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  • Thankful Thursday

    “It’s easy to get frustrated when things don’t work out the way you planned, but having faith allow you to accept everything at face value. … Everything will happen precisely when it’s supposed to and how it’s supposed to.”

    ~ Dulce Candy Ruiz, The Sweet Life
    Happy Thankful Thursday!  Whelp, our snow and ice are gone.  The kids have gone back to school and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.  It’s not that I didn’t enjoy having Moo home, but my body decided to catch a cold this week.  And not just a light cold.  I’m talking borderline the flu cold.
    So I’m thankful that I’m only chasing around after one kid during the daytime.  Also, I’m grateful Moo is back in school because she’s more likely to catch what I have if she’s home during the day.  She’s the kid who loves to sneak sips of mommy’s drink and we’d love for her to finish up the school year not missing any days of school.  I’m praying that I’ll be at least 75% better by the weekend.
    If you haven’t heard Kita from Kokoa Magazine and her family experienced a tragic loss over the weekend when her husband was killed in a freak accident related to Winter Storm Jonas.  My heart aches for her and her kids as they go through this difficult time.  I’m so thankful to see the outpouring of support for her because if you’ve had the chance to interact with Kita then you know she is nothing short of supportive.
    I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know her online and she’s been very supportive and one of my most loyal blog readers and commentators.  I can’t even begin to imagine what she’s going through, but I’m thankful it’s been made known that she and her family are not in this alone.  We all need support during the rough times in our lives and I’m grateful she has that.  If you would like to support Kita and her family please consider making a donation here.  There is an option to donate anonymously if want to. 
    In happier news, I’m thankful that everything is falling into place for our move.  There was a brief hiccup, but instead of getting frustrated I took my concerns to God in prayer.  This process is definitely giving me a refresher course on the importance of trusting God’s timing.  At the end of the day He knows what the best move is for us and I have to follow His lead.  
    What are you giving thanks for this week?
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  • Recently January: What I’m Resolving, Reading, Organizing, Loving & Craving

    I can hardly believe that there are less than ten more days left in January!  This month started off with a lot of excitement over our rental life departure countdown.  I’m seriously looking forward to becoming a homeowner in the next few months.  Overall, this month has been pretty good to me and my family.  Already I can’t wait to see what February has in store for us.
    This month my Recently prompts are once again borrowed from Jenna and Anne from their Currently series.  Also, this post contains one Amazon affiliate link, which just means if you purchase something from Amazon through my link I’ll receive a small affiliate commission from them. 

    Resolving

    Every year I like to set goals and resolutions for the New Year.  This year was no different.  You read about what I’m planning and hope to accomplish in 2016 here.  Something I’m resolving to do before this month is out is to sit down with the kids and plan out a 2016 Family Bucket List.  This year I want to focus having more experiences with kids.  Making more memories for all of us to look back on.

    Reading

    Earlier this month I decided that the kids and I would join the #52BooksIn2016 Challenge after seeing Dani post about it on her Instagram page.  I actually committed to us reading 52-150 books because as a family we read roughly 3 to 4 books a day. Moo has to read one book a day for her homework, JJ has to read one book a day, we read two books at bedtime and then I read my adult books after they’re asleep to unwind.  If you’re keeping count we read a minimum of 31 books each month and have already read 37 books since January 1st.  I’ll be sharing our favorite reads at the end of the month.
    Anyways, I started reading The Honest Life by Jessica Alba this past Thursday.  I’ve been a fan of hers since I saw her in the movie Honey and had been wanting to read this book for the longest time, but just never got around to it.  I put in a request at our local library, picked it up and haven’t been able to really put it down since.  If you’re interested in living a healthy and honest, but realistic lifestyle this book is for you.  It’s full of great information, tips and has a whole resource section.

    Organizing

    Although we aren’t moving for another couple of months, I’ve been working hard at getting my family organized by purging our rental.  I’ve been shredding old papers and sorting the important ones into folders, cleaning out the closets and sorting through toys, books and more.  The Goodwill has seen us multiple times this month already.  It feels great to be ridding ourselves of stuff we no longer need and haven’t used in ages.  I’m holding off on buying more storage containers until we move because I don’t want to buy anything that won’t fit properly into its designated space.

