Hi Everyone! Not sure if it’s cold where you are but here we are bundled up embracing the winter vortex. So needless to say we are hunkering down and staying cozy. If you’ve been following along then you know that today is What’s Up Wednesday, where the last Wednesday of every month I link up with Mix & Match Mama, and Sheaffer Told Me To and we answer these questions….. Continue reading “WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY”
Happy Monday friends! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Ours was busy but good. We attended a remodeling expo on Saturday to get some ideas and meet contractors for our kitchen reno down the road. We spoke with two that had great ideas and made it less scary than we originally envisioned. So, our next step will be to get them out to the house to really help us design the space. I cant wait! I have been wanting my dream, white kitchen forever now and we are slowly inching toward it happening! Continue reading “MONDAY MUST HAVES”
Happy Friday friends! I’m sure everyone is more than ready for the weekend like I am. I have plans for some me time Saturday to get my hair done and then at some point Eric and I might go check out a home remodeling show, for ideas for our kitchen and bath that I desperately want redone. So fingers crossed we get some inspiration and Eric gets excited about it because currently, the thought of remodeling any area of the house is giving him a migraine. Don’t get me wrong, I hate the idea of having my house disheveled for an extended period of time but I know the end product would be so worth it! Continue reading “MY FAVORITE PODCASTS”
Happy Wednesday friends! I had a different post originally planned for today that I’m pushing to Friday because I posted a quote on Instagram today that I wanted to elaborate on beyond the limited caption space we are allotted on IG.
Now, in full Jill Comes Clean disclosure I have to admit I thought of this, this weekend in a fit of a rage because Eric was sick hungover (*cough) and was sleeping in while I got up early and proceeded with business as usual to care for Leyton, whose days begin promptly at 8 AM. I know many moms start even earlier and some are probably reading this thinking, “girl, 8 AM IS sleeping in!” but, I get up at 6 to start my day, and having just come off a week of stay at home mom duties and doing all.the.things, I was looking forward to the weekend so I could pass off some of those duties to Eric, like we usually do. But instead, here I was, business as usual on Saturday morning and I was half pissed, half ready to throw a “do I have do everything around here” fit. Now listen, I love the mom gig and I like my early mornings. But, in that moment it was just knowing that he was sleeping in, and I couldn’t even if I wanted to, that just spurred a quiet rambling under my breath of…..we are needed for everything! And thus, my quote.
Now, this is in no way meant to discredit all the hard work men do. They are equally as valued and hardworking, and plenty of men take on family and household duties, or are single parents and doing it all. Eric does so much for us, and works extremely hard every day. I know what a full time job parenting is so I totally recognize that he works full time then comes home and is also on full time (and does plenty around the house too. I hardly do it all). And, if I was sick he would 100% let me rest and he would give Leyton bottles without question. I also know that there is plenty that men are expected to do, and that they likely find some our tendencies annoying as well. So, maybe it’s just all the girl power personal development books, podcasts, and articles, I’ve been immersed with lately as I work to achieve my 2019 goals. Or, maybe it’s the fact that now that I’m a mom I feel like I never get a break, but I just thought, Ha! It’s women and children first because they know better than to have them go down with the wreckage. They need us! And for more than keeping things tidy and clothes ironed, although we do that too. It’s like we evolved in a way that still expects us to all the things women did years ago, on top of all the new opportunities we have today.
So, all this to say that lately, with all the female inspiration I’ve been surrounded with through my personal development and my side hustles, I’m just inspired by the bad ass-ness of women today. I just feel like we get it done, day in and day out. I don’t suggest we should all take on so much that we are burning the candle at both ends, but when we set goals, and prioritize and put our nose to the grindstone, it’s pretty amazing what we are capable of. Child birth alone deserves all the praise hands, but then everything else that comes with caring for children, keeping a house, running errands, keeping a semi decent appearance, and everything in between, while still trying to enjoy something for ourselves once in a while, well it’s pretty impressive.
So, I just wanted to give a little shout out to all the hard working women and moms in the world. It wasn’t until becoming a mom that I have truly understood what all we can achieve.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t share with all of you that while Eric was down for the count most of Saturday, he more than made up for it Sunday, taking on so many Leyton duties so that I could get a ton of things done. I am grateful for him every single day. I truly don’t know how single mothers do it, but given everything I just wrote…..maybe I do ;).
See you back here Friday, friends!
