Five Tips to Stay Motivated

Five Tips to Stay Motivated

by kwoodfamily ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Now tell me this have you ever felt tired, unmotivated, not really wanting to go on? If so this post is for you. Today we are going to talk about tips to stay motivated. If you are a mom, a working mom, or you just have obligations; these tips might help you out specifically.

First Tip is:

Do not compare your chapter one to someone else’s chapter 10.

I know we’ve all heard it before, “comparison is the thief of all joy”. That is true. When you are looking at where you’re at in life versus where you want to be and someone else is already living that life it can get really demotivating as though you’re never going to get there. If anything learn what they’re doing right so that you can follow behind and do those same things, but do not compare yourself to other people’s progress because that will just put you in a slump. Then you’ll start wondering:

  • Why am I not there yet?
  • Why haven’t I been promoted?
  • Why am I not doing this, why don’t I have the bigger house?
  • Why don’t I have the nicer car?
  • Why can’t I go eat out a nice steakhouse, or whatever the case may be?

Be happy and be present in your moment.

Second Tip is:

To find your tribe.

Find your people and find your community. It’s very important that we surround ourselves with people who are aligned with our goals our morals. You know the saying it takes a village to raise a child, well it takes a village to be an adult too. You need a support system. I credit my support system to a lot of my success. Honestly, without my support system I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at today.

It’s finding those people you trust, who have the same mentality as you, and you are all trying to be in the same position. You are the sum of your closest five friends, right? Keep that in mind, you are the sum of your closest five friendships. If you have those one or two people you can call talk to when you’re feeling down and out, talk to them and they won’t judge you. Again, you guys are all part of the same tribe!

I love like some of the connections that I have made over the years. We may not talk every day, but if I’m on social media and a post resonates with me I’ll send it to them. I want to let my tribe know they’re awesome too and I want them to know that! It might seem superficial when looking at it, but really that means a lot because sometimes you just want to know that someone’s thinking about you and you’re doing a great job with what you have to accomplish what you need to accomplish.

Third Tip is:

Wake up early.

Wake up early, make a schedule, and get ahead of the process. Have you ever woke up and life happens to you from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep?!? That is no fun and if you have not experienced that, trust me, you do not want to. If you can get ahead of the day, that will make the day go so much smoother. Or even ahead of the month to plan things out, know what’s coming at you so you can anticipate those events.

Instead of just saying, “oh life is always getting thrown at me, I never have any idea what’s going to happen.” Get ahead of the problem and then go from there!

For me this is just it starts on the day before. We prep the night before by picking out clothes, start packing lunches, and all that great stuff. I get up before the children, like even if it’s 10 or 15 minutes, I try to make it more than that. However, you know again life happens. But I get up before they do. In doing that, I can grab something to drink, brush my teeth, wash my face, and change clothes before them. Then when they wake up they’re not dealing with a frantic mommy because no one wants to deal with that.

Fourth Tip is:

This moment is temporary.

Wherever you are in life at this very moment is temporary, it’s not forever. Sometimes you just gotta suck it up and drive on. Embrace the suck and know that this too shall pass. It is not going to last forever.

  • Someone cut you off in traffic- TEMPORARY
  • They got your order wrong at Starbucks- TEMPORARY
  • Had a fight the night before- TEMPORARY

Fifth Tip is:

Find your why.

This is probably the most important tip, if I’m being honest, for me. Find your why! When you wake up every day, put on your uniform, or you get dressed to go to work, or you’re making breakfast for the kids; why are you doing it? Like honestly, why are you doing it? Tell me why you’re doing it and then that be your reason to keep going. Like I said before, the stress you are in is only temporary. For me I’m doing it because I know, that in a few years I will have the ability to be a stay at home mom. It’s very important for me, that I put in place everything to get me to my overall goal and my why is to be present in my family’s lives. Presence means different things to different people, but at the end of the day find your why!

It can be hard to like juggle work, parenthood, being a friend, life, and side hustles. Don’t let it get to the point where you’re just in a continuous rut and you don’t want to do anything. Pull it all together using these Five Tips:

  1. Don’t compare yourself
  2. Find your tribe
  3. Make a schedule
  4. Remember that this is only temporary
  5. Find your why

Bonus: Whatever you do it well and always give yourself Grace

Watch here for details not covered in this blog.

I Am Torn

I Am Torn

by kwoodfamily ♥ 0 Leave a Comment
The last time I had coffee

How often do you give up things you like and enjoy to reset, show yourself you can do it? Me, about once a year. This year it happened accidentally this year, but I decided to stick with it. Maybe it was God’s way of telling me, “do it now”. Normally I do this in November. I’m usually training for work, the stress is high, and it is the not so perfect but perfect time. >>>I am snickering at that.<<<

Accidentally?

