January goals and how I did with them!

This year I decided I was going to simplify my life and get more organized. That includes a major decluttering of my house, buying less, keeping less, needing less! I also splurged on a more expensive planner that I could carry with me, rather than relying on my family calendar at home, and my phone calendar. I was hesitant to buy it until the nice lady told me to split the cost over 365 (actually 366) and that was the daily cost of it. That made me feel much better and I already feel like I've gotten my money out of it.

This is the beautiful cover of it!

And this was the January divider page, which made me feel so hopeful as I wrote out my January goals when I got the planner in the second week of the month. I'm feeling motivated and hoping to stick with it with writing the monthly goals I set out.

For January here were my goals:

Blogs - as many as I can
Including this one, I've done a whopping 27 posts this month! That is more than half the amount of what I did all LAST YEAR. I am LOVING the new routines I've started with making this a priority again in my life. Even if just sharing small insignificant things like James wearing James is important to me and I know years down the road I'll love that I made the time to do it.

Yoga - 1-2 class per week
As of tonight at 8pm I will have done 11 yoga classes this month. Some might not feel like that is a lot but for a very busy mom of three who did ZERO physical activity before, that is absolutely far and above what I thought I would be able to accomplish. Throw in there a massive redo of our basement, hernia surgery for hubby, weekend trip away with KJ, day trip to the Island....a lot of external stuff that could have prevented me from going, but I made the effort, I booked the classes and I just went, even if I didn't feel like it. Moving forward my goal is 3 classes per week (1 at VIU for the next 8 weeks on Tuesday mornings, and then at least 2 at Coast), and 2-3 short 20 minute walks per week as well. I want to start small so it feels manageable and not overwhelming to me. I know myself and that's the best way for me to not get discouraged.

More games/quality time with the kids
I am trying hard at this one, but it was a busy month and I didn't get to do it as much as I would have liked to, but I did get some card games in with each of the boys and some puzzle building with Kennedy, plus of course nightly reading too. The biggest shift to the quality time has been bedtimes these days. Since the boys separated rooms it's been awesome to spend that extra few minutes with each of them every night asking about their day. We call it Happy/Crappy (thanks Foster girls for the name steal) and each day they tell me the best part and the worst part of the day. I lay with them and get some snuggles before I move on to the next child. It's turned into a much longer bedtime routine but one I'm really cherishing at the same time. As the boys get older and time marches on I realize how very important this time is with them and how even on the nights I don't feel like doing it, it's so worth it in the end to have that connection with them!

Less phone and iPad time
I'd call this one a success just by the fact that I have found the time to do all of the above three goals, in time that I would have normally before spent some of that on my phone and iPad. Plus the massive basement declutter and clean out that happened the first two-three weeks of the month too (photos coming after I finish putting it all back together again!)

Overall I am super proud of myself for my January goals and how well I did with them! My goals for February are maybe a bit loftier but still very valuable. I'll do a blog post about that at the end of next month. Coming up this weekend will be a January photo recap (which I'm also committed to doing this year after seeing the cool photo memory stuff I used to do before I got so busy). I miss that and am committed this year once again to save our family memories in a meaningful way.

Such handsome boys

James has been bugging me for weeks to buy him some jeans so I did, not actually expecting him to wear them, but today he surprised me and he did. They look so good on him and hopefully this will be a shift away from only wearing sweatpants!

I thought they were so cute today in their matching minor hockey hoodies that I snapped this random photo of them on the walk to school. They are carrying flashlights because it was reading in the dark today during Literacy Week at the school!

The snuggle is real

These two love to snuggle so much and it warms my heart every time I see it. Last weekend they spent the night at Nana and Papa's house and when my mom went in to check on them the next morning they were laying in bed snuggling and holding hands. The love these two share is incredible and I hope they always feel this way about each other. He is still her favorite friend in the whole world and his hugs are by far the best and most sought after ones in her life.

These pictures were all snapped in the past two weeks. Just love them so much!

They love holding hands

I wish I was this cool

This little outfit just killed me today! Her little leather jacket and boots were just too cute, I had to share these photos of her taken today! 

Hehehehehe even her little grumpy face in this one is cute. She was sad cause she didn’t want me to go to work and was going to miss me too much. That’s what happens after 3 day weekends together! 

Sunday Smiles

A few photos from me and KJ’s trip to the city with Ang for the Paw Patrol Live show! I’ll share more photos in another post soon!

