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Posted in Blog challenge, Everyday Life

Year in Review 2023

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy 2024!

I’m kicking off the new year by recapping 2023.

If you want the quick recap, here you go:

January, February, March, April, and May 2023:

Summer 2023: June, July and August:

September and October 2023:

November and December 2023:

Like any year, we had our ups and downs, but overall it was a really good one. Here’s the more in-depth recap:

January:

Hadley and friends went to their first school-wide middle school dance.

Hayden played basketball for school.

I turned 43!

February:

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl!

The kids went to the Valentine’s Day dance at school.

I sent Valentine’s Day cards to family per tradition.

Hadley had her first dance competition of the season.

March:

We started off March by losing power for 5 days.

The kids ran in an indoor track meet.

April:

We spent a few days in Greenville, SC for spring break.

We celebrated Easter.

Hayden got his braces off after almost three years.

Track season started.

Hayden met one of his goals by running under five minute (4:59) mile and qualified for state in a few events. Hadley did too in the 400 m.

Travis and I spent an afternoon at Keeneland.

May:

Travis and I kicked off May by going to Oaks.

…and watching Derby at home.

Dance competitions continued…

…including ones on Mother’s Day. I still felt celebrated and loved 🙂

The kids wrapped up 7th grade.

The kids ran in the state track meet in Louisville to wrap up the month.

June:

Hadley had her dance recital at the beginning of June, and decided to hang up her dance shoes to focus on volleyball.

Travis and I made a trip to Julep Farm for a few days.

We also celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary.

July:

Hadley went to camp.

We celebrated the 4th of July, and Hayden ran his first ever 10k.

Hadyen went to running camp, and he loved every minute.

Hadley and I spent a week in Florida, and she brought one of her friends along for the vacay.

We went to KC for a bit to see family. The kids hung out there while Travis and I went to California for a few days.

August:

Del Mar, California…one of my favorite places.

The kids hung out with some UK athletes when we got home.

Volleyball Photo Day. Tommy Quarles | UK Athletics

We celebrated a friend’s birthday in Nashville.

…and one of Hadley’s friend’s at her bat mitzvah.

We headed back to school in August…8th grade for the kids and year 22 for me.

Cross country ramped up with Hayden starting his 8th grade season, and Travis as the coach again.

September:

Hadley got back into volleyball in September.

The kids, more than the adults, attended the UK football games with friends.

Hayden won the district championship cross country meet.

October:

For fall break, we spent a week in Florida with friends.

Per tradition, we hit up the pumpkin patch.

Hayden ran in the state meet with a top 10 finish.

Hadley and friends went to the first cotillion dance of the season.

October means Keeneland with friends!

The kids were still old enough to have fun on Halloween.

November:

Club season started for running, and Hayden (and team) was off to a great start.

Hayden ran another sub five minute mile, and enjoyed being coached by his dad and his cousin.

School volleyball started for Hadley, and she loved it.

The kids turned 14!!

They had fun with their friends celebrating their birthday.

We headed to KC for Thanksgiving.

We celebrated Hadley at 8th grade night, and volleyball season wrapped up in early December.

December:

Club season continued, and Travis and Hayden traveled to Tallahassee, Florida. Hayden ran in a downpour, but achieved his first All-American status.

Hayden had one more race mid-December to cap off club cross country season.

The kids went to the second cotillion dance: Glitter and Gold Gala

Hadley started off break having so much fun with her friends eating pizza, ice skating, and having a Secret Santa exchange.

We continued Christmas traditions like baking cookies,

…sending Christmas cards,

…seeing the lights at the horse park, and…

…adding a new tradition into the mix: Operation Secret Santa.

Christmas Eve Eve we went to Louisville for Christmas with Trav’s family.

We celebrated Christmas Eve with dinner at home followed by church, and then hung out with friends for a bit.

Christmas day we were at home, and I got the sweetest gifts.

The week between Christmas and the new year was much like it is for everyone…a blur of days with a mix of lazy and productivity. Unfortunately, I was sick for a few days with a sinus infection, but at least I had the downtime.

We celebrated New Year’s Eve with friends last night.

My “focus” words for the year are: faith, forgiveness, and growth.

We have a couple more days of break which we greatly appreciate. And… we’ve started 2024 off with a bedroom refresh for Hadley, so that’s been a fun focus this past week.

I hope you have had a great holiday season.

Last year, I participated in WordPress’ Bloganuary which means I hope to post all 31 days in January. There have been days this past year where it’s been harder to find time to write, but I do feel like January tends to be a slower month, so I’m up to the challenge!

Happy 2024…may it be the best year yet!