    Loving

    We’ve been snowed and iced in since Friday morning and I’m loving it!  My love for snow is out of this world.  It’s the perfect weather for staying indoors to read and cuddle with my little ones.  We’ve also been baking cookies and catching up on Netflix movies.  Not sure if schools will be open Monday as they planned because I’m sure that the water from the melting snow is going to refreeze Sunday making the roads too slick for buses.  
    Unfortunately there have already been 5 deaths in our area due to people driving in this weather.  One of the victims was 5 year old and that news broke my heart even more.  Definitely be safe if you are continuing to venture out and about.

    Craving

    My baby fever is out of this world y’all!  It seems like everywhere I turn someone I know is either having a baby or has had a baby.  A while back we dropped by a family member’s house and I found out they were fostering a baby.  I think I barely said hello everyone before I made a bee line straight for the baby.
    She was the cutest little thing.  Y’all I’ve never had a small baby.  Both Moo and JJ were almost 9 pounds each.  My baby sister kept joking that I should pack up the baby’s stuff take her home the whole time I was there.  To be honest I did think about it and would have totally done it.
    Now you know what I’ve been up to.  Don’t forget to sign-up for my newsletter!
    What you’ve been recently resolving, reading, organizing, loving or craving? Leave a comment below.
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  • Thankful Thursday

    “Muddy roads are always an opportunity.  Whatever trouble, no matter how loud the cacophony of fear, it is a time time to climb on our Father’s back and hold on tight.”

    ~ Grace Malone, Unafraid: 365 Days Without Fear
    I’m sure that there are going to be plenty of muddy roads once all of the ice and snow we are supposed to be getting tonight and all day tomorrow melts on Sunday.  I’m ending my Thursday giving thanks for the Snow Day we are having tomorrow.  I have some sleep I need to catch up on and a three-day weekend is just the way to do it.  I know a lot of people laugh at the fact that down here in the Carolinas we cancel and shut down everything at the mention of snow and ice, but I’m grateful that we do.
    Here in the Queen City, drivers have a hard enough time driving when road conditions are good.  After our hit and run accident, I would not want to out on icy roads trying to get Moo to school.  And having a mother who was a bus driver, I would not want school buses on the roads either.  All it takes is the wrong patch ice or a little mud and then you’re getting a call from the school that your child’s bus was involved in an accident.  We’re just not equipped or experienced enough to drive in these conditions because for years we NEVER got snow or ice. 
    However, that’s been changing pretty much since my freshman year of college.  I do think that as we continue to see more snow year after that we will get with the problem though and these situations won’t freak us out at much and we’ll be better drivers in these conditions.  But until then my plan is to sleep in, cuddle up with my babies and enjoy a long weekend.
    Speaking of cuddling, I’ve been curling up with these good books at night after I put the kids to bed.  I’m thankful for these great reads.  One of my goals/resolutions for the New Year was to read my devotional everyday and I’m grateful to say that I’ve been successful in doing so.  I’ve also been making it my business to read more books written by influencers and bloggers/v;oggers.  Not only is it great to read about their journeys to success, but I’ve been picking up a few tips and tricks here and there; learning something new everyday.
    My little got his first barber shop haircut!  I’d been putting this off for years mainly because I wasn’t sure how he would do.  The buzz of clippers, among other noises, has always been something that freaks him out.  As soon he would hear them, he’d take off running in the other direction or have a full on meltdown.  So, last year I decided to try to get him used to sound by sitting him outside the bathroom door while I turned on the clippers in the bathroom.
    A photo posted by K. Elizabeth (YUMMommy™) (@theyummommy) on Jan 15, 2016 at 8:15am PST
    He freaked out as expected the first few times, but gradually he got used to the sound and soon he was even starting to come into the bathroom to get a close look at the clippers.  I’m proud to say that he nothing but a champ during his barber shop visit.  I’m so proud of him and loving his new do although it’s taking some getting used to. 
    Lastly, I’m thankful for conversations with my family.  Since 2016 started, I’ve really been putting forth more of effort to keep in contact with my family beyond texting and Facebook.  So far Moo’s created cute pictures for all for our extended family, we decorated envelopes and sent them out on Tuesday.  I can’t wait for everyone to get their special picture.  We’ve also been Skyping and enjoying phones with my baby sister, mom and niece.
    Remember to set aside time for you loved ones.  It’s easy to get caught up the business of life, but always keep your priorities straight and hold those you love most close to your heart!
    What are you giving thanks for this week?  Let me know in the comments. 

