January: the month of 'new.'
The New Year.
The "new you"... or what seems to be the new "new you": the "better you." Which I am totally on board with, by the way.
Anywho.
I started a New Things blog category to inspire me to try something new each month and to look back on the new things, big & little, that we did each month.
So here's some newness from January.
The New Year.
The "new you"... or what seems to be the new "new you": the "better you." Which I am totally on board with, by the way.
Anywho.
I started a New Things blog category to inspire me to try something new each month and to look back on the new things, big & little, that we did each month.
So here's some newness from January.
SELF x Tone It Up Challenge
I kicked off the year with an at home fitness challenge! I have been a TIU fan for a while but it was only during the Fall that I actually started doing their (FREE!) YouTube workout videos, occasionally at home. They also offer various free fit challenges throughout the year. So I took the plunge and signed up for my first one! I started off strong, waking up early for workouts, plus weekly meal planning & prepping. Then, I totally fizzled out after being hit with a terrible stomach flu early in the month... My healthy eating took a plunge and I didn't fit in a daily workout. It's doable (!) but also damn hard to wake up early when your children don't sleep. But! I did make time to get active outdoors with my family, I aimed for completing the weekly new release Tone It Up workout, and love that I have discovered such great online resources and community support from the TIU team.
I kicked off the year with an at home fitness challenge! I have been a TIU fan for a while but it was only during the Fall that I actually started doing their (FREE!) YouTube workout videos, occasionally at home. They also offer various free fit challenges throughout the year. So I took the plunge and signed up for my first one! I started off strong, waking up early for workouts, plus weekly meal planning & prepping. Then, I totally fizzled out after being hit with a terrible stomach flu early in the month... My healthy eating took a plunge and I didn't fit in a daily workout. It's doable (!) but also damn hard to wake up early when your children don't sleep. But! I did make time to get active outdoors with my family, I aimed for completing the weekly new release Tone It Up workout, and love that I have discovered such great online resources and community support from the TIU team.
Luna
We adopted our second fur baby! Her name is Luna and she is a Siberian Husky, like Loki. She is also... a lot of work.
Between pups & babies, we have had a new addition every 14-18 months! Busy times.
Don't get me wrong, she brings us all kinds of happiness, cuddles & cuteness, but she also adds challenges. I mean, puppy training with two toddlers. I just barely finished toilet training Halle! Which brings me to the fact I have to always keep the bathroom door closed cause my other child wants to play in the toilet. And I always have to pick up the dogs' dishes because this child also likes to splash in their water bowls. As you can imagine, this makes for a lot of extra "work" on top of your typical training. Add in cleaning up puppy accidents, making sure toys & our home in tact, plus keeping up with our typical daily shenanigans, you've got one tired mama!
Nevertheless, things are getting better. Kennel training did not happen. I could write a whole other post about how Autumn woke up six times in two hours the other night while Luna had a literal shit show in the kennel... However, puppy pee pads did happen! Once I finally proofed the gate to upstairs, and Houdini dog couldn't sneak through at night to leave surprises on the (carpeted) stairs, I have managed to keep all doggy doo doos in a padded corner. She's also become the best play mate we could imagine for Loki. Which we knew we always wanted... real children just came first :) They are all getting along great, actually. Besides the nipping. Looking forward to the day those puppy teeth are gone. Alas, this is just a short chapter in our book of life and soon the baby days will be behind us all. Bringing with it more dog hair ;) & a whole lotta love!
We adopted our second fur baby! Her name is Luna and she is a Siberian Husky, like Loki. She is also... a lot of work.
Between pups & babies, we have had a new addition every 14-18 months! Busy times.
Don't get me wrong, she brings us all kinds of happiness, cuddles & cuteness, but she also adds challenges. I mean, puppy training with two toddlers. I just barely finished toilet training Halle! Which brings me to the fact I have to always keep the bathroom door closed cause my other child wants to play in the toilet. And I always have to pick up the dogs' dishes because this child also likes to splash in their water bowls. As you can imagine, this makes for a lot of extra "work" on top of your typical training. Add in cleaning up puppy accidents, making sure toys & our home in tact, plus keeping up with our typical daily shenanigans, you've got one tired mama!
Nevertheless, things are getting better. Kennel training did not happen. I could write a whole other post about how Autumn woke up six times in two hours the other night while Luna had a literal shit show in the kennel... However, puppy pee pads did happen! Once I finally proofed the gate to upstairs, and Houdini dog couldn't sneak through at night to leave surprises on the (carpeted) stairs, I have managed to keep all doggy doo doos in a padded corner. She's also become the best play mate we could imagine for Loki. Which we knew we always wanted... real children just came first :) They are all getting along great, actually. Besides the nipping. Looking forward to the day those puppy teeth are gone. Alas, this is just a short chapter in our book of life and soon the baby days will be behind us all. Bringing with it more dog hair ;) & a whole lotta love!
