Category: Let's look

Posted in Let's look

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

I had to double check the calendar that today is the second Wednesday of the month already. How is that possible? Honestly, we’ve had two days of winter like temps, so I was also checking the calendar to make sure it’s not actually January!

I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for this month’s Let’s Look.

So far this year, we’ve looked at…

  • Low level goals for 2025 in January
  • How you work on your marriage in February
  • How you reset for the week on Sunday in March
  • Maintaining friendships in April
  • Our wellness routine in May
  • Travel bucket lists in June
  • Things I’ve changed my mind about in July (no post from me)
  • Juggling family schedules in August (no post from me)
  • Managing teenage life in September
  • Things we’ve said no to recently in October (no post from me)

This month’s topic is…how we show gratitude.

Obviously, this is a timely post with Thanksgiving right around the corner.

Honestly, I guess my answer to this prompt is simple…

I show gratitude by saying thank you…whether it’s verbal or written. I’m very quick to send a text or a note when someone has helped me or thought of me. I appreciate when others help me whether I’ve asked for assistance, or they just know I could use a hand. A thoughtful text, note or message goes a long way.

I also show my gratitude with small gifts. Again, if someone has been really helpful, I try to drop off a plant, bouquet of flowers, favorite candy or a candle.

I will bring Starbucks coffee or favorite pens to teachers who help me out at school….whether it’s for covering a class or helping with lesson ideas.

My mom group (the dads get credit too!) have spent many years organizing carpool and getting the kids where they need to be. I show my gratitude by offering to pick up even if I’ve already taken on a certain afternoon if it helps someone else out. It always evens out in the end.

I show gratitude by giving a tip at a restaurant or donating to a cause. A little goes a long way for many.

With Trav and the kids, I show my gratitude by spending time with them. Of course, I would do that anyway, but I just mean that I try and make time for them or plan something special too.

And, I always try to remember to be…

Life definitely has its ups and down, and this time of the year always feels really stressful for me. That being said, I think as I’ve gotten older, I’ve done a pretty good job remembering the big picture and being grateful for all things, big and small.

How do you show gratitude?

Posted in Let's look

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday! I hope you’ve been having a great week so far.

I missed Let’s Look in July and August, but I’m linking up with Shay and Erika today.

So far this year we’ve looked at…

  • Low level goals for 2025 in January
  • How you work on your marriage in February
  • How you reset for the week on Sunday in March
  • Maintaining friendships in April
  • Our wellness routine in May
  • Travel bucket lists in June
  • Things I’ve changed my mind about in July (no post from me)
  • Juggling family schedules in August (no post from me)

This month we’re looking at…managing teenage life.

Ahh…teen life! It probably goes without saying that most teens are far busier than I was during my teenage years.

Of course, I have two teens at once keeping us busy, so many days feel like a blur!

I’m no expert, and to be honest, the teen years as a parent haven’t been the easiest. I take solace in the fact that I think parenting teens isn’t easy for most.

As far as my kids are concerned, communication tends to be the key element in regards to making sure we’re all straight about weekly schedules and who needs to be where and when. Family group chat is where it’s at. haha

I’ve told them that having a phone is a responsibility, so it’s up to them to have the app to check their grades and communicate with their teachers. In middle school, I would screen shot missing assignment notifications and send it to them if needed. Then, I transitioned to just telling them to check their grades. Now in high school, thankfully, they seem to have a handle on what they need to do.

This summer, Hadley had an app to check for her work schedule, and she would let me know when she had to work.

Also, I’ve had people reach out asking if the kids can do things like babysit or mow their lawn. I’ve replied, but then shared my kids’ contacts with those (trusted) adults and the same with my kids. I’m happy to make the connection, but it’s up to my kids to respond and follow up.

Also, this topic also could include managing teen life in regards to raising teens and well, I will continue to take any advice that you have!

Obviously, as a high school teacher, I have some experience managing teens. I try to keep in mind that they often have much more going on in their lives besides school, and there are far more good days than bad.

My kids are good kids and they still keep me on my toes.

There’s no better time to chat than when we’re in the car. Sometimes, I wait to talk about things with each kid when we’re one on one because I don’t need the other chiming in. Also, I like to respect their privacy in that way too.

Screenshot

I will say that being with teens all day and then coming home two teens, depending on what’s going on, can be more than I want to handle. If that’s the case, I tap Trav in.