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  • Letters To My (Our) Children: Always Have A Dream

    Dear Moo and JJ,
    Always have a dream.  Today we’re celebrating and honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He was perhaps one of the greatest dreamers in history.  You see, Dr. King’s dream was for all people to be treated equally.  Unfortunately there was a time when we (Blacks) didn’t have the same rights as our non-Black counterparts.
    Dr. King’s dream was that the United States (and pretty much everyone) would become united people who wouldn’t judge each other based on skin color (or anything else).  Sadly, he was murdered before he could fully see his dreams come into fruition.  However, reading about his legacy and war on inequality has taught me many things about the importance of having a dream.  Here are few lessons that I’ve learned about dreams from Dr. King:

    Be Fearless

    Dr. King grew up during a time where Blacks were killed or seriously hurt for speaking out against Jim Crow laws, discrimination or bad treatment.  However, Dr. King believed in his dreams so much that they outweighed his fears.  There will be times the scope and journey of your dreams will scare you, but don’t let the fear win.  Someone once said, “Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.”
    Equality, unity, love and faith are what set Dr. King’s soul on fire and he pursued his passions until he took his last breath.  Therefore, as long as you two have breath in your body, continue going after your dreams.

    Don’t Settle/Downgrade

    Set your aims for the stars and keep it there.  When you dream, dream big.  Then don’t ever let anyone convince you that your dreams are too big, too much, or too anything.  Do you know how boring this world would be if everyone downgraded their dreams?  How unjust?  And while we still face great injustices today, if Dr. King and many other Civil Rights leaders didn’t chase after their dreams, we might not be where we are today.  None of those people downgraded their dreams.
    You won’t find anywhere where Dr. King downgraded his dream of equality.  Likewise, I don’t want to find any evidence of you two giving up on your dreams either!  You can totally do this.

    Walk The Walk

    “The distance between dreams and reality is called action.”  Don’t just speak about your dreams, take action.  If you’re going to talk the talk, walk the walk.  Put in work daily to accomplish your dreams.  Start with one small thing and then add something new everyday.
    So many people get caught up talking about what their dreams are that they forget to take the needed steps to make those dreams a reality.  Don’t just be a daydreamer, be a dream achiever. 

    Put Yourself First

    Don’t make the mistake of getting caught in building dreams for someone else.  Is it good to help others accomplish their dreams?  Of course, but don’t get so wrapped up in their dreams that you start to put yourself and your dreams on the back burner.  You only have one lifetime in which to accomplish everything you want to achieve.  Don’t waste it by playing second fiddle.

    Support Each Other

    Don’t ever forget to be supportive of one another.  Our family, friends and loved ones often times are our biggest supporters.   No matter what always be there for each other.  Lift each other up by doing what you can and offering to be of assistance.
    Dr. King and many activist before and after him were able to help us gain more rights and defeat Jim Crow Laws by being more supportive of each other’s movement and causes.  When Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a White person, Dr. King had her back and helped organize bus strikes and marches to bring awareness to her mistreatment and how ridiculous it was that We were seen as undeserving of a place to rest of tired feet on public transportation.

    The same  results can happen by offering to be a helping hand to support the causes and dreams of those we love when the time is needed. Divided we  fall, but united we strong and we stand tall.  

    At the end of the day, always have a dream or two!  Never give up on the opportunity to leave your mark on the world.
    ——–

    This letter is part of the Letters to Our Children series hosted by LaShawn of Everyday Eyecandy.  Keep the support going and check out Brandi’s letter here.

