Happy Friday friends! Join me for another coffee date where I share a little bit about my week and ask you to do the same. Let's get to it!
Another thing I realized this morning as I was uploading this video? My husband and I's wedding anniversary is just 4 days away! We'll be married 8 years!
Tell me something about your week or what you're up to this weekend. I'd love to interact with you in the comments below! Have a great weekend friends!
Happy Monday friends! I hope you've had a great day so far! I'm excited to share with you all my thoughts on The Home Executive Planner. When I was contacted to review this planner I jumped on it. You may remember that I reviewed this planner back in 2012 and I really feel it's laid out well for busy homes who need to keep track of a lot of things and schedules.
I'm excited to share with you the additions they've made since I first reviewed it. My only negative about this planner is that I with the design and cover were a little more simple and clean. But other than that I really love the planner, watch the video to see why. Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post to WIN one of your very own!
To order your planner now with 15% off for $17 + shipping click here to be taken to their website for ordering. To enter the giveaway please use the Rafflecopter below, this giveaway will run from now until Friday. All entries will be verified. Winner will be announced via the widget and emailed.
We're headed to Disneyland again this Summer and we're so excited! Today I thought I'd share with you five things that we've done before hand to help prepare our family for the best Disney trip! I consider these my 'must do' items, hope they help you prepare for your next trip.
1. Check the height requirements for the rides & measure your kids!
One of the biggest tips is to check these requirements. Last Summer when we visited Disneyland Ava was still to short for many of the bigger rides like Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Indiana Jones. We knew before hand the rides that she was able to go on and plan our day accordingly. She's now 41 inches tall and able to ride a few more rides when we go this year.
2. Download a printable map of the park & plan your day!
Disneyland is divided into 8 lands, familiarize yourself with them by downloading the map here. We did this last year and planned our day based on what we wanted to see first and when. For example we knew that Ava was to short to ride a few rides, and we knew that she really was interested in meeting the characters. We planned on heading to Fantasyland first so that she could start meeting princesses right away and ride a lot of the rides at her height requirement. This year it's Disney's 60th Anniversary, there's all sorts of special shows and events, go here to take a look at them all and plan your day well!
3. Buy Your Disney Themed T-shirts Before You get to Disneyland!
This is one of my best money saving tips! We did this last year before our trip and again this year! I love the idea of wearing Disney themed shirts and matching shirts while you're at the park. If you buy these in one of the stores at Disneyland this could get very pricey for your family, save money by buying your shirts before. Stores like Target, Kohls and Wal-Mart all have a wide variety of Disney themed shirts.
4. Print off this Adorable Mickey Countdown.
Because the countdown to the trip is just as exciting as the trip itself. My friend Allison made this adorable Mickey Mouse countdown, get yours here.
5. Talk to Your Kids About the Trip & Tell Them The Disney plan.
Before our trip we talk to our kiddos, mostly Ava since she's at the age of understanding. We told her what to expect and what types of activities we'd be doing. We also asked her about the characters she wanted to see first, and get her input on the trip. We let her know about things we'd be doing (watch the fireworks, see the parade and what day we'd be visiting Ana & Elsa.)
Happy Friday! For today's coffee date I thought I'd review my JUNE Goals for you and see how the month shaped up. As well as run down my goals for the month of July.
In June, I wanted to paint the ENTIRE house! I ended up hiring a painter to do most of it which was the best decision I've ever made. I painted both kids' room's myself, and the upstairs bath.
Another goal for the month was to do Whole30 + work out for 30 days consistently. And DONE! I'm so proud of myself for working hard this last month.
And finally, Orion and I have had a goal this year to go on a weekend getaway with out kids! Well, we made it happen last weekend. We headed to Flagstaff for a wedding and made a little weekend out of it. It was so great to beat the heat in Phoenix and get away just the two of us. Now, we're vowing to not wait so long to do it again.