Jill
Happy Monday friends! I hope everyone had a great weekend. It felt like we were living in the Arctic at times here with the snow and wind gusts we got, but man if I don’t love how pretty things look after it snows. Snow definitely qualifies as a must have for winter, to help make this dreary season somewhat enjoyable and at least nice to look at! Continue reading “MONDAY MUST HAVES”
Happy Friday friends! Another week in the books and I am ready for the weekend! We are supposed to get more snow here and I don’t know about you but when it gets cold outside I like to warmup inside with a good, cozy bath! This led to today’s post because I wanted to share with you my recently discovered clean bath time routine, that not only smells great (if you make it like I do), but is super beneficial to your body too! Anyone guess what it is yet?? I’m talking a good ole fashioned Epsom salt bath, but with a little boujee added to it, for some Jill Comes Clean approved flair. Continue reading “MY CLEAN BATH ROUTINE”
Happy Wednesday friends! I had planned a wellness post of sorts for today, but I’m pushing that to Friday because I did a thing, and got super inspired to get on here and share some of what I got out of it, with you!
If you don’t know by now, I, like the rest of the world, am obsessed with Rachel Hollis. If you don’t know her, she is the author of Girl Wash Your Face, and if you haven’t read it you are missing out. Like, you are actually missing out on hard hitting, tell it to you straight, wisdom. This girl is a game changer. She is real and tells it to you like a good friend, who’s known you for years, and doesn’t sugar coat to spare your feelings, does. On a recent podcast of hers she explained how she came about her style of teaching from the mere fact that too many people out there are cheerleaders, whereas she is more of a coach. Don’t get me wrong cheerleaders are great! They pump us up, encourage us, and give us all the positivity. We need cheerleaders in our life no doubt. But in order for us (me) to really put go after and achieve my goals, I (we) need pushed! I need help getting there. I need direction. I need someone yelling at me from the sidelines (well gently yelling….she doesn’t actually yell), but you get my point. Athletes have a set of skills and talents, but they win championships, and titles, and Olympic medals because those skills and talents are brought out of them, and are put to best use, by a coach.
So when Rachel Hollis announced she was offering life and business coaching…..I laced up my cleats, taped up my ankles, put on the uniform, and I joined that team!
What’s Your Word?
So getting to the topic of this post….yesterday we had our first coaching session, and part of this first class was having us really plan out our year ahead. Looking at who we want to be, what goals we want to achieve, and so on for 2019. Friends, this is the kick in the butt I needed, because I can plan and plan and plan in my head, but actually following through with that plan rarely happens. One of the things she had us do was something I know lots of people have already done at the start of the new year, and that’s to come up with your word. What one word do you want to guide you throughout the year? Eric thought I was crazy when I mentioned this, but it’s actually something I’ve discovered more and more people doing. It serves as a guideline, or reminder of sorts to stay the course with your goals.
Originally, my word was intentional. I felt so all over the place in 2018 and like I did a lot of things willy nilly and without much intention. And while I still want to be more intentional throughout the year, I have to come clean……that word wasn’t enough. It didn’t stick with me day in and out. It didn’t apply to the majority of my life. So after doing one of Rachel’s exercises yesterday and thinking about who exactly I want to be in 2019, and what I want the best version of myself to look like, I decided to change my word. My new word is:
Committed
I thought long and hard about this because I wanted a good word! It’s like your name! You have it all year (unless you change it like I did with my first one), and it is to encompass a whole lot of things you have planned for yourself. I looked up synonyms to it to see if I could get anything a little more snazzy, but I kept coming back to this one. So I committed, to committed (okay and it allows me to make jokes?? I like it already!).
I chose committed because when I wrote down all the things I want to do and be in 2019 I realized that I can do it. I can be successful with my plans, but I have to be committed. Not only committed to the goals and aspirations, but committed to the process. If I want to cook meals every night of the week for my family, I have to commit to meal planning and grocery shopping, and making the meals. If I want to spend more time playing with Leyton during the day I have to commit to putting the phone down when he’s playing and I’m scrolling social media. If I want to get back to pre-baby shape, I have to commit to working out at least three times a week, eating healthy meals, and drinking enough water. So you see my point. I have to commit every.single.day. And I’m not naive. I know that I’m probably just currently on a high from Rachel’s teaching. I know I will lose motivation, and have days when I’m tired, or lazy, or hungry for cinnamon rolls. I know me. I know life. It won’t come easy all 365 days. But that’s why I have my word. To remind myself, when I want to take the easy way out, or slack off, or leave the house a mess, or not follow my schedule, that I COMMITTED! I signed up for the team. I went through tryouts. I came to play.