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  • Thankful Thursday

    “Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in faith.”
    ~ Anonymous 
    Happy Thankful Thursday!  I feel like this has been a fast week.  Who can believe tomorrow is Friday and that January is halfway over?!  Time is not slowing down this year either y’all.  If you set goals and/or resolutions like I did, then I hope you have been making great progress or steps toward accomplishing them.
    As I mentioned in my last Thankful Thursday post, my little guy has been officially discharged from speech therapy.  I’m grateful that this week he handled not meeting with his therapist well.  He is a creature of habit for sure.  He asked if he would be having therapy this week the night before his usual session and I said no.  I wasn’t sure how he was going to react, but he took it well.  
    No meltdowns or anything.  He asked the morning she was supposed to come and I reminded him again that she wasn’t coming and he just said okay and then we went to hang out at the library.  I’m taking this as a sign that it was time for us to move on.  However, his therapist will be missed and said that I could continue to reach out to her should I have any questions or see any relapse.
    I’m grateful that Moo has steadily been making great friends this school year.  She has two best friends and they are the sweetest girls.  One friend wrote her the nicest poem about Winter and her other friend made her the loveliest flower by gluing paper confetti to a sheet of notebook paper.  I think that friend has a future in art because she did an amazing job with it.
    Speaking of Moo’s friends, she wasn’t happy at first when I told her we were moving.  She didn’t and still doesn’t want to leave her best friends.  However, earlier this week we’re spending some time together and she said that she will be okay with leaving her friends because she understood that we were moving and that they could move too since they also stay in apartments.  I’m grateful she’s not upset about our upcoming move anymore.
    However, I think we’re both still a little bit sad about her leaving her friends.  Honestly, as my kids older, I develop more of a love-hate relationship with living in a big city versus the small town I grew up in.   Here there’s always school rezoning which means even if we didn’t move, she or her friends could have been rezoned to a new school next year.  Nevertheless, we’re going to stay positive and I’m reaching out to her friends’ parents to exchange emails and Skype info so this trio can stay in contact and meetup for playdates this summer and next school year.
    And since I’m talking about mom stuff, I just want to say that Moo and I have had a blast reading the Ever After High (affiliate link) series by Shannon Hale together.  It’s given us another avenue on which to bond.  I’m grateful our shared love of books and reading is bringing us even closer as mommy and daughter.  If you have a young daughter definitely read these books with her.
    Lastly, I’m thankful that my writing partner and I are still going strong.  We’re both still working on our solo projects and bouncing ideas off each other and chatting about stuff that writers like to chat about.  We’ve also decided to do Camp NaNo together this summer.  I’m excited.  
    Big or small, what’s one thing that you’re grateful for this week?  Let me know in the comments below!

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  • What’s In My COVERGIRL #Plumpify #OhSugar VoxBox?

    This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase through my link.  This doesn’t cost you anything additional.  These commissions help to keep the rest of my content free, so thank you!  Also, I received the products in this post complimentary from COVERGIRL and Influenster.

    When it comes to everyday makeup, COVERGIRL is one of my favorite go-to brands.  Therefore, I’m excited to share with you all what complimentary products products were in my COVERGIRL VoxBox from Influenster.  I’ve been using COVERGIRL for years and am to say that they do a great job at producing department store quality makeup without the expensive department store price tag.  It’s fantastic that they’ve found a way to offer us premium ingredients and amazing packaging at price points that are beyond affordable.  Now are you ready to find out what’s in my voxbox?

    To my knowledge and from what I’ve seen on social media there were two different COVERGIRL VoxBoxes that went out to influencers.  One box contained the COVERGIRL Plumpify Mascara by blastPRO, COVERGIRL Colorlicious Oh Sugar! Lip Balm and the COVERGIRL truNaked Eyeshadow Palette.  The second voxbox only contained the Plumpify Mascara and Oh Sugar! Lip Balm.

    I received the second voxbox.  Sure I was a little bummed about that I didn’t get the truNaked Eyeshadow Palette to try out, but who’s going to complain about getting complimentary full-size makeup samples from their favorite brand?  Not this mommy!