Ok, moving onto my JULY goals:
01// Work on 1 house project: I'm back to working on house projects. There's nothing major that needs to be done to this house, just a few things we want to do to make it our own. Plus, my walls are still pretty bare. Hoping to spend this month taking care of that now that everything is all painted.
02// Start family evening walks together: It's still so hot here in Phoenix, but I'd love to start taking some intentional time in the evenings together and be active as a family.
03// Buy a jogging stroller- I'd really like to do some research this month and buy a jogging stroller so that I can start running again when it cools off. My plan is to drop Ava off at school this Fall and then head home for a run with Zane. Working out has been really hard lately since I do it all at home, and it's hard for me to find the un distracted time like I used to. Plus, I need more cardio in my life.
04// Go on 2 dates this month with Orion- I love dating my husband and I'm hoping that we can up the dates this month from one to two.
05// Get my shop back up & running- Now that we've moved and settled a bit I'd love to get my shop back up and running. There will be a shop update soon + some fun discounts and news!
06// Buy all Ava's school supplies + uniforms- She starts school the second week in August, now is the time to get all that stuff finished.
07// Turn off social media from 4-8pm daily- This is a huge goal of mine. Spend less time on social media during this time of day and enjoy reading and time with family. I find myself floating around and checking it way to much during the day and I know I could use that time more wisely.
08// Organize + Clean the Garage- We've still got boxes to unpack. This month I'd love to get some shelving up to organize everything like we had in our last home.
What are some of your goals for the month? Tell me in the comments below!
That friend you have she wasn't made to be your everything. She can't replace your relationship with Jesus and she can't fill a void only Jesus can.
I know you want her to be able to walk through every season with you.
I know you want to spend every moment of free time you have together.
I know you want to have meaningful conversations and break through the small talk.
One of the biggest mistakes I've made in friendship is thinking that all friends are created equal and just just aren't. Just as all people are not the same, they don't have the same response or likes as everyone.
Because God made us all different.
Maybe that friend you have is only going to walk through a season with you.
Maybe she's only going to call you on the weekends.
Maybe she's not going to call at all and needs a little extra nudge from you.
I've wanted deep relationships with people who just didn't have the ability to go there.
I've wanted them to care about me the way I care about them, and they just didn't.
One of the biggest lessons God has taught me is that that friend I have or that friendship I am trying hard to build she can't be my everything.
She can't replace my relationship with Him.
I've gotten into trouble, I've been hurt and offended trying to make this friend be something she can't be, give something she can't give.
Instead the Lord is teaching me, while friendship is valuable, building community is His heart, you can't put your everything into one person.
I have friendships that I go really deep with and we talk about everything, we share our sorrows and our dreams with each other.
I have other friendships that are fun and silly, they aren't deep but they fill a different friendship need and that's ok.
What I am learning is to be thankful for the friendships he has placed in my life. I'm learning to be present where he has me and who he has me with.
I'm learning to lay down the areas of friendship to him and not put so much pressure on this person to fulfill needs only Jesus can.
It has taken me a while to get to this place, a while to realize the mistakes and pressures I was putting on myself and others.
If you're struggling with friendships today, I encourage you to consider this today;
Consider asking Jesus to show you the areas of friendship your struggling with. The people you are struggling with.
Asking yourself; do they encourage my relationship with Christ? Do they make me want to be better?
Do they point me towards the cross? Do I have an unhealthy relationship with them and an unhealthy expectation of them?
I know that friendships at times can seem lonely and hard at times, but may we consider in those seasons to draw closer to the Lord and remember that he can heal and he can bring restoration to even the most difficult relationships.
"Greater love has no one that this, they he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
Jesus did this for us. He was the ultimate friend.
God has taught me to focus on the quality and not the quantity. I am thankful today for a handful of really great friends God has placed in my life. But here's the truth and I hope you catch this; they are all so different. Not one of them the same. I have different relationships with each of them, but they all mean something to me in my life. They all make up different parts of my life and God uses them in different was in my life.
And that is ok. That is good. That is God's faithfulness to me in friendships.