2018 New Year's Resolutions

The new year is upon us and I am ready for it!  Today I am linking up with Shay from Mix and Match Mama and Ericka from A Little Bit of Everything Blog to share my 2018 New Year's Resolutions.

I feel like I say this every year but this year is going to be a great year!  I am hoping for big things in 2018 but I know it is going to take a lot of hard work to make it all happen.  I came up with some New Year's Resolutions to help make my dreams reality.

Become more organized!
I am going to be heading back to work full time very shortly so I really need to become more organized.  I will have to learn how to juggle two kids, work, housework and a husband that works around 60 hours a week.  I am going to be busy!  The things that I plan on doing to become more organized are...
- Plan and prep weekly meals
- Make lists (who doesn't love checking completed things off a list?)
- Get a good planner (suggestions are needed and welcomed!)
- Make the most of my time.  I want to cut down on my idle time.  I will have a lot that needs to get done so I will just need to do it!

Simplify
This one kind of goes hand in hand with becoming more organized.  I need to simplify.  My husband and I began this process on New Year's Day.  We started going through all the stuff in our house and began purging the things we really didn't need.  Did we really need two ice cream scoops?  Nope! Garbage!  I can tell you that I feel "lighter" already with just the little bit of purging we did.  I bought the book, A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living, to help me with the process of simplifying.

Save more money
One of my biggest goals for 2018 is to buy our first house!  This year we are going to make this dream a reality.  The housing market where we live is crazy right now.  We need to continue to save so that we can buy a house and make it our own.  We will most likely end up with a bit of a fixer upper so we will need every penny we can save.  I came up with some ways to save...
- Pack our lunches for work. Two of us buying lunches each day really adds up.
- Cut back on going out to eat.  I am hoping meal planning can help out with this.
- Think before spending.  Before Tony or I make a purchase I want us to really think about whether it is really needed or not.

More "Me" time
I also want to concentrate on me this year.  Whether it be getting my nails done every once in a while or just taking the time to blow dry my hair, I want to make sure I take care of me.  I want to start exercising and maybe take a few minutes here and there to read a book.  These are things I haven't done in forever.

So there you have it, these are my 2018 New Year's Resolutions.  I hope that since I am putting them out there I will keep them.  I plan on posting on my progress throughout the year.  In the meantime I am open to any tips and/or tricks anyone may have that may help with my resolutions.

This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for supporting my blog.

xoxo
Ceara

Seventh Generation Baby Products

Anyone that knows me knows that I love Seventh Generation diapers.  We used them for my daughter and are using them again for my three month old son.  So you can only imagine how excited I was when the folks at Seventh Generation told me that they were going to be sending me some free samples of their products to try out!

The products I received were the Seventh Generation diapers, Free and Clear Wipes and Baby Lotion with Moisturizing Coconut Care.  I have now had the chance to use all three products and I honestly love them all!

As I had mentioned earlier I have been using the Seventh Generation diapers for years now so I knew I already loved them.  I love how Seventh Generation diapers are made for my baby's sensitive skin.  They are hypoallergenic and free of chlorine and bleach.  As an added bonus Seventh Generation has begun adding the option of adorable prints to the diapers.

The Free and Clear Wipes are also made for baby's sensitive skin.  I love how these wipes are fragrance-free, strong and durable.  They are perfect for diaper changes and cleaning you baby's face and hands.

The Baby Lotion with Moisturizing Coconut Care is a Seventh Generation product I had not tried before.  Let me just tell you it did not disappoint!  The thing I loved most about it is it has a nice delicate scent, not artificial smelling like other baby lotions.  The lotion worked so well locking in the moisture in both my baby and toddler's skin.  We will definately be adding the Baby Lotion with Moisturizing Coconut Care into our daily routine.

I would like to thank Seventh Generation and the Generation Good community for sending me these free samples for review.  All opinions in this post are my own.  I truly love the Seventh Generation products!

This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for supporting my blog!

xoxo
Ceara

North Pole Breakfast - The Arrival of Ginger the Elf

Last year we started a new Christmas tradition in our family.  We had our very first North Pole breakfast.  Our Elf on the Shelf, Ginger, came back from the North Pole and surprised Bean with a Christmas themed breakfast.  And let me tell you Bean loved it!

Ginger brought several things with her to make this breakfast special.  For starters the breakfast consisted of doughnuts and berries.  She even turned Bean's milk green and put it in a glass with a sprinkle rim.  This may have been Bean's favorite part!