    COVERGIRL Plumpify Mascara by blastPRO

    I received the Plumpify Mascara in the shade Very Black (800).  I’ve been wanting to try out this mascara for a while, but was trying not to be a product junkie and use up the current tubes of mascara that I still have.  I love the packaging.  The black and silver are simple without being too plain and the red on the mascara wand adds a nice pop of color.  What makes this mascara wand unique is that it has a mix of conical bristles and fins that COVERGIRL boasts “will grip, lift, load and comb lashes for 50x more volume.”  Hence the name Plumpify. 
    The wand brush is not narrow like some mascara brushes I’ve encountered.  I do prefer chunkier brushes because in my opinion they are better at grabbing more lash hair and require less applications/coats.  Can’t wait to try this out.


    COVERGIRL Colorlicious Oh Sugar! Lip Balm

    Lip balms are probably my biggest makeup obsession.  It’s been this way since I was kid.  One of my mom’s best friends sold Avon and whenever my mom would order something, she’d always let me pick a few of the transparent lip balms.
    The Colorlicious Oh Sugar! Lip Balm that I received came in tinted shade Caramel (3).  Other colors that were sent out in voxboxes include Punch, Jelly and Cupcake.  Jelly is on my to-try list because it’s a gorgeous light plum/grape color, but I haven’t had any luck finding it at my local stores.
    The Oh Sugar! Lip Balms are “made with ultra-rich ingredients such as grapeseed oil, avocado butter and Vitamins C & E.”  The lip balms are designed to add just the right amount of tint.  Extra coats can be applied to deepened the color saturation.  So this lip balm not only adds color to your lips, but nourishes them as well with all the vitamins and minerals.
    How cute is the packaging?!  I love that the color is listed right on the lip balm cover as well as on the bottom of the tube.  The tube cover also matches the tint color of the lip balm.  This is helpful when if your store doesn’t have a shade guide that you can use to get an idea of how a particular shade will look against your skin tone.  Of course, it’s not 100% accurate, but helpful nevertheless. 
    Also, the packaging gives off the appearance of the tube cover being made of metal and the base of the lip balm tube looks like it’s made of class, but it’s all made from plastic.

    Overall, I’m happy with the products that I received in my COVERGIRL VoxBox.  I will be trying these products out for a week.  Then I’ll post a separate review post to let you all know if these products lived up their hype.

    !function(doc,s,id){ var e, p; if(!doc.getElementById(id)) { e = doc.createElement(s); e.id = id; p = ‘//shopsensewidget.shopstyle.com/widget-script.js’; var cb = new Date().getTime(); p += ‘?cb=’ + cb; e.src = p; doc.body.appendChild(e); } if(typeof window.ss_shopsense === ‘object’){ if(doc.readyState === ‘complete’){ window.ss_shopsense.init(); } } }(document, ‘script’, ‘shopsensewidget-script’); //shopsensewidget.shopstyle.com/#/?options=%7B%22widgetId%22%3A%22569ac8d3e7055a0dfc9e536a%22%2C%22version%22%3A1%2C%22pid%22%3A%22uid4756-22774766-98%22%2C%22size%22%3A200%2C%22columns%22%3A3%2C%22rows%22%3A1%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fapi.shopstyle.com%2Fapi%2Fv2%22%7D

    What new or recently released beauty products are you interested in trying out?

