Tag: resolutions | Baby Doodah!

Under Construction: Body, Mind & Blog

Posted on January 1 by Jillian416 • 6 Comments

Hey there, Happy New Year! How were your holidays?

Mine were fantastic! Lots of time with family and plenty of relaxing. I am not ready to get back into the routine of work, but I am ready to start the new year. There is always SO much anticipation of goals and successes with the new year, and this one is looking like it could shape up to be one of my best yet!

Why is that, you might ask?

In my post on December 19, I let you all know I was going to be taking the remainder of the year off from writing. I also mentioned, that there was A LOT of fun, new things coming your(and my) way.

I thought I’d take this post to share just a little overview of what you’re likely to see over the next year.

Under Construction: Body

No Sugar, No Grain(NSNG) – For at least the first 31 days of the year, I will be following the NSNG diet, along with Seamus. He’s been eating this way for about 4 months now and has great success in weightloss, as well as his mental health. He says he is able to think more clearly and even has more energy (who couldn’t use more energy). I’m planning to do it for a month for now, I want it to jump start me in the right direction, but I will reassess at the end of the month. More to come on this in future posts!
Movement – I frequently talk about exercise and I get into a great routine and then one thing or another derails me and I stop. I’m not going to let the past dissuade me, though – I have my work calendar blocked off from 3 to 4, so that I can head to the work gym and move. I no longer have a “no time” excuse!

Under Construction: Mind

Personal Development – I’ve learned, in 2014, that developing and growing your mind, even after finishing school, is so important. I have no idea why I never thought of this before, but 2014 has been a year of growth. I’ve read books, listened to countless podcasts and webinars, and I don’t see a single thing changing in 2015. I am such a sucker for new information, or really just information in general – I am positive that won’t stop in 2015.
Life Coach – At the tail end of the year, I decided to get a life / business coach. I’d thought about it for a long time, but either couldn’t afford it, didn’t like the options that were in front of me, or I just wasn’t ready – whatever the reason, at the beginning of December, Tara from Tara Newman Coaching and Family, Sport, Life and I began working together. We’ve had a couple meetings and in just those meetings, I feel more put together and like my life is slowly beginning to take shape. (I highly recommend you check her out, if you’re interested in getting a life coach.)

Under Construction: Blog

Behind the Scenes – I’m going to be doing a TON of improvement with this here blog-a-roo. I’m taking a blogging course (Elite Blogging Academy), and going to be putting into practice what I learn there. Some of it won’t be noticeable to you, but other things will be, either way – I promise to start bringing you the best content that you can fathom! I am going to be treating this blog more and more like a business, but don’t be alarmed, I will still be sharing family and Emmett updates.
Content – Practice makes perfect, right!? I need to get better at writing, researching and putting together really AMAZING posts, you’ll be the lucky recipients of those posts. I’ll also be creating (and sticking) to a regular content schedule, I’m thinking that Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday – with Turn It Up Tuesday going live on Monday evenings, will work perfectly, but this may change. Stay tuned!
Some slight site changes – As I mentioned above, you’re going to notice some sloooow changes. I say slow, because all of the changes will be occurring while I am still working full-time and being a mom, so I have to work within my free-time. I’m also considering redesigning my blog, but that won’t come right away. I need to weigh the pros and cons of switching, before even considering something new.

So, yeah – there are some really exciting things in the works for us, here at Baby Doodah. I couldn’t be more excited to be sharing them with you, my lovely readers!

Your turn!

What new and exciting things do you have planned for your life in 2015? Please share in the comments below, I would love to hear from you.

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Filed Under: All About Me, Family

2014 Intentions – 3 Month Update

Posted on April 10 by Jillian416 • 3 Comments

My New Year’s Intentions – Update

Can you believe that it’s April already? That the first quarter of the year has sped us by? Me either!

Since it is April, I should probably update my 2014 intentions, and share what I’ve done in regards to them (or not done). I want to be honest, though. I haven’t looked at my actual intentions since the beginning of February, so my guess is that I haven’t met or accomplished that much in regards to them. I slacked big time in early February, and then March was spent packing and then moving.