Yes, it was accidental. I went for a run one morning and had my runner’s high after the fact. Well, I forgot to make my morning coffee. Probably because I was consumed with drinking as much water as possible following the run. It was hot and humid y’all!

Hot and humid

So once I realized I didn’t have coffee, the headache and afternoon drag were already alive and well. I was busy at work and could not break to get some coffee.

This Feeling Is Horrible

The headaches were horrible. The afternoon drag, horrible. The inability to concentrate, horrible. Y’all, one night I woke up sweating and with chills. Now look, I am a one cup of day drinker. For me going without and feeling like this, I was shocked to say the least. Like night sweats? For real?!?

But the withdrawal symptoms only lasted a week and I have been functioning as an adult just fine. Well, except that one time I went to get a slice of pumpkin bread from Starbucks. The smell of coffee brought on another headache.

Aside from that, just fine. Which brings me today.

Nostalgic

I’m three weeks into this now. Going strong. However, this morning is a cool crisp morning. I’m teleworking because my oldest is out of school. There is a pot of coffee made and I just want to wrap up in my blanket and sip some coffee.

Do I need to do this? Nope! Will I? Can’t say as I write this. It’s that nostalgic feeling I am thinking about. I do think I have accomplished something I was not seeking to do when I did.

I can literally taste it now.

I think I am missing all the things I associate coffee to be. Warm, comforting, tasty, time with friends… Maybe this is part of the challenge. You know, being faced with another complexity?

What to do?

Do I continue for week four? Do I mark this as done and enjoy my morning Joe? What would you do in my shoes? Would forgetting coffee even be a thing for you?

Let me know in the comments below!

Steps to Evaluate Your Year

Steps to Evaluate Your Year

by kwoodfamily ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Here we are in the last three months of the year. October, November, December. Admittedly, this is my favorite time of the year. Something about cool crisps mornings, cool not cold, and the changing seasons brings me all the joy. While I do love this time of year for all the reasons: my babies birthdays, fall, apples, pumpkins, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I like to use this time to evaluate my year.

Do what?

Yes, you read that right. I like to evaluate my year. Relook my goals, personal life and relationships, our finances, extracurricular activities. Everything.

You may ask, “why do you do this?”

Well, throughout the year things change. I think it is important to maintain awareness of what changes and the implications those changes have. It is not always about change though, something may be going really well. We all know the saying, “if it is not broke, do not fix it!”. Right? Bottom line, I like to use this time to review my year and prepare fore the upcoming year.

How Can You Do This?

First things first you have to know what your goals, plans, ideas, whatever are. Let’s say you wanted to read 12 books this year, one a month. You can easily keep up with this monthly, but you may reach October to see you have only read five. At this point you can revise your plan to read more, continue at you current pace, or finish the goal all together.

There is nothing wrong with maintaining where you are at. Do not rush from one goal to the next, take time to bask in your accomplishments.

When it comes to evaluating relationships, it is just a matter of who is worth your time and energy. Think of the interactions you have with friends, coworkers, neighbors. How did they make you feel, was there any value added, were you there for them? These are a few questions you can ask yourself with doing this. Looking at your relationships is not meant to be rude, but we have to protect our peace. People come in our lives for a season, reason, or lifetime. I would rather know sooner than later if something is not going to work out.

It is always good to ask yourself a few questions when evaluating your year.

  • Where am I at with my goals?
    • Did I make a plan?
    • Am I ahead?
    • Am I behind?
  • What do I need to do to reach my goal?
  • What this a realistic goal?
  • Did I give myself enough time?
  • Do you have consistency?

There are so many ways to keep track of your goals now, but it is important you do so. I think this helps with commitment too.

What’s Next

You will have to make a decision based on your discovery. Is it time to make a new goal, finish the other, realize it was too much to handle? Whatever you decide, your goals are not something you can set and forget.

It is during this time you may want to make some year end goals. Some ideas are:

  • Decrease screen time
  • Pay for the holidays with cash
  • Volunteer at a shelter
  • Read three books
  • Exercise daily
  • Maintain goal accomplishments from before

The list could go on and become exhaustive. Point is, use this time to figure out how you want to close the year and start the new year.

Don’t Forget

A goal without a plan is a dream, but a dream with a deadline is a goal. If you would like more information on goal setting, I talk about it here and here.

Do not get stuck in a rut. We owe it to ourselves to strive to reach our goals, better ourselves, and ultimately get what we want out of life.

As always, Give Yourself Grace.