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  • Thankful Thursday

    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

    ~ Jeremiah 29:11
    Jeremiah 29:11 was my meditation scripture for 2015 and I have to say that I’m thankful I chose it.  Despite it everything, through all the good and the bad, I truly say that God gave me hope and prospered me in ways I didn’t even imagine.  It’s January 2016 as I type this, therefore He gave me a future as well.  If you haven’t picked an inspirational quote or scripture to meditate on for this year, I recommend that you do.  Read it whenever you feel the walls of doubt, frustration, anger, sadness or happiness, joy and love rising up.
    I’m thankful that our New Year has gotten off to a terrific start.  Goals and resolutions have been set, vision boards made and prayed over.  I’ve even made progress on a few already and we’re only seven days into 2016.  They say you start the year how you want to finish it.  Well, I we’re off to a strong start.
    For the past almost two years I’ve been dropping updates about JJ’s speech therapy progress during Thankful Thursday.  No need to break the tradition.  I’m thankful to announce that he’s officially getting discharged from speech therapy with his current therapist.  They’ve progressed as far as they’re going to.  We’re definitely going to miss her though.  However, JJ is not a talking machine.
    His speech issues now pretty much just include little things like teaching him when to use “me” versus using “I” and other issues that can be addressed through a school setting.  With our Big Move coming up, I can’t help but feel God lined this timing up just right.  He still needs OT therapy and we’ll have to wait to see what therapists will be available in our new neighborhood when we move.  But this is very exciting for me!
    It’s comforting to have some affirmation that my little guy is well on his way to getting where he needs to be.  This journey has been hard on all of us.  It was absolutely frustrating in the beginning for all of us, especially JJ.  I was frustrated because I couldn’t make everything okay and he was frustrated because he was starting to become aware that he was a little different.  Then there were all these people coming in, getting in his personal space, etc.  He was overwhelmed, but now he handles it like the champ he’s always been.
    School started back this week, but we’re all thankful tomorrow is Friday.  Unfortunately we got too addicted to our two weeks of staying up late and sleeping in until ten o’clock.  We’re all looking forward to going to bed early Friday and using the weekend to help us get back in the groove of things.
    What are you giving thanks for this New Year?

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  • My 2016 Goals & Resolutions

    “We can become the masters of our own destinies by practicing self-discipline and by setting worthy goals that will lead to higher ground so that we can  become what our Heavenly Father wants us to become.”

    ~ M. Russell Ballard
    I couldn’t agree more with Ballard.  Setting yearly goals and resolutions gives me a clear and more concrete focus on what direction I want my life to move in for said year.  Last year might have been a bit rocky, but I was still able to knock some of my goals.  Persevering through my challenges has without a doubt led me to a higher ground as well as made me an even better person.  When all’s said and done, I truly believe that that was what God wanted for me- to make and mold me into a better, more understanding and more faithful woman.

    Therefore I decided to once again pick up the reigns of my destiny and set some new goals and resolutions for 2016 as well as to continue making progress on a few that rolled over from 2015.  The kids made some goals of their own for the New Year as well.  Another activity/tradition that I kept alive this year was creating vision boards together as a family. See our boards from last year here.

    I’m a visual learner.  Therefore having visual representations/inspirations of what I want to accomplish is very helpful and motivating to me.  I’ll be sharing more about our vision boards later.  Meanwhile you can check out a brief list of some my goals and resolutions for 2016 below.

    A photo posted by K. Elizabeth (YUMMommy™) (@theyummommy) on Jan 1, 2016 at 5:12pm PST

    Home Life

    – Declutter: This is at the top of my list because I refuse to take any junk or items that we haven’t used in over a year to our new place this summer.  So far we’ve already donated a few bags and boxes of stuff to a local charity as well as shown our recycling bins loads of love.

    – Read my devotional daily:  The lovely folks over at FaithWords sent me a copy of Unafraid: 365 Days Without Fear (affiliate link) by Gracie Malone this past November and I enjoyed it right away.  Since I had already started it, I decided to continue reading it in the New Year.  Each devotional is dated, but you could totally skip around and read the devotional that best fits your mood or need.  I’m determined to continue growing in my faith.

    – Travel/Take another vacation:  We didn’t get to visit New York or New Orleans last year, but we did get to take a mini family vacation to Atlanta and went to Myrtle Beach for a surprise visit to see my little brother.  This year I’d like to show the kids more of both our state as well as our country.  Right now we’re aiming towards taking a trip to Disney World and having my mom, niece and baby sister tag along with me and the kids for either Thanksgiving or Christmas Break.  SN: Check out Nakia Cole from Kingdom Destinations if you’re in the market for a travel agent and want to miss out on some of the headaches planning a long distance vacation or trip can be.

    – Refresh my Spanish:  Long story short, I used to be able to speak and write fluent conversational Spanish with no issues.  However, a few years of not speaking Spanish has me needing a refresher course or two on my favorite language.  The kids will be taking lessons with me.  I’ve taught them numbers, colors and a few words/phrases that I can still recall off the top of my head, but I’d love if Spanish became their second language.  We’ll also be learning a Italian too!

