2014 a year in review

As I sit here and patiently wait for baby number 2 to make her debut, I pondered on this year. I can't believe it's over, another year in the books. This year although easier than 2013 brought a lot of struggles and joys in itself. I know 2015 is bringing some new challenges and joys, I will share those at the end. Here is 2014 in review...

P.S. I am having mild contractions as I type, maybe each time one comes on I should type ow,haha, just kidding that would be annoying.

January: This one was 12 months ago and I barely remember that far back. This month brought me back to a love of teaching kids, I am so glad I took the time off but this is where my gifting lies. Funny how I am taking January off of teaching though due to baby. This is also the month where Mackenzie really started to grow up, first by transitioning into a big girl bed!

February: This month I got to teach in front of some amazing women at our Church's tea. Biggest blessing ever, and Mackenzie got dedicated at our church. At this time I realized how blessed I was that God led us to this new church home after losing ours. I am continually thankful for Genesis Church and our Pastor Josh Bingle.

March: This month skated by without a lot of changes. Sometimes those months are nice. I did throw a nice surprise party for my husband, I love any chance to show him how he is loved by others. 

April: This is the month we conceived Ainsley. I knew I was prego right away due to my extreme tiredness. Which never really seemed to leave me the whole pregnancy. This is also when Mondo started his new job at Carmax.

May: Was Mackenzie's first plane ride! We had fun in Minnesota. We also revealed to friends and family that we were pregnant at her 2nd birthday party.

June: Another uneventful month. We just started to prepare for some transitioning.

July: We moved in with my parents to save for a new house. I also posted one of my favorite posts from a devotional I did. Breaking out of the Beauty Mold.

August: Was the month we found out and revealed that we were having another girl. It was also the fun baby name bracket!

September: Mackenzie started getting into the holiday spirit early by watching "Santa Clause is coming to Town," on repeat.

October: Was the month of Whole 30, which I actually loved and look forward to doing it again!! This was a month I focused on settling down and enjoying each moment I had with my oldest little girl.

November: This was my first car accident. Which was bittersweet we lost our favorite car and became a one car family but, the damage done paid off the car and extra to pay off some debts. Mondo and I celebrated our 7th anniversary! Mackenzie saw her first movie on the big screen,Penguins of Madagascar, which she talked about for weeks afterwards.

December: I turned 31! I got to host my first big giveaway, again, Thank you to Lularoe and Kathy. I spent time with family and waited as patiently as I could for baby girl number 2.

It was a great year and as always challenged me. I learned how to parent a toddler, wait, I am still learning. I am looking forward to a new year. What I am most looking forward to is Mondo and I buying a house to call, make, and have as our own. Hopefully, we will also be able to buy a mid size SUV, to fit all the stuff we now need to tote around!! I am excited for our expanding family and to watch God bless us and change us in this new year. 

I got this idea from a friend and fellow blogger at Simply Elegant. Here were my top 5 posts for this year.

1. Blogmas Day 1: Lularoe giveaway
2. What! I am pregnant with number 2!
3.Pregnancy Update and Baby Name Reveal
4. Baby Gender Reveal
5. Whole 30 and me

Thank you for reading my blog, it is a great outlet for me and challenges me to be a better person. I look forward to another year of blogging. This past year I also read a lot of books. I plan on reviewing some of those soon. 

Dorinda

New Year's Goals

As I told you all last year, I am not one for having resolutions for the new year. I think you can get a fresh start whenever. We have an amazing God who gives us a new hour, day, week, month and year. With that said though I am excited to see 2013 leave; for us it was a crummy year. Loss of a friend and our pastor, moving 2 times (and yet we will have to do it again in June), Mondo losing his job, losing our church. Just a crummy, crummy year. I do look back at the positives, finding a new church home, Mackenzie walking and talking, finding a new dream and vision for our us, friends who reached out and helped us in dark times and more. I am excited and hesitant of year 2014. I do know that we love an amazing God who wants to bless us and see us succeed. This year will also bring about a lot of changes but, hopefully for the good. Mondo and I have sat down a wrote a list of goals for the next year. I wanted to give you a few tips. So pull out those ambitious goals and lets have a look.

I learned this working at Costco when we had to do our own one year employee reviews. I HATE those, and I am so glad they don't do them anymore. After a year at Costco we would have to write down our S.M.A.R.T. goals for the next year and then sit down with a manager to discuss them. The S.M.A.R.T. part of the goals was something I have taken with me into my real world a.k.a. home and ministry life.

S- specific. Make sure your goals are specific. Sorry, healthier lifestyle doesn't count. Make it something like I will eat a huge salad in place of a meal once a week, or lose 10 lbs by 2015, pay off 2 credit cards, save x amount of money.

M- measurable. Spend less can't count as a goal if you don't know how much you spent last year. Set a budget and determine I will save x amount of money a month. Instead of go to gym more; say I will run a mile by June. How will you know when your goal is accomplished?

A- attainable. Be realistic people you will never look like Jennifer Aniston. That's good!! You are you, look like you!! So set a goal that will still keep you, you! If your goals are too challenging you will burn out and quit before you get there. Let's keep the positive changes going make them attainable.

R- realistic. Feels like a repeat of the last one, so it must be important. What is something you are willing and able to work toward. Are you really willing to give up sugar? How about instead you will keep the sweets to one day a week, or only have so many grams of sugar a week. Can you really go a whole year with no new clothes? Instead make it so you only buy x amount a month. 

T- Timely. If you still want to keep your big goals break them down into smaller time goals. Such as lose 50 lbs by 2015, by losing 4 lbs a month. 

One of my goals I had last year, and I missed it by one book! Is to read a non-fiction book once a month. I love this Empty Shelf Challenge given by John Acuff. Essentially you empty a shelf on your bookcase. Every time you read a book in 2014 you place it on your empty shelf, trying to fill your shelf by the end of the year. I want to do this but, since we are moving in 6 months I feel it would be in vain. I would also have to put some empty cereal boxes on the shelf for the ones I read on my kindle app. Next year I am trying this.

I also really like this 52 week saving plan. Mondo and I tried it once, the trick is to not take it back out of the box. A friend of mine changed it a little and she x's out the amount she put in. So if one week she has extra she puts that in. 

Here is the picture she took:

I think visualizing stuff helps make it more accomplish-able. Spell check says that isn't a word but, it is now!! Anyways, I like this idea too for weight loss.

Go make those lists and check them twice. Let's make 2014 the best 2014 ever!! Make positive changes that will stick!

Your new year cheerleader,

Dorinda