She even wrote Bean a little letter letting her know that she was excited to be back from the North Pole and would be reporting back to Santa each night.  She also reminded Bean to be a good girl.  In addition to the letter, Ginger also brought Bean a new Christmas book.

The table was decorated with wrapping paper.  Red was used on the bottom and then a runner was made using festive Christmas wrapping paper.  We then used our children's Christmas plates and silverware.

This year Ginger is going to come back from the North Pole the first Sunday after Thanksgiving.  I like to get an early start with the whole Elf on the Shelf thing because Bean loves it and let's face it sometimes Ginger's presence does help out a little.

The North Pole Breakfast is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.  It is something that takes little effort to put together but has a big impact.  I can't wait to see Bean's face when she sees the breakfast this year.

xoxo
Ceara

Friday Favorites!!!

Today I am linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci to bring you my very first edition of Friday Favorites.  So here you go, here are my favorites this week.

First up in my favorites is the Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas movies.  I. Can't. Get. Enough.  I find myself watching it whenever my husband is not around.  Because let's face it, he doesn't share the love of these movies with me.  Luckily for me since I am still home on maternity leave I can find the time to watch the movies with the baby.  He doesn't seem to mind. 😜

Speaking of maternity leave, my next favorite is the Haakaa "breast pump".  Now I don't know if I would actually consider this a breast pump, but nonetheless it is amazing!  All you do is suction it on the opposite breast that you are nursing with and it catches the letdown from the breast it is suctioned to.  I know it sounds weird but it totally works!  I have built up quite the freezer stockpile with using the Haakaa in addition to pumpingevery once in a while.  It's great!

My last Friday Favorite is something that is perfect for new moms or any busy woman for that matter.  I find myself using Batiste Dry Shampoo in Beautiful Brunette more often than not.  I love that this dry shampoo is just for brunette's.  I no longer have to worry if my dry shampoo is making me look like I have gray hair or not. This dry shampoo is tinted brown which makes it worry free for brunettes.

Well that's all I have for my first edition of Friday Favorites.  I look forward to continuing sharing my favorites with you each Friday!

P.S. This post contains affiliate links.

xoxo
Ceara

Gift Ideas For 4 Year Olds

Christmas is just around the corner and if you are anything like me you are racking your brain trying to figure out what you are going to get everyone.  I want to make sure I get people something I know they will like and actually use.  This can be so stressful!

This year there is one person I do however have ideas for and that is my four year daughter.  So if you are still having trouble figuring out what to get a four year old I am here to help.  The items listed are things that my daughter has asked for or things I just know she will love.

Ontel Magic Tracks Mega Set - My niece and nephew have this set and love it.  I don't know who is going to like this more in my house, my husband or my daughter.  It's a toss up!

Aquabeads Beginners Studio - My daughter is going to love this!  This will allow her to explore her creative side while working on her fine motor skills.  That's a win-win in my book!

Fire HD 8 Kids Edition Tablet - We decided to take the leap and get Bean a tablet this year.  Her birthday is right before Christmas so this is going to be her birthday gift.  We think this Kids Editon Fire will be perfect for her.  It comes with a kid proof case and a 2 year warranty.  There are parental controls that you can use to ensure you kids are using the tablet as you see fit.

Giggle Wiggle Game - Every time the commercial comes on for this Bean screams "I want that!".  I ordered this for her because I thought it would be good for her play with her friends or even mom and dad. 

The great thing about all these gifts is that they can be found on Amazon.  If you are a last minute shopper you can have your gifts at your doorstep in two days with Amazon Prime!

p.s. This posts contains affliate links.  If you click the links to make a purchase I may receive a small commission.

xoxo
Ceara

All About Me!!!

Hi!  My name is Ceara (pronounced KE-a-ra).  I am a full-time working mother and wife with a passion for food, travel, and DIY.  I love to cook and bake but also love a good meal out at a restaurant.  When it comes to food, I can at times be hard to please.  I can't help it!  I am a total foodie !

                                                                                                             

My husband's name is Tony.  We have been married for six years and have two kids.  Our daughter, nicknamed "Bean" is 3 1/2 years old and our son, S.J. is just eight weeks old.  Both are as adorable as can be and I can't imagine my life without them.

                                             

 

     

Follow along with me as I talk about "this and that" and everything in between!

Ceara