14 days to LOVE

Another holiday is upon us......Good ole' Saint Valentine's Day.  Who doesn't love such a love filled holiday.  This year I wanted to do something different...something to show hubby how much I love and appreciate him.  

The last six months have been very hectic for us with the move, new home , new job and a new state but overall we are adjusting well.  The downside to all of this is that we haven't had much time for each other.

Over the next 14 days I am not going to assume my hubby knows how much I love and appreciate him but I want to make sure I show and tell him.

Stay tuned......February 1 will be my first gift of love.

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Happy Birthday to me.....A tribute to MUAH!!!

Yesterday 1/27/2014 was my 38th birthday birthday.

Another excuse to start my year over....LOL.  YES!!!!!  I went to the Gym on my birthday.  That's dedication.

A good excuse to praise myself....  YES!!!!! Aren't I just beautiful!!!!


An excellent reason to go shopping......LOL.   OH YEA!!!!!!

and enjoy all of my birthday LOOT!!!

And finally, the perfect explanation for having a sweet treat....... MMMMMMM GOOD!

ooooo yes a cinnabon from the mall

Happy birthday to me!!!!  I think I am the only person in this world that knows all I do and sacrifice for everyones happiness and still look happy and oh so pretty while doing it.  TRUE!!!!! (yes, I am tooting my own horn)

I am a 38 year old .......
stay at home loving, supportive and devoted mother of 3 AWESOME kids (thanks to me)

with a Masters Degree in Finance.
beautiful, attentive and supportive wife

a great daughter and sibling

faithful and trustworthy friend.

and the list goes on.  So, on this day I say......Happy Birthday to ME!

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Grateful

Anxious to get to the mall today made me appreciate life as I know it a little it more.  

A shooting?  Here?  At the Columbia Mall?  We always think that it happened there...It won't happen here but today it happened here....in my backyard.

Today I am grateful that my husband had to workout before we left for the mall.  Today I am grateful that my husband took forever to get his workout music together before he started his bench press.  Today I am grateful, that I didn't make it to the mall to witness a horrific event at the Columbia Mall that left three dead and other injured.

At the end of the day I pray for the families that are experiencing lost today and for the individuals that had to experience that frightful event.

The Columbia Mall shooting has made me realize that I need to  hug my children a little tighter, kiss my husband a little longer and reach out to friends and family a little more often.

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New Year

Although the new year started Wednesday January 1st today is my official start of the year and there are so many things I am committing to (with moderation)
***Keep in mind I've already committed myself to things from previous years but I hope to kick it up a notch this year.
1.  Healthy Lifestyle...Here are a few new things I am going to try:
a.  Drink warm lemon water every morning as it has a lot of benefits (my mother-inlaw has been doing this for years.)  Check out tasty-yummies website for more information.  This website also gives you tons of other healthy information.

b.  As a stay at home mother my time is valuable and has to be used valuable.  As much as I love the gym (sometimes....LOL) I need to get in, get it done and get out.  I found this 30 minute total body workout that I am going to use.  I will probably do it for 45 to 60 minutes.  Hey, who doesn't want to build muscle and get bikini ready for the summer.

2.  More DIY projects  and activities that make ME happy (this is actually a stress reliever for me)
3.  Get back into photography...(more than just everyday pics of my family)
4.  Keep an organized life/routine
5.  Improve my relationship with GOD.

Here we go.....Day 1.  It's on!!!!

What have you commited yourself to in 2014?

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Hello 2014

The holidays are now officially over and the new year has begun.  No more excuses for over eating or over spending it's time to get it back under control.  I am sure everyone has made their resolutions for 2014 and so have I (although mines are a ongoing process) I won't go into detail but I will share how I organized them (I kept them simple).
FYI:  These resolution (directly/indirectly) apply to the entire Taylor clan.

1.  Health Resolution - eat better, exercise more
I am going to take a 30 day fitness challenge I recently saw on the internet.  Take a look at it and try it out.

2.  Spiritual resolution - pray every morning and night and find a church home....

3.  Family resolution - carve out time where the family spends quality time together.

4.  Marriage resolution - carve out date night at least once a month.  It can be an at home date or a night on the town but it has to be something special/different.

5.  Financial Resolution - be a better stewart of my family's money.  Save more, spend wisely, and organize the finances.  Develop a 5 year financial plan to get out of debt and gain financial freedom.
***Here is a financial challenge I found that I am going to try and do for my three children and myself.

Take a look at the original post  52 week money challenge

6.  Organizational resolution - organize my daily life by tracking my time, organizing my home, organizing my kids etc.

7.  Project resolution - make a list of all projects I would like to accomplish (not only for 2014) and prioritize them by wants, needs and financial capability.

8.  Me resolution - I saved the best and most important resolution for last.  Without me there isn't a Taylor family.  Although my husband is the head of the family I am the...
backbone of the body...
glue that keeps the family together....
oil that keeps the wheels turning....
I don't mean to toot my own horn but "it is what it is"....
I said all of this just to say I need to take better care of myself......I need me time (most of my time is taking care of everyone else), I need down time, I need personal time so that I can rejuvenate and take better care of my LOVELY family.  I also need time to pursue some of my many passions in life (I need to tap into my creative side and dream of having my own business).

Being that the kids have been out of school I didn't have the time to get everything together (purchase food etc).  Therefore  Day 1 for me will be January 7, 2013.

Side note:  Don't be too hard on yourself...Always allow space for wiggle room and allow time for you to adapt to the changes you want to happen in your life.  Make the experience a fun learning process.

What resolutions have you made and how do you plan to stick to them?

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