Life

Currently – August 2019

/ Cami Grace / Leave a comment

So here we are…the last day of the August. I usually start looking forward to fall by now, but honestly, I’m just not ready! I have absolutely loved this summer!

Here’s what we’ve been up to this month…

Currently Watching

Movies have included Aladdin (which you can read about during our Staycation Recap) & Mary Poppins. Actually, I’m only halfway through Marry Poppins, but the rest should be finished tonight.

Mikey has also watched the Pokemon movie.

Currently Reading

Ok, so I haven’t started reading it yet, but Unseen has made it on my to-read list after a friend told me about it. I’m looking forward to this one!

Currently Making/Baking

Tamale Pie!

Ok, so I honestly think this deserves a post all it’s own where I share the recipe…and a picture, ha. The recipe is very versatile and you can serve it different ways. It’s delicious!

Fun fact, the same friend who told me about the book is the same one who shared the recipe with me. Don’t you love friends like these??

Also, because they are just that good, I am keeping these brownies on my list. I have made them so much this summer!

Ghiradelli Triple Fudge Brownies

Ghirardelli Chocolate Triple Fudge Brownie Mix, 19-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)

Current Obsession

Blogilates!

I am sure this has made it on a past Currently post, but Cassie Ho has AMAZING workouts and they are all free on her YouTube channel! She also has a beginner calendar on her website that has a workout plan, including links to the videos for the day. It has been working so well for me!

I took a very, very, veeeeerrrrrrry long break from working out after having a baby. I tried getting back into working out, but for one reason or another my workout routines were just not sticking.

Finally, after 2 1/2 years, I finally have a chunk of time after work that I’m able to fit in a 30 minute workout and stretch. I feel amazing…ok, sore, but amazing!

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I hope you all have had an amazing August and have a wonderful fall season!

Much Love,

Cami

8 Tips for Clearing Your Mind & Improving Focus

/ Cami Grace / Leave a comment

I know I’m not alone when I say I have a problem focusing. I just finished my second week of work after our vacation and there are still times I feel like I have vacation brain.

Regardless of vacation brain, I’m a daydreamer by nature and I often times have problems focusing and staying on task. Since it’s something I have to work on I’m sharing my go-to tips for clearing my head and improving my focus.

1 – Make a List / Brain Dump

I make two lists each day. One is my task list; everything I need to get done that day, both big and small, goes on that list. This helps me so I don’t forget anything and also helps me see everything all at once so I can prioritize.

The second list is for those thoughts that pop up into my head that are not work related and distract me from what I’m currently working on. For example, “oh, I need to remember ‘fill in the blank’ “, or “I wonder if I can find my dog’s medication on Amazon instead of going to the store”. These thoughts go on a second list so I can take care of them on my break and not have to worry that I’ll forget about it later.

2 – Prioritize & Take One Task at a Time

Time blocking is a great way to prioritize. A lot of people use their calendar and task list on their computer. I actually prefer a notebook. After I make my list I then take each item and I start with the most important first. I Take into account how long I think a task is going to take and I create somewhat of a timeline for my day. It doesn’t have to be set in stone and you can make adjustments as needed.

Here’s an example.

  1. 8:00 – 8:45 Task One
  2. 8:45 – 9:00 Task Two
  3. 9:00 – 10:30 Task Three
  4. Break
  5. and so on

Also, finish one task at a time instead of bouncing back and forth between different items. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve jumped between projects because they were equally important and it took me twice as long to finish them. It’s easier and more efficient just to pick one and see it through until the end.

3 – Clear the Clutter

I don’t mean to go on a cleaning spree, but taking 5 minutes to clear your desk can also help clear your mind.

4 – Drink Cold Water

I actually prefer my water at room temperature (I know, I’m weird), but taking a sip of ice cold water has a way of snapping my senses and zaps my mind back into place.

5 – Sit Up Straight

There are added benefits to sitting up straight. Not only is it good for your back, but you also look more confident and professional. Sitting up straight helps with oxygen flow and increases your circulation, which in turn helps your concentration.

