10+ Things On My Mind This Week
It’s time for another installment of 10+ Things On My Mind This Week. Because if I’m honest, it feels like I have at least 10 tabs open in my brain at one time and writing it down helps me sort it all out. Let’s get into it!
My pumpkin pie children. Every Thanksgiving, my responsibility is to make the green bean casserole and pumpkin pies. Coincidentally, these are my two favorite Thanksgiving foods so it works out great. This year, I was especially proud of my pumpkin pies because I didn’t spill any of the filling onto the crusts while placing them into the oven! It’s the little things.
Christmas decorating. We decorated our home for Christmas this week and it is magical. It’s technically Vienna’s second Christmas because she was 3 days old last Christmas, but this year is the first one where she actually is engaged a bit. She stares at the lights and tries to pull off the ornaments, but it is already so fun seeing her react to all the Christmas decorations.
Vienna’s first birthday planning. It’s also the time of year to start planning Vienna’s first birthday party. Where did my little baby go? I’ve got to admit, though, I’ve known her birthday party theme since April. Yup, April. I didn’t start planning the actual party until a few weeks ago, but knowing the theme way early honestly helped a lot. I jotted down ideas in my phone throughout the year so now I’m putting it all together instead of frantically trying to think of everything at once. Thanks, Past Keri!
Finding new ways to use my planner. I’m a paper planner girl through and through. Lately on top of daily to-do lists, I’ve been using it to track/schedule workouts and meals. I also write important friend-related info so I don’t forget (like when they start a new job or have an important dr. appt). It’s been helpful to keep it all straight since I refer to my planner daily.
Holiday planning. Another way I’ve been using my planner is scheduling holiday-related activities. I mentioned this in my post “5 Things I’m Doing Now to Make Life Easier Later” but it truly has been a game changer. Instead of saying “We need to decorate for Christmas eventually,” I looked at the planner and actually wrote down when I would do it. It sounds simple and kind of silly, but it’s been helpful, especially as the season gets busier by the day.
The urge to declutter. Maybe it’s the fact Christmas is a few weeks away or maybe I’ve just been watching too many decluttering YouTube videos, but I’ve been in the mood to declutter. No area of our home is safe and sometimes I have to calm myself down from “big trash bag energy.”
Protein/energy balls are amazing. This is so random, but protein peanut butter balls are one of my new favorite breakfasts. They’re high in protein and delicious. There are a few variations of how to make them, but this is the one I’ve tried. So good, and perfect for the days where you want to eat something filling but don’t have tons of time to prep a big meal.
Walking pad. The latest sensation I’ve observed across the Internet is the walking pad, which is basically a smaller, more portable version of a treadmill without the handle bars. Most of them only go up to 4 MPH since, hello, they are designed for walking-use only. I’ve been debating getting one, honestly. It looks like a great way to get your steps in, especially if you can’t get to the gym, it’s freezing outside, etc.
Podcasts I’ve been listening to lately. I figured I’d round up some of the podcasts I’ve been listening to lately. I go through phases where I love listening to podcasts, and I’m definitely in one now. Here are a few I listen to regularly: Gals On the Go, The Lazy Genius, Bad on Paper, and Books, Beach and Beyond.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie is so good. My brother Josh and I have a tradition of seeing every Hunger Games movie in theatres together. When it was announced they’d be turning The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes into a film, we were pumped. We saw it earlier this week and it was SO good. I loved how closely they stuck to the book and the casting was on point. Highly recommend seeing it, especially if you read the book.