I do think I do a good job of not making a big deal about every little thing. I want them to be able to come talk to us (or each other) if needed. The teen years are for pushing the limits and making mistakes, but as I’ve told both kids many times, the clock is ticking on my time launching from the nest…so I have to make the most of these high school years and making sure they are ready for after high school (but I also don’t want to think too much about that either!)

I feel like I was all over the place with this topic….which is kind of what it’s like managing teen schedules!

Posted in Let's look, Travel

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday! How is the week treating you?! So far, so good for us. We’re still recovering from a busy weekend and now getting things accomplished that we didn’t have time for over the weekend.

It’s the second Wednesday of the month, so I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for this month’s edition of Let’s Look.

So far this year, we’ve looked at…

  • Low level goals for 2025 in January
  • How you work on your marriage in February
  • How you reset for the week on Sunday in March
  • Maintaining friendships in April
  • Our wellness routine in May

This month we’re looking at travel bucket lists.

When I saw this topic, I immediately remembered a post I wrote a few years ago where I recapped some of our favorite vacation spots.

In that post, I included this “bucket list”:

  • New York – I’d shared that we had a full trip planned in 2020 for spring break only to have to cancel it due to Covid. Trav and I have been to New York (before we met), so it’s been a while ago, obviously. We just thought it would be a fun spot to take the kids especially now that they are older. We have some possible short term plans for NYC.
  • DC was also on that list. Again, not necessarily a bucket list item in that it’s a luxurious spot, but just an important place that we felt like the kids would enjoy. Well, we can check that box, because, as you know, we went to DC for spring break 2024. Truly, though, I’d love to go back. There’s so much we didn’t get to see.
  • Pacific NW – This is another box we’ve checked since I wrote that post. Last summer, we went to Oregon mainly for the Olympic track trials, but we did so much more than that. We started in Oregon and ended our PNW trip in Washington.
  • Mexico was also on the list. Trav and I went there twenty years ago for our honeymoon, and then we took the kids there the summer after 6th grade. Mexico did not disappoint. The travel to get there was pretty easy, the all inclusive resort was nice, and we had plenty of time to relax.

So, still on the list are:

  • Hawaii – and while this destination remains on my list, it’s probably the one I would rank as the lowest priority.
  • Nantucket – Maybe one day!
  • Europe – London, Paris, Italy, Greece
  • BVI – The British Virgin Islands look like a lovely place to relax!
  • One addition – I’m intrigued by Costa Rica, so I will add that to the list.

Something about summer always makes me think about travel. We really don’t have any major travel plans this summer, and honestly, that’s ok too! I appreciate the time at home just as much as the time away at this point in my life.

What a blessing it’s been to check some of these destinations off our list.

Posted in Health and Fitness, Let's look, Self-care

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Y’all this week is going to age me ten years. I just feel like I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off from sun up to sun down. We have state testing this week, so every day is different and our evenings aren’t much calmer either!

Anyway, it’s already the second Wednesday of the month, so I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for Let’s Look.

So far this year, we’ve looked at…

  • Low level goals for 2025 in January
  • How you work on your marriage in February
  • How you reset for the week on Sunday in March
  • Maintaining friendships in April

This month we’re looking at…our wellness routines.

What is wellness? haha! I often joke that I’m “unwell.”

Here are a few things that came to mind when thinking about wellness, both for body and for mind:

Morning quiet time: I share this often, but I can’t start my day without easing into it. I need quiet and my morning coffee to get my mind set and set myself up for a successful day.

Decompress after school. On the other side of the daily spectrum is giving myself a bit of time (if I can) after school to decompress. Honestly, just a few silent moments will do, but really, if I can come home and sit on the couch for a minute or shut my eyes for ten minutes, it helps me regroup for the evening ahead.

This time of the year, I love sitting on the front porch when I can.

The number of times I hear my name said in a day, the number of times I repeat myself, answer the knock at my classroom door, answer my classroom phone and more…it takes a lot out of me, and I don’t want to be frazzled and exhausted for my own kids once the school day is over.

Hydrate. I’ve been pretty good about drinking water through the years, but even more so over the past few years. It may sound lame and my family makes fun of me, but I take my tumbler everywhere. I’ve had this tumbler in the lilac color for almost two years, and just purchased a new sea glass green one. I take it to school, to games and track meets, on vacation and even if we go out to dinner, I bring it in the car to have some water to and from. I fill it up at least twice a day, but sometimes more which means I’m drinking at least 80 ounces of water every day.