Posted in Blog challenge, Friday Favorites

2023 Blogging Recap and Fave Posts

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Wow, this week seemed to fly by. After Christmas on Monday, I spent a couple of days sick with a sinus infection. I’m feeling better now and was a bit more productive yesterday.

Of course, I have to wrap up the year with one more Friday Favorites link up with Andrea (and Erika), but today I’m sharing some of my favorite posts that I wrote this year.

A few stats from the year:

  • Posts: 240
  • Total words: 165,006
  • Average words per post: 690
  • Best day: Friday; Best hour: 8 am
  • Most popular day: March 14 with 928 views

I started this blog as a hobby in August of 2019. I’m always blown away that people read my posts.

Some all time stats include:

  • Views: 332.5k
  • Visitors: 90.9k
  • Post published: 945
  • Countries: Readers in 93 countries have read at least one of my posts. That will never not blow my mind.

While some big time bloggers have my annual views in a day, it’s just been fun to see this blog grow year to year.

I love when readers take the time to “like” or comment on a post. I really appreciate and enjoy interacting with my SM&ST readers.

Favorite posts from 2023:

Last year, I shared my 10 favorites posts. This year, I kept a running list throughout the year of posts I really enjoyed writing and sharing.

I ended up with a list of 20, and here they are in the order that I wrote them.

1.

I loved starting the year participating in WordPress’ Bloganuary (and I think I might do this again this year!)

Two January Bloganuary topics were ones I enjoyed writing.

Books that Changed My Life

2.

Bloganuary: Birthday Cakes…all the cakes I made the kids when they were little and our favorite birthday cakes now.

3.

Tuesday Talk: Slang…keeping up with the cool kids!

4.

Thursday Thoughts: Kids…and the stages of parenting kids when they were little and now as teens.

5.

Let’s Look: Fave Amazon Finds (close to 1,000 views)

6.

Puppy Love - A post all about the dogs I’ve loved in my life.

7.

Greenville, SC trip recap. We loved visiting this town for spring break.

8.

Workout Diaries all about my workouts in April.

9.

All about Oaks and Derby…a favorite tradition in May!

10.

Camp packing list . Since Hadley has gone to camp quite a few summers, this was a fun post of ideas of how she preps for camp.

11.

Not Just a Mom: How We Became Moms Not only did I love writing this post, I enjoyed reading all the other bloggers’ posts who linked up with us.

12.

A travel recap with the 50 states list. This was a blog post that I thought would be a quick one to write. Boy was I wrong! I really enjoyed this trip down memory lane through and all the states I’ve visited through the years.

13.

Hadley’s Hair Tutorial – heatless curls. Hadley showed us step by step how she uses the heatless curlers for her hair.

14.

Friday Favorites/Summer Recap in August. I love a good recap. We had a busy but different summer in 2023.

15.

TV Tuesday: Childhood TV Shows. This was a blast from the past. Also, recently, I’ve found Who’s the Boss? on Hulu, and I’ve loved watching those episodes.

16.

After a week at the beach, I shared a Fall Break Recap. We had fun in the sun with our friends.

17.

Tuesday Talk – All about the Holidays . I loved writing this post and thinking about how we celebrate holidays through the year.

18.

Right before Thanksgiving, I wrote a Thanksgiving Fun post about activities, recipe, tablescapes and more.

19.

I shared all about the Shutterfly ornaments that I ordered with the kids’ Christmas and Santa pics through the years. It was a fun trip down memory lane.

20.

I also had fun with the ABC’s series – summer, fall, winter.

Bonus:

I loved our trip to Julep Farm, and that trip recap is filled with so many pretty pictures and details about that beautiful property and surrounding areas.

Weekly Recap:

A week of recaps…and one more favorite post that I write every year is when I share the books I read and my top 5 favorites…

Christmas Recap + Memes
2023 Books

I have one more “recap” to go! Come back on Monday when I take a look back on 2023 as we kickoff 2024.

Until then…Happy New Year!

Posted in Books and Shows

December Books + TOP 5 books of 2023

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello…and happy Thursday.

It’s crazy to think a week from today, we’ll be back in school. Ok, enough negative talk…today is all about the positive. One of my favorite posts of the year is sharing the books I’ve read and my top 5 faves.

December Books:

Well, I was on a roll with reading but struggled in November and even December. While I usually read Christmas themed books in December, I was still reading (and finally finishing) Demon Copperhead from November. Then, I read Just Mercy with a group of students at school. I was able to read a couple of winter/Christmas books, and I really enjoyed them too.

This month I read:

{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}

Demon Copperhead:

Summary:

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens’ anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind.

