All About 2016

Dang... It's 2016. Just like that 2015 is old news.

I'm glad to be ushering in a new year. I spent the majority of 2015 pregnant, in and out of the hospital, chasing these kids and supporting my husband through his last semester of grad school. So when I say that I am HAPPY to see 2016 I mean it!

I achieved almost everything I wanted to last year. I don't have any huge resolutions or lifestyle changes to make for 2016.  All I want to do is pick up where I left off in 2015 and keep going. The New Year is a great time to start fresh and create momentum.

What do you want to do in life? Who do you want to be? Where would you like to go? It's never too late to dream big and go after those dreams with a fearless ambition. Like my husband says, "It's never too late to make a good decision."

That's what I am going to do in 2016. I will continue to fearlessly make decisions that align with my dreams and goals. I pray the same for all of you. I pray that God's blessings continue to abundantly overflow in your life. Use Motherhood as your motivation to be a dream chaser. If you don't show your children how to reach for their goals who will?

Here are my goals for 2016:

Set time aside daily for Bible Study.

Publish my eBook that was written in 2015. (Hitting inboxes, Amazon and iBooks Jan 15, 2016)

Exercise, Workout, Snapback...

Properly prepare for our upcoming move. (I'll share our next duty station soon!)

Complete my next writing project by Thanksgiving. (Another eBook for the '16!)

Continue to blog consistently & build a brand that produces consistent income.

Send out Christmas cards.

Take more pics with my husband. (We have so many pics of us with these kids but hardly any of just the two of us. I need documentation of how dope we are as a couple this year.)

That's all for me! What are some of your goals? Share them with me. I want to cheer you on this year! 

Happy New Year!

A Bedtime Cocktail

For the past couple weeks I have been telling all of my girlfriends about my latest cocktail creation. Now that it's been tested by all of my girls I think today is the perfect day for me to share it with you.

It is delicious and has just the right amount of kick to it. It only takes about one of these to put you in a tipsy sleepy state so please drink responsibly.

All you need is a glass of this Barefoot Red Moscato, a generous dash (but not a shot) of Ciroc's Red Berry vodka and enough Cranberry soda to bring it all together. If you want it to be a bit more festive add strawberries, raspberries and blueberries to your glass. I'll share a pic of my drink on IG tonight. (I keep forgetting to snap a pic before drinking mine, LOL! This is that good!) What will you be doing to bring in the New Year? We'll probably be asleep because I don't like having the kids out late. When Little Mike doesn't get his sleep he becomes a completely different person.  Happy New Year!

Hello December...

It's the last month of the year and I can not believe it. Where did 2014 go?

I hope your Thanksgiving was delicious. Our's was great. Very low-key and chill. It was perfect. After dinner we put up our Christmas decorations. I have officially jumped into the Christmas spirit even though it's just beginning to look like Fall here.

I've been playing Christmas music and doing holiday themed activities with the kids. This week Savannah and I are talking about the Advent calendar. I really should start wrapping their gifts but there's something about procrastinating until Christmas Eve that I enjoy.

On another note, I have been reflecting a lot about this space. My goal for 2015 is to be more consistent (which was also my goal for 2014 - don't judge) and to really allow this blog to be a reflection of my life. In 2015 I also hope to become a certified personal trainer. My textbooks and study resources have been ordered and I am anxiously awaiting their arrival. Highlighters would be an awesome stocking stuffer for me this year, hint hint.

More on how I came to the decision to become a CPT later. Have you already started on your goals for 2015? I know, I know, we gotta thru Christmas first, right?

This Blog In 2014...

So the New Year is approaching and it's time for goals and declarations about what will be. I don't know about you all but I have never really been a big fan of New Year's resolutions. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about goal setting but I just don't get into the hype surrounded by the New Year.

In February this blog will be two years old. What started out as a hobby kind of started turning into more of a business. I started to feel the competitive pressure to do more and get more numbers so that I could qualify for more opportunities. It became exhausting and time consuming. I like this space and what it does for me and I don't want it to start feeling like a chore. I want it to stay fun and effortless.

With that said, in 2014 you can expect more fun on this blog. I'll be doing some fun things with Baby Teems. There will still be reviews every now and then. I have already planned a pretty nice giveaway for February to celebrate my Flirty30 so be sure to be on the lookout for that.

This blog is about my motherhood journey as a stay at home Mom. Sometimes I'll write about fashion. Sometimes I'll share quick dinner ideas. You might find a fun craft to do with your kid. Hopefully you'll see more of my real life personality here. Some may like it and some may not. If you have ever talked to me offline you know that I'm a little bit more "fun" than I have been online. 2014 will not be a year to be demographically friendly or politically "blogger" correct. I'm getting back to why I started this.

The only goal I have for this space in 2014 is to continue to grow it organically. My numbers may not be as high as some other bloggers but at least I know I didn't beg, borrow or steal for the readers I have. I appreciate everyone's support of The Chic Stay at Home Mom. Please continue to interact with me on social media and in the comments. While I do love to make a dollar that will no longer be the only driving force behind the content here.

For the rest of 2013 I will be reposting some of my favorite posts from the past. I'll see you in 2014. It will be fabulous. It will be more real. It will be more me.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Mamas!