Through the years, I’ve taken vitamins and added collagen to my coffee, but for whatever reason I’m not always the best about re-ordering when I run out. Right now, I’m two for two taking my daily Vitamin D and putting a scoop of collagen in my coffee every morning.

Work out/walk. Of course, getting some movement is good for my wellness. Again, I’ve been good and bad with being consistent about working out or getting my steps in, but overall, these past few years I have maintained a decent routine.

Just this week, I’ve gone to the gym or gone for a walk, both after dinner when I didn’t have tons of time…but told myself to make it happen.

I am ready for summer when I will have more time for workouts, but fun fact about me…I tend to be better about getting workouts in when I have a more structured schedule. We’ll see how it goes!

Sleep. I love to sleep, but most nights I’m going to bed later than I want. I’d love to be in bed by 10, but most of the time that’s 10:30 and then asleep by 11. I could get a few more minutes if I didn’t get up so early, but that’s important to me as well.

When I got a new Apple watch for Christmas, I started wearing the watch to bed to track my sleep. It is somewhat motivational for me to try and keep my weekly sleep average above 7 hours…meaning sometimes I will think of that around 10, and try to get to bed. Haha

What’s your best “wellness” tip?

Posted in Let's look

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

Well, as usual, I can’t believe it’s already the second Wednesday of the month. That being said, since this week is spring break, I’m happy that it’s a different kind of Wednesday!

I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for Let’s Look.

So far this year, we’ve looked at…

  • Low level goals for 2025 in January
  • How you work on your marriage in February
  • How you reset for the week on Sunday in March

This month’s topic is…maintaining friendships.

First and foremost, I’m so thankful for my friends. At this point in life, I have work friends, neighbors who are friends, friends from my kids’ activities, “Mom” friends and my truest friends are probably the core group of use whose kids hang out together the most.

I have a “core group” at school and I have a “core group” of friends like the ones we travel with for fall break. These are the same people who I can depend on for carpool, call when I’m worried about something, vent to, have a glass of wine with, play a card game, and so much more.

Occasionally, we’ll get together to play a game or reconnect in the summer at the pool. We stay in touch mostly via text messaging just organizing rides for our kids, sharing sports schedules, planning a time to get together, or bumping into each other at the gym or while out for a walk.

Trav has friends from his childhood and even college who he’s very close with, and they’d do anything for each other. Many of those friends’ wives were my first friends when I moved to Kentucky, and I will always be grateful for their warm welcome when I knew no one after moving here. Sometimes, I wished I’d been able to maintain closer friendships with high school and college friends.

When I moved to Lexington when I did, I barely had a cell phone, and Facebook wasn’t a thing. Then, like what happens in life, you just get busy and time slips away. Also, KC isn’t just a few hours away…it’s nine! So, when I get to KC, it’s usually just for a few days, and I end up spending time with family. I love keeping up with childhood and college friends thanks to social media and texts, so it does feel like we’re connected in that way.

Once the kids hit school age, it was very important for me to be in a neighborhood in which we wouldn’t want to move, would have great schools, be close to whatever we need, and more. I moved when I was in the 7th grade, and it all ended up being ok…but middle school is a hard phase in life to move. I wanted the kids to have the same friends from kindergarten like Trav did, and we moved to this house the year before they started kindergarten.

I know friendships change, but both of my kids have a really solid group of friends, and some of their parents are some of my best friends. I appreciate our “mom gang” group text as well as the smaller group texts too. Right now, the “middle school moms” group text, that isn’t used as often these days, is a buzz with the driving permit info. It’s just nice to know that there are so many awesome people I can turn to if I need anything from a cup of sugar to a car ride for my kids.

In some ways, right now it’s hard to maintain friendships just being busy with all the kids’ activities. That being said, I know true friends will always be there. I still have great friends whose kids don’t go to school with my kids anymore, but we pick up right where we left off when we see each other. I know, in the future, out calendars all won’t be dictated by our kids’ schedules…the day we don’t have to schedule carpool…wow! Hold me! It’s coming in the next year or so.

I’m ready for summer and hanging at the pool and just having a bit more downtime to see friends who we don’t get to see as often as we’d like to. Plans seem to fall into place a bit more naturally in the summer.

Also, I have to admit that since I am an introverted homebody, when I’m home, I want to stay at home. I also know that I need to get out a bit more sometimes, and I will do that too.