Quick Thoughts:

This book was long, but it definitely sticks with you when you are finished. I did feel like it dragged in parts and was sometimes hard to keep some of the minor characters straight. The David Copperfield connection is an interesting twist on telling this story.

Rating:

Just Mercy:

Summary:

An unforgettable true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to end mass incarceration in America — from one of the most inspiring lawyers of our time.

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit law office in Montgomery, Alabama, dedicated to defending the poor, the incarcerated, and the wrongly condemned.

Just Mercy tells the story of EJI, from the early days with a small staff facing the nation’s highest death sentencing and execution rates, through a successful campaign to challenge the cruel practice of sentencing children to die in prison, to revolutionary projects designed to confront Americans with our history of racial injustice.

One of EJI’s first clients was Walter McMillian, a young Black man who was sentenced to die for the murder of a young white woman that he didn’t commit. The case exemplifies how the death penalty in America is a direct descendant of lynching — a system that treats the rich and guilty better than the poor and innocent.

Quick Thoughts:

While this book wasn’t on my list, students in a class I work with regularly were reading it, so I decided to as well. I know the movie is popular which is a connection most students had, but the book was very powerful. I liked that Bryan Stevenson shared many stories besides Walter McMillan’s, driving home the message about wrongly condemned, minors in the juvenile justice system, and the death penalty.

Rating:

Meet Me in London:

Summary:

Aspiring clothes designer Victoria Scott spends her days working in a bar in Chelsea and her evenings designing vintage clothes, dreaming of one day opening her own boutique. But these aspirations are under threat from the new department store opening at the end of her road. She needs a Christmas miracle, but one is not forthcoming.

Oliver Russell’s Christmas is not looking very festive right now. His family’s new London department store opening is behind schedule, and on top of that his interfering, if well-meaning, mother is pressing him to introduce his girlfriend to her over the holidays—a girlfriend who does not exist. He needs a diversion…something to keep his mother from meddling while he focuses on the business.

When Oliver meets Victoria, he offers a proposition: pretend to be his girlfriend at the opening of his store and he will provide an opportunity for Victoria to showcase her designs. But what starts as a business arrangement soon becomes something more tempting as the fake relationship starts to feel very real. But when secrets in Victoria’s past are exposed, will Oliver walk away, or will they both follow their hearts and find what neither knew they were looking for…?

Quick thoughts:

This is a cute Christmas read set in London. What’s not to like?

Rating:

Lovelight Farms:

Summary:

Two best friends fake date to reach their holiday happily ever after in this first romantic comedy in the Lovelight series.

A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, Stella enters a contest with Instagram-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, Stella might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on her application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only…there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just stopped by for some hot chocolate and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process. But fake dating his best friend might be the best Christmas present he’s ever received.

Quick Thoughts:

This is book #1 in the Lovelight series, and it’s a cute premise for Christmas (although some there are some not so G rated parts).

Rating:

Recap of 2023 Books:

My goal again this year was to read 40 books, and I fell short of that goal…but it was still a solid year of reading.

Here are my Goodreads stats:

  • 38 books read
  • 13, 399 pages read
  • The shortest book I read (The Sixth Wedding) was 76 pages.
  • The longest book I read (Demon Copperhead) was 560 pages.
  • Average book length n 2023: 352 pages

My 2023 Reads:

Another year of reading here, there and everywhere.

January:

  • Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories
  • The It Girl
  • Remarkably Bright Creatures

February:

  • Carrie Soto is Back
  • The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post
  • Bridge to Terabithia

March:

  • Spare
  • Wrong Place Wrong Time
  • Majesty

April:

  • The Husbands
  • A Quiet Life
  • Night
  • The Secret Bridesmaid

May:

  • Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
  • The Paris Library
  • Daisy Jones and the Six

June:

  • The Soulmate
  • All the Days of Summer
  • Double Decker Dreams

July:

  • Meet Me at the Lake
  • Endless Summer
  • Lessons in Chemistry
  • Summer Stage

August:

  • The Five-Star Weekend
  • Hello Beautiful
  • The Sixth Wedding
  • Hotel Laguna

September:

  • The Block Party
  • Look For Me There
  • The Senator’s Wife

October:

  • Mad Honey
  • Before We Were Innocent
  • Coronation Year

November:

  • Demon Copperhead

December:

  • Just Mercy
  • Meet Me in London
  • Lovelight Farms

Top 5 books of 2023:

This year, I started off strong and I always feel like I read some of the best books early in the year. While three books a month is a pretty good average for me, I had a few months where reading was slow. I always enjoy creating a summer reading list, and seeing what books I can get read with a bit of extra time off.

