Hi friends! I’ve had a busy week at work and home so instead of compiling links I decided I’d just pop in and share a few personal things with you before we head into the weekend.
one
I have noticed lately that my patience with the kids has really improved. If you don’t know, my kids have been historically pretty intense with some strong tantrums. I want to report that they have definitely decreased in frequency, and when they do happen I rarely lose my cool anymore. I’m not saying that I’ve figured things out; I would guess that if the tantrums were happening every day again that I would struggle. But right now parenthood feels good.
two
For the last couple of months I’ve been doing pretty well making small changes to my fitness & diet. I’m feeling ready to be even more active, though. I just found out that the yoga class I attend at my work gym is being cancelled, which is super sad because it’s one of the only exercises I really enjoy. So now I’m seriously considering joining a studio! I would also like to get back to running short distances. Or maybe I should try doing videos at home again? They don’t usually work for me (I slack off or just don’t do them) but I want to find something sustainable that I enjoy.
three
The Crafter’s Box has been one of my favorite new things this year. February’s craft was making marbled clay planters and I discovered that clay is definitely NOT my craft. But it was so fun to play with! Can’t wait to share my finished product with you eventually. In other crafting updates, my mom and I set up a standing monthly craft date for a Sunday afternoon. She is working on a giant crocheted blanket for me, and I want to practice my knitting.
four
I’m only a little over a week into my spending freeze but already it has been so freeing! Sure there are still some things I want to buy, but this is really giving me the chance to think about some intentional future purchases. I’m decluttering my closet and my home even more so that I know what I will actually wear, use, and love. For example, a couple of weeks ago I purchased multiple pairs of jeans but ended up returning almost all of them. I really feel like I have a good idea of the style and fit that I’m going for, and I have my eye on a couple of brands that seem promising.
five
The weather has been absolutely GORGEOUS here lately and we have been taking all the walks we can. I only wish it wasn’t still getting dark so early!
For more consistent personal updates, follow me on Instagram where you can find me most days! I’m also randomly active on Snapchat; you can find me at kapachinoblog. And I’m pretty proud of my Pinterest boards, if I may say so. ;)
From Lacey Bean:
That Crafters Box sounds so cool! I haven’t heard of that one yet.
From Nora:
I’m digging the purge + no-spend challenge I’m doing this month. It challenges me to really think about how/what/why we spend our money on what we do AND I love getting rid of things that I don’t need, it forces me to ask if we are going to ever use XYZ again. It’s refreshing! We have a high of 70 degrees today and tomorrow which is totally unheard of but I’m excited to grill and maybe sit outside this evening!
From Jessica Howard (@quirkybookworm):
We typically do a “No Spend Month” every July, where I take all of our flexible budget accounts (personal care, groceries, entertainment, clothing, etc), and we slash them to about 35% of usual. It’s amazing how we can totally make do for a month, and put a big chunk of change into savings! Are you doing it all the way till Easter?
From Kathleen:
Yes, all the way! So far I’ve made a couple of tiny mistakes, but have mostly had no problems. I’m not a spender anyway, so it’s not hard when I give myself this rule, but my personal spending had gotten a bit out of control because it’s addicting! I actually think I want to do this every year somehow. This is a good time because it comes right after the holidays and a TON of birthdays in our family in January.
From San:
I definitely want to try a month of a spending freeze. I realized that I often have an impulse to buy something but if I think about it for a few more days, I really know if I want something or not.
I want to go back to yoga so badly. I have downloaded an app, but I haven’t really been following through in using it.