I don’t have a secret for maintaining friendships, but I’ve figured out quality over quantity, and that loyalty is the greatest attribute that I look for in a friend…well, that and sarcasm! We can’t take ourselves too seriously!

Posted in Everyday Life, Let's look

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Well, March just seems to be flying by. It’s already the second Wednesday of the month, so I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for this month’s Let’s Look.

So far this year, we’ve looked at…

This month’s topic is…let’s look on how you reset for the week on Sunday.

I truly do use Sunday as a reset, whereas, Saturday is usually more for running errands.

Here’s a few things I make sure to do on Sunday to ensure we have a successful week.

Laundry:

The weekend is when we do laundry. So, for sure, by Sunday, I try to get all the laundry washed, dried, and laid out in the kids’ rooms for them to put it up. Sometimes, I start this task on Saturday, but by Sunday, the kids have their clothes put away.

Meal Plan and Grocery Store:

I typically meal plan on Saturday, and so my grocery pick up on Sunday. If I’m running behind, I meal plan on Sunday and then do my pick up on Monday. If that’s what I need to do, I typically have a few groceries delivered on Sunday, including whatever I need for Sunday dinner. I’ve been using grocery delivery as an option since July, and it sure has come in handy.

As far as meal planning, I look at the week ahead to which days it might be best for me to use the slow cooker, or which nights I should plan on having leftovers. I try to make something on Sunday to have leftovers on Monday. I really don’t enjoy cooking on Mondays.

Plan for the Week:

I guess I actually write out what we have going on for the week before I meal plan. I still use this magnetic notepad for the fridge to write down evening activities, appointments, and what we’re having for dinner. I’ve re-ordered this meal and shopping list many times the past few years.

Another crucial step is making sure the kids know what they have going on for the upcoming week. Thankfully, we always have dinner together as a family on Sunday, so this is a good time to chat.

Notes:

I have a “this week” note on my phone, and I make sure it’s up to date with appointments, errands, activities and things I need to do each day.

Kids reset their rooms:

Sunday is for picking up all the things. The kids are busy, and they love their rooms, so they spend quite a bit of time in them. That being said, I can only walk past their rooms and see the clothes on the floor or the Chick-fil-A cup so many times before I have to say something. haha

Anyway, they know that Sundays are for tidying up and prepping for the week ahead.

Plan my outfits:

While I don’t lay my clothes out, I do try to think about my outfits…even like this week, yesterday, I had to proctor the ACT at school, so I knew I wanted to wear comfy clothes. Often times, I wear whatever I wore to church on Sunday to school on Monday.

It’s nice to at least have an idea of what I want to wear and not be scrambling at 7:15 in the morning.

Relax:

I try to relax and take some time for myself on Sundays. Whether that’s read a book, go for a walk, or binge a few episodes of a show, I try to relax and recharge for the upcoming busy week.

What about you? What do you do on Sundays to prep for the week ahead?

Posted in Let's look, Me

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Tuesday!

We were all the struggle bus yesterday …so tired and disappointed from that Super Bowl loss. While I didn’t have high hopes they’d win, I did hope it was respectable! haha.

Hopefully, we don’t have to wait too long for another Chiefs Super Bowl appearance.

Today, we have an NTI day thanks to snow that should be on the ground as of this morning. While I’d be surprised if this turns into more than one day off, I will take what I can get with sleeping in a bit before online school at home.

I’m linking up with Erika and Shay for Let’s Look.

I believe Shay said they were changing the day to the second Tuesday of the month?? If not, I’m a day early!

So far this year, we’ve looked at…

  • Low level goals for 2025 in January

This month’s topic is…let’s look at how you work on your marriage.

It’s hard to believe, but Travis and I will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary in June.

Truly, it is crazy how quickly these past twenty years have flown by. We’re not perfect, but I still feel like we are perfect for each other.

I actually feel like we used to do a better job at making intentional time for each other…then, insert two kids with very busy schedules on top of both of us in the thick of our careers, and we’re busy and tired!

That being said, I still love when we go out to dinner, watch a show together, or sit on the back patio in the summer.

We both go for walks occasionally, and maybe we should do that together…but right now, when I walk, I just want silence after a long, over-stimulating day. haha!

Even better, is when we can find a short weekend to get away, but that doesn’t happen as often as I’d like.

While the kids and their activities shouldn’t completely overtake our lives, we both are in agreement that we aren’t going to miss their games, meets, and activities unless we absolutely need to. We’re going to blink, and the fast-paced high school years will be over.