    Relationships

    – Create a marriage notebook/journal:  Any lasting and great relationship takes hard work.  So I plan to put in lots of hard work by creating a marriage notebook/journal where the Mr and I can share our deepest thoughts, relationship wish lists and more for each other to read and discuss.

    – Host a monthly family night:  Games, movies, junk food, laughs and the whole nine yards.  I want 2016 to be the year our family rediscovers its fun side.  My kids are getting older and keeping my bond with them strong is more important than ever as they get exposed to other (negative) influences.  Using family night as another tool to build up their trust and comfort in confiding in me.  Also, I just love having a blast with my loved ones and to do more of that in 2016!

    – Send out more snail mail:  Technology is cool.  It’s quick and it’s fast, but sometimes you have to kick it ol’ school again.  This year I’m taking it back to the start like Coldplay and sending out more cards for the major holidays, birthdays and update letters to family and friends.  My aim is not to receive any back in return, but to simply let them know that they are constantly on my mind, in my heart and loved by me and my family.  Both my family and hometown experienced quite a few deaths last year.  If there’s anything I’ve learned from saying goodbye forever it’s that you often regret the times you had the opportunity to say so much more.

    – Visit a bestie:  I haven’t seen any of my besties in over two years y’all!  We all went to college together in the Queen City and then they all dipped out and moved back home after graduation.  4 out of 5 of us have kids and 3 out of 5 of us are married.  So, I’d say we’re overdue for some face-to-face catching up.  I’m not sure if I can make a reunion with everyone happen, but I can try to reunite with them individually!

    Career

    – Collaborate:  While I did collaborate once or twice last year, I want collaborate even this year with other content creators as well as non-creatives.  I’ve been jotted down notes for potential projects as well as a wish list for those folks (and brands) I’d like to work with for those projects.  Here’s to seeing some new faces besides my own and the kids on YUMMommy!

    – Attend a blog conference:  I haven’t attended a blog conference in a while.  With the world of blogging, vlogging and social media changing so fast, attending the classes/sessions that some of these conferences offer would provide me with a wealth of information.  Not mention blog conferences are great places to network and meet new friends.

    – Better monetize my brand:  Simply put more in my pockets opens up the door for me to invest back more into YUMMommy and better enhance your experiences here.

    Finances/Money

    – Set up bank accounts for kids:  I can talk to the kids about money all I want, but the best way for them to learn is through hands on learning.  Therefore, I’m going to be setting up kids/student accounts for them at my bank.  They’ll have deposit all of their money except for what they plan to tithe at church that Sunday.  From there we’ll decide what percentage can be used of frivolous stuff and what percentage has to stay in the bank (because college time will be here before we know it).  They’ll also get to learn how to use debit cards and write checks in the process.

    – Make double mortgage payments:  There no sense in racking up extra interest or dragging out mortgage payment if I don’t have to.  Once we actually start paying a mortgage our goal is to pay it back in the half time or less outlined on our loan.  Debt freedom is the name of the game for 2016 and I’m going all in.

    – Get back to couponing:  The coupon notebook and envelopes have returned.  It’s not cheap feeding a family with food allergies.  Who knew it cost so much to keep harmful chemicals and preservatives out of your food?  Plus, my kids are growing like weeds and that means they’re really putting the food away now.  I can’t even be upset because they get that from my side of the family.  In order to keep up with their growing bodies, my stockpile must return and in order to bring back the stockpile and free up more cash for food and other essentials, I’m getting my coupon on again.

    There you have it folks!  These are my main goals for 2016.  Nothing impossible or that continued hard work and determination coupled with self-discipline and faith can’t accomplish.  After all I can all things right?  Snag the FREE below by clicking on the 5 x 7 picture.  Remember this printable is for personal use ONLY!

    What are your goals and/or resolutions for the New Year?  Share them below in the comments.

