Transform Your Life Thursday Challenge

Normally on Thursdays I participate in an amazing linkup called {pretty, happy, funny, real}. I learned today that the linkup may be discontinued, which makes me a little sad but I understand the importance of having a balance within your life and I am sure that hosting linkups on a weekly basis can take up a lot of time. I loved having a day to sit and contemplate the blessings I received everyday through my friends, family and experiences. The realization that there may not be anymore {pretty, happy, funny, real} made me rethink what I wanted to share today. 

I am a planner. I like to have my workouts, meals, prayer time and anything else important written down so I am accountable and don't make the mistake of overbooking my day. I honestly believe that you have to plan to succeed, otherwise you are planning to fail. Let's make us all accountable for our goals. I am challenging myself and anyone else who would like to join me in a Transform Your Life Thursday Challenge. I might even turn this into a linkup if I have enough interest. I am working on some printable now. For now let's discuss the rules so that this can be used as a tool for you to reach the life you want.

Rules for Transform Your Life Thursday:

1. Set Short Term Goals

Pick one area of your life you would like to transform. I suggest picking one because you do not want to overwhelm yourself and as time progresses you can make other goals. Here are a few suggestions:

Faith: Weekly/Daily Mass, Prayer Journal, Daily Prayers, Etc.

Family: Daily Dinner, Weekly Outings, Game Nights, Etc. 

Fitness: Meals, Completing Workouts, Measurements, Before/After Pictures Etc.

Financial: Savings Plan, Credit Card/ Bill Repayment, Vacation Fund Etc.

**You don't have to share these unless you want to; Goals are important but can be very personal.**

2. Create A Plan

What are you changing in your everyday life to make progress?

How are you going to bridge the gap between meeting goals?

How will you keep yourself accountable?

What do you need to succeed?

Do you need help?

3. Follow Through Each Week

Stick to your Faith, Family, Fitness, Financial Plans.

Do not be discouraged if you have a bad day or don't reach your goals right away. 

Everyday is a new day and a fresh start! If you keep trying, you will reach your goals.

If part of your process isn't working, try something else until you find what works for you.

4. Start Your Plan This Upcoming Monday

Planning for the future gives you time to gather what you need to be successful: prayer journal, planner, healthy recipes, a piggy bank or whatever you need to succeed and you have the entire weekend to be productive and get ready!

Write everything down in your planner, journal or in a place that you can reference often.

It has been proven that if you keep your goals within eyesight, it will help you overcome obstacles that can slow your progress. 

5. Celebrate Your Success

You deserve a reward when you reach a goal! Find something to reward yourself with at the end of your challenge and be accountable; if you don't stay consistent, wait on rewarding yourself.

My goal for this Transform Your Life Thursday Challenge is to be consistent with my workouts. 

I will go to the gym at least 4 times this upcoming week.

I will weight lift each visit to the gym.

I will run at least 2 miles each workout and must be added to Nike Plus.

I will take pictures at the end of each workout to hold myself accountable.

When I reach my goal, my reward will be a yummy dessert of my choosing!

Next week I will post about my progress and whether I succeeded in reaching my goal. If I was unsuccessful I will repeat my same goal. I will choose another goal next week (only if I am successful) and follow the same process. I would suggest picking a new goal from a different aspect of your life. I know this process will create a healthy routine and help me transform my life one Thursday at a time. I would really love some feedback and see who wants to be a part of Transform Your Life Thursday Challenge. If you want to share your goals or anything please add them in the comments and I will see about a linkup!

God Bless!

This is for the Let's Get Real Party 

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life 

Every Thursday Like Mother Like Daughter ~

I have really come to LOVE this linkup, although today there is no link up I still wanted to share me post. I am one of those mom's that takes pictures of everything! I love having a souvenir to remember all of our family adventures and let's be honest, you never know when something amazing will happen. Having a day set aside that I get to go threw all the pictures I have taken the past week and be thankful for all the blessings, big and small, that I have each and every day.  This week has really been the pinnacle of fun and relaxation and I enjoyed going through all my pictures to share with you. We have an extra exciting week because Feast of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is today, Saint Bonaventure and Saint Swithin are tomorrow and the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is Saturday! I will be sharing all of those pictures later! You can always get a sneak peak on Instagram too. 

{pretty}

The weather has been amazing this week. Blue skies, bright sun, warm breezes through the trees. I have been making sure my boys have been able to enjoy it with me at the pool and parks. We are still acclimating to the weather here and I am not use to the lack of humidity and the dry heat is very different but I am loving it. As much as I am enjoying the bright, hot sun, I am excited for the cool breezes of autumn to start within the next few months. Hopefully we can get more of our Summer Time Bucket List completed.

{happy)

There are many moments in my life that I am happy with my family but I really have a good time working out with my husband. This past week I started getting back into my workout regimen and today was leg day. My husband is an avid weightlifter and obviously is much stronger than me but we always have a blast together. He makes me giggle because he calls us "swolemates". We get our adult time and are teaching our boys the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. I want my boys to be well rounded. I want them to have a deep and meaningful connection to their faith, always do their best in their studies and know the importance of taking care of their physical bodies with good wellness and nutrition. 