We’ve had some glimpses of what “the next chapter” will look like when both kids are out of the house. While they might just be at a friend’s house and not at college yet, we end up having a spontaneous chunk of time to go out to eat or watch a movie.

So, while we might be as planned as we once were, now it just sometimes happens that we have some time to hang out together.

Communication is, and always will be, key. Travis hears it all from me…when I’m sad, happy, grumpy, tired or need to vent. There’s not another person in this world that I will turn to for all the things I turn to him for…and he’s always there for me. He’s never once let me down or disappointed me, and I hope he can say the same thing about me!

Our first dance at our wedding he picked out the song…and it was a surprise…just something he said he’d handle. He chose “Someone like You,” and it’s a sweet song, but I laughed because we’d seen the movie “Someone like You” that starred Ashley Judd. All men, of a certain age in Kentucky, have had a crush on Ashley Judd at some point in the 90’s! She’s a huge Kentucky fan. Anyway, it’s a sweet song that makes me smile with that memory as we took the dance floor.

We do have traditions like going out somewhere nice around Valentine’s Day and for our anniversary. I always look forward to the fall and spring when we go to Keeneland, and we usually go to Oaks as well in May.

I’m lucky that finding “my person” didn’t take too long, and I’m grateful for the years we’ve had together and all that we’ve celebrated and all that we’ve been through together.

And…he writes my name in bubble letters…what more can a girl ask for?

Marriage is hard work…but it’s worth it. My daily prayers include growing “old, old” with him.

So far, so good.

Posted in Let's look

Let’s Look – January 2025

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

Y’all aren’t going to believe this…My district still hasn’t gone back to school after our winter weather last week. They sent buses out yesterday afternoon to test the routes and quite a few buses got stuck and had to be towed! We still have many neighborhood streets snow and ice packed. I took Homer for a walk yesterday, and slipped on my road. Ouch! We have not had students in our schools since December 20th!

Yesterday was my birthday. I’ve never had a snow day on my birthday…so I decided to embrace it!

Today’s the first Let’s Look of 2025, so I’m linking up with Shay and Erika!

The first topic of the year is…let’s look at…low level goals for 2025.

I’m glad the topic is about low level goals. Who needs the stress of big goals?!

After the hustle and bustle of December, I like to take some time in January to reflect on the previous year and just get my life back on track in January.

I saw somewhere on Instagram this week that January is for rest and February is more for resetting and moving forward with goals. I like that mentality.

A few things I have in mind:

1.

The irony of taking a workout break after years of pretty consistently moving my body is that I found the balance in eating as well. I had a good December where I enjoyed treats and a few drinks, but nothing was over the top. I still packed my school lunch and cooked most meals at home.

In January, to ease back into working out, I told myself that I wanted to do some kind of workout for 20 minutes most days…a good goal of 25/31 days.

What I like about how I’ve started the year is that I’ve done a little bit of everything…and usually for more like thirty minutes than twenty. I’ve walked, gone to the gym and done the elliptical, completed workouts at home with the Bodi program and most recently I’ve gone to a couple of reformer Pilates classes.

Rather than feel like I have to a finish a program or do a walking challenge, I’ve just done what I want to do that day. There have been a couple of days I’ve done nothing…that’s ok too. Also, since the winter weather has stuck around, I’ve had more time at home to reach my movement goal. Anyway, I’ve also told myself to take advantage of having the time to do these workouts as I’m sure life will get busier soon.

2.

My goal the past couple of years has been to read 40 books. The past two years, I’ve been a few books shy of 40. Again, I’ve had a bit more time on my hands, so I’ve made a point to read for longer periods of time when I can. I’ve finished one pretty long book, and have about twenty minutes left of an audiobook. So, I’ve already had a good January of reading, and I started a new book on Monday.

3.

For the past year, I’ve made time to follow Bible study plans, and I want to continue that this year. I’m on a 14 month streak, so why stop now? I often read after school and not so much in the morning. I would like to start my day that way, but it’s just not what works in my schedule right now.

4.

I’m trying to be more present for my family. I feel like I do a good job of putting my phone down if they are hanging out in the living room. I will try to say “yes” more often. Just yesterday, Hadley wanted to go to Kroger to pick out some lunch meals…assuming we are going back to school at some point this week! I didn’t really have the time, but I carved out thirty minutes to take her to the grocery store and pick up some odds and ends. I will also stay up and watch a football or basketball game when I can with Hayden…even if we don’t talk! haha…He at least knows I’m interested in sports, and we have that in common.