Without Further Ado – My 2014 Intentions Update:

Grow My Blog – My very first goal was to get myself a notebook, or find a new favorite app to keep track of blog ideas as they hit me. Because they literally come at the craziest of times and I was finding that I had nowhere to track them. Update: I went ahead and got myself a moleskine notebook that I keep tucked away in my purse at all times. I use on an almost daily basis, throwing down a have thought out idea, so that I don’t lose it when I have time to actually sit down and create. I love having it, and will forever be keeping a notebook in my purse until the end of time. J

I also wanted to dedicate 30 minutes a day to writing. Update: I was doing really well with this for the first few weeks of the year, then I started getting lazy, then we moved and now I need to stop with the excuses and “Just Do It!” When I was consistently forcing myself to write for 30 minutes, I loved the content I was coming up with. The whole point of those 30 minutes was meant to truly just focus on the words flowing out of my head. No grammar checks, or other edits, and no searching for photos.

Stop being obsessed with my numbers – the number of unique views, pages views, clicks, etc. Update: Still obsessed. I just can’t help myself! Upon opening my personal laptop, the first site I go to is google analytics. I am constantly trying to increase my readership and I just don’t know how to do that without knowing my numbers. Maybe I should stop caring about my numbers?

Create time management – Update: I’ve been working diligently on this one. I now have a blog checklist that I use on an almost daily basis, which helps me stay on task with the blog. And I’ve managed to also ensure my other household responsibilities are maintained. It feels good to have a strong handle on life. I still need to squeeze in working out, though (see below).

Take My Health Seriously – I stated that I wanted to lose weight and be healthy for Emmett and any future children. Update: I’m still really struggling with this; in fact I’ve blogged a lot about it. Sharing my admission to Binge Eating Disorder, and the struggles I face while having BED. Every attempt I make at getting healthy is thwarted by my obsession with greasy fast food. I joined Genetix, and then never followed-thru, which is most likely because I’m afraid of the effort that is needed to lose weight. The good thing is that my webpage, on their site still exists, maybe they’re willing to still work with me, despite three months passing without any contact.

Focus on ME – I decided that I wanted to focus more on what I think of myself, and shut-out the outside voices and opinions. Update: I’m slowly but surely doing better with this. I actually read a fantastic quote the other day, “It is none of your business what others think of you.” This hit me like a punch in the face. BAM! It is so true, and since I read that in February, I have been making every attempt at reminding myself of this when I start feeling insecure, or worrying about whether someone likes me or not. Sometimes the simplest of thoughts, hit the hardest. I am thrilled I came across this quote!

While the first quarter of the year has passed, there are still 3 quarters that remain. This leaves me with plenty of time to work on the goals that I’ve started but stalled out on.

Your turn!

Did you set intentions at the beginning of the year?

If so, how are you doing with accomplishing them? If not, are you thinking of setting some now?

Filed Under: All About Me

New Year’s Resolutions for Moms

Posted on January 5 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

Even moms can make resolutions!

We all strive to be the best mom we can be, not all days are full of rainbows and glitter, but I’m sure that you put every effort in to make sure your child(ren) have everything they need to be happy and healthy. However, since it IS January, and I’m a very goal oriented person, I thought it would be fun to make some resolutions that will make me an even better mom in 2014.