I just joined a new accountability group to share recipes, workouts and fitness information. I am super excited to be apart of a group and it makes me feel much more motivated to complete my workouts and stick to my weekly menus. I share those on Mondays as part of Menu Plan Monday at another fun linkup! You can check out my latest menu here, there will be no link ups the next few weeks but I will still share my menu ideas each week. 

{funny}

Watching my boys run around at a nearby waterpark was the most hilarious thing I saw all week. At first, both boys were upset with me because they wanted to go to our neighborhood pool but I wanted to try something different. When we arrived I was told that "this place will not be as fun as the pool". Five minutes into our visit I received hugs, kisses and apologies because they were having a blast. It was quite amusing because I know as these boys grow older I won't hear about how I was right quite as often.

{real}

I am a lover of books. I have been my entire life. I was introduced to the book I am reading now, Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution. by Brené Brown, by a good friend I met shortly after moving. There is nothing better than getting to relax poolside and hearing the laughter of my children while I can enjoy a good book. This particular book has really been eye-opening and I highly suggest it to anyone willing to give it a chance. My husband has even shown some interest in the book just because of a few quotes I throw out to him here and there. Here are some quotes that really stood out to me. 

"The most dangerous stories we make up are the narratives that diminish our inherent worthiness. We must reclaim the truth about our lovability, divinity, and creativity."

"Regret is a tough but fair teacher. To live without regret is to believe you have nothing to learn, no amends to make, and no opportunity to be braver with your life."

What do you think? She makes some good points that should make you think and question experiences. I am doing a Mid Year Reading Challenge and I would love for you to join me!

{pretty, happy, funny, real} Independence Day Edition

~Captuing the context of contentment in everyday life

every Thursday Like Mother Like Daughter~

This Independence Day was our 240th Celebration. That means parades, picnics and fireworks for all! My husband is an Army Veteran and he loves quizzing the children on the meaning of Independence Day, the symbolism or our flags and our American traditions in general. How does your family get into Independence Day?

This summer has been filled with so many great memories and this Independence Day was no different. The boys were so ready for this Independence Day! Wearing their homemade shirts and red and white sunglasses. The link to the instructions for our DIY shirts is listed at the bottom of the post. We had also purchased some little flags to bring during the fireworks display but we forgot them in the car. This picture was right before we arrived at my cousin's house for a potluck and relaxing day at the pool. 

This picture makes me laugh because Goalie would't take off dad's jacket and Little Man is still holding our trash from our snacks while attempting to hide them. Little Man's eyes are closed again too! This poor kid was so confused with the extra flashes on the camera because it was so dark on the Golf Course!

The boys were laying on the picnic blanket and snuggling while patiently waiting on the fireworks. I thought Goalie was going to fall asleep because we stick to a routine when we are home at the boys are in bed no later than 9pm normally. The firework show didn't even start until 9:30pm and you can see the sleepiness in both of the kids faces.

This is such a bad quality picture but it was one of the only pictures we were able to take together as a family. We took this picture as we arrived at the golf course from my cousins house to enjoy the Louisville, CO fireworks. As we waited for the patriotic display, there was a band playing beautiful music and vendors selling food, drinks and tickets for games. Goalie really enjoyed the music because he is a huge fan of Curious George and there is an episode where they make a "wind symphony". He kept telling us that he was waiting for Curious George to arrive!

As you can see from our pictures, we made our own patriotic star shirts for our 4th of July Celebration. We found this neat shirt on Pinterest. Everyone had a blast making these shirts... including my husband! My husbands shirt is pictured above and mine is below. The kids shirts came out unique as well as you can see from the other pictures throughout the post. The shirts were super easy to make. All you need are some plain white t-shirts, pencils with nice erasers and paint. It's a little difficult to see in the pictures but I purchased metallic paints so they would sparkle.

The fireworks show we watched was the best we have ever experienced! The weather was perfect: No humidity, rain or bugs! Louisville did such a great job creating a family fun atmosphere with the bouncy house, music and food vendors. We were able to lay on our blanket and look up at the display and enjoy the whole show.

Here is that amazing band I spoke about earlier. They were amazing! They played such a great assortment of songs including patriotic and musicals. The background music really set the mood and they continued to play music until after the fireworks started. Goalie was in awe! I think I must have a musician on my hands. 

The only thing I wish I could have changed about our 4TH of July Celebration is that I would have taken more pictures! I realized I didn't take any pictures of our potluck or while we were at the pool when I started this post yesterday. 

I hope you all enjoyed Independence Day as much as we did and that your summer continues to be amazing.

God Bless America!

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life 

Every Thursday Like Mother Like Daughter ~

{pretty}

I have been dreaming of returning to my hometown and visit with my friends, family and the beach. The hot humid Florida days are what my childhood was made of and although I am enjoying the gorgeous weather in Colorado, I have become nostalgic while I reminisce about the gorgeous white sand, the emerald green salt water, the warm strokes of the breeze across my face. Plans are still in the work but we will see if this short family vacation can come true this month.