Podcasts
So I have known about podcasts for a long time but never really made the time to find them or listen to them. It's not often I walk Loki without the double stroller & girls in tow so I decided to break out the headphones. Instead of opting for tunes, I quickly googled "motivational podcasts" (I was in the mood for a pep talk.) A blog post popped up with a link to Happier with Gretchen Rubin Podcasts. She's the New York Times Best Selling Author of The Happiness Project. Aw it was just what I needed! Not overly cheesy moticational, but simple inspiring tips to make life happier. But also just doing something new such as listening to a podcast while walking, taking a little me time, made me happy!
Do you listen to podcasts? Share in the comments if you know any goodies :)
So I have known about podcasts for a long time but never really made the time to find them or listen to them. It's not often I walk Loki without the double stroller & girls in tow so I decided to break out the headphones. Instead of opting for tunes, I quickly googled "motivational podcasts" (I was in the mood for a pep talk.) A blog post popped up with a link to Happier with Gretchen Rubin Podcasts. She's the New York Times Best Selling Author of The Happiness Project. Aw it was just what I needed! Not overly cheesy moticational, but simple inspiring tips to make life happier. But also just doing something new such as listening to a podcast while walking, taking a little me time, made me happy!
Do you listen to podcasts? Share in the comments if you know any goodies :)
Date Night
Since September, Matthew & I have made an effort to connect with more date nights. We found an awesome babysitter who the girls adore which makes going out even more sweet. We like to try new things on our limited nights out so this month we went to the Extreme Airpark and ate at Anju. The trampolines were such a laugh! It was our first time at a park and first time in ages jumping on a trampoline. It showed, in the fact we only needed a half hour jump time as opposed to the hour we paid for, ha! Forgetting our age and jumping too hard, sweating way too early and being surrounded by the Saturday night teeny bopper crowd had us ready for food. We ended up downtown on 17th Ave, which hadn't been the plan, but I am so glad our night brought us to Anju. It's a Korean Tapas restaurant. I am a big fan of small plate style menus because you can try so much in one visit! We had never eaten Korean before and everything we tried was SO good! The atmosphere was really fun, too. And our fun night ended with a lovely stroll together, light snow flakes falling :)
Since September, Matthew & I have made an effort to connect with more date nights. We found an awesome babysitter who the girls adore which makes going out even more sweet. We like to try new things on our limited nights out so this month we went to the Extreme Airpark and ate at Anju. The trampolines were such a laugh! It was our first time at a park and first time in ages jumping on a trampoline. It showed, in the fact we only needed a half hour jump time as opposed to the hour we paid for, ha! Forgetting our age and jumping too hard, sweating way too early and being surrounded by the Saturday night teeny bopper crowd had us ready for food. We ended up downtown on 17th Ave, which hadn't been the plan, but I am so glad our night brought us to Anju. It's a Korean Tapas restaurant. I am a big fan of small plate style menus because you can try so much in one visit! We had never eaten Korean before and everything we tried was SO good! The atmosphere was really fun, too. And our fun night ended with a lovely stroll together, light snow flakes falling :)
Hair
I was craving change in the hair department this month! I was long overdue for some locks love since my last appointment in October (yikes!) I thought I had found the perfect cut in colour with my long bob bronde ombre... but a switch up was needed. Cue darker roots and violet burgundy ends. It's fun and I'm enjoying the new look.
I was craving change in the hair department this month! I was long overdue for some locks love since my last appointment in October (yikes!) I thought I had found the perfect cut in colour with my long bob bronde ombre... but a switch up was needed. Cue darker roots and violet burgundy ends. It's fun and I'm enjoying the new look.
In other relevant newness, I've switched up the girls' routine to create a more structured day & stricter schedule. It's big for us but needed. Autumn has officially transitioned to one nap, which overlaps Halle's, and has her sleeping better at night! Thank goodness!!! It's about time I added some more 'me' time and sleep to my life ;) I should also note that this is brand new, like few days old new, so I'll stop while I'm ahead and save this update for a later post when I've really put it to the test..... (Please universe, no testing, it's going to work.)
Hope your New Year has been off to a fabulous start!
And if not, I read this quote earlier - "decided my 2016 starts again on February 1st... this was a trial month." Made me chuckle! Every day is a chance to start fresh. Get out there and try new things, friends!
XO
Hope your New Year has been off to a fabulous start!
And if not, I read this quote earlier - "decided my 2016 starts again on February 1st... this was a trial month." Made me chuckle! Every day is a chance to start fresh. Get out there and try new things, friends!
XO
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