5.

I would like to carve out more time for Travis. These kids keep us busy, and he is often very busy with work. Where I can usually not think about school after 4:00, he’s truly answering phone calls at 9:00 PM or going to the farm early to take videos of the baby horses being born to send to clients. We’re both different kinds of busy. I think “date night” is kind of cheesy because, for us, we can watch a show together and that works for us. I still feel like we need to be intentional with grabbing a cup of coffee together or going to see a movie. We’ll be married twenty years this June. Time flies!

So, those are some “low key” goals for 2025. We’ll see how the year goes!

Posted in Holidays, Let's look

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

It’s already Wednesday which is hard to believe…even harder to believe is that it’s already the second Wednesday of the month! Wasn’t Thanksgiving just last week?!

I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for the last Let’s Look of 2024.

This year, we looked at…

  • How we clean our closets in January
  • Little things we do every single day in February
  • What’s in our grocery cart in March
  • Our daily quiet time/prayer time in April
  • Our summer closet staples in May
  • Our summer schedule in June
  • Podcasts and shows we binge in July
  • What’s in our pantry in August (I don’t have a pantry, so I skipped that one)
  • Our quick weeknight dinners in September
  • How we prep for the holiday season in October
  • Gift ideas for men in November

This month’s topic is…how we unwind during the holidays.

Unwind? Do we do that during the holidays? haha

We’re still pretty busy for most of break, especially the years we go to KC for Christmas. That being said, whenever I have time at home, I love to read…

bake cookies…

…catch up on TV shows that I’ve fallen behind on watching…and I definitely love watching movies over break.

I always watch Home Alone, The Holiday, and A Christmas Story during the holiday season.

For whatever reason, over break, I always watch While You Were Sleeping, and often times, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Sleepless in Seattle, and Serendipity.

It’s just so nice to wake up without setting an alarm and being able to ease into the day.

Over break, there’s at least a couple of days where I actually don’t leave the house. I take the time to just hang out, read, watch shows, and tidy up from the holiday hustle.

How do you unwind during the holidays?

Posted in Let's look

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

It’s already the second Wednesday of the month, so I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for this month’s edition of Let’s Look.

So far this year, we’ve looked at...

  • How we clean our closets in January
  • Little things we do every single day in February
  • What’s in our grocery cart in March
  • Our daily time/prayer time in April
  • Our summer closet staples in May
  • Our summer schedule in June
  • Podcasts and shows we binge in July
  • What’s in our pantry in August (I don’t have a pantry, so I skipped that one)
  • Our quick weeknight dinners in September
  • How we prep for the holiday season in October

This month’s topic is…let’s look at...gift ideas for men.

I always tell Travis that he is hard to buy for…or that I end up buying him the same things year to year.

For Christmas, I usually get him some kind of apparel…so at least I start there! He will usually give me a couple of gift ideas too. When the kids were little, I felt like I could buy more meaningful things like a coffee mug with their hand prints.

Travis usually receives practical gifts, but I do think that’s what he wants.

Last year, I got him this trunk organizer because he always has a lot to keep up with whether it’s for cross country or work. It’s worked perfectly in his car.

There are horse sales in January and February, so every few years, I order him some type of hand warmers; this rechargeable two pack is what I got him last year for his stocking.

I’ve given him a fun coffee mug or travel mug because he usually ends up losing his travel mug from time to time.

He really loved these insulated beer mugs that we gave him a couple of years ago. He keeps them in the freezer for when he’s ready for an ice cold beer.

These running shorts were a win!

I don’t know how we survived the baseball years not having this wagon, but I got this for Trav a couple of years ago, and it’s come in handy for cross country meets.

This massage gun was something I thought Trav would love when I bought it three years ago, and he does love it. Hayden uses it the most, and it’s usually in his back pack on race days.

I bought the “Battery Daddy” and we still use it. As soon as I buy a new pack of batteries, I put them in this to keep them organized.

Shopping for stockings is fun and somewhat easier. We always get each other Starbucks gift cards…haha, and I usually buy him some candy, socks, and usually something for electronics like new charging cables, or portable charger. One year, I got him this travel case to hold all the electronic things we need when we travel.

Let me know if you have any great gift ideas that I can add to my list when I get started with my shopping. Now that I’ve typed this out, I feel like Trav is getting the “short end of the stick” in the gift receiving department!

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