I’ve been going over my survey results recently (as you may have noticed!), and one of the most frequently-requested topics was… fitness. You very kind ladies wanted to hear about my fitness routines, and to that I say: LOLOLOLOLOLOL. There are many things I feel I’m qualified to talk about, but fitness is probably not one of them.

I don’t have a great track record, after all — at least post-pregnancy. Before June arrived, John and I had a good routine going: we ran a few times a week, would take long (20-30 mile) bike rides on the weekends, and played tennis with friends. I also once used up a full 20-class pass at Pure Barre and for a few months I became a ballerina again before scheduling issues got in the way.

Currently, my main exercise comes in the form of a brisk walk as many evenings as possible (usually 5/7 in warm weather months!). We also hike maybe one weekend a month, and June and I go for a walk amble many afternoons, as well.

Noticeably absent from that list? Anything approaching strength training, and anything that results in heavy breathing. So clearly there are holes in my fitness routine that I look forward to addressing when our kiddos are a little bit older and/or we have a little more room in our budget for babysitters.

BUT. Just because I can’t at this stage of my life completely overhaul my routine as I might like, that doesn’t mean I’m completely stuck. Little by little progress can add up, and I’ve learned I’m most likely to make that progress when it’s easy, for better or worse.

Recently, reading The Tech-Wise Family gave me an idea. Here’s the quote that inspired me:

As popularized in Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s fascinating book by the same name, nudges are small changes in the environments around us that make it easier for us to make the choices we want to make or want others to make. Nudges don’t generally make us do anything, but they make certain choices easier and more likely. They don’t focus so much on changing anything about our own preferences and ability to choose well; they simply put the best choice right in front of us and make the wrong choice harder.”

Longtime readers may recall this is very similar to the idea from The Happiness Advantage that inspired our guitar placement to great effect.

Once again, I put the best choice right in front of myself: I moved my free weights to the floor of our master bathroom. Then, while June takes her nightly bath, I work my way through a few arm exercises: bicep curls, tricep curls, and other-things-I-don’t-have-a-name-for-including-raising-my-arms-out-to-the-side. I do each until I can feel the burn, and then I move on to the next one. Nothing too fancy.

I’m going to be in the bathroom for those ten minutes anyway, the weights are already there, and so there is almost literally NO WAY for me to avoid doing those arm exercises. That’s the kind of workout I need! I’m proud to say I’ve already moved from two to five pound weights :)

Have y’all ever used this trick to form a habit? It’s a good one!

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Hello, friends! Happy May! I thought I’d try something a little different for this month’s goals post. In my most recent survey, a few of you said you didn’t care for goals posts (though the majority of you love them!). Separately, I’ve toyed with the idea of writing a periodic “what I’m loving” post, but have never followed through. What I’m proposing is a bit of a hybrid: in addition to my usual inclusions, I’ll add in a few extra categories as a window into things that might not make it into a full post but could be fun to share. I’d love to hear what you think!

Without further ado…

On my calendar this month:
— Our sixth annual camping trip with the Rays (praying for good weather!)
— Mother’s Day
— A visit from John’s parents

What I’m loving right now:
— Dresses! Bad news: I am already over pants, shorts, and belly bands this pregnancy. I’m sure I’ll continue to wear them, but right now all I want to wear is dresses. I just bought this one and this one (both non-maternity) from Old Navy, and they are soooo comfy!
— Strawberry picking! We have been five times already – good thing there’s a pick-your-own patch about four minutes from our house :)
— This simple art project! I think June and I will tackle it for Mother’s Day gifts for grandmas and her great-grandma.
— Lettuce! Our garden is stuffed with it. Two of my favorite salads: cobb and this chopped chicken taco version.

What I read in April:
— Nurture Shock: You’ll hear more about this one in my upcoming post on parenting books, but I found it fascinating! Full of both interesting ideas and actionable tips. Kind of like a parenting version of a Malcolm Gladwell or Freakenomics book.
— The Tech-Wise Family: Yes. Just yes.
— Commonwealth: A novel recommended as a favorite by one of my most avid reader friends. It took me a bit to get into, since the characters aren’t the most likable, but I enjoyed it in the end! I was also glad to finally have read something by Ann Patchett, since she’s a legit legend.
— Savor: Even though this is a devotional, I’m currently reading it like a novel, one month per day. Shauna’s writing is just so nice to sink into at bedtime! :)

Revisiting my goals for April:
Complete the purging of the remaining areas on our downstairs list (more progress made here!)
Clean out and organize the blue room closet
Fill out the two-year-old section of June’s baby book
Start a wish list for baby number two
Inquire with three more designers/services about e-design
Gather and cull all loose printed photos and sort them into new storage boxes
Organize and cull existing photo albums

May goals:
— Make a plan for new baby’s nursery
— Purposefully plan for Memorial Day, since we’ll be staying local
— Do something nice for June’s teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day (May 8th!)
— Fill out the two-year-old section of June’s baby book
— Inquire with three more designers/services about e-design
— Decide which baby book to use for new baby
— Organize my 2018 personal photos into my new organizational folder system

If you have goals for the month (or something you’re loving right now!), I’d love to hear in the comments! And what do you think about this new format? Fun? Too much all at once? I’m still undecided, so let me know…

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Happy Easter, friends! We had a wonderful, very full weekend (which I hope to tell you more about later this week!). I hope yours was joyful, too!