Before I share my Top 5 reads of 2023, these books deserve honorable mention recognition. Here are they are in the order that I read them:

  • Daisy Jones and the Six
  • Lessons in Chemistry
  • The Five-Star Weekend
  • Hello Beautiful
  • Mad Honey

Here are my 5 favorite reads of 2023 …

Remarkable Bright Creatures

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post

A Quiet Life

The Paris Library

Coronation Year

Previous Top 5 Books:

2022
2021
2020
2019

What’s the best book you’ve read this year?

Happy reading!

Posted in Holidays

Christmas Recap

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

I hope you had a very merry Christmas! Ours was really good, and today I’m recapping how we wrapped up the Christmas season.

Also, this month, I didn’t get a share a memes post, so I’ve sprinkled a few holiday memes in today’s recap…for a few laughs.

On Friday afternoon, we delivered the toys and food boxes to five Operation Secret Santa families.

We were assigned families in a specific zip code, so deliveries only took about an hour. The kids (and Trav, when needed), put the gifts on the porches, knocked and then hopped in the car.

The kids had a good time with this, and it was a meaningful experience that I hope we can participate in again next year.

On Friday night, Travis and I went out to dinner with my brother and sister-in-law. Once we got home, the cousins exchanged gifts. It was a nice evening.

On Saturday, we headed to Louisville around 1:00 for Christmas Eve Eve at Trav’s mom’s house. There’s always lots of food, the kids play games, and then we open gifts. It’s a long day with lots of people, but it’s always a good time.

Since we weren’t heading to KC, we were back in Lex by noon on Christmas Eve. I baked Shay’s Peppermint Mocha Bundt cake while Trav prepped prime rib for dinner.

We ate dinner…

…before heading to Christmas Eve service at church. It’s always a beautiful service ending with Silent Night by candlelight. After that, we went to our friend’s house for a bit and were home by around 10.

I was starting to feel run down with a cold, so I headed to bed once we got home. The kids went to bed not too far after, but Travis was up late putting together a few things…

Courtesy of my dad, Hayden got a new bike, and we got Hadley a new desk/makeup table for her bedroom.

I was up around 7:30. While I was fairly confident the kids would sleep in, I wasn’t sure how long, and I had a few Christmas things to finish up.

Then, I did get some quiet time by the tree before the kids woke up. Hayden was up first at 9:15, and he woke up Hadley.

While this meme is relatable, I did just keep most everything unopened in boxes until I could wrap it. I think I wrapped more presents than usual this year because once they were wrapped, I could put them by the tree and the kids would have a harder time sneaking a peek!

We had a really nice morning. Hadley was excited for her “room refresh” that my friend helped put together, and Hayden was really excited for his new shoes.

Travis strikes again with the gift tags…haha

My very favorite gift was this one. Hadley did the wrapping:

…and inside the three packages were the best gifts ever. Of course, I cried.

I’m sure you’ve picked up on this, but Hadley’s easier to get a natural pic of whereas, Hayden is more hesitant…so I pick and choose when I bug him for a photo.

Anyway, Trav’s brother is a phenomenal photographer, and Travis and the kids went to his house last week for this photo session. I knew they were going there, but obviously didn’t know why. Hayden definitely didn’t leave the house in that button down shirt! Anyway, I can’t wait to find a place for these once I get all the Christmas decor put away.

Homer had a great Christmas day too!

After we face timed with KC family, we had brunch (Krusteaz cinnamon coffee cake and Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast casserole) and then Homer and I watched the Chiefs game. Unfortunately, they lost, but it was nice to have downtime at home to just relax.

Unfortunately, on Christmas, I started to feel worse, and knew my cold was turning into a sinus infection.

We all just hung out most of the day, and then we ended the evening watching National Lampoon Christmas Vacation before heading to bed.

We’re on a every other year rotation for going out of town, and it’s always hard not seeing family on Christmas day. We appreciate the extra time at home, but it still feels odd not seeing my family.

Overall, I’d say we had a really good Christmas season filled with lots of activities, traditions, baking, and more.

I went to the doctor yesterday, and got a prescription, so hopefully I will be better soon.

This week, I’m still hoping to share the books I read this year as well as a blogging recap to finish up 2023!

I hope you have a great day,

Posted in Friday Favorites, Holidays

Friday Favorites {#188}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? Ours was a good one, and we’ve started out break just as busy as when we are in school. Hayden has had basketball, Hadley has had volleyball, and we’re trying to squeeze in last minute holiday fun before we run out of time to do so!

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

This is Friday Favorites: Festive Edition!

