My 2019 Vibes

I am not into New Year's resolutions but rather setting intentions for a coming year or finding ways that I want to live better or in more words, find ways to adjust my lifestyle that will help myself and my family thrive. Some people will choose a word while others will make resolutions. Any way you slice it, I think it's an admirable thing to make an effort to improve your life, no matter what time, place or motivation.

A couple of weeks ago, I did a silly little thing on instagram, decorating a Christmas tree with gifs and I somehow landed on a bunch that seemed to set a vibe... so why not, right? I already try to live a life set by moral principles and kindness but trying to bring a couple other things into the mix is a noble intention set by a mother of two young male tornadoes set on bringing in da noise and da funk!

I want to live the following:

Educate Myself to Be a Better Human (especially to marginalized communities)

Paying attention to what's happening around us isn't a choice, it's our duty. If you're not educating yourself on what is going on in the world, well, that disappoints me. I am not intending to take on all of the world's problems (I've been known to take on more than I can emotionally handle) but I do know that I have lived a life of privilege, wherein I have benefited from being white and from a family that was not poverty stricken. I have been doing some spiritual activism workshops, am planning to see Rachel Cargle in February and am looking forward to doing some hard work helping to be a better human and raise better humans. I don't know 100% what this looks like for my year but I know that it's at the top of my list to achieve.

Spend Less, Reduce, Recycle, Reuse, Mindful Shopping

I've been working on this for a few years now but it seems like every year, around the holidays, I fall into the trap of gifting my love. I know that I should be able to do this within reason but when I get festive, boy do I get festive. This year I am kicking off this goal anew by doing a low spend January and a no spend February. My end goal is to spend A LOT less this year, keep to our budget, recycle, reuse and just think before I shop- do I or someone in my family need this? Will this add value to my life (make me happy)? Am I contributing to pollution or negative effects to the environment? I am going to be taking much into account as I spend my money (in all areas) more mindfully than ever.

Be Kind

This should go without saying but truly, this reminder is always a good one. There have been many instances in this past year where someone has shown me kindness and it's meant a great deal to me. I plan to (try) bring kindness into all of my exchanges, as best I can. We never know what someone is going through and what a nice word or two can do for them. Be kind, it's important.

Make the Time to Create

Something I thought about every single day in 2018 was to work on creating something, specifically, whipping out my sewing machine and crafting something... something I was not good at in 2018 was making the time for all these ideas that I had. Looking back, I spent far too much time putting around on the internet, checking my phone or working on other people's projects. I am prioritizing my own stuff this year... so let's see what I can make!

Focus on Fitness and Movement

I really kicked it into high gear this year, going consistently to the gym multiple times a week, finding classes that I really enjoy and making it a part of our routine. I want to continue this into 2019 but perhaps focus it more on what could work to make specific changes in my body. I have plans to perhaps do a couple 5Ks and maybe even a trail run with friends. All I know is that I want to continue moving and shaking and getting stronger!

What a list am I right? It's not so much a list but ways that I want to bringing changes into my every day. I am looking forward to 2019 and seeing what comes my way. I'd love to hear what you've got planned for the upcoming year- leave me an old fashioned comment below!

Setting Intentions + Goals for 2017

You may have caught my post last week where I basically complained about my plight in life even though I have a ton to be thankful for. As intended, it was a cleansing breath so I could flush out the negativity that I had been feeling for a couple of weeks with the purpose of bringing a new outlook to my 2017 for me, my family, our mutual goals as well as my individual ones. I took some time to just think about what my resolutions would be for 2017 and decided that meh, resolutions are not for me this year. What I want to do is to set intentions and attainable goals for the year so that I was living with some purpose rather than say Oh well, I want to lose weight (obviously), drink more water (should be every day of my life) and eat healthy... those shouldn't be resolutions, those should be lifestyle adjustments. I think I will be in for a more successful and happy year if I just live by some intentions set out of the gate.

I always seem to let this one fall by the wayside. When I'm busy or moody or generally unhappy, instead of doing something that I enjoy (sewing, painting, baking etc), I always do more of what I don't enjoy (knock things off the household to-do list ie: dishes, organizing etc). I am in a constant battle with my urge to be productive versus my urge to be a creative individual. What happens is that I end up trying to get everything done so that I can sit down and be creative, and that list is never ending, so I don't end up investing in the things that I enjoy. This year, I want to be better about balancing my responsibilities and my creative priorities.

This year, I want to be better at saying no to things that won't be beneficial to me on a personal level. Will I go to every blogger event that I'm invited to? Likely no and not just because I have two kids at home now. I want to make sure that if I am going to spend time outside of my home, that I am investing in quality time with quality people. Brunch with good people with trump a shopping party with people that I may not know. This isn't to say that I don't want to get out there to network and meet new people but I think it's going to be important for me to spend my time cultivating good relationships with the good people in my life. I have a lot of worthy people in my life already that I may have let those relationships slide. I intend to change that this year by investing again in this strong foundations.

This is going to be a tough one since I'm pretty sure that I was hardwired from birth to worry about anything and everything... that being said, it's worth a try! I spend a lot of time worrying about things that are out of my control and if the election season last year taught me anything, it's that I can beat my drum the loudest that I can and worry 24-7 and the outcome of things may still not change. I am going to try to compartmentalize my worry and channel it into action and/or flush it out so it doesn't cause me to have unnecessary heartache.  Again, this one is going to be an intention that I will have to work on actively because "worry" is a default for me in many situations but is one that I'm working to change.

