Hi friends! I’m slowly circling back after a few much needed and appreciated weeks off. October to December are some of my favorite months, but I’m sure I’m not alone in saying they can also be some of the most exhausting. I feel like you’re always trying to create all the memories and holiday magic. While I love it (and probably do too much), i’m not sure that that’s ever going to change, so you guys know I always appreciate and crave that slowwww roll into January.
Everyone’s sharing their resolutions online this month and while I don’t like to commit or overwhelm myself with unattainable goals, I do like to look back and just do a quick reflect on areas of my life that I can realistically improve on.Over the last couple of new years, these have been some of the small changes that I’ve made that really have added major value back into our daily lives.
– FINDING A BALANCE WITH TECH (…I’m sure I’m not alone on this one)
A couple of years ago, I definitely shifted my energy on social media. I remember the days of constantly stressing about what to post, how it would perform, if it was the right time of day to share something. I noticed my stress level would change and I didn’t want my kids to pick up on that. We preach a lot about limiting screen time and how unhealthy social media can be, and even though it is my job, I wasn’t leading by example; so that’s something that I altered a couple of years ago and have never looked back on. While I don’t have a set cutoff time in the evening, I created a new routine where I’m cooking dinner, my phone is down, and I don’t really pick it back up until after they’re in bed. Usually, by that point, I’m too exhausted and the hubby and I just watch our shows and check out together. It’s definitely something I never knew how much I needed after years of being glued to my phone for work.
— LESS IS MORE (…at least for me)
Even though sharing on social is my full-time job, finding a healthy balance has been key to not burning out 15 + years later (can you even believe it’s been that long!?). I’ve also known that creating five reels a week and over-sharing every single day is just not my journey here. And if I’m being completely honest, when I get on Instagram now, I am rather overwhelmed by doom scrolling and stuff being pushed at me all the time.
Yes, I love working with brands, sharing my finds, and being creative (when it speaks to me….not just when it’s trending on Instagram), but gone are the days of stressing myself out that I’m not doing enough, sharing enough, or posting enough. Honestly, It’s overwhelming and just not realistic for me. I’m continuing to focus on sharing things that bring me joy, that I’m actually doing, wearing, using, and that i’m really excited about. In a content creator craze of more, more, more, adjusting my mindset to “doing less is okay” was MAJOR. It’s the balance that I crave and feel like that’s why I still love being able to do this for so long. Quality over quantity feels like it flows in my lifestyle versus production every day if that makes sense. There’s something for everyone in this space so I appreciate every. single. one. of. you. that still shops through my links, reads a blog post, shares my account with a friend, or even just checking in daily on the stories to see what we’re up to. It’s nice to know after all these years you girls still find some sort of value in the content and randomness 😉 that I share.
And with all that being said, I can’t help but still feel so proud to have made the top 1% of LTK creators again in 2025 even given that i’m not posting five days a week and jumping on board all of the major trends. That just shows that you all still check in and find value here with us and there’s truly nothing is more rewarding than that! So thank you all for allowing me to continue to do what I do!
Also, this is a lengthy post if you’re still reading I appreciate you😆
I promise I’m wrapping this up! But here’s what I’m trying to be better at in 2026….
Last year as I entered into my early 40s, I definitely wanted to start prioritizing preventative health. You all now know I’ve always been about a healthy lifestyle, eating well and working out, but at this age, I wanted to be proactive about preventative health. I finally did full panel of bloodwork and found out I have Hashimoto’s. I always known I had some sort of thyroid issue as it runs in my family, so I am going to be diving more into that journey now that the holidays are over.
I also went and had my first colonoscopy (which was on my to do list for years). It’s something that also runs in my family and thankfully all good news there. I was anxious about it but the process was actually really easy (the prep 24 hrs before was the worst part) but it felt really good to get that checked off.
For all my OG readers, I really feel like we’ve kind of grown up together here on the social media space over the last 15 years. It’s WILD to think that some of you have been following along even before I had Ava and now we are venturing into our 40’s (but mentally all still 25 right?!;) With that comes this phase of just prioritizing yourself, making those appointments, and just taking care of yourself in general. So schedule those check-ups ladies!
Okay now on to this year’s area of fine-tuning 😉
A LITTLE LESS TREAT YO’SELF
This year as I’m looking back at 2025, I think one of the main things that has stood out was the uptick in casual drinking. You all know I love a good martini, a glass of wine with girlfriends, or while cooking dinner and a good playlist. I’m definitely not one of those people that is going to completely cut out alcohol. I’ve always been a big believer in everything in moderation, and even though the internet is blowing up with no alcohol is a good amount of alcohol, so are so many other things out there. I try to focus on making changes where I can and not stressing myself out.
It’s all about a balance for me and I just noticed that “the balance” in how often I was having a glass of wine just felt like a bit more than I would like so i’m trying to implement a new routine where I’m cutting back here and there and make it more of an intentional thing than habit.
Okay this was a longgg one so if you made it all the way to the end, I appreciate you taking time in listening to my new year ramblings.
Thank you all for following along another year with us and happy 2026 ladies! I feel like I’ve come to know so many of you even by your Instagram handles and it’s nice to know after all these years, you still find some sort of value in the content and randomness 😉 that I share.