Here are some favorites from the week:

This is my first ever Pink Lily purchase…how cute is Hadley’s “Merry” sweatshirt?

Over the weekend, my Life in Lilac candle arrived. The gold Holiday Dreams candle is so pretty and festive.

Hadley and friends started off break having the best afternoon on Wednesday. There are close to twenty girls who are all really good friends. One of the moms is a SAINT and organized an afternoon with pizza for lunch, a Secret Santa gift exchange, and then ice skating!

What a sweet group of girls!

They had the best afternoon.

Hadley and I baked our last batch of Christmas cookies yesterday afternoon. Once she got home from volleyball, we made Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle cookies.

They turned out perfectly.

(Hayden and Travis were in Louisville for most of the day at the UK/UL basketball practice before the big rivalry game last night.)

This sweet memory from 2014 popped up…Hayden told me he was wrapping gifts for kids who weren’t getting lots of presents. Such a sweet sentiment…

…and yesterday afternoon, we participated in Operation Secret Santa. We’d never done this before, but you sign up for a shift to shop for kids from the donated items and then deliver the presents.

No photo evidence, but Travis and Hayden were there too; they shopped for two of our five families before Hayden headed to basketball practice.

Let me tell you who is a really great shopper: Hadley White!

She was so good about prioritizing what each kid should receive and keeping it all organized.

We’ll deliver to the five families today.

Last night, after the Kentucky game was over, we *finally* made it to the horse park for Southern Lights.

I think this is the 19th year that we’ve gone to see the lights.

Social Media Faves:

Tis the season for all things festive…

This bookshelf looks right up my alley!

Y’all, this is what my Instagram search looks like. I get sucked into cookie decorating videos…haha.

That being said, I stumbled upon “The Folding Lady” (@thefoldinglady) on Instagram, and her reels are mesmerizing. Check her out!

Favorite Mom Meme:

Relatable….and now I’m sharing my Christmas cards on the blog (see below) before friends and family get them in the mail. I’m just getting it done however I can.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week:

Weekend Top 5
2023 Workouts
The ABC’s of Winter

Merry Christmas!

I feel like a theme this year, but especially these past couple of months, has been living day to day and doing my best to get accomplished whatever I can whenever I have time to do so.

Apparently, that “lifestyle” is now applying to my Christmas cards…that finally arrived…yesterday. (*sigh*)

So, I will be working on getting those out today…and I guess most will receive them by December 26. It’s the thought that counts, right?

That being said,

Merry Christmas…

…from my family to yours…

I know the holidays aren’t joyous for all. My thoughts and prayers are with those who are sad, sick, anxious, and/or struggling this season.

I have some posts planned for next week, so see you then!

As always, thank you for reading…and Merry Christmas.

Posted in Holidays

The ABC’s of Winter

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy first day of winter!

So far this year, I’ve shared the ABC’s of summer and autumn, so of course I had to continue this series with…

I know I’m in the minority, but winter is one of my favorite seasons. I love when it gets dark early, I get a couple of months of the twinkle of Christmas tree lights, the start of the new year, my birthday, and even the chance of a snow day!

Here’s my ABC list for winter:

A- activities:

Hayden starts playing basketball and Hadley will continue with volleyball this winter.

B- boots:

I love my fuzzy boots, and we always have to make sure the kids have a pair of snow boots that fit!

C- Christmas (and cookies):

‘Tis the season for all things Christmas and cookie baking.

D- December:

December is a busy month, but it’s always filled with lots of fun. From Christmas parties, to traditions, to baking cookies, and more, it’s a great way to wrap up a year!

E- Eve: Christmas and NYE

Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days. If we are home, we go to the candlelight service at church. If we are in KC, we are with family. For NYE the past couple of years, we’ve been with friends which is a fun way to ring in a new year.

F-football, fireplace, and flannel pjs:

We’ve been spoiled with the Chiefs in the Super Bowl the past couple of years, and college football bowl games are fun to watch as we cheer for the CATS and the tigers.

Fireplace:

I love when it’s fireplace season!

Flannel pjs:

I don’t do flannel sheets, but I love flannel pjs in the winter.

G- gloves:

Of course, we need gloves for playing out in the snow.

H- hot chocolate:

Hadley loves hot chocolate; a couple of years ago, her friend hosted a hot chocolate bar!

I- ice skating/ice:

Ice skating is a fun winter activity. Hadley and her friends went yesterday.

Of course, ice is no fun to drive in and it can wreak havoc, but it’s pretty to look at on the trees.

J-January birthday:

January is one of my favorite months…maybe because it’s my birthday month?

K- Kids playing outside:

We are fortunate to live in a neighborhood with so many great kids who are all friends. On a snow day, they will definitely be out and about together.

