Obsessed with these colorblocked blue pants (UNDER $100)! I like that they are high-waisted!

Cody has a hard time finding sweatpants for the gym that aren’t too hot. He loved this pair from Marks & Spencer – they are fitted and still stretchy and lightweight.

Brrrr. It’s been dumping so much snow in Utah lately! I just got a bunch of new workout stuff (all under $60). Love this vest for a versatile athleisure layer.

DETAILS: GREY AND BLACK VEST (UNDER $100 -WEARING SIZE 8 ) | BLACK SPORTS BRA (UNDER $50) | BLUE COLORBLOCKED LEGGINGS (UNDER $50  – WEARING SIZE 6 | ALSO GOT THESE) | MORE GREAT WORKOUT OPTIONS HERE

CODY: GREY HENLEY SWEATSHIRT (UNDER $50) | GREY JOGGER SWEATS (UNDER $100) | MORE GREAT WORKOUT OPTIONS HERE

It’s officially 2017! The new year came so fast! New Year’s always leaves me really really excited! A chance for a new start, new goals, and time to reflect on what I’m thankful for from the previous year and what I want to improve moving forward. 2016 was probably one of my most exciting years yet! Cody and I set BIG goals starting last year, personal goals, travel goals, goals to grow the blog and ILY and almost every goal we set we hit. We worked our asses off, but at the end of the year honestly I felt so emotionally exhausted. We were putting in long hours, many all nighters, and at the end of the day it felt like I didn’t get to enjoy the journey because I was pushing so hard to hit those goals.

Reflecting back on last year, I’ve realized that a lot of times when you feel like you are overwhelmed, so much of it is mental – it all starts with a mindset. I let myself get overwhelmed with that feeling of being “so busy” that I didn’t just sit down and enjoy moments. A lot of times even when I was home my mind was constantly running and I was never able to shut anything off. I realized that if you are working hard and not balancing the rest of your life, life just becomes work and there’s no point to working hard when you aren’t taking time to enjoy it.

With that said, below are a couple of my New Year’s goals for this year. We are taking a different approach to things and working more on improving the little day to day things that affect everything else we do.

1. READ MORE. One of my big goals for this year is to read more. I’ve realized it’s easy for me to get distracted and overwhelmed mentally so I’ve been reading positive and inspiring books even just for 15 minutes a day to keep me on track. I just got a book that talks about being effective with your time and I’ve already taken so many parts to heart.
2. RELAX. Last year even when I would be relaxing, taking a bath at night, I’d be in the tub with my phone responding to emails, getting posts ready, etc. The book I’ve been reading talks about deliberately setting aside that time to relax, otherwise you never get a chance to recharge. So I’ve literally been turning my phone to silent and putting it in another room so I don’t get distracted and actually relax. Not only does learning to relax help you recharge but allows you to be more present in the moment.
3. BE PRESENT. I really debated sharing this, because it was probably one of my lowest “mom moments”, but I always strive to be honest with you guys, even in the hard times because life isn’t perfect. A few weeks ago I was on my phone finishing a deadline and B kept asking me to play tennis with him, I kept telling him to hold on I was almost done. After about 5 minutes of not being done, he started a major melt down crying, telling me to put my phone down, that I don’t pay attention to him. It was such a hard mom moment! It literally broke my heart. I threw my phone down and in tears gave him the biggest hug and just put everything else aside to be with him that afternoon. Sometime’s I forget how much they are really watching our every move. It is one of the hard parts of working from home, is that the kids see me working more but I realized this goes back to time blocking. Being effective with my time so when I am with them it’s quality time. I know I wasn’t present in many areas this last year, with my family, Cody, friends, etc. I don’t say that for you guys to build me up, I say that because I see it almost everywhere I go. We are all glued to our phones and it’s kind of sad in reality. I love what I do and am so grateful to be able to make a career out of something I’m passionate about, but no career is worth those bad mom moments so I’m making this year all about being more present.
4. TIME BLOCKING. This was actually something we started last month we are bringing into this year. It is crazy how fast the day flies by and how easy it is to get distracted. We all get a million notifications on our phone from emails, social media, texts, calls, etc. I’ll be the first to admit I am easily distracted haha. So Cody and I both have started blocking out our days to effectively get things done. Certain times for certain projects.Whatever doesn’t get done, we have to wake up early the next day and finish. We have carried it over to our employees as well and it’s crazy how much more effective you are if you just set a timer to get something done.
5. BEING ACTIVE. This is like a month to month thing for me, some months I’m really good at it and others I’m so bad. This book I’m reading cited all sorts of studies that show that even just 30 minutes of activity, 3 days a week positively affects almost every aspect of your life: health, happiness, love life – everything! It’s so easy to stay cuddled up inside, especially in the dead of winter, but with your New Year’s goals just getting started it’s the best time to start those habits and carve out at least 30 minutes 3 times a week to be active, whether it’s going to the gym, walking, or trying yoga or spin class.

Ok, sorry for the novel! I’ve spent so much time reflecting on last year and what I want for this year and it’s so helpful to put it into words – I swear writing it out makes it seem that much more attainable. What are some of your goals for the year?

XX, Christine

*In collaboration with Marks and Spencer and Shopping Links.