Month: January 2019

Make Your Time Matter

Here it is…the conclusion to my 2018 reflections, coming just in time to prompt you to keep up with your resolutions for 2019. Remember, it takes about one month to form a habit, so don’t quit! These last three points I emphasize are truly foundational for all you wish to accomplish this year, whether it’s improving your relationships, losing weight, being a better parent, starting a business, etc. I believe these takeaways will position you to succeed, as long as you force yourself to follow through and form the right habits.

Be intentional in making time for your spouse or significant other. Our little Pookie was a honeymoon baby, so Pat and I really didn’t have much of a honeymoon stage to our marriage. Everything happened so quickly, and before we knew it our “adventurous dates” consisted of making dinners or getting takeout and relaxing in front of the TV. We realized we were slowly slipping into a state of complacency, so our New Year’s resolution the year we were married was to go on a date night once a month. We have missed very few date nights since January 2015. It truly makes a difference. If you are married, or even in a serious relationship, set aside one night (or day) every month for you and your significant other. Take turns planning something unique and fun. Sure, dinner and a movie is nice, but don’t do the same darn thing all of the time. And this isn’t just for the newly weds. Even if you’ve been married for 40+ years, make this happen. Check out “Come on Baby Light my Fire” at the end of this post for date night ideas. You’re welcome.  Continue reading “Make Your Time Matter”

My Husband’s Rant

I was intending for this to be Part III of my 2018 reflections, but you all are going to have to wait. Pat wanted a piece of this blog action, so here he is in all his glory. Enjoy!

We made our resolutions; it has been two weeks, time to be back to our lazy TV watching habits! I’m actually of the mindset that “getting in shape” and “eating better” or “losing weight” for their own sake are woefully insufficient and the primary cause of failed resolutions. I’m finding that having a palpable goal that is achieved through your resolution is a more substantive and enticing accomplishment. But that’s a different blog for another time.  Today, I’m ranting about what my wife watches on TV.

We’re actually pretty good about not watching too much TV, but every now and then when we feel like turning our brains off after putting the girls to bed, we endure each other’s TV interests.

Kathryn’s guilty pleasures: “The Bachelor” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” God help me. I know women love these shows, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that these two shows are perfectly mindless, and the plots have only slightly more depth than the storylines of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment for the uncultured). I have on many occasions been playing a mobile game or reading a book, and I can follow what is going on with these shows. Or at least that’s what I tell myself. Fair warning, from here on out there are likely some gross inaccuracies—I don’t need them pointed out. We’ll all just acknowledge now that they are there. Agreed?  Agreed. Continue reading “My Husband’s Rant”

Time to Clean and Refresh

Well, we’re at the start of week three of the new year, and I have spent most of the year feeling like crap. Speaking of crap, my one-year-old broke containment a couple days ago and got poop all over the family room area rug. So I grabbed the bottle of stain remover meant for animal odors and accidents and sprayed the crap out of the rug. Literally.

Then I go to shower Punkin’ down, and as soon as I am done I hear my three-year-old freaking out. “What’s going on?” “I sat in the poop!” “Seriously, I showed you the poop, told you not to sit there but to sit on the couch, and what did you do?” “I sat in the poop.” So then I had to shower her down. What is it with threenagers? “Oh, look, maybe sitting in this poop will give me some color.” Pat rented a carpet cleaner from Home Depot for the night.

That poop escapade was followed by a major threenager tantrum…likely the best I’ve ever seen. You know, the kind where she’s so hot she moves herself across the room on her back. Maybe we should consider exorcizing the house.

Did I mention I was sick throughout all of this? Continue reading “Time to Clean and Refresh”

2018 Reflections to Carry into 2019

Happy New Year! Well, at the time of writing this post we’re now three days into the new year. How are those resolutions holding up? We’ve done well so far, and today the hubby and I made vision boards! Woop, woop! I’ve never done one before, but we did them at the same time, so it was almost like a date. (It helped that the kiddos were napping.) We spent an hour talking over our short- and long-term goals from a personal, family and business perspective and another hour putting the boards together. 

Unfortunately, the girls woke from their naps, spoiling my hubby time and making me realize I hadn’t started my chicken tortilla soup yet. 😮 Oops. No big deal for them, since all they eat is mac n’ cheese and chicken nuggets. Before I knew it, it was 7:20 p.m., time to put the girls to bed, and Pat and I still hadn’t eaten dinner. Well, the crockpot was taking entirely too long, so I threw everything in the Instant Pot (or IP as us cult members like to call it). Pat believes if you get one you’re forced into a cult of IPers, and he’s not far off. 😉 You need to join the cult to be able to use the darn thing, or find a friend who’s an expert and has all the time in the world to teach you.  

Once the IP was done, guess who got an opportunity for a second date? We did! It was 8 p.m. when we sat down to eat. In typical husband fashion, Pat also called out that my chicken tortilla soup was really just “soup,” since I failed to buy tortilla chips. It must not have been too horrible because he had seconds. So, we enjoyed hot “soup” and talked uninterrupted, all thanks to our vision boards. 😉 

Anywho, in the midst of this holiday season chaos, I found time to reflect on 2018. My hope is that in me sharing my reflections you will find your focus for 2019. It’s not too late! 

Continue reading “2018 Reflections to Carry into 2019”
Juggling Work Mama is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.