Fave Photo Friday - My new love of yoga

This photo signifies a new found favorite place for me! This is the gorgeous art work on the wall in the yoga studio at Coast Fitness. Tonight in between my two classes I took a moment to snap this picture to remind myself of the peace that I feel as I sit quietly waiting for my class to begin

Yes, a selfie! I rarely take selfies but tonight I was in the mood so I snapped this happy picture of myself before heading into my first of two back to back yoga classes. In the short time I’ve been taking classes I’ve come to enjoy them and enjoy the peace I feel from knowing that I’ve made the time, just for me. It’s something I have wanted to do for years, but finally I’m ready to commit to it.

Snapped this picture of a sign last week at Coast. For the first time in my life I’m ready to start putting me first sometimes, even if it is inconvenient sometimes. I will end 2020 healthier than I started it. To me it’s not about my weight right now, it’s about my health and feeling better about myself and feeling like I am more than just a mom and wife. I am important too. 

Throwback Thursday - It’s Baby Kennedy

Time is flying and two years ago this little lady was the cutest chunkiest little baby and this hat reminded me of when Jordie wore it when he was around her age. 

I still get snuggles in this chair almost every single night (some nights we snuggle on her new big girl bed instead)

Oh, this photo makes me realize how I am so not sad to never be in this stage again! She was so busy and got into everything!!

My wishes for my beautiful little girl

Here are my 10 life lessons for my sweet Kennedy Joanna.

(1) You are, and always will be, more than just what you look like on the outside.You are a beautiful human, on the inside and the outside.

(2) You can be tough as nails and soft and vulnerable at the same time. It is so important to be able to be both, in this tough world you are growing up in.

(3) You can be a girlie girl all dressed up in dresses with fancy hair, or rock that awesome pair of jeans and a hoodie, with your hair up in a messy bun, too.

(4) It’s more important to be a good, kind person than anything else in the whole world. Your Daddy and I believe that our biggest job is to raise good people and I hope we are doing that with you.

(5) You are so smart and so capable of doing anything you set your mind to! You are going places in this world my love and I can't wait to see where you end up.

(6) You are sassy and outspoken, but remember always use that in a respectful way to get your point across to those around you. Words can hurt and the pain can last a lifetime. 

(7) Use your words wisely and try to think before you speak. This isn't always easy but it's a very important life lesson to learn.

(8) Remember to work hard for all that you want to achieve and don't expect others to get you to where you want to be. Your work ethic determines who you are and how you are viewed in the world.

(9) Love those that matter unconditionally and let go of those that hurt you. So much easier said than done sometimes but never be afraid to fall in love because you never know when your forever love will appear. 

(10) Always hug your Mama tight and say I love you, no matter how old you get or how much she drives you crazy! I still hug my Mama tight and tell her I love her every chance I get so I think you should too! :) 

Big thanks to Auntie Sheri for this BEAUTIFUL new photo of our little KJ girl. And big props to Daddy for rocking the awesome messy bun hairstyle too! 

Tuesday Twins Day

Maddie came for a playdate on Sunday and when she showed up we giggled that they were matching. Kennedy's dress is on backwards, her skirt is too but the sparkly black tops and jean bottoms still looked so cute together! 

That picture above made me think about this picture from a few years ago of these two matching on another day!

And then this cute picture popped up from the one time they took swimming lessons together too.

And of course this cheesy shot from many years ago now!

Milestone Monday - 3 kids, 3 bedrooms

We did it! In just 15 days we went from hoarder basement to completed new bedroom for James! I can't wait to show the before and after photos but need another week or so to get everything all finalized. Once it's all done I'll finally feel like I can relax and enjoy it, but for now I'm going to keep going and get everyone settled into their soon-to-be reorganized and decluttered rooms! 

Last night was very strange for me to have James two floors away from me! He was nervous when he went to bed but was clearly exhausted and fell right to sleep and this morning said he'd slept great. 

Here he is all tucked in and ready for bed. 

Out cold and not even covered up in the cold basement. He's gonna love it down there! PS: Can't wait to get that ugly baseboard heater replaced soon! It's awful and covered in random paint and scratches from over the years.