6 – Eat a Snack

I don’t know about you, but If I’m hungry I can’t focus. Plain and simple. Obviously the healthier the snack the better.

7 – Take a break

Sometimes it helps to get up and walk around. Having a small change of scenery and maybe a short conversation with someone in the office (or wherever you are) can do wonders.

8 – Sheer determination

Honestly, this is really what it comes down to. You can go through the whole list, but sometimes you just have to sit down, suck it up, and get it done. I even have to give myself a pep talk sometimes. Then buckle down and just do it. Simple (and sometimes difficult) as that.

Currently – July 2019

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Since we’re on the last day of the month I figured I should probably post this. This past month has been a fun one! We got to spend some time with friends who came to visit and checked a few items off our summer bucket list, which you can read about *here*. We did end the last weekend of the month with our little guy getting a stomach bug – boo! Definitely not on our list of things we wanted to do this summer, but we survived.

Here’s what else we’ve been up to…

Currently Watching

Isn’t it romantic. Ok, I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see this one. I am usually super picky when it comes to movies, especially romantic comedies, but we had friends over and they recommended this one so we decided to go with it.

It was so much better than I thought it would be! The previews looked pretty funny, but I was still expecting crude humor and I just wasn’t sure about it. I was pleasantly surprised by it. Definitely a good one to check out if you haven’t already.

Currently Reading

I fail in this area yet again. Part of the problem is I just don’t know what to read. I would like something fiction, but I’ve been so picky lately. I used to read mysteries all the time, but I’m a wimp these days and can’t handle anything scary or suspenseful. Maybe I’ll look into an autobiography…

Currently Making/Baking

Ghiradelli’s Triple Chocolate Fudge brownies.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Triple Fudge Brownie Mix, 19-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)

They are so so so good! I used this as the base for the Mikey’s cheesecake brownies that I made for his birthday last month (I talked about it in my last Currently post) and we have been hooked on these ever since! They are practically a must when we have friends come over.

Current Obsession

I don’t have anything too exciting in this area except for these pea chips.

Harvest Snaps Green Pea Snack Crisps, Lightly Salted, deliciously baked and crunchy veggie snacks with plant protein and fiber, , 3.3-Ounce Bag (Pack of 12)

We like to get the giant bag from Costco. What I like about these is that they offer some nutritional value as opposed to other chips or even the veggie straws.

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So there you have it! I hope you all have had a wonderful July!

Just an FYI – there may not be a post for the next couple weeks as we are taking a vacation, which also might include a break from my posts as well. I will be back soon though!

Much Love,

Cami

Social Media Break – Recap

/ Cami Grace / 2 Comments

I just finished the end of my social media break last week and I wanted to do follow up on it. I have never taken a break before for various reasons, but I am so glad I did!!

First of all, I was happy to find that it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. I’m not joking, I was pretty much expecting to have withdrawals. That may sound dramatic, and maybe it is, but it’s the truth.

The first day was probably the hardest. I realized that the draw to my phone is more of a bad habit than a need for it. I’m so glad I took the apps off my phone because my thumb automatically opened the folder and clicked where the little blue Facebook icon always is. When I realized what I was doing I quickly put my phone back down.

While I didn’t feel a need for it, I did have to think about what else I wanted to do instead. Let’s just say my house stayed pretty tidy throughout the week!

Here’s the discovery I’m ashamed about the most – how much I ran from the stress and frustration at work. I’ve never paid attention before to how early I would gravitate towards Facebook and Instagram on a work day. My excuse was always “it’s just for a couple seconds”. Even though that’s the case, I didn’t realize how much it was breaking up my focus. I found that I did just fine without it. In fact, I found that I was better off without it at work. While you might be thinking “duh”, I honestly thought it was helping me.

Here’s what I discovered during my break

  • My house stayed more clean and tidy…for the most part (I do have a 2 year old after all ;) )
  • My mind was less cluttered
  • I had more conversations with others
  • I was more focused
  • I didn’t find myself to be as stressed and frustrated while at work
  • I didn’t hit the afternoon slump at 3:00 every day (this was probably the most surprising)
  • I still needed to be intentional with my time and set boundaries with my phone
  • Life still went on
emma pillsbury sigh GIF

via GIPHY

After logging back on to Facebook for the first time after a week, it turns out I did miss some things. There were 2 baby announcements, a few friends had their wedding anniversary, and a friend’s dog passed away. Since only a week had past I was able to easily catch up on everything and it was perfectly acceptable to still comment and react to posts.

