Mid-Year New Year's Resolutions Update

Back in January, I made several New Year's Resolutions, and I figured I would blog each month about my progress! And, then I haven't updated since May! #whoops #timegoesbyfast

So, it's the middle of the year, and I figured I would update now and then again in September. Because with school beginning in 4 weeks, I may not get around to it in August! See, I told you time goes by fast! 

So, let's get to it: 

1. Study Scripture: Once again, I'm failing miserably here.  I had assumed that I would be a lot better about setting aside some quiet time each day, and then I realized that I hadn't studied scripture and realized that I lost my daily study. And, then this week, I found my book again, so I'm going to work on setting aside some time this month. 

2. Kick Toxins To the Curb: So, I really feel good about where we are with this. I've mentioned before that thanks to Young Living, we've been able to cut out tons of toxins! We've switched everything in our laundry room, the girls bathroom, and now that Young Living has dish detergent, everything in our kitchen! I make all of our cleaners using Thieves cleaner from Young Living, and we use baking soda. As far as food toxins, we still have ups and downs, but I've been buying more organic products: think Annie's, and I haven't opened up a can of cream of crap soup in I don't know how long! 

3. Exercise, Eat Healthy, Say Good-bye to Coke & Sugar: So, this summer started out STRONG! Thanks to the team nutritionist at football, we started wife workouts in the evenings. Back in June, I was going every single day that we would have work outs, and then I would come home and run a mile or two in the evenings. I even lost 3 pounds! And, then vacation happened and womp, womp..... I totally fell off the bandwagon. I'm working on getting back on the bandwagon, and let me tell you, it's much harder to get back on, than it was to jump off! 

So, let's talk about coke for a minute..... coke is the only caffeine product that I drink. I have never drank coffee or tea, and I only drink milk, water, coke, and maybe juice if it's my only option. In February, I gave up coke for Lent, and then I slowly started to add them back in. And then I slowly started giving them back up again. I cannot tell you the last time I've had a full coke, okay, well, it was in June sometime, but when I've had a coke, it's because we were traveling and making quick stops for dinner. The last time we did this though, I only had a few sips and once my meal was finished, I went back to water for the rest of the drive. I make sure to have my Yeti cup full of water and with me, or I have a bottle of Smart water with me. When we eat out, I order water, but I have to admit that there are times when I want a coke again. Like, when we eat Mexican food or pizza. To me, a coke just goes with them! But, I've been good and stuck with water. DJ and I took the girls to the movie on Sunday afternoon, and while I took the girls to the restroom, he stayed behind and ordered popcorn. I brought a water in with me, and he bought me a coke! I reminded him that I'm giving them up, and even though I felt bad that he had purchased a coke for me, I didn't give in and drink it. In fact, the last time that I did drink a full coke, I ended up with a terrible headache, and remembering that feeling has helped me to give them up! So, while it's been hard, and I'm a bit nervous about how I'll do this fall, I'm sure I'll finish the summer strong and sans a coke in hand!

Now, on to the sugar- it has been really hard since we have been traveling so much. We also have celebrated birthdays a lot, and I can't turn down a good bakery product. We also, ate our way through Waco. Now that we are finished with summer travels, I'm working on cutting out those sweets too! 

4. Rock My YL Biz: I shared before, that I hit the rank of Silver back in February! And, then if, I'm being honest, it was super hard to maintain. However, I achieved Silver again in June, which was my one year month of joining Young Living. I honestly did not join Young Living to make money and I just thought I would try the business side, and this month, I'll receive a paycheck that is almost as much as my checks working my full time job! As a SLP in the public schools, it's nice to have the extra income coming in because we were paid in June, and we don't get paid again until September 20th! If you are considering getting involved with a multi-level marketing business, I would highly suggest it! If I could tell you anything to help you say "yes" it would be this: ----------  Find a business with products you 100% believe in and support and use. 

5. Serve Others: Sometimes we have to remember that our act of service isn't always what we do on the outside and for strangers. Sometimes the biggest act of service is what you can do at home every single day. And, I'm having to remember that often. I still have a heart for missions and honestly, I would love to adopt or foster children, but I know that the timing isn't right at this minute. So, I'm working on serving our children and my family (DJ) and doing the best I can. 

It's been really difficult the past several weeks with all of the terrible news in the world: Orlando, shootings of African Americans, and shooting of the Dallas police. The morning after Dallas happened I encouraged my Facebook friends to do a random act of kindness in order to show love to a stranger. And then DJ and I got in the car and drove to Waco. Once we arrived we ate lunch, went in to a store, and as we were walking back to our car, a lady stopped to ask if we had cash so she could buy herself some food. I didn't have any cash on me (I never carry it) and I told her that I didn't have anything I could give. I know she was down on her luck, and my heart broke for her. When we got back in the car, I remembered my "random act of kindness" post on facebook and I thought, that was it. That was my opportunity and God put this woman there and I missed out. Later that afternoon, DJ and I saw her again. We were driving, and she was at the park, and I told DJ we should buy her some food and take it to her. I'm sure he didn't think I was serious and we continued driving around downtown Waco, stopped at a food truck, and we were wondering what we should do next. I told him that we needed to find a gas station so I could buy her some food. We quickly found one and $15.00 later, I had some bread, a huge bottle of water, peanut butter, snack bars, and much more, and I even grabbed some cash. And then we drove back around the park, and around downtown, and we even chased down an unmarked police officer (which probably wasn't the smartest thing to do after the Dallas police were attacked the night before.) He told us that Waco had several "urban campers" and that we likely would find her at the park. But, we never did. We looked Friday night, and throughout the day on Saturday, and she was gone. So, we dropped the food off at the local Salvation Army before we had to head home. I'm not saying this to toot my own horn, because I feel like I miserably failed this woman that God had placed in my life, and I'm hoping that somehow the food found her at the Salvation Army kitchen that evening. 

6. Take Time for Family & Say No: So, with all of our traveling this summer, we've been together as a family a lot! We've made some great memories and we've spent so much time together. I love that we're able to really be with each other during the summer with little obligations. 

We went to Dallas. 

 And the girls had a blast on a day we spent just for them!

And we've had pool days and lake days, and lazy days thrown in! 

7. Be Debt Free: We are still working on this, but I feel like we're making good progress! With my Young Living check this month, I'll be able to make a large payment toward our credit card!

8. Finish House Projects: Well, if you stopped by on Tuesday, you'll see that I shared a little Show & Tell of our house! We have finished all of the rooms in our house, and even Adalyn's big girl room! DJ and I installed pavers in our backyard a few weeks ago to help extend our patio a bit, and he's obsessed with maintaining our lawn. So, I am finally at a point where I feel like I can stop buying for our house...... except I do want to update the entry way console, but that's neither here nor there! This week, I cleaned out our entry way closet, and soon I'll be working on cleaning out the girls closets a bit better and donating some of their clothes. I have a huge pile that I need to drop off at Goodwill, and some clothes that need to be consigned. But, I really feel that we are in a good place in our home and not much else needs to be completed! 

So, that about wraps up how I'm doing on my goals for the year! Remember, if you created goals for yourself, don't give up! We still have 5 months left!