I really enjoyed working on my 19 for 2019 list this past year (click here if you don't know what I'm talking about) and I am pumped to be crossing things off my 20 for 2020 list already. Surely, my energy will level off or be refocused on other things soon (you know like having baby number 2). Until that time comes, I hope you will join me and revel in the hope that the New Year brings. Just like last year, I've prepared a template for you to fill in with your 20 for 2020 and post somewhere you're going to see it and feel inspired. This is a great year to start the tradition -- such a clean slate -- at the beginning of a new decade. I am daydreaming about making an album of my annual lists and our family's holiday cards to enjoy year after year. Like I mentioned before, I am really getting into the new decade inspo the world is handing me through Instagram and Pinterest 🙂 Please please please send me your lists as additional inspiration and motivation!

Let's jump in -- here's my list!

1. Improve on minimizing food waste by simplifying food storage and refrigerator organization
2. Improve pancake making abilities
3. Make cardamom bread
4. Make recipe index with friends
5. Make graphic lists for kitchen and family inspiration (brainless crowd pleasers / boredom solvers)
6. Make a postpartum family exercise plan
7. Complete a scripture journal
8. Take new family portrait
9. Make travel-ready toiletry kits
10. Toilet train Luke
11. Organize baby gear for consignment, donation, family, and visitors as Baby Y outgrows
12. Go to the hot air balloon festival
13. Make 20 new meals
14. Host 3 playgroups or meetups
15. Print new photos quarterly
16. Make a seasonal bulletin board and update quarterly
17. Post to blog monthly
18. Play boards games twice per month
19. Keep dresser top clean daily
20. Read for 20 minutes daily

$15 Teleties Hair Ties
These are in my list this year and I haven't tried them yet. I am guilty of being a 30 year old with a hair tie around my wrist a lot of the time. I think these will help me look a little more put together than usual.
How to class it up
Just in case your giftee still has the itch to put a plain elastic hair tie around their wrist, pair the Teleties with the Uncommon Goods Hair Tie Bracelet.

$25 Card Game Organizer
Do you know a mom who is trying to wrangle all her kids' card games or a grown-up gamer trying to wrangle her own? Problem solved.
How to class it up
Stock it with a few new card games like Blink or Sushi Go.

$25 PackIt Freezable Bag
This particular brand was recommended on Young House Love Has a Podcast as a picnic tote for the beach. I'm eyeing it up for car tripping with snacks (and ahem breastmilk).
How to class it up
This is a great time of year to buy personalized beach towels from Lands End. Think initials or family names on vibrant stripes neatly rolled up in the PackIt bag.

$10-15 Barrel Shaped Toiletry Bag
These are great particularly for moms who are packing family loads of toiletries. You can stand full size products up or secure travel size products in the elastic bands. Two come in a package, so feel free to get two gifts in one out of this purchase.
How to class it up
Pick out a few beauty or personal care items to bundle with the bag or add a gift card to Glossier or Sephora.

$20 Crossbody Bag
I swiped this from Oprah's 2018 list for my Christmas list this year. I love a little bag that I can carry on its own or stick into my big bag as a wallet.
How to class it up
I think this one could stand alone, but stock it with a gift card or pair it with personalized Lands End tech touchable gloves.

$20-40 Packing Cubes
The packing cubes we own are no longer available on Amazon, but there are lots of great options out there. They are great for all travelers, but especially those with multi-legged trips to keep things organized and compressed to maintain room from souvenir add-ons throughout an adventure.
How to class it up
Step up this travel gift with a personalized toiletry kit from LLBean or luggage tags from Shutterfly.

Free to $$$ Grown-Up Coupon Book
I’m not thinking adult, I am thinking grown-up. Make coupons like: Pay Your Netflix Bill This Month, Make or Bring You Dinner, Assemble Furniture or Set Up New Device, Make Spotify Playlist, Grab Your Groceries for the Week, Book You a Massage or Facial, etc. You decide how much money you are willing to contribute to the coupon values or come up with purely free ideas.
How to class it up
Think of this gift as a timesaver or self-care opportunity; so, try pairing it with a puzzle or adult coloring book. 

And remember, the most practical gifts come with a receipt for return when possible and with no follow up questions ;)

The end of the year feels here, almost. At the beginning of the year, I set out to complete 19 Things for 2019. This was inspired by a podcast I listen to weekly, Happier with Gretchen Rubin. I’ve been glad to hear that some of you joined me in this venture of resolutions. In February, I shared my list and provided a template for displaying and tracking progress. This display has been updated and remained in view (even as we moved from Philadelphia to Easton). I have fallen short on some of the goals throughout the year and I have proudly checked many of them off the list. I still have time to check a few more boxes, but here’s where we’ve landed so far. (Green is completed and Yellow is sometimes completed regularly) 

​So much has already come out of my 19 for 2019 that affects our everyday lives. I generally have trouble with resolutions, but I am already making notes and looking forward to my 20 for 2020. And while none of my goals for 2019 are very personal, it is personal for me to share my progress. No one wants to publicly post that they’ve not accomplished a goal or 19 goals. 