I’ve been back to using Facebook and Instagram for a week now and it’s amazing how easy it is to slip back back into some of my old habits. I’m trying to set up boundaries, such as not checking social media first thing in the morning, and limiting my time throughout the day and evening, but I’m finding that to be difficult. It’s all about being intentional.

Jake Johnson Schmidt GIF by New Girl
via GIPHY

I definitely plan on taking more breaks. My goal is the first weekend of every month, if not more often than that.

If you have never taken a break from social media, I highly urge you. It felt like a breath of fresh air!

Summer, Summer, Summertime!

/ Cami Grace / Leave a comment

I’ve always been a summer girl. Over the past few years, when fall started to creep in, I had wondered if I had turned into a fall girl instead. This summer has proved that’s not the case. I am absolutely in love with summer! Shorts (I don’t even care that my legs are so white this year), sandals, and sunshine. It’s the best!

Anyway, since we are about half way-ish through the summer I thought it would be a good time to check-in and see how we’re doing on our Summer Bucket List.

Here’s what we have done so far that was on our actual list

~ Make Sun Tea

We found this glass jar on clearance at Walmart and I love it! I love that it’s not plastic and it works better than any jar we’ve had before.

After 3 times of making sun tea this summer the 3rd time was the charm for getting it perfect! It takes 4 tea bags and it needs to get up to at least 80-85 degrees for the best brew.

~ Go to a Splash Pad

Look at the joy on that little guy’s face! We actually went with cousins to this splash pad and they had a blast! Gryffin preferred to run around the splash pad rather than through it, but you know, whatever. We definitely plan on going back as it was a big hit!

~ Go to a Baseball Game

Since the game didn’t start until 6:30 pm we didn’t get to stay for the whole thing, but it was still fun!

Technically I could add blow bubbles and run through the sprinklers on this list too, but I don’t have pictures of those yet!

At first glance I was a little bummed we haven’t gotten too far, but then I realized how much we’ve done that wasn’t on our list!

We had some friends unexpectedly come visit over 4th of July weekend and found some fun things to do while they were here.

CDA

Here was our time in Coeur d’Alene. We arrived early in the afternoon and went straight to find some food. We found a small restaurant called Rustic. Gryffin and I both shared the Turkey & Avacado Panini and added a fruit cup to the side. It was delicious!

Don’t mind Gryffin’s face – he had just taken a big drink with ice and was about ready to spit it out!

Next up, we went to the lake to go swimming. Actually, I’m not a great swimmer, so I was happy to sit on the beach (or steps in this case) and soak up some sun. Poor Gryffin was not a fan of the water either, so he mostly sat on my lap. Towards the end he finally felt comfortable enough to dangle his feet and then he found it pretty fun to splash daddy in the water too. Overall it was a great day!

Lavender Festival

The next day we went to a lavender festival. I had no idea we even had anything like this in our area! I only found out because I read a local news article that shared ideas for your summer bucket list. I had never been to one, but it looked like it would be fun.

The views were beautiful out in the country and the lavender smelled amazing! They had music, food, and you could pick your own lavender. I’m not a huge fan of lavender in my drinks (it tastes like perfume to me), but the lavender ice cream was delicious! Mikey, who has the same opinion as me, tried a sip of the lavender lemonade and said it was really good.

Unfortunately, the way there was pretty rough with a kid who gets car sick, so we won’t be doing that again any time soon, but I’m so glad we visited!

We’re only half way through the summer but we still have some pretty exciting things planned. Tomorrow we are having a yard sale, so that should be fun and then in a couple weeks we’re coming up on our summer “staycation”, which of course I’ll be sharing as well.

Anyway, I hope you all are having a great summer so far! Thanks for reading and following along!

Have a great weekend!