How I Start My Day

It is so important to start your day off right. Your morning determines the tone of the rest of your day. Your mindset is determined when you wake up. Ever heard the statement, "I woke up on the wrong side of the bed"? Well there is a lot of truth to that. If you start your day off grumpy and un-centered that is how you will spend the rest of your day. So how do you start our morning off on the right side of the bed everyday? Well, that is truly different for everyone. For some it means getting up early and getting in some exercise. It can also mean getting outside and enjoying some fresh air with morning tea or coffee. It ALL is about honoring what works for you and what your mind and body need. Growing up a gymnast my body is accustomed to working out in the evenings. If I even attempt to in the morning I am a big grumpy mess. It is a sure way for me to quit my workout half way through. However, the early morning my brain is focused and will retain everything. In high school I would get up early to do my homework as I rarely had time to after school so that is how my brain is trained. I love sitting and reading my Personal Development book. (click here for my book of the month). I can also bang out about half of my to-do list in the morning especially if the kids are asleep. I do have to be flexible especially with a 3 year old and a new born so my mornings are not always perfect, but I find when they are I end the day feeling soooo accomplished. Today was a good day. Here is what my morning looked like: 6:00 am- wake & feed Emerson 6:30 am- Morning cleanse while reading my devotional from The Daily Grind by family friend Susan Diamond (buy here) 6:45 am- Personal Development Book 10 minutes. I am finishing up Goal by Brian Tracy, again. (buy here) 7:00- Make coffee, journal, review goals for day, week & month. Look over to-do list for day. 7:30- Make breakfast for myself & McKalyn, usually eggs with Ezekiel toast or Oatmeal 8:00- McKalyn is a late sleeper so I usually have to get her up. Sit down and have breakfast with McKalyn 8:30- Take McKalyn to school 9:00- Begin my work day focused and refreshed.

Fab Find Friday: Alba Organics Sunscreen

I have been on a hunt for a sunscreen that does not burn McKalyn's little eyes AND provides protection all day in the hot Florida sun.  We have been using Neutrogena's spray but I am not in love with the idea of spraying her and the lotion burns her eyes and mine.  A week ago I was purchasing my favorite lotion (blog on the later) at Target and saw that Alba also offered a sunscreen so I thought why not. And with a $10 price tag it seemed like a reasonable risk.  I decided to put it to the test during a hot 4th of July Barbeque.  The weather was well over 90 degrees and humid. The kids played in the sun and water all day.  Even with the heat and humidity I was happy with how light the sunblock felt on my skin. Both McKalyn and I came home burn free and red eye free.

Click here to check it out.

McKalyn's daily schedule

With the baby coming I have come to realize I really need to get McKalyn and the house on some kind of schedule. Since I have such a free schedule I have allowed the house schedule to be somewhat free. Plus McKalyn does not like to sleep so she tends to stay up a bit late, though she is still up at 7:30 am. I know she is tired and I know I am on the nights she stays up later than me. So I have put together a little schedule now that I am on a mini maternity leave. I am adding more activities into her schedule with the hopes of wearing her out. They are not included on this schedule but they are early afternoon so the evenings will stay the same.

Mak Schedule