friday favorites #3
Happy Friday! I don't know about any of you, but this week has been packed to the brim for our family. With lots going on at our church and school, trying to get ahead on lesson planning, and catching up after a weekend away, I feel like I've been sprinting all week long. I'm definitely ready for the weekend - and Sunday's Packer game! Despite the fast pace of our week, it was wonderful getting back into a routine with these two stinkers and getting some extra snuggles. They've been making me smile all week!
Well let's dive right in, shall we? Grab a cup of coffee and kick up your feet - here's what I'm loving this week!
Friday Favorites
lavender essential oil
I know I already professed my love for diffusing essential oils last week, but there's a new kid on the scene that everyone's talking about. And by everyone, I mean my husband and me after trying it one time. We diffused a bit of lavender essential oil in our room in the hour leading up to bedtime, and both of us felt like we got the most relaxing night of rest. Honestly, I didn't even think I liked the scent of lavender until I diffused it. I was immediately smitten. It was love at first sniff.
Mac eyebrow pen
Where my fair haired ladies at? When one of the Mac makeup ladies suggested I fill in my eyebrows a few years ago, I felt confused and afraid to say the least. Would I look permanently surprised? Would it look so fake? Would my eyebrows be black in contrast to my blonde hair? She suggested filing them in with a very light-colored eyeshadow, gave me a tutorial, and sent me on my way. I had been implementing her strategies faithfully, when my Mac Omega eyeshadow began to run out. While Christmas shopping on the Mac website for my sister, I decided to add the eyeshadow to my cart. But lo and behold, when I typed Omega into the search bar, an eyebrow pen appeared in the very same shade! As if by magic! I decided to give it a go, and I am in love. It's so natural, and one less makeup brush I have to clean each week (month? Let's be real).
binder organization
I simply could not find a planner this year that had all the things I wanted out of it, so in a state of exasperation, I purchased a cute binder and dividers from Target and decided to experiment with free printables. I love being able to add whatever I want to my weekly plans, and dividing it by category. I'm planning on doing a more in-depth post at the end of January on how I use my binder/planner system.
5:30 a.m.
My word for 2017 is consistency. I knew if I was going to implement consistency with my blog, I would need to find a time to work on it every single day. My first thought was to write after the kids go to bed, but I found bed times to be too sporadic with all the church and school activities we have going on in the evenings. And to be honest, the more I thought about it, I knew I would be too tired in the evening to come up with good content or to put forth my best writing. I also wanted to spend a little bit of time with my husband when neither of us was working on our computers.
So it was decided. If I was going to write consistently, it would have to be in the morning. Pippa wakes up at a different time each day, but I thought I would be pretty safe getting up at 5:30. I usually get a solid hour of Bible study and writing time before she joins me. She gets to watch a show in the morning, so I can even sneak another 30 minutes of work in while she does that. I feel most creative first thing in the morning when the whole house is quiet. The hardest part is making sure I'm in bed by 9:45 or 10 each night!
autobiographies
When I was in 8th grade, our teacher had us do an autobiography project. It was a lot of work, and mine ended up filling a 1.5 inch binder, but it is so cool to look back on now almost 15 years later. Lo and behold, I happen to teach 8th grade writing this year, so I decided to have them do the same thing! We just started the project in January, and I think the kids are enjoying it. I broke it down into 12 chapters, and we're going to walk through it together step by step. In preparation, I read them excerpts from one of my favorite autobiographies Boy by Roald Dahl. I think it's such a good exercise for them to get to know themselves and where they came from. Asking questions about your family history is so beneficial and interesting, and I know they'll be glad to have that information written down someday.
Well that's all I've got for this Friday. What's making you smile this week?
Linking up with Carolina Charm and Hello Happiness for Five on Friday, and Andrea from Momfessionals for Friday Favorites!