L-lights:

Christmas tree lights….nothing better!

…and other festive lights!

M- (Christmas) music:

Hadley loves the “Holly channel” on XM radio.

N-New Year’s Eve and day:

Happy New Year!

O-ornaments:

One of my favorite traditions is putting ornaments on the tree.

P-Peppermint: ice cream and Bundt cake:

I still haven’t had a Chick-fil-A peppermint milkshake this season, but I did pick up some peppermint ice cream at the store this week.

I always make Shay’s peppermint mocha Bundt cake for Christmas Eve dessert.

Q- quiet:

I love the quiet that comes with a pretty snow…and a snow day! I also feel like January is a quiet month after the two busy months of November and December.

R- resolution:

While I don’t necessarily make a resolution for the new year, it’s a good time for a fresh start and getting back on track.

S- snowman pancakes:

A snow day tradition!

T- three day weekends: MLK and Presidents’ Day

Even after having a couple weeks off at Christmas, I still look forward to the three day weekends that come in January and February.

U- unwrapping gifts:

While I don’t love wrapping gifts, I do enjoy watching others open theirs. Giving is so much more fun than receiving.

V- Valentine’s Day:

While we don’t do a ton for Valentine’s Day, Travis and I exchange cards and go out to dinner at some point. We always give the kids a few things and send family members Valentine’s Day cards.

W- winter weather watch/warning:

I truly love watching our local weather guy when there’s the possibility for winter weather. Chris Bailey is a snow day hype guy for sure! In KC, I remember watching meteorologist Gary Lezak be so excited for snow!

X- eXtra days off, snow days:

Sorry for being redundant…but I love snow and snow days. The kids and Homer do too!

Y- yummy treats: hot chocolate, Christmas cookies

Calories don’t count in the winter and during Christmas. haha

Z- ZZZ (sleep): no alarm and sleeping in on break.

I’m on day two of break, and while I’m not sleeping in super late, it’s nice to wake up on my own and ease into the day.

This was a fun post, but admittedly a few letters were hard for me to immediately come up with an idea. Oh well!

Happy winter!

Posted in Health and Fitness

Bodi

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

It’s my first day of break, and I’m ready for a couple of weeks of no alarm waking me up or bells telling me which class period it is!

I know it’s not yet Christmas, but as the year wraps up, I always like to share a few blog posts looking back on the year. In the next couple of weeks, I will share a blog recap, books I read this year, and a look back at 2023.

Today, I’m starting with a look back on my fitness routine this year.

Before I begin, here are some relatable truths:

I’ve shared a Not Just a Mom post last year about “Workout Places,” and most of it was about how much I like the Beachbody workouts.

While I will be the first to admit that I’m not the most physically fit, I do know there are benefits (obviously) from working out. I also know that I don’t always have a ton of time, so Bodi (formerly Beachbody) has been the best answer for me. Even when I don’t want to workout, I know that I always feel better afterwards. Also, the fact that I can workout in my basement with minimal equipment while streaming workouts on my TV via the Bodi app makes working out pretty convenient most days. And…I’ve used the app on my phone to do cardio workouts while out of town (since I don’t always have access to weights when I’m not at home)

Also, I love that most workouts are 30-40 minutes.

These are the workouts I completed this year:

  • I started the year finishing Morning Meltdown 100. This program, with 100 days of workouts, felt like a big commitment, and towards the end, I did skip some of the core and yoga style workouts. I did like the workouts though.
  • Then I did LIIFT 4 which I enjoyed. This workout program definitely focused on lifting weights.
  • Job 1 is my favorite workout find of the year. The workouts are only 20 minutes long, and they are good workouts that will make you sweat. I still do some of them now when I am limited on time.
  • Fire and Flow was a fun mix of cardio and weights (Fire) and Pilates (Flow). I really didn’t think I would like the “flow” workouts, but I did!
  • Sweat and Sculpt was a surprise to me because I loved it. This felt like barre work (focus on small muscles) that included weights and some dance movements. I truly would never do this type of class in a studio…because I would feel self-conscious of my dance moves (or lack thereof!), but I really enjoyed this program.
  • Sure Thing was another great program. I’ve also completed Muscle Burns Fat (MBF) and MBF Advanced with Megan Davies, and she’s one of my favorite Bodi instructors.
  • I’ve also completed most of the Get Strong with Kelsey Heenan workouts, but those haven’t been my favorite.
  • When in between programs, I liked searching the workout library and picking and choosing different workouts to try.

Recently, I’ve turned back to 21 Day Fix which I think will always be my favorite workout program. Also, due to a hectic schedule recently, the Job 1 twenty minute workouts have come in handy.

