Changes!

A few big and exciting things have been happening in the Paladinverse!

We have now lived in Phoenix for a month. We’re settling into our home quite nicely and the kids are still loving all the extra space to run around. I am beyond in love with my washer and dryer because they actually work correctly unlike the previous set we had back in Missouri. The kids and I have also managed to adjust to the time change, the climate difference, and our new schedule.

Brayden turned three years old during Memorial Day Weekend. He’s definitely a crazy and sassy ‘threenager’ now. I can’t believe I thought two was a trip! He’s finally starting to see Arya as more than just his annoying little sister and he’ll actually accept when she tries to play or color with him.

This one happens to be the biggest piece of news I have to share with you all, *drumroll*, I’m finally going back to school!!! I’m looking at starting in September of this year so be on the lookout for updates about that!

Easy DIY Skinny Washi

This one is for my planner friends and crafty pals-

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a decent collection of washi tape sitting in or on your desk waiting to be used for various projects or decorating your planner. I recently changed the type of layout I’m using in my planner to a week on one page so my boxes for each day are pretty narrow. I have a TON (and I mean a TON) of washi tapes laying around that I want to start using up but most of them are 1/2” to 3/4” wide. This got me thinking “Hm, I bet I can cut that down to be skinnier to use in my new planner,” and from that though I pulled out my cutting mat, the washi I wanted to use, a straight edge ruler, and my utility knife and went to town trimming some washi. I think the results are pretty great:

After showing a friend this week in my planner she asked me to film a video on how I was able to trim it down so neatly. This was my first attempt at a video tutorial and I’m pretty pleased it’s helping others who didn’t realize how easy it was to do! This method can be applied to any planner type and any page layout!

Phoenix

Well, we made it here in one piece! The drive here was very long and the kids did not approve after the first twelve hours. It ended up taking us about 38 hours to get here from KCMO. We’re in the process of getting things unpacked and settling in to our new home. I’m really loving our new place, it’s about 500-600 square feet larger than anything we’ve had before in addition to having a third bedroom and a main floor bathroom! The kids keep giving me heart attacks on the stairs, we really need to shop for some gates to block them off before someone gets hurt.  I hope to resume a somewhat normal blogging and filming schedule here in the next week or two.

Life Update!

I know, I know. I’ve been slacking on keeping up with my goal list for 2015.  My posting on this little blog has been almost nonexistent and I’m really working on turning that around in the coming weeks and months. A lot of big things have been happening lately. Shortly after my New Year, New Me post my husband was offered a new job that would take him all the way to Arizona.  We ended up weighing the pros and cons of this opportunity and he took the job even though it meant leaving the kids and I behind in KCMO. It’s been a long three and a half months full of ups and downs while I’ve been solo parenting the kids. (Seriously, I don’t understand how single parents do it with such grace. You guys and gals are truly rock stars in my book.) I’m very happy to announce that the kids and I are finally moving to Arizona next week! They’re going to be so surprised when we pick Travis up at the airport this weekend since he’s flying up to help with packing up our apartment and the drive down.

I’ve been somewhat consistent in regard to my YouTube channel. I’ve uploaded a few videos recently about my current planner set up. You can find my channel right here.

As far as the whole weight loss/getting healthy and fit thing: I have been slacking in the worst way. I managed to gain back most of what I’d worked to lose and I really feel icky about how I’ve been eating. I’m back to actively working on eating cleaner and more whole foods. The kids are definitely enjoying that I’m cooking from scratch more instead of cutting corners on some things. My husband is also on board with changing his eating habits at last so it will be a family affair once we’re all together again!

Earlier this year I stated that I wanted to read one book per month (or more if I found the time) as a goal. I am failing miserably at this one. I’m hoping to turn that around and meet the implied goal of reading 12 or more new to me books in 2015.

Two other things on that goals list that I have actually been decent about doing on a daily basis are cleaning for at least 15 minutes a day and practicing my handwriting. Cleaning house feels a lot less overwhelming when I dedicate at least 15 minutes per day to a task I’ve been putting off (folding laundry anyone?) and pick a room or area to focus on each day. My handwriting has also improved a fair bit from simply using my planner each day with a little bit of journaling. I’m hoping I’ll find a little bit more time after the move so I can actually sit down and have a more formal go at working on that awful penmanship of mine!

Vicks Mini Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier

Disclaimer: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

This Vicks humidifier is really awesome. I’ve used other brands before but I always had a lot I didn’t like about them such as they were huge, noisy, or a pain to maintain because of filters. If you’re in the market for a new humidifier, I would definitely recommend this one.

What I like about the Vicks Cool Mist:

It has a very small footprint.

It’s very quiet, you can barely hear it when it’s running.

There is no filter to replace down the line.

It’s easy to keep clean.

What I dislike:

I wish the tank was just a smidge bigger. (however the small footprint outweighs this con)