Thought Spewing

Sometimes my thoughts are like one vast run-on sentence.

Which makes me cringe seeing that I am nerdily obsessed with grammar.
{And yes I like to make up words that seem more appropriate than real ones.}
I just have so much to think, so much to say, to the point where my sweet husband has to remind me that I have covered roughly 7 topics in one sentence.

But then, when life slows down just enough to catch a breath, my thoughts take a quick reprieve as well. Admittedly, it feels odd when my mind takes a break. Like a blank essay staring back at me. But once I finally get going, I can't stop.

Hence the sporadic blog posts as of late.
It's January. And cold. And a lot of indoor nothing-ness.
And it makes me feel like my brain can't quite function.

So I sat down, took a good look inside this head of mine, and actually thought about what I've been thinking about lately.

Good old metacognition {a teaching buzzword for thinking about your thinking}.

And mine goes a little something like this.

-- The past couple of weekends have been so delightful that I've completely forgotten to snap any pictures. Aren't those just the best? And we didn't even do anything breakthrough, just spent quality time with some of our favorite people and had some really special moments with Ly. And except for a basketball game with friends, not a single moment was social media-lized. I sometimes have to remind myself that just because something wasn't documented via social media doesn't mean it didn't happen. #generationyproblems

Ready to cheer on *the undefeated* black and yellow

-- Speaking of social media, I'd really like to start making a more conscious effort to put down my phone. Seriously why do I feel the need to check my smart phone every 15 seconds? You'd think I was waiting for the biggest news of the decade or something. And sadly, it's become muscle memory at this point. I've got a spare 7 seconds, better check Instagram. Waiting for my pot roast to microwave, better check Facebook. Sometimes, something will snap Gabe and I out of our social media induced comas and we realize we haven't spoken in nearly 20 minutes as we've been too busy scrolling our phones. We should definitely take a phone-and-media-free vacation, but then what would we talk about? {Totally kidding. But seriously, I need to be better about this.}

So getting this for Gabe via Emily McDowell Inc.

-- Instead of grandiose resolutions, I have set a personal goal or two. One of them is to be intentional, specifically with money and time. Since overcommitting is embedded into my psyche, being intentional about the things I take on is a fairly new concept for me. Other than walking into a room of clutter, saying no is probably the hardest thing in the entire world for me. Because of this, I tend to burn out very easily. I go into something full force until I absolutely can't stomach it any longer. Unfortunately, this is what happened with teaching {50% of new teachers leave the profession within 5 years for this exact reason, and there is nothing more infuriating than knowing that I became a statistic.} However. I have done some major fat-trimming in my life recently. And so far, I've done a great job of being intentional, which has led to the destined mecca of balance and even saving some cash money *cha-ching*.  It's also allowed me to experiment in the kitchen, go to a movie, AND read books that aren't teaching or baby related. Oh the joy!

My second movie since Lyla's been born

-- Now that I've been blessed with a toddler who is the girliest of girls, I really need to step it up in the glamour department. It's time to stop putting all of my energy in my mini fashionista, and put a teensie bit back into me. I mean seriously. I haven't cut my hair in over four months. I recently removed the nail polish off my toes from the pedicure I got back in August. My winter wardrobe consists of nothing but chunky sweaters and leggings. I've worked out maybe 4 times in the last 6 months. And the last time I got Fancy Nancy'ed was for my husband's company Christmas party. Maybe January makes me feel meh. Maybe I like cozy. Regardless, it's time to start making an effort.

Mesmerized by Mommy's 4 inch split-ends

-- Our house projects have sadly fallen victim to my burn-out issues. When we first moved into our house, we unexpectedly went full-throttle into some major renovation projects. We were completely in over our heads and still have never-ending to-do's that we'd like to tackle. So finally, after about a year and a half hiatus, we're ready to hop back in the saddle. And we often remind ourselves that you do in fact only live once, so we get a little wild and spend our Friday evenings sanding and painting trim and doors. And with our recent decision to stay in our house longer than originally anticipated and a slight tweak in my attitude, I'm really starting to appreciate and even love our house. We still have some big{ish} updates we'd like to take on, but in the interim, I'd like to make some simple changes. Like new throw pillows. I just can't decide if I want neutral chic or a fun pop of color.

I still have yet to order something from Joss & Main, but aren't these cute?

Phew. 

That felt good.