New Year’s Resolutions for Moms

Embrace Good Enough – This may not be the number 1 for all people, but for me, it is THE most important goal this year. I am constantly striving for perfection from myself, my husband, at work, etc, but perfection is just not doable, and pushing so hard to get there is making me miserable. I need to embrace good enough, and realize how wonderful the life I am currently living is.
Disconnect – Like many adults these days, I am attached to my phone like it is a third arm, or an eleventh finger. When I am at home, playing with Emmett or talking to Seamus, the phone needs to be put down. Nothing earth shattering will occur if I don’t look at my phone for a couple of hours.
Meal Plan – Seamus and I already do a pretty good job of planning our weekly meals, but if I’m honest with myself (and you), the meals we choose aren’t all healthy, I’d say we have a 60/40 split, that’s not terrible but I’d like to shift that to 80/20. If we take the time to find new recipes and plan meals for the week on Saturday night, instead of Sunday before we shop, we’re more likely to choose healthier foods.
Stop Worrying About Others – I cannot even tell you how frequently I say things like, “I wish I had so and so’s life,” having no idea what so and so’s life is really like. I need to keep my eyes on my own life and truly embrace what I have, only then will I be truly happy.
Mother AND Wife – Sure, I want to be the number 1 mommy on the planet, but I need adult time too. I want to ensure that Seamus and I have plenty of time to spend together, keeping our relationship fresh.
Be Patient – Days are long, and we experience so many stresses throughout the day, but that shouldn’t be a reason that you start snapping at your child. If Emmett makes a mistake, or touches something he shouldn’t be, it is important that I take several deep breaths before reacting. I don’t want his youngest memories to be of his mother snapping at him because she had a tough day at work.
The House can Stay Messy – I resolve to spend much less time worrying about the cleanliness of my house, and more time playing with my guys. Dishes will still get done, and the toilet scrubbed, but if Emmett’s toys aren’t put away every night, who cares!?
Picture Perfect – Go through some of the thousands (literally) of pictures of Emmett and get them printed, in frames, and on our walls. You can never have too many pictures of your loved ones, is what I say, I’m sure my mom would agree (Hi mom!).
More Crafts or Family Outings – Right before the holidays, we spent time as a family painting and it was so much fun. I want to do more of this and other crafts, as well as take more trips to different museums in the area.
Get Enough Sleep – I am finding that as I become more and more involved with this blog, I am choosing to blog over choosing to sleep. While I do find complete and utter happiness in blogging, I still need sleep. Now I just need to find a healthy balance.

Alright those are my 2014 mom resolutions, I can’t wait to get started! 🙂

Your turn!

I’d love to hear your resolutions as moms/parents, share in the comments below.

Filed Under: Family

My 2014 Intentions

Posted on January 2 by Jillian416 • 2 Comments

I’m sharing my 2014 Intentions.

I don’t know if anyone is like me, but every year I make resolutions (you can read last year’s here), and nearly every year I fail to follow-through. It’s pretty depressing, and I have absolutely no one to blame but myself. I want 2014 to be different, beyond all else, I’d love for this to be the year that I stop making excuses.

So in an effort to stick to this overarching goal, my theme for the year is (just like Nike), Just Do It!

Without further ado, my 2014 Intentions:

Grow My Blog – Baby Doodah is slowly but surely growing in readership, but I need to put more time into the behind the scenes organization. This includes, completing my editorial calendar, getting a notebook (or a great app) to keep with me always to keep track of ideas that pop into my head at a moments notice.

I want to continue writing consistently, since July I’ve been writing about 5 to 7 posts a week, and I really want to keep up with that. I feel so great when I sit down and dedicate time to writing a post, it inspires me to write more. What better way to keep blogging, then to dedicate myself to writing AT LEAST 30 minutes a day? Nothing! So that’s what I’ll do.

Stop being obsessed with the numbers! Right now, I’m so concerned with how many views my blog gets each day, that I am checking my stats constantly. I recently read a tip that you should check your stats once a month, and take that time to, instead write great posts. I’d like to adopt this philosophy.

Work on my focus and time management, in regards to my blog. Right now, every time I sit down to write, I think of everything else I need to do, and it overwhelms me. If I’ve sat down to write, I start flipping through email, or reading one of the many bookmarked sites I have, and the last thing I work on is the blog post. I’d like to have dedicated time to do emails, write, and read things I’ve bookmarked – if I stick to these dedicated times, I believe I’ll gain some serious focus.

I am also considering a few new blog series, but for now, they’re still in development, so I can’t share anything more about them. 😉

Take My Health Seriously – I need to stop futzing around with my health. I’m extremely overweight, probably in the morbidly obese category, and that needs to stop. I want more children, and I am just not at a weight that I am comfortable with. I put myself, and the future child in so much danger being so high in weight. Honestly, there is no better motivation, than losing weight so that I can be around a long, long time for my children. I am going to be taking part in the Genetix Program (more to come on this in future posts), and I’m hoping it will help assist in the motivation to get healthy, once and for all! I need to wrangle in my eating and start breaking a sweat in the gym.

Focus on ME – I am a person who is always concerned with what others think of me, and I struggle when I feel like someone doesn’t like me or is thinking negatively about me. I need to stop, what is most important is what I think of me. There are times when people’s opinions are important, but other times I worry unnecessarily. I need to work on changing this, but I’m not quite sure how, research is needed. Of my intentions for the year, this will likely be the most difficult.