My Mornings Are… Rough

My Mornings Are… Rough

by kwoodfamily ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Does the title of this post resonate with you? If it does, you may want to consider making some changes to your day. Why day and not morning? Because what we do throughout our day, both morning and evening, has a role in how our mornings are.

Mornings have always been my achilles tendon. For the majority of my life, no matter what I tried, nothing could help me have a smoother morning.

Let me be the first to mention, I never tried really hard…

I had read and watched everything about waking up early and improving your mornings. You know, grabbing life by the horns and rolling with it. Finally, I decided to make a change and do something I never thought I would do. I joined The 5 A.M. Club. This is based of the teachings in the book, “The 5AM Club”. I will not give a review or go into the details, but it is an excellent read and perspective changing piece of literature.

I detailed my journey with waking up at 5 A.M. here and here. What I want to share with you today are some reasons you morning may not go so well and what I have learned that helps me.

***Disclaimer*** This is written from the perspective a wife, mother, and budding entrepreneur. Somethings I mention may not be applicable. I hope you are able to tailor this to your lifestyle.

Why Your Mornings Suck:

  1. You wake up at the last minute
    • Are you rushing from the time your alarm clock goes off until you get to your first destination of the day? Then it sounds like you are not giving yourself enough lead time in the morning. If you are responsible for getting little people ready, can you imagine how frantic their day has become too?
    • Do yourself a favor and wake up a little earlier
  2. You wake up at the same time as everyone else
    • I have thought to myself, “I just need a moment to myself” several times. I have said, “I just woke up, are you really asking me this?”
    • Well guess what, when everyone wakes up together, everyone’s needs will take priority over yours. This can lead to burn out, frustration, moodiness and probably a slew of other feelings we have all felt at some point.
    • Even on days I do not wake up at 5 A.M., I make it a thing to wake up before the children.
  3. You are not prepared for the morning
    • For the most part, our mornings look the same Monday to Friday. Of course there are some changes during breaks, but I would say 75% of the time, our mornings are the same. It helps that I am a creature of habit.
    • If I know my mornings look the same, that means I can prepare the night before. You know, make lunch, prepare coffee, layout clothes, pack bags, and all the life things. Imagine how much time you can open up in the morning by prepping the night before. Amazing right!?!
    • Let me layer this for you… If for some reason you wake up at the last minute, guess what? You have already prepared the night before, so that is one less thing to worry about.
  4. You are staying up too late
    • Guilty as charged. I used to think I was a night owl and more productive at night. What I did not realize is this came at a cost to my mornings and those around me. Look, I am in the military, so there will be early mornings until I hang it up. I had to find a way to be productive outside of work without staying up until the wee hours of the night.
    • I started going to bed by 10 and waking up earlier. Honestly, I can get more done in that early wake up than staying up late at night. I say, my mind is refreshed.
Pure Gold

How to Improve Your Mornings

The simple answer is to wake up early and prepare the day before. I would recommend reading “The 5AM Club” by Robin Sharma.

The first step is to give yourself grace. Too many times are are too hard on ourselves. We all have a lot going one and get negativity from so many angles. Let’s not beat ourselves up. It is not worth it.

Secondly, imagine what your perfect morning looks like and try to create it.

Close your eyes, focus on your breath, think of your alarm clock going off, what happens next? Do you kiss your spouse good morning, say a quick prayer, immediately jump out of bed? Then what do you do? Between the time you wake and have your first interaction, what does that look like? Make it happen…

Finally, be present and enjoy the moment. Life will always happen, just do not let it happen to you.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please comment below if you struggle with your mornings or have made changes to make the mornings better.

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Family Adventures

Family Adventures

by kwoodfamily ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

My first trip to Walt Disney World was in 2017. I was absolutely mesmerized and fell in love with all things Disney. As a person who loves organized chaos, the entire Disney operation pulled me in. It is a well executed show.

Due to work, we moved to Hawaii for three years. We visited Disney at Aulani, but it was not the same. Of course when we came back the mainland, we were in COVID. But we waited, and in 2022 we were able to go back.

Now let me tell you, in 2017 I realized I am going to take a trip to Disney as often as I can. So here we are, in July 2022 we made our way back to Orlando, FL.

We stayed in the same hotel we stayed at before, the Holiday Inn Vacation Club at Orange Lake. This time we spent more time at the hotel than the park though. We just wanted to enjoy vacation and not get caught in the business of the park, especially with a two year old. I must mention though, he did great!

Details:

Planning

Going to Disney post COVID is a little different than before. You have to make sure you have reservations and tickets well in advance. We purchased tickets and made reservations in April.

I failed to mention we were traveling with family, so we were also coordinating with them.

Fortunately, everyone planned on staying at the same hotel, but we would’ve stayed at the location of the majority anyway. Unless, I found a really great deal.

