Tuesday, January 5, 2016

A Look Ahead: January

2014 marked the last year of "resolutions" for me as last year I just picked a few key things to focus on or look forward to or hope to accomplish during the month ahead and it worked much better.  I'm more of a see it to remember it do it kind of girl.  No, no resolutions for me this year :)  Just some general wishes for 2016 then onto the month ahead.

I hope we keep building and each year continues to be the best yet.  I'm planning on 2016 being filled with lots of travel but also many low key times at home.  Last year with schedules that had us on the go constantly, we made a "two free weekend" a month rule and we did pretty good until the fall hit but now I'm dead set on having our (at least) two weekends at home each month with no huge plans on the calendar.  I want to be more present in everything I do - drop the phone and social media when with family and just enjoy - not worry about the future and focus on the present - etc.  Focus on less shopping and a more quality over quantity mindset.    And you know, the little things too like actually remembering to use moisturizer on my face.

Now, on to this month…

Book our winter vacation and plot out our trips for the year ahead… 
We're experienced travelers, I pour way to much time into our trip planning and we know our likes/dislikes.  One thing I'm guilty of is booking a trip way to close to our time of departure (just yesterday my best friend asked for tips about a location and when to book the trip and looking back at my notes I booked ours… exactly one month out!)  Once this winter vacation is booked I hope to organized for the year and give myself more than enough time to properly plan without getting in a crunch.

Hydrate:
No time but the new year to focus on one of the best, right?  I'm the worst about drinking water.  It's not that I'm drinking things that are bad for me all day long, it's that I'm not drinking enough liquids at all.  I've already mapped out when/how much to drink and yesterday I made it half way - hoping to get into the groove soon!

One to Three Free:
Coming off the busy holiday season and multi tasking like crazy this one shouldn't be too hard.  When I get home each night I want to focus on getting miscellaneous house tasks and work at my desk done so after dinner I can have (1-3) free hours to relax, watch TV and actually watch it not just listen in the background, browse Pinterest, search other blogs, lounge and talk with my husband, etc.

Knitting:
Call me an old lady, but I've wanted to give this a try since probably the end to last winter.  I might hate it, I might be terrible at it, I might love it but I want to give it a go.

Make the Bed:
This would never have been one before but things were so busy in December I got into such a (bad) habit of running out the door with the bed unmade and pillows all over the floor.  This needs to be broken and back to normal as soon as possible.

Looking Forward To:
I don't miss the holidays being over but I am looking forward to the quiet that this month brings! Lazy nights at home, date nights that aren't based around a Christmas errand, home cooked family dinners to see everyone, etc.  We're making our first trip back to State College since football season for a hockey weekend and I'm looking forward to the quiet of town and getting to hit some restaurants and stores that we don't go near on a busy football weekend.  Derek's parents are visiting this weekend to celebrate the holidays and it will be a fun new tradition.

I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't looking forward to little things like the National Championship game, The Bachelor being back (definitely finished everything up by 8pm last night, lit my candles, grabbed my hot chocolate and didn't move from the couch until bedtime), and trying to get back on my twitter game.

32 comments:

  1. I like all of these goals! I need to up my water game, too. I always have my water bottle with me but sometimes I get so busy at work that I forget to actually drink from it. I also like the idea of having 1-3 free hours at home to do what you;d like and to be more present for it! Excited for Bachelor's return!

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  2. I love your goal - I am the same way when I get home...I like to have at least 1 hour of nothing to do before going to bed to just relax!! So happy the bachelor is back :) xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  3. Great goals! I want to make my bed every too and I doubt it'll happen. Haha! Great idea to have at least an hour each night of free time.

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  4. Can't wait to hear where you guys decide to go for your winter trip! And I hear ya on looking forward to a quieter month, it'll feel so nice to relax <3

    Green Fashionista

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  5. hydrating is my worst thing too--i just don't drink enough. i'm using running around after the kids and need to just attach it on my body lol. i love the goals for jan!!

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  6. girl i missed the bachelor last night so i need to catch up! this is a great list though. i need to drink more water too! and just be present in the moment. excited for a fab january for you!

    xoxo cheshire kat

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  7. Great goals! I need to get to drinking more water, too. I was on a role for awhile, but this cold weather has gotten me a little off track...love me some hot chocolate! I love the one to three free idea. I normally put things off until right before bed, but if I just got them done beforehand, I could relax even more! Good luck with everything!