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  • Hello 2016

    Happy New Year!  I rung in 2016 surrounded by loved ones at home.  After a few years of unsuccessful attempts to attend the festivities Uptown here in the Queen City, we decided it was best to hang out at home.  The Mr picked up dinner from our favorite restaurants, I baked cookies with the kids and we watched movies.  We almost missed counting in the New Year with the ball drop by 25 seconds.  Thank goodness for my mom’s text.
    Anyways, I couldn’t let this day without saying thank you.  Thank you to those who are continuing to support YUMMommy in 2016 and to those who supported me throughout 2015 and to those supporters who have yet to stumble across my blog.  YUMMommy is turning six in a few days and all I can think about is what an awesome ride this all has been.
    I’ve met some amazing people, gotten work with some of my favorite brands and learned a few life/business lessons along the way.  My family and I can’t wait to see what awaits us this year.  I look forward connecting with and bringing y’all along on the ride.
    The Mr, Moo, JJ and I wish each and everyone of you a blessed and prosperous New Year.  May your 2016 be filled with an abundance of love, happiness, joy and success!

    Let us know how you rung in the New Year in comments!

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  • 2015 YUMMommy Year In Review

    I can hardly believe that 2016 will be here in just a few hours.  I’m bubbling with excitement and a little anxiety over all the things I want to accomplish next year both in my personal and professional life.  2015 was a year of both great highs and major lows for me ( and my family).  There’s so much that was happening behind the scenes.  It was beyond frustrating not being able to find the words to share what I was going through without going into too much detail.
    Alas, if I had to sum up 2015 in three words, I would say this year was challenging, eye opening and motivational.  The high point of my year was winning the Food Lion Frugal Cook-off.  Not only did my team win, I got to meet some incredible people and landed my first featured appearance on live television!  I’m forever grateful to the folks at Food Lion, Theory House and the Southern Women’s Show for helping to make this dream of mine come true.
    There were many low points to this year like battling my depression, my mom’s breast cancer scare, almost throwing in the towel on my marriage and losing my blogging mojo.  We’re not even going to talk about how I managed to break two cameras, had my laptop break down on me or the hit and run accident the kids and I were in.  When it rained, it poured and it felt like it rained a lot over the course of 2015- figuratively and literally.
    My ability to put a positive spin/twist on my negative situations as well as my faith really helped to keep me afloat.  This year taught me that perspective is everything.  Seriously, if I didn’t force myself to find the good in all of the bad things or stay focused on the light at the end of the tunnel, I’d be in a mental hospital right now.  There were more than a few times when I felt like I was going to jump off the edge of the cliff, but God wouldn’t let me.  He has a greater purpose for my life and I can’t accomplish that purpose if I give in to the storms.
    With that said, I do feel like I spent 2015 shifting from being super stressed to being overwhelming excited.  There were very few in-between moments.  The most stressful parts of this year were seeing all of the progress JJ has made, but hearing from his OT that he still has a long way to go developmentally and I struggled with not being as financially independent as I wanted to be.  Since JJ’s diagnosis, I’ve cut back a lot in terms of properly monetizing my blog and taking advantage of paid opps.  Being available to my kids will always be my first priority, but there will be serious changes coming in 2016.
    Through it all the people I could rely on the most were my family and Tara from The Young Mommy Life.  Tara is a great listener and partner for bouncing around ideas.  As a fellow mom and business woman, she understood the struggle of balancing home and work life better anyone.  She’s become a trusted friend and someone that I look up to over these few years.  I’m grateful for having stumbled across her blog.
    I’m not proud to say that I was the person who most hindered my own success and efforts this year.  I have this annoying habit of being able to be a cheerleader and motivator for everyone else, but not for myself.  While I took some risks this year, I spent way too much time still second guessing my abilities and talents.  I will definitely be leaving this bad habit behind.
    By far the biggest lesson 2015 has taught me is to say yes to things that will make me better, things that will help me grow and things that will put me in the position to leave my mark on those around me.  2016 is going to be much better and more improved.  I’m naming it, claiming it, praying on it and most importantly taking action.  Faith without work is dead!  So get ready to watch me work y’all!
    How was your 2015?  What is one thing you want to do differently in 2016?

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