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Life

change your mindset

How-To Change Your Mindset

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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 🙂

california adventure

Life Updates & Disneyland

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The past two weeks have been nuts! So many different things have been going on from family in town to doctors appointments that I figured I would just give you a little update.

Malibu Farm

I’ve had multiple doctors appointments, ultrasounds & CT scans for random lumps & bumps that my doctors discovered over the past few months. Don’t worry, everything is looking good! I just have to monitor them & go back in another 3-6 months to make sure they’re not growing. For now, though, they all have remained the same size & are benign. A little PSA for all you girls & women out there, make sure & stay up on your annual check ups & breast checks with your OBGYN. I know so many girls my age who have had lumps found in their breasts & while most of them are benign, it’s important to find those things early just in case they could be something more serious. Not trying to scare you at all, just trying to encourage you all to stay up on your appointments because I was pretty bad at staying up on mine until I got pregnant with Kannon 🙂

Malibu PierMalibu Farm Nachos Malibu Farm Vegetarian TacosMalibu Farm Kids

My brother & sister in law were in town last week with their three kids & we had the best time. We miss them so much now that they live in Utah & any chance we can all get together is the best. We spent a couple of days at Disneyland, which was so exciting but also SO exhausting. I always forget how tiring multiple days at Disneyland are! Don’t get me wrong, I love Disneyland more than most but it’s a lot of walking around with multiple kids in tow. I loved that we split up the days though so we only went to one park per day instead of park hopping both days. We also spent a day in Malibu and if you guys follow us on social media, you know that Malibu is one of our favorite places to go during Spring/Summer. I highly recommend eating at Malibu Farm on the pier & doing a beach day either before or after. Make sure & bring a sweater/jacket though because it can get cold on the pier with the wind.

California Adventure California Adventure Main Street

I think we all suffered from exhaustion from everything that we did last week because our entire little family ended up with the flu for the past 5 days. That probably has to do with our immune systems being down from lack of sleep &, not the healthiest diet (who can turn down churros at Disneyland!? Not this girl!). All in all, though, we’ve been having far too much fun & are ready to be back to “normal life” for the next couple of weeks before our next trip 🙂

 

Removing Negativity Life

Removing Negativity From Your Life

 1024 683 Sheridan Gregory
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ASOS TurtleneckFall Womens Style Removing negativityAs I recently shared in this post, I’ve been aspiring to remove bad or negative things from our home and lives. I want to not only raise my boys in a safe home, but also show them how to focus on the positive. There’s of course a lot of negativity that simply comes with life, but removing some of it is luckily up to us. Here are ways I’ve been trying to get rid of toxicity in my life:

Relationships

Leaving friendships or relationships can be hard — feelings are usually involved and it can even be awkward, but as I get older, I’ve realized the importance of positive relationships. I want to be surrounded by good people and ones that make me feel better about myself, not worse. I also want to show my boys what healthy, respectful friendships or relationships looks like. Dedicating my efforts to strong, happy relationships is important to me — and I’m so thankful for all the ones that I have!

Products

I have a lot of learning to do here, but I do appreciate the awareness that companies like Honest and goop are bringing out. There’s a lot of scary stuff in the products we clean our houses with, our makeup, and even what we put on our kids’ skin. Like I said, I’m still figuring out where to draw the line of safety vs. convenience as a mom (it’s hard right?!), but this is definitely more on my radar lately.

Television

This is tough because sometimes you need mindless reality TV, but I do try to limit it. A lot of the shows that I love (hello, Housewives & Kardashians) are full of negative vibes and hostile behavior, and I can’t help but notice that it’s not adding anything positive to my life. Of course I need it here and there, but I do take breaks from that type of TV if I’m feeling down or overwhelmed. I’ve been loving This Is Us though! Anyone else?

I’m excited to keep exploring toxic, negative things in my life and how to get rid of them. Do you ever feel weighed down by negativity? How are you removing negativity from your life?

Comment below with how you’re removing negativity!