I was actually a bit surprised to see how many of my March goals I made progress on, because it felt like one of those months where things on my list kept getting pushed to the back burner. But progress was made, and perhaps the best piece was that in doing the three-month refresh in my PowerSheets, I was able to articulate goals for the next quarter or so — really, the four months left before baby number two arrives. I’m taking these months as a chunk and setting goals just for this season. They’re pretty simple and very concrete, and I’m excited about them. I’m sure I will share more soon, but in the meantime, they’re reflected in my goals for April, below!

Overall, though, I’m keeping things simple to focus on all the fun there is to be had this spring :)

What I read in March:
— Last Child in the Woods: This was a recommendation from MacKenzie. It was a bit of a softball for me, since the premise (kids spending time outdoors) is already something I’m passionate about, but it was interesting to read a more research-based approach and a welcome reinvigoration of my passion as we move into the warmer months!
— Expecting Better: My favorite pregnancy book recommendation. Re-read to get into the second trimester spirit! :)
— The Fringe Hours: This was a quick read, but I enjoyed it! Jessica and I are kindred spirits: we both think people should stop saying they’re busy, we like calendars with lots of white space, and we don’t feel guilty about doing things we love. If you like EFM but struggle with these things, you will probably like her book. More about a takeaway from this book soon!

Revisiting my goals for March:
Make our “areas to be purged” list (Not only did I do this, but I checked about half of them off! Major accomplishment!)
Ruthlessly edit the loft ruthlessly (Progress made!)
Fill out the two-year-old section of June’s baby book
Repair the raised bed in our backyard (Done! And veggies are planted in it!)
Plant out the little lawn strips beside the road in front of our house (Halfway done!)
Inquire with four designers/services about e-design (Inquired with one so far!)
Sort and better organize baby clothes (Done!)
Book Asheville accommodations for our fall trip (Done! Excited!)
Gather and cull all loose printed photos and sort them into new storage boxes
Organize and cull existing photo albums
Host a fun and low-stress birthday dinner and game night for friends (Done!)
Post a second annual survey on EFM! (Done!)

April goals:
— Complete the purging of the remaining areas on our downstairs list
— Clean out and organize the blue room closet
— Fill out the two-year-old section of June’s baby book
— Start a wish list for baby number two
— Inquire with three more designers/services about e-design
— Gather and cull all loose printed photos and sort them into new storage boxes
— Organize and cull existing photo albums

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Friends, I am restless for spring. I’m not sure why, exactly, but I am craving a new season with a much stronger hunger than usual. There’s been some out-of-the-ordinary unknowns in my life lately, and as you know, I prefer the knowns. I’m ready to turn the page into green grass, more sunlight, tangible accomplishment, and earlier bedtimes (the Olympics really messed with my sleep schedule!).

Given that, I’m not sure how wise it is to have such a long list of projects this month, but they all center around things I’m passionate about cultivating: simplifying our home, building our legacy (can you tell I’m working through Nancy’s photo organization e-book?), being outside, and having adventures with people we love. Perhaps those four themes will be my new goals for the year – we shall see :)

Breaking ground in style for our church’s new building!

What I read in February:
— Station Eleven (This came highly recommended by you all on Instagram! I wasn’t sure if the author would be able to wrap it up to my satisfaction, but in the end, she did!)
— The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (A fun novel for vacation!)

Revisiting my goals for February:
Set a date for our spring camping trip (Done! So excited!)
Make our “areas to be purged” list (Not yet. This is so simple and I’m irked I didn’t make time for it!)
A neighborhood walk. Every day. (Not every day, but much improvement here!)
Decorate our house and kitchen table for Valentine’s Day!
Ruthlessly edit the loft ruthlessly (Nooooo.)
Make a list of monthly dates for the year (Nooooo.)
Find a new toy storage solution for our family room (Thought about it but tabled at the moment and focusing on a different area!)
Choose and commit to a photo back-up service (Yes! I chose Amazon Prime Photos plus a new hard drive.)
Enjoy our trip to Florida! (Done!)

March goals:
— Make our “areas to be purged” list
— Ruthlessly edit the loft ruthlessly
— Fill out the two-year-old section of June’s baby book
— Repair the raised bed in our backyard
— Plant out the little lawn strips beside the road in front of our house
— Inquire with four designers/services about e-design
— Sort and better organize baby clothes
— Book Asheville accommodations for our fall trip
— Gather and cull all loose printed photos and sort them into new storage boxes
— Organize and cull existing photo albums
— Host a fun and low-stress birthday dinner and game night for friends
— Post a second annual survey on EFM!

I am currently debating menu options for our dinner and would love to hear what y’all like to make for friends! We’ll have eight adults, which is kind of a big group, and I want something delicious and simple, with little last-minute prep. The weather is the trickiest factor for me: in mid-March, it could be 75 degrees and find us eating outside, or it could be 50 and blustery! It might have to be a bit of a game time decision based on the forecast from my in-house weatherman :)

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