This one is important. I already try to do this but having been so tired the last couple of months, it certainly has been hard to keep positive and therefore be kind no matter the situation. Sometimes, when you're in a sucky situation yourself, the last thing that you want to do is to go out of your way to make someone's day better. Whether I was in the end of pregnancy exhaustion or the beginning of postpartum with a newborn, I think it's helpful to look beyond myself and how I'm feeling and look to how I can make an impact around me, whether it's with my children, people I meet or friends in my life. Being kind isn't always convenient and you won't always be thanked for it, but more now than ever, it will be important to treat everyone with a tender attitude and understanding even if you have to put in a bit of extra effort.

What are your intentions for 2017?

New Year's Goals

This isn't a post about resolutions rather a post about what I want to do this year. The commitments that you make to yourself are important and should be honored all year long, not just at the turn of a new year but that being said there is something nice about putting your goals down in writing so you can refer back to what you'd set out to do because if you're anything like me, well, you forget a lot of things. So the things I want to do, in no particular order, are as follows:

Avoid Over Committing Myself: I do it all the time. I have a hard time saying no to people, invitations and I often am tired at the end of the day. I don't need to do it all and if I am more mindful of how I am spending my time, I will have more time to do what I want to do, which is to work on my handbags.

Ask for Advice: I do not know everything. I don't claim to. I often consider myself smart but there are a lot of times that I just need to know what others' opinions are on things. Instead of keeping my trap shut, I am going to reach out to the crazy talented and friendly people that I surround myself with. These people will help me, I just know it, and their advice will be super valuable.

Take Advice: Asking for advice is one thing but taking it is completely another. I need to learn from others in order to grow and I am all about personal growth this year and forever!

Collaborate with Honest and Worthy People + Brands: This blog is important to me but I am not going to sell my soul down the river just for some product samples. I am going to be very mindful of my relationships this year. Are they good people? Do I like what they are doing? Do they align with my values? Can we provide each other with a mutual beneficial relationship? All these are questions I will be asking myself.

Do More Yoga: I just feel good on the mat. I need to make this a priority so that I can focus my mind.

Use my Real Camera More: We paid a nice chunk of change for this thing and I even bought a tripod so it's on this year, Canon Rebel!

Be Healthy without Stressing: This one is important because I am not about to "let myself go" but I am kind of sick of stressing about how I look in skinny jeans or why I have to wear bras with thick straps (because my boobs are so big). I am what I am and while I would love to be smaller, I need to focus on just being healthy and mindful.

Make Handbags: I want to make handbags. There, I said it. I put it on my blog. I took a class the Summer before #PropahToddlah came along and it's been jangling around in my mind ever since. I want to make them and I want people to use them. More on this to come, but I want to make this happen for me no matter how long the process is going to be.

See Celine Dion in Vegas: Her residency ends in June. I have Brandon almost convinced that we can make a long weekend of it. I will make this happen this year.

What do you want to make happen this year? Do you have a resolutions post? 

My Goals for Prim and Propah in 2013

It's 2013, which for most people means that there are resolutions! Oh, the resolutions! Mine has been the same for the last 10 years, to lose weight and work out and eat healthier. Yeah, this year I did lose almost 20lbs but that was over the course of the year. I have resigned myself to always trying to work on this so for now, I am not going to make it a big thing. This year, instead of working on what might seem to be my physical appearance, I will be working on my online presence and the content in that online presence... making it better.

Document Fashion Design School in a more organized fashion: I have been working really hard in 2012 on any number of things, school being one of them. It is something I am most proud of doing yet I am not doing a great job or sharing it with you, my readers. Assuming that it would interest you, I should do my best to explain classes and what I am learning, especially if there are people interested in the same schooling as what I am going through now.

Overhaul the appearance of Prim and Propah: I have been personally working on the appearance of this blog for the past 2 years. I have done everything on my own, teaching myself the html as I go along or looking up different ways for things to appear on Blogger. Not only do I want a more professional feel but I want to switch from the Blogger platform to a self hosted Wordpress blog, which undoubtedly has more functionality for expansion and professional elements. I plan to hire someone to handle this undertaking so recommendations are certainly welcome.

Work on more DIY and Craft related posting: When I started Prim and Propah, it was to share my journey into the world of crafting and sewing. As time has gone by, I have admittedly moved in a more fashion related direction but this year, I will do a better job of making posts in relation to one of my passions that I haven't had time for, sewing and crafting. I want to share my creativity with you all, which was my main mission when I started this blog.

Work on making connections, more than I had in 2012: Just yesterday, I was surprised with being featured on the Boston.com DIY blog as one of the 13 DIYs to try in 2013 from Boston Bloggers... needless to say, I was pretty stoked with the attention to my blog, always my labor of love (and sometimes loathing). If I work on making more connections, cultivating relationships with other bloggers and attending events (like Boston Blogger Meetups/ Conventions/Store events), I can not only have my visibility boosted but I can meet people that I can learn from. Yay!

Do you have goals for your blog, life or business this year? If so, please share!