Happy Monday!!

morning-desk

Hello! I hope you are feeling recharged and ready for a glorious week. By the looks of my desk, which I decided to share a few pictures, you will see have a little tidying to do before I get down to business.  I think of my desk like my bed. When I make my bed in the morning it gives me a little boost for the day. Something about the quick check off of the list and seeing it made when I go to bed at night makes me less stressed.

So when I looked at my messy desk this morning, I was blocked from my creativity by the stress of tidying before work. Which gave me the idea to take a photo and share with you all before I begin my day. Especially since lately, I have been feeling the negative energy from looking at Instagram and the “fabled” lives we all portray on there.  I mean, I need to start sharing my overflowing laundry room again and the huge pile of clutter on my dining room table or the not so successful new meal I tried making.

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I know, I started this off talking about a glorious week and I still believe that to be true but also know that I must set the stage for myself each day to obtain my goals and my happiness. Just as the bed must be made, I must tidy up my desk at the end of the day so my return is a positive experience.  Those little things add up don’t they?

I did have a fabulous weekend with family and we bought a pool for our back yard last week that we spent many hours in together. I will write a post tomorrow to recap the fun times. In the meantime, I am going to go tidy this desk so I can play around with some new products I have (I will share this in a future post as well.).

Have a blessed day!

Belinda

Revisiting my wellness goals.

wellnessplanner1I wasn’t even looking for this when I walked into Michael’s. But there it was on a rack right in the front of the store. I currently keep track of my fitness routine on my iPhone with two apps.I use my Fitbit app to keep track of my steps, track my sleep and log my weight and the other is called fitlist and I keep track of my weight training sessions.  So a wellness planner was pretty much the furthest thing from my mind. But curiosity got the best of me and I had to take a peek. But I tell you what, I liked what I saw. It is a disc-bound book which I am familiar with but never owned. I usually have spiral or 3-ring books. The first thing I noticed was the great photography and sentiment as well as the cute page flags that are connected to the front of the book. wellnessplanner6In the inside it has beautiful bright colors and a nice overview that allows me to see my 12-month progress at a glance. I like how it doesn’t have the dates already written in so that I can start where I am rather than the traditional calender that begins in January.wellnessplanner7On this page it has a place for me to reflect on my progress, think about what works and doesn’t work and plan on changes to meet my goals. I can also include a selfie to have a visual of where I am at each interval. wellnessplanner8Now I have read over and over how keeping a food journal can really make a difference when it comes to eating healthy. I typically start one and then quickly stop or I don’t include the “extra cookies” I might have had on a particular day.  So I am going to really try to push myself beyond my comfort zone and try to do this. It also has a place I can keep track of my water intake. I tend to do well in the summer but horrible in winter when I am cold. wellnessplanner3The stickers included are so cute and I love the vibrant happy colors. So I plan on really using them as opposed to hoarding them.  Which I might add, is very tempting!wellnessplanner2It comes with 4 sheets of stickers. wellnessplanner4The final detail that I love is the hearts in the discs. Such a pretty touch. I bought the planner with a 50% coupon and I also bought the coordinating punch so I can make and include my on pages with another 50% coupon. I plan to include some of my favorite tips and clean recipes with the punch. So it was a very inexpensive investment. I will share and update as I get further in the process.

I know it’s easy to fall out of the habit but I am hoping to find ways to keep my interest up.

If you have time, stop by Michael’s and check them out and let me know how you use yours. I am always open to more ways to move towards better wellness.

Have a blessed day!

Belinda

Beginning of Summer “Kickoff” Vacation – Martha’s Vineyard

arrival

Well it’s been a week and a half since we came back from our first summer vacation of the season. We rented a house in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard. As a child, I visited Martha’s Vineyard in the summers to stay with family friends. We spent so much time with them on and off the island that we called them aunt, uncle and cousins. I always remember the ferry ride and hanging out playing late with the kids. Leao and I have gone alone but decided this year, it was time to make it a tradition for our boys. So I looked into properties and found a great one that was close to town. Some of our family was able to join us on the adventure making it even more fun.

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The boys enjoyed the ride over since we took our car and they liked driving on and then going upstairs to catch the views.  Apollo enjoyed watching how close the seagulls would fly beside the deck. Once we were close to shore we rushed down and got back into the car to exit the ship.  Our house wasn’t too far a ride from the port. What we found was a narrow road to our house. At first, I thought it was strange to have such a narrow two-way road but as time went on I saw how it quite nicely controlled the speed of traffic on the street and set the tone for a laid back experience. I even took walks a few times on it with my mother-in-law so we could explore the neighborhood.

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We spent the first few days exploring a lot of the different towns and sights on the island. I wanted to take them to Aquinnah Cliffs and Lighthouse (when I was a kid it was called Gay Head). It is a magnificent view of the cliffs. Unfortunately the lighthouse wasn’t open for guests since their recent renovations. Leao told me that since we last were here, they actually moved the lighthouse back to avoid the erosion of the cliffs. Moving a lighthouse is pretty amazing and I am glad they were able to preserve it. So we had to look at it from afar. We walked around Oak Bluffs and peeked into the shops. Nicholas even found a little free library. For several years, he and I have been facinated with finding little libraries. We recently found one in my hometown on the Cape. So finding one while on vacation was unexpected and delightful. Next year, we will have to bring a book to donate.

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Hanging out at the house was also a great deal of fun because it an open floor plan with a loft so it never felt cramped. Apollo is into coding now so he spent time with his laptop.

beach1Beach time was a must and we found parking easy and settled into a relaxing routine. I couldn’t believe how close we were able to park. I could see my car from the beach so it made it easy when it was time to pack up.  The water was cold but refreshing from the heat.  We brought snacks and I of course brought my book to just chill.

hangingout2My brother-in-law and his girlfriend joined us in the middle of the week and we had a really nice time as always.

anniversary-celebrationsOur anniversary was on June 30th so my in-laws watched the boys and we headed out for adult fun on the island.  We had fun playing the games and listening to music before heading back to the house.

I have to say that this vacation was a success. I loved our location, I loved having family with us especially for the boy’s first trip there. This was the first time, I didn’t come home feeling like I needed a vacation from my vacation. I truly came back relaxed and happy to continue our summer fun.

That said, I am working on my blogging schedule to prepare to hear more from me once again. I hope you all are taking time to relax and rejuvenate.

Have a blessed day!

Belinda

Home Improvement update

boysroom1

Hello Everyone! Finding my blogging rhythm has been quite a challenge but here I am now.  So the last time I checked in, Leao was working on renovating the boy’s room. Well it came out great. The paint looks nice the floors are so pretty and we managed to separate the beds and give it a more mature look. I feel like the way the desks and beds are laid out, reminds me of a dorm room. So when I go into see them at night I ask how the “freshman” are doing in their new space.

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I want to order them new sheets and comforters and for the moment, I have put a hold on putting anything on the walls. Because as many of you may know, kids’ like to stick everything up on the wall and I mean everything!  There is often no logical design just a place to stick up their “stuff”.

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After seeing the time frame of this project, we have decided to hold off on the other rooms on the second floor and renovate them in the fall. That way our summer days won’t be locked into a project. So I must endure carpeting in my craftroom and bedroom a little longer.  But I know it’s so worth the wait.

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I will share more photos once I buy their new bed linen.

Have a blessed day friends!

Belinda

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