Making Yourself A Priority

Making Yourself A Priority

 1024 683 Sheridan Gregory
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making mom priority ASOS Tan Cardigan Clad + Cloth DressTan Sweater – Lace Up Flats – Gold Watch – Sunglasses – Necklace

With the outpour of support from my post (thank you all!) about life’s changes and what I want to incorporate into this blog, I’d love to talk about making yourself a priority. As women, and especially moms, the to-do list that comes with life gets long, right? It’s in our DNA to take a lot on, sometimes too much. There’s not only society pressure, but the pressure we put on ourselves to keep our relationships going, look good, feel good, be a quality mom, sister, friend, partner, keep the house together, maintain a career, whatever. It’s a lot!

It can be easy to put others first and ourselves last, but at some point, it’s our duty to put the focus back on ourselves. It can seem like an oxymoron, but I think putting time into yourself ultimately makes us better for those we love. I also want to teach my boys that while women can handle a lot, we also deserve time for ourselves—just like everyone does!

You’ll probably have other things that refresh you and make you uniquely feel good, but here are some of my favorite ways to focus on myself.

Bath time

When my husband is kind enough to take the boys and let me have some mama time, I’ll take a bath, turn on “spa” music, put a face mask on, throw some epsom salt into the water, and either read or close my eyes. Something about sitting in warm water is so relaxing, and I come out 30 minutes later feeling like a new person. After the boys go to bed is a perfect time if my husband is busy.

Solo grocery shopping

It makes me laugh to think how happy this task makes me when I’m by myself since it’s so mundane, but browsing the farmer’s market or store alone is so blissful. I have time to look around and check labels, and I’m not moving as quickly as possible like I am when the boys are joining. Instacart (during nap time) is almost as nice for the days I don’t have time to get to the store.

Magazines and manicures

Ahhh, there’s not much better than going to the salon for a manicure and solid reading time. Not only am I getting pampered, but I’m catching up on mindless reading and just zoning out. Feels amazing!

Mom or not, I think it’s important for women to get their alone time and bring focus internally. Do you have a favorite way to pamper or prioritize yourself? I’d love to hear!

How To Simplify Life

4 Ways To Simplify Life

 1024 576 Sheridan Gregory
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Forever 21 Green CardiganEmbroidered Clutch Ways to simplify lifeGreen Sweater – Black Ribbed Tee – Loafers – Black & Gold Watch – Embroidered Bag – Sunglasses

It seems like whenever I talk to friends or family, everyone answers the question of “How are you?” with “busy!” I definitely do it, too, but it’s kinda scary that life seems to get crazier and crazier, right? And with my boys growing up, I want to prevent them – at least as much as I can – from needing to be constantly over-stimulated. I think it’s important to practice simplicity whenever possible, so I’ve been creating ways to keep things uncomplicated.

I hope some of these ideas work for you, too!

1. Phone breaks

Half the time I’m on my phone, I’m trying to multitask 5 other things which gets overwhelming quickly. Plus, a lot of time, I’m just trying to get through my Instagram feed or something silly. So, I’ve been leaving my phone alone for an hour a couple times a day. Taking a break from it lets me focus on the boys, my husband, or myself in a stress-free, calm way!

2. Organize closets

I’m definitely guilty of having messy closets, but when I’m feeling overwhelmed with life, cleaning out our closets helps. It not only makes getting the boys ready easier because I know everything in their room actually fits, but it helps me pick out clothes for myself, too! I’ll forget about an outfit I want to shoot if it’s hidden in a crazy closet. It’s also one less mess to stare at and get frustrated by daily. Plus, it feels great to donate old items and detoxify a bit.

3. Find go-to recipes

This is important if you have a family or not because figuring out meals can be time-consuming. Every couple months, I like to go through my recipes and update them with some new easy, simple meals for the season. I’ll make a list of ingredients for all the meals, then will go to the store and get a couple meal’s worth of each. That way I know what options I have and the ingredients are ready to go.

4. Keep cards and wrapping paper on hand

I used to wait until the last minute to get cards or wrapping paper for gifts, but then I started buying them in bulk. You can get the stock cards that are blank inside and use them for any occasion which is really simple. Then, having wrapping paper, a few sized bags, and tissue paper stored away is a huge help as well. One less thing to do before a party, yay!

Do you guys have any tips or ways to simplify life?

Sheridan Gregory