With Bodi, you can search by instructor, but they also have categories such as:

  • Weight loss
  • Strength & muscle
  • Lean & sculpted
  • Kickboxing
  • Barre & Pilates
  • Mobility & recovery
  • Meditation
  • Dance
  • Low-impact
  • Pre & post-natal

You can also search for workouts by your favorite instructor(s).

I even earned this badge recently:

Hayden and Hadley like to go to the gym, and Travis will usually take them to lift weights and do agility training. I do like going to the gym when I can to use the elliptical.

Recently, I started doing a program called TRIM. It’s similar to Faster Way to Fat Loss and LEAN that I’ve done int he past.

Right after fall break, I decided to sign up for a seven week round. I just wanted to get back on track, and not put off making mindful food choices until January. I knew having a coach to hold me accountable would make a huge difference in getting through November and December.

I’m glad I joined when I did. After the first round, I didn’t lose much weight…which I’ve noticed being more difficult to do once I turned 40. That being said, I did lose quite a few inches, and I’m glad that they remind you to take before/after pics because the scale definitely doesn’t tell the full story.

After the seven week round, my coach wasn’t doing another round until the new year, but she did continue with her VIP rounds, so I signed up for that to get me through December. Like the other programs, we intermittent fast, track macros in an app and have two low carb days and two low calorie days, and have a workout plan. With the workouts, I used the TRIM ones but mixed in Bodi workouts too.

My coach did “12 days of December” with prizes just for submitting our nutrition for the day, and in those 12 days, I won two prizes: a milk frother and electrolyte powder packets. My coach even texted me the other day because I’d forgotten to post a couple days. I appreciated the accountability without the pressure.

I can definitely say I haven’t been 100% in December with my eating, but I’m still tracking, drinking water, getting workouts in when I can, and following the eating plan. I know I’m doing better just doing what I can with this program as opposed to just “winging it” through December.

Anyway, I can be critical of myself, but I like looking back on the year to see what all I’ve accomplished. Something is definitely better than nothing…and I feel like I’ve done a lot of “somethings” this year!

What’s your favorite workout routine?

Posted in Weekend Top 5

Weekend Top 5

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Monday!

How was your weekend? I’m linking up with Sarah and Holly for Hello Monday…

…to share my Weekend Top 5.

Here’s what we were up to this weekend:

On Friday night, Travis and I went to our friends’ Christmas party. It was so good to hang out and see so many of our friends. It was a fun and festive evening.

I was able to get organized this weekend and get some gift wrapping accomplished as well. Also, as of Friday, I think I’m finished Christmas shopping. Yay! Now, I just have to wait for the last few gifts to trickle in.

I had a few minutes here and there to read this weekend, and I’m really enjoying this book:

Hayden had a basketball tournament this weekend. He had two games on Saturday and three games on Sunday. Between games on Saturday, they boys and families hung out at a local restaurant. It was nice to let the kids relax, and the parents got to hang out and chat.

On Sunday, the team made it to the championship game of their bracket. They came up short, but they were still fun to watch play.

After a hectic Sunday, we were still able to make it to our church’s Christmas pageant. A couple of the kids’ friends were in it, so we wanted to support them. Then, there was a church Christmas dinner which was delish.

It was a great way to wrap up our busy and festive weekend.

What was the best part of your weekend?

Two more days of school…I think I can, I think I can…

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#187}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

This was our last full week before break, but we still have a couple of days next week. It’s really been messing with me that break doesn’t start after school today!

As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week:

We tried a new pizza place last Friday night before heading to my school’s basketball game. The pizza was really good, and the kids had fun playing a couple of rounds of skee ball before we headed to the game.

Last Saturday, Hayden had his final cross country race of club season in Louisville. We were thankful the rain held off until right after the race, but I’ve never seen a race with so many runners. Hayden had a pretty good race considering there were over 450 runners.

Now, Hayden has a couple weeks of rest before basketball and indoor track start. Out of curiosity, I asked Hayden how many miles he ran in 2023, and he said 930! He’s on an app with other runners (kind of like social media for runners, I guess) where they track their mileage and encourage each other.

Anyway, we’re proud of all that he’s accomplished these past few months.

Then, I “raced” back to Lexington to help Hadley get ready for cotillion.

Hayden and Travis got home with about thirty minutes to spare as Hayden was going to cotillion too. While I don’t think cotillion was Hayden’s favorite activity of the week, I sure loved seeing the kids dressed up and looking nice.

