21 Weeks! Striped Button-Down (Now at J.Crew Factory! Love when that happens.) / DL1961 Jeans (Maternity here. Though just ordered this pair and this pair from Old Navy and super excited. Do you have other affordable options? I want them to be super tight in the legs, super soft all over, and comfy and forgiving in the belly area. So many requirements, haha.) / Everlane Boots c/o (Also try these! I love them.) / iPhone Case / Goyard Tote
Okay! We’re back to regularly scheduled programming after that little Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale freakout. ;) On Tuesday, I shared a big recap of 2018, and today, I’m sharing my three resolutions for the new year.
First, I need to just say that 2019 hasn’t been great so far, haha. Nothing serious or truly terrible has happened, but everything just keeps breaking. House stuff, technology stuff, car stuff, insurance stuff, business stuff–you name it and it’s broken. Heck, when I went into the bathroom today to clean and re-organize, the toilet paper dispenser thing fell off the wall. (I hadn’t even touched it!) Idk, guys. We’re working around the clock to fix everything, but oh yeah, the clock’s broken, too. 😂
I know that this is just a funny little funk we’re in, though… and I’m sure that by next week, we’ll be smooth sailing. ;) RIGHT, WORLD?
I digress.
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I normally go all out with resolutions, just hoping that something will stick or that listing ’em will at least start my year off on the right foot. (Talk about desperate, huh? 😉) But I feel far more focused this year, and therefore I’m only addressing the three main “worrisome areas” in my life. I should note that I’m very, very happy right now. (Really!) But there are some small changes I know I can make that will have a huge positive impact on my happiness as well as my family’s.
3 New Year’s Resolutions
Mitch: Patagonia Nano Puff and Sorel Cheyenne Waterproof Boot / Kelly: Cable-Knit Sweater (Love this one from Tuckernuck, too!), Navy Down Parka (More affordable options here and here), Sorel Tofino II Boots (Zappos has them fully in stock and they ship free!), J.Crew Pom Hat, and DL1961 Jeans (Maternity here.)
1. Complete a tailored KonMari clean-out challenge during the first quarter of the year.
I’m almost done with my first blog post on this, but I’m SO excited about the challenge in general. By now, if you haven’t read “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo, you probably know the basic tenements. The overarching idea is that you’ll have a more fulfilling lifestyle if you take the time to thoughtfully de-clutter and toss/donate things that you don’t need or that no longer bring you joy. (It’s obviously more complex than this, but I’ll go into more detail in my first blog post.)
Anyway, I’ve been using parts of the KonMari Method for a few years now, slowly working to declutter and eliminate where I can. (One somewhat interesting tidbit about Mitch and me: We don’t own any physical books, save for a handful of decorative coffee table books and whatever couple of novels I have on my nightstand at any given time. I swear we’re not monsters; I was both an English major and teacher, and love reading. Explanation soon!) It’s been great; it really has. But I’ve never fully committed to a complete and total home clean-out, and I’ve wanted to for a long time, especially now that we have kids and are running two small businesses out of our home. (I attempted last January, but in truth, I half-assed it. Excuse my French, Grammie.)
My idea is to do it throughout the first quarter of 2019, between now and the end of March, so I actually get it done. After all, Marie Kondo says that one must commit to tidying a home all at once in order to be truly successful with it. (Yes, I know that three months isn’t technically “all at once,” haha, but it’s the best I can manage right now.)
Mitch and I have actually been formulating a plan for over a month now regarding how we’re going to approach the challenge, and we’ve decided to alter and tailor the KonMari Method to our personal needs so that we’re successful with it. We’re beyond excited, and it’s pretty much all we talk about. 😂 We started a few days ago and we can already feel a weight lifted off our shoulders!
Update to come, but let me know if you’ve ever done a whole-home KonMari clean-out. Would love to hear about how it went for you!
2. Move, and not freak out during the process.
This is obviously part of the reason we want to embrace minimalism. ;)
By the time we move on, we will have lived in our home for five wonderful years. But no matter how tidy it becomes post KonMari, we are leaving it. It’s time, for lots of reasons. I don’t, however, want this move to totally overtake 2019 for me or to consume my every thought.
A little bit of honesty:
I like plans. And I want one… like, right now. I want to know the address. Our moving date. The price. I want to know the layout; what needs to be updated immediately and what can wait. I want to schedule painters so that everything will feel fresh and clean on our first night there. Also, I want to start thinking about what existing furniture will work in the new space and what won’t. I want to know whether we can get it all done before the baby arrives. I want signed contracts and a good deal. In addition, I want to love it and know we’ve made the right decision.
But over the last couple of months, I’ve been working hard to push this stuff from my mind. We will move, just like most people do in their lifetime, and all will be okay–even if things are still up in the air well after the baby arrives. I mean, Emma slept in her pack-n’-play for three months before we moved her into her nursery. New Baby (and the rest of us, for that matter) will be just fine.
And when the actual moving date approaches, I will try to not become a psychopath. 😂 I will accept help, recognizing that I am either super pregnant or an exhausted second-time mother and that I need the help. I will also accept the fact that our new abode will not be decorated in a week. That it will take some time before it feels like a home.
Again, I vow to not let this process overtake my 2019. :) These are exciting times!
3. Cap my months and get ahead.
One of my resolutions from last year was to take on less, work-wise. But I now realize that I was incredibly vague about it, which is why it didn’t really take hold. Last month, though, Mitch and I sat down and actually figured out exactly how many “jobs” (both blog-related and freelance) we can handle in a given month and still enjoy our lives in 2019. We have set number–and a tracking sheet!–that we believe will be manageable even with the life changes that are ahead of us.
