family pictures - Half success??  The pictures have been uploaded to Costco, now I just need to decide what sizes of pictures I want for our gallery wall.  That may take another 8 months ;)!

I think it was a pretty successful month!


October goals:

• Stick to cleaning schedule - In January, I came up with this cleaning schedule.  I stuck to it for a while and was happy with the way the house was looking, then slowly fell off the wagon.  It's so much easier to stick to a schedule because the house stays up to par, and I'm not spending whole days cleaning the house.

• Decorating playroom:  Now that the room is cleaned out, I want to start decorating and adding a few things to the walls.  I want it to be a room the kids enjoy being in and make it look cute.  Like I said we got the toy storage in, and that's pretty much it.

•  Decorate living room - Now that all of the toys are upstairs, I want to accessorize the living room and get it looking the way we want it.  I've bought some lamps and a new table, but the room still has a ways to go.

 

(horribly grainy picture, but you get the idea)

• Print family pictures and get our gallery wall finished!!  I need to do this ASAP! 

• Find artwork for kids' rooms.  I bought a couple of prints off of Jane yesterday, does anyone know if any affordable places to get cute pictures/prints?  I keep checking Home Goods, but they don't seem to have anything I like.

Hopefully many of these will be crossed off of the list this month.  You'd think I was nesting with all of the decorating I want to do, haha!  I just really want to get the house to how we want it.


What are your goals for October?

September Goals

I'm posting kind of late today because the kids and I slept until 8!  It may not sound like much, but for a mom (at least with my early risers) it's like I slept until 10!

I don't know if it's the change of seasons, but I'm feeling the need to tackle a few things around here, so why not start this month!

• Working out 2-3 times a week - I'm not trying to lose weight or "build" muscle, but I would like to start doing some kind of cardio.  We have a gym in our neighborhood and I plan on going a few times a week, just for 20-30 minutes.

• Potty training - Now that J is two and a half, it's time to potty train.  When he doesn't have a diaper on, he's good about telling me when he needs to go so I know he's ready to learn.  We're practicing with undies on now, because if he feels something around him like undies or a diaper, he'll go.  

• Finish cleaning out spare bedroom aka new playroom - we started doing this about a month ago, and didn't finish.  This is majorly on my to-do list so we can get all of the toys in one space!

• No Shopping in September - I'm joining Natalie for her 30 day closet remix.  I have plenty of clothes and there is no need to shop and buy anything for myself especially since it's still hot here.  Looking forward to saving some money this month and re-inventing what I already have in my closet.  I will keep you all posted on some cute outfits... when I'm not in yoga pants that is ;)

• Print family pictures - I still haven't done this - nor have I given friends/family any pictures and we took our pictures in April!

Are any of you itching to accomplish any goals?

Also, remember tomorrow is Wino Wednesday - come linkup your favorite wines!!