{happy}

June is probably one of the happiest month's of our year! within the last two weeks we celebrate Father's Day, our Wedding Anniversary, Little Man's Birthday and finally my husband's birthday right before we start preparations for the upcoming school year. This year we had a pie fight outside my cousin's home and enjoyed watching Finding Dory as a family to celebrate the guy's birthdays!

{funny}

We purchased an annual pass to the zoo and Goalie is forever wanting to pose with the animal statues. He thinks that they "come alive" when we aren't looking. I love the imagination and innocence of my children. Here is a picture go Goalie with the giraffe statue. He was quite upset I didn't get the giraffe's face in the picture with him! My husband was unable to come with us on this particular trip and he got a nice laugh seeing Goalie's statue pictures.

{real}

This tall glass of deliciousness is made from a Creamy Oolong Tea mixture I made with ice cubes, bananas, spices and almond milk! I drank it with my breakfast. I have been doing some research on oolong tea and matcha green tea and the REAL health benefits. I encourage you to replace that afternoon cup of coffee with a nice tea like this and see how much better you feel. The thing i love about both of these options is that I can drink these teas hot or cold or make it into a smoothie to enjoy anytime. 

I hope that everyone's summer is going well! It's about that time to start planning back to school readiness and fall time bucket lists!

God Bless!

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life 

Every Thursday Like Mother Like Daughter ~

{pretty}

In honor of Ascension Thursday and Cinco de Mayo, we celebrated with chicken fajitas for dinner. I chose a chicken dish because Jesus ascended into heaven similar to a bird ascending into the air. Chicken fajitas are also a common meal in honor of Cinco de Mayo! I also made some delicious Honey Vanilla Chamomile Tea with Whipped Vanilla Bourbon Raw Honey and a splash of Honey Bourbon as my night time dessert! I am actually enjoying my cup as we speak! I am so lucky that my husband took me out for a daytime date in Manitou Springs and purchased the amazing Vanilla Bourbon Honey in a little shop in the historic downtown. 

{happy}

So on the way to Goalie's school after a therapy session we passed a fire department we don't normally see since it is not on our usual route to school. Goalie noticed it and felt that we really needed to bring the firefighters something. I promised him that I would take him to bring some pictures another day because we had to get to school since we were already late. Well... Goalie took it upon himself to make some construction paper robots and begged me to take him to the fire department when I picked him up from school. How could I say no? So we puller up and he gave his gift to Fire Fighter Mike. He was so awesome! He gave Goalie a firefighter hat, sticker badge and a cup with a fire fighting dalmatian on it. He even let him get into the fire truck! I am so blessed to have such affectionate children. It was an awesome experience and truly made Goalie's day!

In addition to our impromptu stop at the fire department, I received a call from Little Man's school to inform me that he had made drastic improvements in his reading levels and they wanted to recognize him. God truly rained down his blessings on us this week. 

{funny}

We always love having game night! This past Tuesday we pulled out a couple family favorites: Jenga, Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. Unfortunately the hubby was stuck at work but the boys and I still had some fun mommy-son time. We are already discussing when we will plan our next family game night. I really want to add some more games to our families collection. Do you have any family favorites?

{real}

My husband and I have been getting back onto our regular workouts finally and we are already starting to see results! We have been sticking to a clean eating diet and adding more cardio to our regular workout routines. I do love working out with my husband and I think his motivation and dedication has helped me progress more than I would alone. I am also being mentored by an amazing friend named Heather and she has really kept me on a consistent routine.

I also would like to add that the Pentecost Novena starts tomorrow! So make sure to get ready! I hope everyone enjoyed Star Wars Day yesterday (May the 4th be with you) and Ascension Thursday/ Cinco de Mayo! We are looking forward to the Kentucky Derby and Mother's Day this week too!

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life 

Every Thursday Like Mother Like Daughter ~

{pretty}

This has been the week that my husband and I decided we would challenge ourselves to a Vegan diet for a week. You can read more here. I am missing my dairy so very much but I have to admit that the recipes that we have been preparing are so beautiful and very appealing to the eyes. Tomorrow I will be trying out some Red Lentil Curry in the crockpot! The boys have an extra day off from school so they will get to smell the amazing aroma with me all day.

{happy}

Goalie started Spring Soccer and has had two games already and he has been doing amazing! His team is undefeated so far and we have had so much fun watching him run around on the field. He has even worn his batman jacket to his second game. We are up to bring snacks this Monday!

{funny}

This is Lemon, our crazy cat. As you can see she has a beautiful lemon streak on her face and that is how she came to get her name. Well, she has recently decided that she really enjoys drinking from our toilet. She knocks all the hygiene products I leave on the counter and hops onto the toilet because she is too proper to just jump on the toilet. This picture has been cracking me up the past few days. 

{real}

This American flag was one donated to a restaurant from a fallen soldiers family. My husband overheard that they were going to throw it away and offered to take it. I am so glad that he did. This is a real symbol of our nation and a real person's sacrifice. We have hung it on our wall in honor of whomever this flag was meant to represent. 

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."

John 15:13