Checking in....

I know that it's been awhile since my last post... I wish I had a better reason for not posting so often, but the truth is, I'm always so tired. Like, sleep all the time tired. I wake up late every day, go to work, take care of the munchkin, go to bed. That's it. Not sure why...

Anyway, I like to reassess my situation during the month of June every year. I feel like it's a good time to look back at the first half of the year and see what's been working for me (not much apparently) and what I can do to improve (Monster Energy I.V.). The majority of us make New Year's Resolutions (which we promptly neglect by January 15th) and I think it's good to check up half way through the year.




via weddingbycolor.com



So, I'm gonna dig right in:

1.  The most important thing to do, and what I have previously failed to do, is keep my goals and supporting 'stuff' within view. I think it's important to always see your goals, it's easier to make sure you're working to acheive them. Don't have a plan as of yet where to put them, but I'll figure it out.

2. I just bought a new car in May and I haven't re-done my budget to allow for the car payment. I mean, I know I can't spend $200.00 at the grocery store and not use coupons. But I haven't actually written down a budget to see where my money should go. I'm thinking of using a modified envelope system,  putting in a set amount for groceries and 'out to eat' money in them.

3. I have thousands of unread e-mails. I know I get way too many each day. My plan is two fold A) spend at least 10 minutes a day going through my e-mail, reading and deleting. B) If I see that I delete a certain companies e-mail often because I'm not going to shop there, I will go ahead and remove myself from that list.

4. I have a 'TO-DO' list on my fridge, but never use it. It's a useful chart, laminated and everything. I have household chores broken down by daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually. I probably need to update it and make it brighter.

5. I need to make fitness and healthy eating more of a priority. I know that's a lot of the reason I am so tired all the time. I need to force myself to get out of bed and do something in the morning. I would love to get up and do yoga. I also think if I make a commitment to meal planning, that should take care of eating more healthy.

6. At one time in my life, I was obsessively clean. I clean my house almost everyday, vacuumed everyday. I'm not sure where I lost that drive/mentality, but I would love to get it back. I still get such a satisfction from having a spotless house. My only thought is that I need to just work keeping going and not sit down until the house is clean. And if I have to suck down a case of Redbull to get going, so be it (sugar free of course!)

7. I know I've said it before and I know I've fallen very short. But I want to be more committed to my blogging. I think it's a great way to communicate with other mom's and get ideas. So with that said, I probably need to put myself on a schedule with regard to my blogging and brainstorm about topics, etc.


So, I think that's a good start to my mid-year evaluation of self. One thing I really need to invest in is a good planner. I've seen the Filofax ones and I really like the way one YouTuber  I watch uses hers, but I'm not sure I want to justify spending so much on a planner. I like the Erin Condren ones too, but again, somewhat costly for this baller on a budget. If anyone has any good ideas for a reasonably priced planner, leave it in the comments below.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

It's Monday & 5 for Five

It's hard to believe it's already Monday. Where did my weekend go? It was nice, however for it to stay lighter a bit longer yesterday.

It's been a long time since I've posted one of these link ups with Jessica @ Fantastically Average, so I don't have my successes from last week to post. So here are my five for the upcoming week:

1. Take a multi-vitamin and biotin everyday. I'm trying to grow my hair out and both my hairdresser and eyebrow-waxer told me on Saturday to be sure I am taking them RELIGIOUSLY!

2. Drink more water. This goes hand in hand with my first goal for the week. It's necessary to drink plenty of water to allow the vitamins to be absorbed by your body. And my hair dresser told me that taking vitamins without drinking plenty of water can cause break-outs. Yikes!

3. Make a real dinner at least 3 times this week. Normally it's just me and my 2 year old son eating dinner together, so it's very tempting after a long day at work to throw some chicken nuggets in the microwave and call that dinner. But I want us to eat better and healthier.

4. Get up earlier. This will actually assist in helping me with a lot more! By getting my butt out of bed earlier, I'll have more time to not feel so rushed in the morning. I tend to be very short with my angel in the morning when I'm rushed and I know that's not fair to him.

5. Follow the cleaning chart on the fridge. I copied an idea from another blog and that was to put a laminated chart on the fridge, listing all the things I need to do daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly. Should keep me more organized, but it won't unless I follow it!

Hopefully next Monday I can report back and say that I was successful. I've had a lot of struggles lately feeling like my world is spiraling out of control, mostly because I allow other people to make me feel this way. So the best way to start feeling like I can reign back in control is to start small, get control of something that no one else can have an effect on, like taking a vitamin.

You Tube Addiction (and my quest to be a beauty guru)

So, maybe you have (but you probably haven't) been wondering why I haven't been posting. Well, it's actually quite a simple, yet embarrassing explanation.

 

 

HI, MY NAME IS KIM AND I'M ADDICTED TO YOU TUBE.

 

 

YouTube has replaced Facebook for me. I check it a couple times a day to see if anyone I am subscribed to has posted a new video. (And secretly do a happy dance when they have.) I guess I feel a bit of redemption because most of  the channels I subscribe to are either beauty guru channels or their daily vlog channels and then some other home organization channels. See, nothing too crazy.

 

Actually, watching these channels give me a bit of hope. I keep thinking if I watch enough and get enough practice, I too can become a YouTube Beauty Guru. Not sure if this is practical or not. I haven't seen too many who are single moms who work a full time out-of-the-home job. But if anyone reading this knows of one, point me in her direction. Another issue is that my day to day routine is just that, routine. Wake up, get me and kid ready, go to work, come home, dinner and bed. Not too exciting.

 

When I go out with my friends, we are HYSTERICAL! Always laughing and having a good time.

 

I was thinking of possibly doing a channel in which I do something and solicit advice. I know I am far from perfect and definitely appreciate advice.

 

Do any of you have a YouTube channel? I would love to subscribe and see what you have! What do you think of a YouTube channel about soliciting advice? Am I just asking for trouble?

Sunday Social

 

After a long absence, I'm linking up to Ashley and Neely for my first Sunday Social of 2013. This week's theme is 3's.

Top 3 Favorite Kinds of Food: I love Mexican, Southern and Cuban food! Contrary to what people think, not all Latin food is the same. I live near Tampa, FL which has some of the best Cuban-American restaurants you could ever find, so what I eat is pretty darn authentic! And even though I was born up north and my parents still cook like Yankees, I love, love, love some down home Southern cooking!

First 3 Things You Do In the Morning: check my phone, turn on my tv to watch the news and take a shower.

Last 3 Things You Do At Night: Brush my teeth, turn off the t.v. and turn off the light.

3 TV Shows You NEVER Miss: This one is tough because only recently have I really started to make a point to watch tv shows during their current season. But I've really become fond of Bones, Nashville and The Big Bang Theory.

3 Places You Want To Visit: I've always wanted to visit NYC during Christmas time, Italy and Austrailia.

3 People You Can Always Count On: This is a no-brainer, my Mom, sister and Step-Mother.

Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful week!

I'm Baaaaaack

I know I've been MIA for a bit. It's not that I don't have anything to write about, I've just been so busy at work and busy with the holidays that the minute I get a chance to relax, it's in bed and not on a computer!

But as of this moment, 1:44 pm EST, I am vowing to be more committed to my blog and the readers I do have. Pinky Promise!!! In fact, it is one of my New Year's Resolutions. (And I promise to do a post on that.)

Last year was a bit of a clustermess and this year, 2013, is all about me getting MY life together and not worrying about the person who I let make my life a mess. I'm determined to make this a great year and I WILL be letting everyone know how great it is!