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  8. I added hydrating to my 2016 goals as well! I got the cutest Lilly tumbler to make me want to drink more water too and so far it seems to be working! Great goals girl! <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes

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  9. Little things like the National Championship Game?? Around my neck of the woods we call that a BIG THING! ;) Love all of your goals, especially the one to three free one... free time at night to relax is key.

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  10. Yes, yes, and YES to the National Championship game!! Roll Tide!!

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  11. I am trying to drink more water in 2016 too...I read that we should be drinking half our body weight in ounces each day which seems slightly daunting to me, haha! I need to watch last night's episode of the Bachelor!

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  12. These are all great. We have been trying and failing at scheduling one weekend off per month, and I think we really need to get back to that. I'm going to sit down and map those out right now, actually!!

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  13. These all are great goals! I like the one to three free one - I'd like to do that, too! I missed half the Bachelor last night because I was working on the computer from the couch. I'm sure you'll accomplish all this and more this year!

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  14. Love your idea of setting two weekends aside for quiet time. And I'm really excited for the National Championship Game too! I'm setting my SEC loyalty to the side and will be cheering for Clemson. Go Tigers! :)

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  15. One of my goals is to make the bed everyday too! It takes a few minutes and makes such a big difference but I got lazy in the last few months! Happy New Year!

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  16. One of my goals is to make the bed everyday too! It takes a few minutes and makes such a big difference but I got lazy in the last few months! Happy New Year!

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  17. Yay for The Bachelor being back! And I'm totally with you on making the bed... that's one of mine as well, but I didn't set the bar very high... I just want to aim for Saturdays and Sundays! Haha.

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  18. Great list of goals!! Yay to a winter vacay too. We are thinking about going some place at the end of February or early March. Also, the first thing that I do when I wake up is make the bed. Makes for a smoother day. :-)

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  19. Great goals girl! I definitely need to get better about making the bed also, thanks for that reminder ;) Also, watched The Bachelor last night...I felt bad for 'Red Velvet' getting sent home.

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  20. I totally understand how you feel about not wanting to wait too long to book your vacations! With all of the small weekend trips that we've been doing, I tend to wait and book things a little later than I anticipate, but for our big trips I typically book things a little earlier. We struggle with making the bed too! I guess that I luck out because I'm the first one out of bed in the morning, so technically I can't make it with my husband still asleep.

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  21. very promising goals! Wishing you the best for 2016!
    xo,
    nancy

    http://www.adoretoadorn.com

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  22. We should make a bachelor league like Chris was talking about. We all pick out our favorites and go from there. I've seen blogs completely dedicated to this. It would be fun for those of us who are dedicated Bachelor fans. Ben's such a cutie. Who was your favorite from last night?

    Kaitlyn @ Kaitlyn-Danielle.blogspot.com

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  23. I really like the "two free weekend per month" rule!! I just looked at my schedule, and I want to implement that starting in March (my first month where I could realistically start haha).

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  24. I'm not really good at resolutions either (heck, I forgot I even wrote a resolutions/goals post last year until I did my year in review lol). Love the things your trying to accomplish - I'm so excited to have some weekends free to just relax and work on the house after the last few months being so crazy.

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  25. I am working on drinking more water too! As of 4:15 today I have hit 60oz! Just 4oz short of my daily goal so I know I will knock todays goal out of the park. But I just bought a really cute water bottle from blogilates that has the time of each day written of when you need to have that much gone. I hope it helps me stay constant!

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  26. I think all of us can benefit from drinking more water. I know I should really focus on that, too, and it's going to have to be intentional to get done. And I love your one to three free idea. I need to try that because I'm like you, at night I'll watch tv but not really because I'm preoccupied doing other things.
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  27. I'm hoping to work on healthy eating and hydration in the new year! It definitely requires effort to make both happen. Also love your goal of making the bed. I used to always make ours, but I have a toddler tornado that insists on unmaking the bed multiple times a day if I make it. Let's hope it's just a short lived phase :)

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  28. I'm the same way sometimes when it comes to water. There are days when I don't drink anything from the time I wake up until dinner that night. So I'm right there with ya on the hydrating train!

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  29. I need to get better about making the bed every day...it makes such a big difference!

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  30. One of my new years resolution in the years past was to make the bed everyday! It is something I have kept up since... it makes such a difference!
    www.amemoryofus.com

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  31. Knitting is such a fun hobby! You should definitely give it a try! I started taking a class through MLNS a few years ago now and I have a great teacher. I'd be happy to email you more details if you are interested. Christina :-)

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  32. Upping my water intake is big for me! Yes to traveling and low key evenings! xo, Champagne&Suburbs

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