Hello lovelies! How has 2019 been treating you so far? I always feel that January and February is a bit of a write off, coming out of the holiday festivities and then into Chinese New Year. It’s also been so terribly hot that it’s been difficult to muster up the energy to do much else! Here’s to a much more productive February!
We recently got Netflix and binge watched The Travelers. It was so good but alas all good things must come to an end! I was sad to learn that it wasn’t being renewed for a 4th season but am glad that they managed to wrap up all of the loose ends in the last episode.
I’m always on the hunt for zero waste alternatives. I came across this replica of a 1920’s Black Cake Mascara. Patiently waiting for this to come back in stock so I can try it out!
As sleep deprived parents to a newborn, I can’t recommend the Snoo enough! It’s definitely been a lifesaver for us!
This year I’m using another diary designed by Fran Meneses. I used her diary last year and was pleasantly surprised to find out that she’d released another version, so I knew I had to get it! While the format of the diary is similar to the earlier version, there have been some changes, so I thought I’d share them and let you know what I think.
What’s Stayed the Same:
Hard cover
Paper quality
Monthly calendar format
Weekly calendar format
Pages for notes
Expandable pocket
Elastic diary band
What’s Changed:
Additional bookmark
Minimal weekly calendar format with no illustrations but more space
Dream/goal/project oriented writing prompts
Quarterly goal check-in’s
No stickers (can be purchased individually)
Less ‘fun stuff’ such as the vouchers or packing list
The Verdict
The major change for this diary is that it’s meant to be used as a “planning companion”. At the start of the diary, there’s a simple step-by-step process of how the diary can be used to list, track, and evaluate goals throughout the year. As a goal oriented person, I absolutely love this and am intending on following the process to get things done.
While there are less illustrations, the diary still has a whimsical feel and I actually prefer the new format as it’s more practical. While things such as the movie vouchers and travel packing list were cute ideas, I never actually used them, so I’m glad they’ve been removed.
I’m also loving the 2 bookmarks, as I can now easily keep tabs on the current month and week. Who knew that was a thing? Although the diary didn’t come with stickers this time, I actually don’t mind. I ended up buying some monthly sticker tabs elsewhere instead, which makes it easier to find the month that I’m looking for.
All in all, I’m loving the updated version of this diary and would particularly recommend it to people who love to plan and set goals for themselves!
Australia is currently experiencing a heatwave and the past 2 weeks have seen us experience days in excess of 40 degrees! In this heat, I don’t always have the energy or appetite to eat, so sometimes I’ll have a cold smoothie instead. It’s not a meal replacement by any means but it does help to fill me up until I can be bothered to make some food for myself (who else loses their appetite in the heat?). Without further ado, here is my simple Summer smoothie recipe!
Simple Summer Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 Banana
1/2 Cup frozen mixed berries
Sprig of mint
1 Tablespoon of Dark Cacao Smoothie powder from SimpleTribe (optional)
Few splashes of milk
4 Heaped tablespoons of Greek Yoghurt
Method:
Put all ingredients above in a blender and whiz up!
Feel free to swap out ingredients and change up quantities depending on your preferences. I really love the smoothie powder as it gives a lovely cinnamon taste and the mint freshens everything up! The thickness of your smoothie can be adjusted by changing up the milk to Greek Yoghurt ratio. If you do end up making this, do let me know in the comments below!
For the last few years, I’ve chosen a word as a way to focus and shape how I’d like the upcoming year to be. This year, my word for 2019 is JOY.
It’s a play on my daughter’s middle name as well as a reminder to find joy in my daily life, find joy in my new role as a mother, find joy in being a family, and being able to find joy in the face of any challenges this year.
I have so much to be grateful for and this year I want to make the most out of every day by embracing life and being joyful.
1. Miss K. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the biggest highlight was the birth of my sweet baby girl. When I found out that I was pregnant earlier last year, I was so happy! That happiness continued throughout my pregnancy to when I held her in my arms for the first time. She’s brought my husband and I so much joy, and we love her so, so much!
2. Blogging. This year I got back into blogging and I wrote a total of 33 blog posts. This is a massive jump from 2017 and I hope to increase this number in 2019. I’m still not sure where I want to take this blog but I do know that I love writing and putting together content, so I’ll see where it takes me!
3. Mental health. I wanted to improve my mental health and outlook on life by actively removing and reducing things that have a negative impact on me. I’ve been able to quit, unsubscribe, reduce, and say no to things and time spent on negative things and people. As a result, I’m glad to say that I had more ups than downs.
The Lowlights
1. Pregnancy terrorists. This term was actually coined by my obgyn who told me to ignore any negative advice or comments regarding my pregnancy. Fortunately these were far few and in between, however I was surprised that these comments came from people close to me rather than strangers.
2. Instagram. After Miss K was born, I spent less time on Instagram and lacked the motivation to post daily. While I love the platform, I just simply don’t have the time to maintain my account and interact with everyone like I used too. Nothing like having a baby to make you rethink your priorities!
3. Physical health. I started the year strong by joining the gym but ended up letting my contract expire shortly after I fell pregnant. I had morning sickness during my first trimester and felt too tired to exercise for the rest of my pregnancy. Coupled with the move, it was all too much and was eventually told to rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. Now that I’ve almost fully recovered from the birth, I’m keen to get back into the swing of things.
Lessons Learnt
Time is precious. I always knew that my priorities would shift and time would be more precious once Miss K was born but I really had no idea until she arrived. Miss K is now 9 weeks old and my days are broken up in “sleep cycles”. Now that she’s on a semi regular routine it’s a lot easier to get things done but gone are the days where I could spend an hour reading, watching movies or playing games! The challenge this year will be finding the right balance between work and play.
Staying positive takes a lot of work. It’s also a lot more than just removing and reducing things that have a negative impact. If I want to maintain my mental health and improve my outlook on life, it’s going to take active action on my part. I also need to chill and stop worrying about things that are outside of my control.
Family is everything. Now that we have Miss K in our lives, it’s really brought home that we’re our own little family. I look forward to spending time together as a family and creating our own traditions.
How was your year? What are you looking forward to in 2019?
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a relaxing break over the holiday period. We spent a quiet one at home with just the 3 of us and it was perfect. There was a lot of time spent on the couch cuddling with the little one and enjoying food that I wasn’t able to eat during my pregnancy – smoked salmon, pate, prosciutto, hummus and sushi!
The past year flew by so quickly and I’m sure that this year will go by even faster! I look forward to watching Miss K grow, spending time together as a family, making new friends, exploring new places, and working on some scrapbooking projects.