This little lady got a bed upgrade in August and then yesterday we finally moved the mattress up to the top of the frame rather than being on the floor and she's so excited and says it's now a really big girls bed :) 

And this guy is in his own room for the first time since he was 2 and came out of his crib! He is back on the bottom bunk and is looking forward to making this room really all his. It's so strange to have them separate but I think it's going to be awesome in the long run!

Selfie Sunday - Me and my handsome big guy

We are in the home stretch of James's big room reno and tonight is his first night down there and I couldn't be more excited for him and for us for having pulled off this huge feat in just two weeks! I'll post some pictures after I'm in the city next week and can get the last of the stuff that we need for down there.

We went out to Walmart today and while we were out he asked if we could take a few minutes and grab some steamed milks from Starbucks while we were out. I love that he still loves spending time with me and whenever I get the chance to spend one on one time with him I try my best to make it special, even if just in a small little way.

I love this big guy so much and I'm so happy for him that he will finally have some space that is just his. Once I finally share the before and after pictures I think you'll be shocked at the progress that was made in such a short time!

A little sneak peek of his room color :) Here is a little snuggle that we had this afternoon. I am looking forward to having some quiet alone time each night with all of my kids now that they all have separate rooms!  

Difference between Mom and Dad

When a kid sleeps in the bed with us (which isn’t very often) I get almost no real sleep....but their dad? No problems apparently sleeping through everything....including a foot directly on his face!! There is no way I would EVER be tired or asleep enough to ever sleep through that! And how is that even comfortable for her to be asleep too? These two kill me!  

Anyone else like me and can’t sleep well when bed sharing?!?! 

Photo Friday - Faves from the week!

Starting off the week with this adorable photo of my three fave girls! I'm surprised I captured it actually with all the movement going on! 

This little girl is so lucky to have these big "sisters" in her life and I am fortunate to get to be in their lives too, hopefully in a way that matters to them when they are older. 

The snow hit and this kid was out there before school shoveling walkways and sidewalks. I love him and his big generous heart. 

A little late night play with Dad and Kennedy before bed.

My little snow bundle. Thank god this snow suit still fits from last year because for the little amount of snow we get I hate buying new snow suits every year for only a few days of use! 

This guy took 5 day old french fries that were in the fridge, threw them in the microwave and heated them up with a big scoop of my homemade potatoe/bacon soup on top.  He is so random sometimes it kills me. And somehow he doesn't get food poisoning which actually surprises me!

Thankful for this guy

He's on graveyard shift this week which is always tough but with a basement reno in full force before his surgery next week he has found himself running errands in the morning and then only sleeping a few hours in the afternoon/evening. Yesterday on zero sleep after working all night, he spent all day painting, picking up kids from school and the sitter, getting groceries, etc, all so that I didn't have to go out in the snow. I despise being cold and the snow makes me cranky. I love seeing it, but being out in it is not my favorite thing to do.

Then at 5pm he found out he didn't have to go to work, so he ate a quick dinner and then went outside for an hour and a half to shovel walkways and sidewalks at our strata. During his time outside I realized our KJ girl also hadn't been outside either all day so got her suited up at 7 to go out and play with Daddy for a little bit. She LOVED it and is clearly her Daddy's girl when it comes to snow!

I don't know how he was still functioning by the time he came inside shortly before 8. He had only slept maybe 5 hours the day before and then had been up since 4pm, so essentially awake for nearly 30 hours by that time. I could never do what he does!

I am thankful for his work ethic and how he will always sacrifice his own sleep and comfort if it means being able to be there for his kids and our family. I am a lucky wife.

Way back Wednesday

While going through our basement I found so many awesome photos from my past and will definitely be sharing more on this blog in the coming weeks/months as I do a big sort/organize/purge of all of my photos!

Going way way way back to my 16th birthday and a fun night with some of my best high school friends! Melanie, Theresa and our beloved and missed friend Jody, who died when we were all just 21 years old. I can't believe she's been gone that long already. I wish I'd said more and done more in the last few years of her life and it's a regret I will live with forever. I am very fortunate to have had some wonderful years with her in my life and so many amazing memories with all of these girls.

Scariest roller coaster ever! Six Flags Magic Mountain

This one was fun though! 

Some cute sibling photos I found during the basement clean out! 

Tana Banana in Grade 2

Baby Kimmy...the cutest thing is that kennedy now has this blanket and sleeps with it on her pillow every single night!

Toddler Kimmy

Grade 6 Kimmy

I'm thinking this is Grade 11