(Also, Travis is the real MVP driving all over town finding clothes that fit Hayden last week! haha)

This dance was a more formal dance, and the theme was “Glitter and Gold Gala.”

We went to a friend’s house beforehand, so the girls could finish getting ready together. Then, most of the 8th graders from the kids’ school met up at a restaurant before the dance. The kids had a room to themselves, and they ate and hung out before the dance. The parents hung out for a bit too before heading home (and then back to pick the kids up at 10:30!) Saturday was a long day and a late night for all, but we enjoyed it.

On Sunday, Hadley and I baked some cookies.

Per tradition, we made Peanut Butter Blossoms, and we tried our hand at Cornflake Wreaths too. They were both delish. I think we might make the peanut butter cookies again because they didn’t last long at our house. This weekend, we might make them and the Chocolate Crinkle cookies we usually make.

Do you like my new mug? Landyn had a few seasonal things for sale, and I couldn’t resist.

Favorite Kid Quote:

Hadley was trying to persuade me about something, and I told her I would talk to Travis. She said, “Mom, everybody knows that moms are the man of the house” 😆 haha! #whereisthelie

Favorite Mom Meme:

LOL

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

Oh my. Look at these cuties by the tree in 2010. I loved those little jammies…

…they had their names on their bottoms!

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week, including a couple of fun linkups and a stroll down memory lane:

NJAM
LEt’s Look
Ornaments

What are your weekend plans? We have some holiday fun and basketball on tap. Thankfully, I don’t have to get up early tomorrow, and I’m so excited about that.

See you back here on Monday!

Posted in Holidays

Ornaments and Memories

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

I always enjoy getting the mail this time of the year because of all of the festive holiday cards we receive and packages with gifts I’ve ordered (that I can check off my list!). This year, one of my packages that arrived is a gift I gave myself…

I think I shared in a previous post that last year, I decided to make a few ornaments with the kids’ pictures that we’d used for holiday cards or their pics with Santa through the years. I used Shutterfly which is my typical “go to” for holiday items, but the over $30 for shipping stopped me in my tracks!

This year, when I got on Shutterfly to click around for cards, I saw the ornaments still in my cart. I decided to go ahead and finish this project because the ornaments were half off again, and the total price meant free shipping! I did put a year on each side of some ornaments. Other years, the kids were too cute in their holiday outfits and Santa pics, that I had to add both.

Anyway, the ornaments arrived this week, and I decided to put them on the tree in our bedroom. They are so cute.

A look at the ornaments:

I’ve had the first ornament since 2009. That Christmas, with two one month olds, I really leaned in to online shopping, and we gave these ornaments to family members.

2010- The kids would barely sit still for a photo under the tree.

2011 – We contained them in a laundry basket while Hadley hugged Hayden. (awe!)

2012 – The kids sat by the tree before we headed to Trav’s work Christmas party.

2013– I think Pinterest became all the rage (for me?) in 2013. Christmas lights on the kids in their Christmas pjs by the “Merry and Bright” sign…why not?

2014-My brother snapped this pic of the kids with his fancy camera. Hayden is missing his bottom two teeth.

2015- Again, my brother took the pic of the kids on the left, and then this was the first year of visiting the really fun Santa at our favorite place.

2016- I took the kids’ pic (with my phone) this year…Hayden was out playing football with friends, and came in the house with a fat lip right before we left for these photos. The red blanket they are sitting on is still in our living room during the holiday season. We saw Santa again that year, and I remember him guessing which kid was the naughty one…and he guessed Hayden. haha

2017- Sweet moments with the same Santa and then our friend hosted a kids’ Christmas party, and the Santa who was there was so sweet. The kids looked at him with such innocence in their eyes. So precious.

2018- We went to “Cookies with Santa” at our club, and the kids had a great time. Ms. Claus was there too!

2019– I’m glad we got one last visit with our favorite Santa because, as we all know, the next couple of Christmases looked a bit different…and my kids “aged” out of some of the special traditions of Christmas.

2020- Our club hosted a visit with Santa…outside… in 2020. I remember that we almost didn’t go, but I’m so glad that we did. I think the kids were just obliging for me, but it was a fun visit, and they still got cookies out of seeing Santa.

2021- We went to KC for Thanksgiving in 2021, and we made a visit to Union Station. Santa was there! Even though the kids were older, it was still a fun surprise to see him.

For 2022, I used a family beach photo for our card…

…but I might add it to an ornament with a photo from this year because it’s fun looking back on the kids through the years.

I’m so glad I went ahead and had these ornaments made. I know I will look forward to putting them on the tree every year.

Moms of littles: learn from me…and go ahead and order the ornaments every year rather than play “catch up” when your kids are 14!