Those are my 2014 Intentions, I’m keeping it to three so that I can truly focus on them, and accomplish great things.

Your turn!

What are your 2014 Intentions? Let’s keep each other accountable!

Filed Under: All About Me

Working on Those Resolutions

Posted on January 28 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

We’re almost a month out from January 1st, which means I should have been working on my resolutions for just as long. You can read the details of my resolutions here.

The first one was to be happier. Well I am happy to report that I have been feeling a million times better over the last two weeks. I have to admit that the first couple weeks of the month were rough, there were some dark days in there but things are definitely looking up! I’ve been walking more or trying to do something active every day, in addition to eating better. I truly believe that these are the primary reasons my mood has lifted. The other portion of this is that now that Emmett is 6 months old, I believe my postpartum depression has started to dissipate, which is obviously leading to a happier momma.

My son the sock-topus!

The second was to invest more time in me. As mentioned above things have been going very well for me in this area. I have been trying to walk at least twice a week or do some other form of activity. I’m certainly not perfect nor am I at the level of fitness that I am aiming for, but I’m getting there. I’m realizing that the time I take and dedicate to myself is making me more content with life.

My eating has also been tremendously better. I’ve been eating breakfast at home, bringing my lunch and eating dinner at home, which leads to all healthy choices. I am also so pleased to share that I have lost almost 4 pounds since the beginning of the month. I realize that it isn’t the huge numbers the Biggest Loser contestants are pulling in but all I want is to be a lower number at the end of the month than I am at the start and for my first month, I am receiving that. I couldn’t be happier!

Finally, I resolved to stop mourning the past and I actually started tackling this one today. I took all of Emmett’s newborn and 3 month clothes and put them in a bin, which is now safely placed in the basement for future children. It was difficult and I took some time in the beginning to look at the tiny newborn outfits before packing them away. I really didn’t enjoy doing it but his room is now neater and his drawers are less stuffed which in the end makes my life easier. Time to move on and embrace the beautiful 6 month old I have.

How is everyone else doing with their resolutions?

Filed Under: All About Me, Food & Fitness

My Resolutions

Posted on January 1 by Jillian416 • 0 Comments

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For the past five or so years I’ve said I wasn’t going to make any resolutions because I never keep them and figured what’s the point but I’ve decided that I want this year to be different. That’s not saying that the past 5 years haven’t been amazing, they most certainly have (getting engaged, getting married, having a beautiful baby) but I want to also do some things that are solely for me. Things that will lift my spirits and make my life feel fuller.

1. Be Happier

This is kind of a catch-all for a lot of things so I’ll kind of give a run down. I want to be more content with the things I have and to stop yearning for the things I don’t. I don’t expect this to one day just up and stop, I expect it to be work but I’m willing to work on it, I just need to figure out where and HOW to start. (Advice is welcome.)

I also want to be happier overall, it is no secret that I’ve been suffering with depression on and off since Emmett was born, so I want to tackle that and get my moods under control. I don’t need to be obnoxiously happy nor do I expect to never have a bad day but I want to feel happy the majority of the time, not down, like I have been lately (Again, if anyone has any advice, books or articles, please share).

2. Invest More Time In Me

I know that eating better and working out will make me feel better so I need to take the time for myself and for my family to make my lunch or get in a workout. There is nothing stopping me but myself and I’m sick of that being the reason. By investing in myself I will make myself feel more whole, I’ll also be a better mother and wife.

3. Stop Mourning the Past

I struggle with this beyond anyone’s imagination. I try very hard to live in the moment but even when I do I struggle with moving forward when big momentous things occur because I can’t seem to let them go. I’ll relive them over and over again or mourn the fact that they are over and it needs to stop.

Let me give you a for instance, I had a really hard time transitioning Emmett out of his newborn sized clothing. Eventually I did it and he started wearing his 3 month outfits BUT I can’t bring myself to box up and store his newborn clothes, they’re still sitting on his dresser, just waiting, because I am mourning the fact that my small baby has progressed on. The better response is to celebrate his health and growth but I struggle with this (obviously).

So what are your New Year’s Resolutions? And if anyone has any advice or books they’d recommend reading, please feel free to leave a comment below…I am open to anything.

Here’s to the most amazing 2013 possible!

Filed Under: All About Me, Family