I love this new plan. For me, one of the hardest parts of entrepreneurialism is managing my workload. It sounds like it should be easy, but there are simply so many unknowns when it comes to assignments and collaborations–no matter how thorough the contract might be. In the past, I’ve had 10 in a month, and breezed through. But I’ve also had five, and that month was nearly the death of me.
Taking on too much, of course, infringes upon my family and personal time. (Bad.) But it also negatively affects the rest of my job. By capping my months, I will now have more time to be creative and pursue new things… and I’ll also have an opportunity to get ahead which is the ULTIMATE goal here.
Last year, I was able to get ahead from time to time. I won’t lie: before Emma, I literally wrote all my blog posts the day before–usually around midnight. 🙈 I’m so much better now. I really don’t do that anymore, as I’m certain that I would die since my toddler gets up early. ;) And every once in a while, I’m able to write and schedule a week’s worth of content so I can take work-free trip, for example. It’s phenomenal.
The goal with these capped months, however, is to always be a little ahead. No, I’m probably never going to be that blogger who has 20 posts lined up to go. But to always have some stuff in the bank so I’m never in a pinch? Yes, I think I can do that, and I think it’ll be great for my mind and happiness.
I’ve decided again to lose 15lbs. This last year I started off at 119lbs and by the end of the year I’m 130lbs. I spent the last year working for a national service program called AmeriCorps. The branch of work we did was disaster relief. We were partnered with FEMA, now called FEMA Corps. We were given a weekly food budget of 5$ a day. Our team leader combined all 8 team members daily food budget for the week and got groceries. This limited my healthy food…. and working 12hrs plus and getting paid 11$ a day. I didn’t always have time to workout like I used to. The plan is to get back on track, not only for myself but also my Sailor. sjcoultas (at) gmail (dot) com or my instagram Sj.caci
Tidying up and organizing is also one of my main goals this year! I am actually reading Mari Kondo’s book right now. So anxious to get started.
As for a maternity jeans recommendation, I’m currently 34 weeks with my first and have loved the 2 pairs I have. One is Luxe & the other is Articles of Society (ordered them both from A Pea in the Pod). They are tight but also stretchy and feel like I’m wearing leggings!
Taylor | http://www.livingtaylored.com
Oh my goodness, I feel you on the whole moving process! We bought a new construction condo in the city almost 3 years ago and still haven’t moved due to construction delays! But we finally decided to stop putting life on hold…we found a different condo we like even more and put in an offer on that, but it got delayed as well. But as it happens, NOW they’re both ready to close at the same time. So in my third trimester, we’re going to have to buy 2 condos, sell one of them, and rent out the place we’re currently living. That’s my goal – to get that all done before baby! YIKES
I don’t have any specific resolutions, but I want to try to have more family experiences with my kids. My oldest will be heading off to college next year (HOW did that happen!?) so I am cherishing my time with her and want us to do more things as a family. We are homebodies for the most part, so venturing out more is definitely a goal. I was curious about your Goyard tote- what size and style is yours? I think one will be my next splurge, but trying to get as much info on them as possible. Thanks!
I definitely am working for better school and life balance.I will have a veryintense semester starting, and I want to be sure that I can dedicate some time for self care, and non study related activities. Last semester, I always felt burnt out at the end of the week because of how much studying I put in. So in a way, another goal of mine is to be a better studier. I think the phrase is study smarter not harder!
Thanks for sharing yours, Kelly! Happy 2019!
xoxo Libby
https://premedwearspearls.blogspot.com
I read Mari Kondo’s book over the holidays! I’m hoping to implement that a bit in my life. I’m traveling for work a lot so it doesn’t make a ton of sense to do a full apartment overhaul now, but its on the back burner!
http://Www.themilestraveled.com
I’ve made it through the first 3 steps of the Marie Kondo method (clothes, books, papers), but have gotten stuck on komodo (aka the rest of the house) due to lack of time. I’m hoping to get back to that, because it was so nice to have things cleared out and organized.
We bought a house on the northwest side the same week my daughter was born this past summer!!! (Used power of attorney.) My son was 2.5 and we moved when she was 7 weeks. Admittedly we hardly packed anything before she was born because I felt so terrible and my husband was finishing renovating our unit (we moved from the 3 flat we own). It was not ideal but we made it with very little help. I will say the packing was way easier than the unpacking!!! We bought an almost 100 y ar old house and the family before us owned it for 40 years so although we decided to hold off on most renovations and live in it first, it needed a lot of cleaning which we didn’t really have time for before we moved. Anyway, we lived with boxes for AWHILE and as someone who is an organization and clean freak, it was difficult!!! But 4 months later, were unpacked, organized, have some new furniture ordered, and are thinking about a bathroom renovation and what to do to the yard come spring. It will all work out!! Can’t wait to see where you guys end up!
Have you watched Marie Kondo’s new show on Netflix? I haven’t yet, but I’ve heard it’s inspiring.
My goals for 2019: workout regularly, eat more vegetables, and read at least 60 books this year (last year I read 53). And I’ve already managed to make two of those go together – I’ve been reading while I (walk) the treadmill.
I’m also trying to apply some of Mari Kondo’s ideas in my home. I started with my clothes and accessories. It has been a slow process, but I am really happy with the results so far. I doubted her way of folding socks and t-shirts, but then I tried it and I love the way my drawers look! I am also asking myself if things spark joy– if not, I’m not keeping them. I am going to watch her Netflix show next to try to keep the momentum going.