Meals were a no brainer since our hotel came with a kitchen. We had a few meals at the park, but mainly ate in our hotel. Trust me, it’s easier with a 2yo.

Check out our itinerary below:

Let’s Go

The day came and it was time for us to road trip down to Orange Lake, FL. The trip was eventful, we stopped for boiled peanuts, and enjoyed the time down.

My nine year old decided to make lunch, but only for her. Like seriously, what about the rest of us?

The first day there, I thought I was living my best life. We got a cabana, were hanging out by the pool, then the sirens wen off! It was a thunder storm y’all, a whole storm! We thought it would past, but nope.

You can watch it here.

Happy Moments

Probably my happiest times were seeing my two broke friends happy and enjoying the time with family and at the park. Their innocence and fascination made my day.

Check out our adventures below.

Does your family have that one trip you have to take?

Ways To Save On Your Grocery Bill

Ways To Save On Your Grocery Bill

by kwoodfamily ♥ 1 Comment
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I think it comes as no surprise that the cost of groceries is increasing, as with everything else. No matter how you look at it, we need food to eat. However, if you are on a tight budget, you may be interested in ways to decrease costs at the register. If you are, then follow along.

Today I will share some ways to decrease your grocery bill. Some ways will work better than others. It really depends on your lifestyle, how much time you want to dedicate, and your willingness to try something you may not have tried before. Let’s get right to it.

Meal Planning

I personally think this is the easiest and most convenient way to cut back cost. This involves planning your meals for the week or month, depending on how adventurous you are. When planning your meals you include Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks.

How Do I meal Plan?

  1. Shop my pantry- I look through the pantry and fridge to see what I already have on hand.
  2. I consider what I can make with what I have on hand.
  3. I plan my meals for the week, this is pretty easy because we mostly have theme days.
    • Leftover Monday
    • Taco Tuesday
    • Wing Wednesday or Thursday
    • Leftover Wednesday or Thursday
    • Pizza or fast food Friday
    • Fend for yourself Saturday
    • Nice meal Sunday
  4. I make my grocery list based off the meal plan, to include ingredients we need.
  5. I go grocery shopping and I do not deter from my list unless I get a call from home or there is something good in the clearance section.

Shop Store Brands

Did you know that sometime store brands are made by the same big brands we know? In my experience there are some store brands that are better than brand names. Let me mention though, this may come with some trial and error. Meaning, all products are not created equally. I will explain in a bit.

Shopping store brands also includes shopping at discount stores. My recent discovery and love is Aldi. Where has this store been my entire life?!? So far my only disappointment is with their coffee creamer. Remember I said trial and error. Well yeah, the coffee creamer is a no for me.

But I digress…

Compare the price and quality of some of your favorite products. You may find you can get a cheaper version with the same quality.

Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

Buy Bulk

Depending on how many you are shopping for and your needs, buying in bulk may be a good option for you. Why… Because you can vacuum seal smaller portions, store, and use later. This decreases how often you go to the grocery store and ensures you have food on hand. I like to buy in bulk because I do not like going out too often, especially for things we use on a regular basis. Rice, beans, and meats for example.

Let me tell you though, buying in bulk can be a bit of an upfront cost. Also, if you do not use the item on a regular basis, buying it in bulk probably is not worth it. And of course if you buy in bulk, you will need somewhere to store all of the goodness. I would consider those things before buying in bulk.

I do not recommend buying perishable items in bulk…

I once bought five dozen eggs from Costco. Do you have any idea how many eggs we ate? How many goodies I baked? I will never do that again!

Shop Sales and Coupons

I want to focus on sales really. Shop what your local grocer has on sale for the week. If it is a good sale, buy plenty for later. Have a coupon for something you need, use it. Before I go grocery shopping I always look at the ads for a deal. I have even planned my meals around what is on sale.

Most grocers have apps now which make it easier to see what is available an on sale. If you shop at a store on a regular basis, sign up for their rewards program. Sometimes this results in an added discount, gas bucks, or special deals.

Finally, check out the clearance rack. I have found items I can use within a few days or some items I can even freeze. There is nothing wrong with checking out the clearance section of a grocery store. I have not been harmed by it yet.

Order Online

Want to make sure you only get what you need? Order online, simple as that. Choose curbside pickup so you do not have to go in, wait for the clerk to bring it out, and go on your merry way. I love curbside pickup. Not just for groceries, but everyday shopping.

What if they do not shop like me? Look at your purchase, tell them what you do not like, return it.

I know this is hit or miss for some, but I have not been disappointed yet.

Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels.com

I hope you found these tips useful and give some of them a try. If you have any suggestions or ideas that have worked for you, please let me know in the comments!