This post was brought to you in partnership with Dr. Brown’s
2017 is a year that I am happy to close out. An all around difficult year with so many moving parts and changes it felt like I was rarely in control. After becoming a mom the second time around my organization skills took a deep nose dive. Couple this chaos with all of the uncertainty in our lives lead and it felt like I was constantly drowning. Our schedules were always up in the air and rapidly changing and our ability to sleep well due to our travel seemed like a rarity. We were constantly fighting colds and fighting with each other. Well guess what?! 2018 is the year I am taking back control and going to get our household organized.
For some reason I have always fought the idea of running a household. It sounded antiquated and like something that was only done in the 1950’s. However, I have recently realized the value of taking care of your home and the family that lives in it. I’m eager to open up the book of 2018 and excited to start a new chapter each month with our family. Excited to start new routines but also looking forward to carrying on the ones that got us through the year of chaos. The one tradition that I will carry forward into 2018 is our daily Starbucks trips.
My schedule is less than ideal but working for myself has afforded me the ability to be there for the moments that matter most to our girls. While I still miss some of the moments I try and carve out quality time for us every day. As someone who is up early and goes to bed late I often need an afternoon pick me up. So almost daily we head to Starbucks around 2 pm and our order is almost always the same. 2 pink cake pops and 1 almond milk latte. During this time there are no phones, no friends just the girls and I enjoying our time together. These little trips helped me find happiness in 2017 amongst all the chaos. This is a tradition that I will most certainly carry into 2018.
Isabella picking out her pink cake pop at Starbucks
I have realized that part of the reason I love these little trips, other than the company, is that I am prepared. Juice boxes are still tricky for Summer and leave us with milk either on the floor or on us. So I pack up our Dr. Brown’s sippy cups and fill them up with whole milk to prevent spills. As someone who knows the importance of healthy eating I also do believe in the occasional indulgence. These little reusable pouches from Dr. Brown’s are always packed with healthy snacks to offset our daily cake pop habit. Dr. Brown’s pacifiers and teethers are still on hand for both girls. They are comfort tools and I’m not afraid to break them during an epic meltdown. Being out in public with an ensuing meltdown is a sure fire way to promote stress. However, if you have the right tools you can handle anything.
Dr. Brown’s Teether, Pacifier and Little Tummy Grumbler Pouches
Dr. Brown’s Bottles are still Summer’s favorite. She has little hands so she loves the easy grip of the smaller bottles.
If you are like me and feel like you lost control over the past year, I have complied some tips I found helpful to get you back on track. Cheers to living a more organized, stress-free and productive year. When all else fails enjoy a moment unplugged with a cake pop, it works every time.
Thank you to 2017 for the lessons we learned. 2018 we welcome you with open arms and can’t wait for this fresh start!