Posts Tagged :

how to

change your mindset

How-To Change Your Mindset

1024 576 Sheridan Gregory

When I started thinking of ways I could make this year great, the words ‘slow down’ immediately popped into my head. It was honestly like magic & in that moment, I knew that was exactly what I wanted (& needed) to do. The past year left me feeling tired, weak, completely barren of creativity & with the New Year approaching, I was ready for a new start. The second the clock chimed on January 1st, I was determined to make some changes!

I have full intentions to make this year wonderful. That’s not to say that I won’t have trials or hard times but I know that a major shift in attitude can alter my life in a drastic way. I realize we’re only a week into the New Year but I honestly feel like a new person & I feel so much more capable to handle whatever life throws at me. Which brings me to the whole point of this post: What exactly I’m doing different! & honestly, I think you’ll be surprised by the large impact a few small changes can have on your life.

how to self care

Self-Care

How come society makes us feel weak or like we’re not doing enough if we take some time for ourselves? It drives me crazy how we are expected to go a million miles per minute & accomplish 596 things every single day or else we’re just not trying hard enough! I think that the constant stress of trying to keep everything in my life perfect was slowly driving me insane. I hit a point where I just couldn’t do it anymore & I’m so happy to let you guys in on a little secret.. The world will keep turning, even if you take 30 minutes to just be still, read a book, take a bath, or whatever makes you happy! & guess what?! That time you spent on yourself might actually make you feel human again & in turn, make you feel productive enough to tackle that to-do list (or whatever you were putting off)! In all seriousness though, don’t forget about YOU. Take care of yourself! It is so much more important to keep your body & mind healthy than to just rush through life filling every second of everyday with mundane things. Life is far too short to not enjoy it!

being more present

Being Present

This has been a long time coming & finding the book “Present Over Perfect” was the kicker for me. Balancing working from home, being a full time mom & homeschooling Kannon has proven to be overwhelming at times. I knew that would be the case when we decided to homeschool but we thought long & hard/prayed over that decision for over a year (I’ll save that story for another time) & so I knew that I would manage somehow. It’s hard to work, teach school & be a family all out of the same space. It’s not impossible but it does take patience & a bit of planning. The hardest thing for me over the past year was shutting off my work mind & really being present with my boys & husband. I felt like I was missing out on so many moments just because I wasn’t “present” & since my family is my #1 priority, I knew that needed to change. While I still have my moments here & there (I’ve been practicing this one for the past couple of months), I’ve really been trying to separate my mom life from my work life & I can see such a difference in everyone’s moods. I love putting my phone away & concentrating 100% on my boys! I know they have noticed a major difference as well & that makes me a happy momma 🙂

Simplifying

When we moved home from NYC before Hendrix was born I had a major wake up call. We had too many things & they were actually stressing me out! I’m the type of person who’s brain can’t function properly if things in my home aren’t in order. Might sound a bit dramatic but especially as a creative mind, it’s truly hard for me to get work done when I’m surrounded by clutter. So ever since we’ve been back in our apartment here in LA (yes, Hendrix is 18 months old so it’s been a while haha), I’ve been slowly clearing out closets & getting rid of SO many things. & then when I think I’m finally finished, I realize I still have too many things & start all over again. It’s been a major process but I can honestly say that life runs a whole lot smoother when you don’t have so many things to clutter your space & in turn, your mind. It’s been a very freeing process!

I know that these may seem like very broad intentions but they are already changing my mood, my work & my life in general. Like I said before, it’s not always necessary to make a million changes or set an entire list of goals for the New Year. For me, it’s all about changing my mind set & using each day as a fresh start. We’ll all have ups & downs this year but with a different mindset, we’ll make it through!

I’d love to know what goals/resolutions/intentions you all made this year! Comment below if you’re comfortable sharing 🙂

road trip kids

How We Road Trip With Kids

1024 683 Sheridan Gregory

how to road trip kids road trip outfit road trip with kids diy patch denim jacketDIY Patch Denim Jacket

Jeans

Sneakers

White Long Sleeve Top

Gold Trio Necklace

Road trips are basically in my blood at this point. Growing up, we took so many road trips as a family that I honestly couldn’t count if I tried. Later on, as a teenager, I continued the tradition & took a lot of road trips with friends. While some people loathe road trips, I personally think they’re some of the best adventures! Taking road trips with 2 kids under 4 (or children in general) might sound daunting, we always have a fun adventure & make so many fun memories. 

We get asked all the time how our boys do on long drives &, to be honest, they do really well! Our secret? We just prep them young haha. From the time they are born, we get them used to their car seats. I mean, why not get them used to things they’ll be sitting in for the next 7-8 years of their lives? It honestly makes life so much easier for those times when you have to be in the car for an extended period of time. When they’re really young, though make sure you don’t have them in their car seats for too long of stretches (it can give them a flat skull) & make sure they’re not napping in them unsupervised (they can stop breathing).

Another thing I highly recommend is to have lots of snacks & “checkpoints”. My mom came up with the “checkpoint system” when we were kids. I’m sure all of you road tripping kids had something similar! & every hour (if we behaved well), we were able to choose a little treat. If you don’t want to give your kids sugar, I highly suggest going to the dollar store or checking out Target’s dollar section & picking out little toys or coloring books that they can play with. The key is to keep them occupied & looking forward to something so they’re not constantly whining or asking, “are we there yet!?”

The last thing I recommend for road trips (& the thing that makes them the best adventures), is to take your time! If the kids are getting cranky, stop & let them stretch their legs. Sure, it takes longer that way but trust me, those times will probably be some of your favorite moments. I have so many memories of Kannon running around & having fun in the most random places on road trips. You would be surprised how much fun you can have in the middle of nowhere if you just stop stressing about getting to the destination & make it an adventure 🙂

Do you have any road trip tips? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Sheridan Gregory