Do you have a word for 2019? I’d love to hear what other words people are using. Have a great Wednesday friends! See you back here Friday.
Jill
Happy Monday friends! I hope everyone had a great weekend. We were busy shoveling snow (well Eric was) and fighting colds. We are slowly on the mend, and the snow has just made it so pretty outside. I love how light and bright snow makes everything, and as long as I don’t have to leave the house or drive in it, then let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
Okay, so on to the must haves. I’ll admit I don’t have a ton this week, but these were my favorite finds from the past week and I couldn’t wait to share them with you. Continue reading “MONDAY MUST HAVES”
Happy weekend friends! I should have been saying happy Friday, as this post was planned for then, but if you saw my Instagram yesterday then you know that life happened (ie: we all got sick) and time got away from me. So rather than not post at all, I decided to extend it a day.
Now, what I really want to say is….we made it! We made it through Leyton’s first year! I can’t believe that year has already come and gone. As I was looking through pictures to put in this post, I have so many emotions. Obviously sad that, that tiny little peanut isn’t that little anymore. Excited for how much he’s grown and all he is doing now, and how much fun personality he has. Nostalgic just remembering those earlier days and how brand new everything was. And just awe at this whole experience. We love that little guy so much, and just can’t wait to see all the changes to come as he gets bigger. Continue reading “1 YEAR UPDATE!”
Hi friends! Today I’m linking up with Mix and Match Mama and A Little Bit of Everything Blog to bring you a new series that we will be doing the second Wednesday of every month, called Let’s Look! Each month we will look at something new. For today, and the very first one of these, we are looking at…..the coziest spot in our house!
Before we get to that, if you want to link up with us or follow along, here is a list of what we will cover each month….
Okay, so let’s get to it! I must say it took me a second to decide what I deemed the coziest spot in our house, because I love a cozy home and try my hardest to make many areas feel cozy. I find the living room to be cozy during the day, the basement at night or weekend when hanging out with Eric, and even my office has it’s cozy moments. But when I really thought about it I decided that while all those spaces have their cozy moments, the coziest spot in my house is hands down….my bed!
You just can’t beat being in a pair of pajamas, with a warm cup or coffee, some oils diffusing, and a good book! Now, these days the opportunity to lay in bed, reading and relaxing does not present itself often, but man should I find time to do this more because it is amazing! I don’t know about you, but I love slow mornings reading and drinking coffee with some orange or tangerine essential oil in the diffuser to help wake me up. And, now that it’s winter, it gets harder and harder to get out of bed, am I right?
So aside from a good, comfy bed with lots of pillows, and comfy bedding, here are some other things I feel make for a cozy environment!
MY TOP 10 COZY MUST HAVES:
So that’s my favorite cozy space in my home, and how I do cozy around here. Next month we are looking at our favorite reads and oh man am I excited for that one!! See you back here Friday!
Happy Monday friends! I feel like we started the new year with a bang over here and it’s been crazy ever since. Leyton turned the big 1 year on January 3rd and my parents were in town, and we had a little party, and it’s just been insane! I just now feel like I’m starting 2019. Naturally, given all the busy we had going on the past two weeks and coming off of the holidays, blog stuff was a little all over the place. But, I am back to the regular routine and kicking it off with a Monday Must Haves!
I have stumbled upon so many great finds lately that I couldn’t wait to share, so let’s dive in!
First up….my rule when is comes to buying something that I’m on the fence about is to give it time, and if you can’t stop thinking about it then buy it! You guys, that’s exactly what happened with these mules from Target. Continue reading “MONDAY MUST HAVES”
Happy 2019 friends!!! Whew, I’m still processing all that occurred in 2018. It was a busy, fun, wonderful year! I don’t know about you guys, but these last couple months have been so chaotic and I have felt so all over the place that I couldn’t wait to set some goals and resolutions for the year ahead. It also doesn’t help that I’m a total type A personality so lists, planning, and goals are my life!
I know typically we are supposed to have one main New Year’s resolution, but I have to come clean…. I think having one big lofty goal is too much pressure! To me, if you have one goal for yourself and don’t achieve it, doesn’t that feel like such a let down? Like you couldn’t even achieve one goal you set for yourself in a year? So that’s why I say, the more the merrier. Sure, more is more but to me, more is more of a chance that you will actually achieve some (even if just one) of them. Will I nail them all? Probably not. I still can’t even floss my teeth regularly and I’ve been trying to do that for 30 some years, but I like the rush of opportunity that comes with New Year’s resolutions. A clean slate, a fresh start, a chance to reset and get things in order. Continue reading “NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS”
