One Book: August Planner Challenge

August is right around the corner. I’ve decided to challenge myself and try One Book: August.

What is One Book: August

One Book: August is a planner challenge. You choose the month you’re going to participate. Then, you choose the planner that you are going to commit to.

This year so far, I have 7 planner systems. I started the year in my Erin Condren Hourly. I moved into a Purposeful Planner, and then a pocket size traveler’s notebook. By June, I had switched to an EC Hardbound planner. Now, I’ve settled into a B6 sized traveler’s notebook.

This month’s options

I’ve settled nicely into my B6 system over the last week. My intention was to only purchase one traveler’s notebook, but the second was a deal that I couldn’t bypass.

My two options for One Book: August are the Chic Sparrow Black Beauty and the Foxy Fix Sugar Cookie. They are both B6 traveler’s notebooks.

Inside of the notebook that I choose, I will have:

While I love the sturdiness of the Chic Sparrow, I’m leaning more towards the floppier Foxy Fix. I love the reinforced spine, and it’s also dirt and water resistant. Unfortunately, the smell of it gives me a headache. It doesn’t have that signature leather smell that I’ve associated traveler’s notebooks. I’m hoping that airing it out will at least make it smell normal. Foxy Fix was also my first choice, but the one month wait was a bit much for me. I ordered a Chic Sparrow, and it was delivered a week later.

If you’ve seen my Instagram, you probably see that I’ve been switching between the two quite frequently. Both are amazing brands, and it’s going to be a “game time” decision for me. If the Foxy Fix can let go of that smell, it just might be a winner.

Goodbye 31, Hello 32

Today is the beginning of Life: Chapter 32. I am currently sitting at work, but I did take the opportunity to go out and have some photos taken. I met up with my sister at one of my favorite parks with some of the most disrespectful balloons ever. Yes, they beat me up. I also made my way to Best Buy to pick up a shiny new iPad Pro. Happy birthday to me!

Even though, I didn't get to celebrate today, I did get to spend some time out with my family on Wednesday. We went to the movies to see War For The Planet Of The Apes, then had lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings. It wasn't much, but for a weekday, it ended up being perfect.

Goodbye 31

As I look back on 31, I realize that I’ve accomplished more than I set out to. I enrolled in college last August to finish my Bachelor’s in Information Technology. I made the President’s List twice, and I’m on the Scholar’s List now. In February, I secured a new job in the IT field. Despite the fact that it may not be permanent, I’m enjoying the experience. In July, we took our first family vacation. We cruised for 5 days to The Bahamas. I also booked our next vacation to Washington, D.C. in October. Life is also looking a lot healthier, financially and physically.

Hello 32

I’m going into 32 as a much happier and less stressed person. I’ve learned a lot about myself and what I want for my life over the last year. I’m grateful for all of the support that I’ve had in making decisions about doing what’s best for me. My goal is to make 32 a million times better. It's past time to get those bucket list items checked off, or maybe even time to create a new one. I'm so excited about what this next chapter has in store.

Family Vacation: What I Won't Do Again

This year, we decided to take our first family vacation. It all started in January. His parents had already picked out a location. All I had to do was swipe my credit card and show up.

Our family vacation was a 5 day Carnival cruise to the Bahamas. We visited Nassua and Freeport, but it wasn't anywhere near what I expected. The plan was to take tours of the sites. That idea turned into a riding tour that paused outside of the sites for only a few moments. Not even long enough to take photos.

What I Won't Do Again

First off, I will never travel with that many people. Ever! I understand that this was our family vacation, but there were 16 of us total. Of that 16, there were only 7 adults. The teenagers clung to my husband and I, because we are the most laid back. What was supposed to be fun turned into me being annoyed by how childish and unruly they were. It felt more like babysitting than vacation. We eventually ditched them.

Second, I will stick to my own plans. We had ideas of how we wanted to spend our days. The kids wanted to go to the beach. We wanted to do a walking tour and spend time exploring the city. Somewhere along the line, everyone decided that we should just follow the more experienced travelers. They had already been to the island multiple times, so they would know all of the good places to go. While the Baha Mar resort was nice, our visit was limited to 30 minutes.

The vacation was fun, but I found myself letting my attitude get the best of me. I snapped at my fair share of people, and the last night was a complete disaster. Life is a learning experience, though. I learned that family vacations need to be focused on our family, and not the entire family. Next time will be better.

I will make another post soon with the photos of things we did get to experience.

Yet Another New Beginning

Once upon a time, I lived for blogging. Sometimes I wrote multiple posts a day, detailing every single aspect of my life. That was a time when oversharing was the norm. Back when everyone was creating a blog as a new come-up.

I've never been big on monetizing my blog, even though I tried once or twice. I find myself marching to the beat of my own drum... Easily turned off by anything that starts to feel more like a job than a hobby. That's where I was with blogging.

Thirteen years later and here I am again. Feeling an urge to own my space on the web again. Feeling an urge to get back to what makes me happy. This year has been amazing for me. I have a new job. School is going well. I've started to find out who I really am, and started to do things that interest me.

I lost myself in being a mother and wife. I let those things become a crutch... An excuse as to why my life was boring. I found myself becoming this unrecognizable person, losing the light in my eyes.

So I'm back again. Hopefully for a while, but I can't make any guarantees. At the end of the day, this is a part of my journey. I'm trying to birth a vision that I've had for some time. It's time to continue finding myself, and I hope that you'll stick around for the ride.

Happy Birthday, Munchkins!

Birthday time!

It has been a fun filled week with my babies! We started on Wednesday with a mini photo session for the two of them. I got a chance to test out my new lens, as well as get some updated photos of them.

On Thursday, I surprised JJ and his classmates with cupcakes for lunch, and a junk food birthday party that night. On Friday, he went to the circus, then had a night of pizza and movies.

Ivy's 4th birthday was on Saturday. Her one request was a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. We went early because they were completely booked for the day, but she still had a great time. She even took a picture with Chuck E. She spent the afternoon shopping with her dad, before settling in to binge watch Supergirl.

Today, they had their birthday dinner with my in-laws, which involved more pizza. They received gift bags full of junk, and are currently bouncing off the walls.

Someone save me... PLEASE.