The roughest incomplete item for me to acknowledge is #19. Why has it been so hard for me to find time to make one monthly post about Just 3 Things. I’m hoping I can dig into this next year…with the added challenge of kiddo number 2. I hope that those of you who joined in for 2019 are proud of where you are with your lists so far and not hard on yourself for anything you will not be able to finish. That’s the beauty of this project, the rollover into next year’s list. 

​These three things do not go together. This post demonstrates the level of scattered my brain is these days. But, these three things are really helpful in my life and maybe can be in yours too.

1. Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
The fall is a great time to reset spending habits, including evaluating your credit cards for optimum rewards. Being confident about finding ways to spend less during the holiday season can take a bit of the edge off! We love this credit card because it gives us a great deal of cash back on things we are going to buy. This is not about airline points or fancy access to airport lounges, this card is about cashback on food, transit, gas, and other “necessities” of everyday life. 
Here’s how we use it:

1. 6% cashback at US grocery stores | Did you spend $100 at the grocery store this week using cash, debit, or some other card? You could have spent only $94 with this card. Or did you buy anything on Amazon, Target, TJMaxx, or another retail chain? You could have purchased gift cards at the grocery store in advance and received 6% back on those purchases too.
2. 3% cashback at gas stations, tolls, ride shares, public transit passes, parking
3. 6% cashback on some streaming services

Things to be mindful of:

1. APR | We recommend this card only if you are able to make full statement payments.
2. $95 annual fee | But, if you use this card effectively, you will earn more than $95 in annual cashback
3. Calendar year limits | Your 6% back on groceries ends after you’ve spent $6000. But, if you share expenses with another household member, go ahead and apply for cards separately and keep track of when you hit your calendar year limit, then switch cards. 
4. $250 bonus | Currently, there is a $250 cash bonus for spending $1000 on the card in your first three months.  

2. Eddie Bauer 7 Days 7 Ways Cardigan
And now, cardigans — if you’ve spent 3+ consecutive hours with me in the last year and a half, you’ve seen me in this cardigan. It is lightweight, but warm, very versatile, and even works as a nursing cover (way to go Eddie Bauer). It goes on clearance and comes back full price seasonly in different colors. 

3. Frozen Butternut Squash
Pumpkin spice everything is upon us and what else sounds so fall? — butternut squash. Weeknight butternut squash-ing can feel overwhelming, so head on over to the frozen food aisle and pick up some frozen cubed butternut squash. Then try it in some of my previous recipes:
Butternut Squash Risotto
Butternut Squash Chili
Butternut Squash Quesadillas

As of this summer, we are in a new place, working on making new friends, foster our long lasting friendships scattered across the country, and finding a place in this community. We are so fortunate in every way with no room for complaint, but the day to day can be lonely and challenging anyway. I hear that I am not alone in these feelings, but in case you thought you were…you’re not. Let’s do lunch! 

It’s February, the middle of it, how does that make you feel? 

Woof, that’s some real talk, even though it is nothing new. Let’s not feel badly about these statistics; let’s set up a plan of attack instead.

I promised I'd share my 19 for 2019 list, but I've also been nervous that I would not be on track come February and, quite honestly, didn't want to showcase my failures. (Check out my post about 19 for 2019 and the template I shared too). 

Here they are, my 19 for 2019:

1. Follow through on skincare routine (ie. properly wash my face every night)
2. Go out for monthly date nights
3. Complete Luke’s baby book
4. Notarize wills and distribute info to key players
5. Make baby food
6. Make 10 new dinners
7. Send birthday cards
8. Send our Goddaughter a monthly prayer
9. Use daily devotional
10. Overhaul underwear drawer after finish nursing
11. Clear everything out of storage
12. Invite pastor over for dinner
13. Write or call in to one of my favorite podcasts
14. Play Scrabble twice a month
15. Go to 4 concerts or shows
16. Learn how to curl my hair
17. Get a new family portrait taken at the beach
18. Reinstate our annual Christmas party
19. Post “Just 3 Things” monthly 

Having my list posted and making myself interact with it daily to check things off has really helped to keep me engaged and on track. I added SQUARES for daily items, CIRCLES  for weekly/monthly/quarterly/countdown items, and DIAMONDS for one-time items, so they can be marked completed accordingly. And I framed the list so that I can use a whiteboard marker right on the glass. 

I have other goals for the year related to health and finance, but I am keeping those separately. Maybe I will make a framed tracker for those to help with accountability. It would be fun to have a nook with these items posted with inspirational images or messages to keep motivated throughout the year. I am pumped just thinking about it. 

I get that this is kind of intense and that crazy list-making isn't everyone's thing. You do you! If you want to try it out, here is the link for my template again.

Many of the items on my list are not hard and several of them are really meant to remind me to do things that bring me joy. My true resolution and the theme of my entire list is to get out of my own way and enjoy 2019. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make a habit of this year after year.

*Check out full article here.