My Word For 2018 - PEACE

I suppose that by putting my word of the year out there for the world to see it's not surprising that it was already put to the test. The word I'm choosing this year is Peace. Kind of funny, right? I've always heard that if you want to grow in an area of your life, you should pray about it because God will grow you in it by testing you. lol

Not long after I shared my word, my day got not so peaceful.

What I shared on Instagram is:

"I've chosen something that seems to allude me on a regular basis because I'm so high strung and critical. We'll see if I can figure out how to find this life long elusive word and fit it into every area of my life. What's yours?"

For me though, I want peace across all areas of my life. I seriously stress about everything and have very little peace. Of course that also means I have very little joy. So, I'm hoping one thing leads to another.

I want peace in my personal life with my family, peace with work, peace with blogging, peace with expectations I have of others outside of our home. I think that's been the biggest catalyst for this word. I have so little peace about what others are or aren't doing I make myself, and then others, insane. And I actually hate it.

I don't know if it's a word I'll find success with this year, but I sure hope so. I can imagine what the change would be like, but if getting to the finish line means going through what I did today and tonight, it's going to be the longest year yet.

Here are Kat's Writer's Workshop Prompts:

1. Share your 2018 New Year’s Resolution. How did last year’s turn out?
2. Did you pick a Word Of The Year for 2018? Share!
3. If the way you spent your New Year’s Eve is any indication of how the rest of the year will go, how would you say your future is looking right about now?
4. Share your top 12 blog posts from 2017.
5. Share your top 12 photos from 2017.
6. What were you blogging about a year ago? What has changed since then?

Jeepers! It's January! $10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

I can hardly believe a new year has already started! What better way to get the year started than with a giveaway?! I'm going to be giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card! Who can't use that, right?! It's one of my favorite sites to get gift cards to. Hopefully you agree!

Now, once you're done entering my easy giveaway, be sure to hop along to all of the other awesome ones!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Getting Started At The Gym

It's the beginning of the year and everyone is making New Year's resolutions! Have you made yours? I haven't. I'm so bad at them. I have a feeling I'm not alone since there are statistics out there talking about the high percentage of people who break their resolutions not long after they're made, typically within a week!

Whether you make resolutions or not, if you're planning to join a gym, now's the time to do it! Typically gym memberships are at a discount or the sign up fee might be waved. I just saw Costco had a HUGE discount for joining a large chain gym (the one I go to). The two year membership was $140 less than what I spend in ONE year! I'm going to have to get that figured out asap! Spend January getting to know your nearest gyms. There are so many options: YMCA, independent gyms, and large chains.

Last February, after finally being sick to death of how I was feeling, I finally started calling around. I was hoping to work with a gym as a blogger, but none of them were interested. One replied, but also didn't work with bloggers, but since they replied, I decided to try them out. They had a 3 day free trial. I honestly don't remember if I used it. I think I went in to talk to the manager and liked everything they had to offer, but the free trials are the way to go! Maybe even ask if they'd be willing to extend it for a week so you can get the best feel for what they have to offer.

You need to get an idea of what you like. I knew I wanted to try Zumba. That's the only thing I knew. I wasn't interested in weight training. I was hoping for a pool to do some water aerobics. I also hoped there were other classes available for me to try out. I got a tour of the facilities and really liked what they had to offer. Each gym has its strengths and weaknesses.

One of the things with my gym is if you join, you get a free session with a personal trainer. Well, I wasn't at all impressed by that. The girl seemed like she was 19 and had no idea what she was talking about. We went down to the elliptical machine because I wanted to know how to use it, and she had no clue how to turn it on. So there's that. Like I said, every gym has a weakness. lol

Another idea is to start with a buddy. You're probably not the only person at work, at church, or in your circle of friends & acquaintances who wants to feel better in the new year. Keep in mind, others might want to go to the gym just to not feel so gross like I did. They might not be concerned about losing weight so don't rule people out. If you're not finding anyone by word of mouth, put an invitation out on Facebook in case someone wants to go with you. I think going to the gym with someone is probably a lot better than going alone, but not matter what, just go!

While you're using this month to familiarize yourself with a gym and start to make changes, join me for a daily challenge for the whole month! Join me and play along! Hopefully it'll give you something to focus on daily to help improve the start to your 2018.

2017 Holiday Gift Guide

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I think this year I'm seeing more and more people decorating for Christmas as soon as Halloween is over. For the holidays, I'm sharing the products I've had the opportunity to review for the season and suggest for the holidays! Hope you get some great ideas!

For the Home:

Libre Tea Glass Infuser

Taste of Home Cookbooks

World Vision

For the Crafter

String of the Art

For the Family

Logitech Circle 2 Safety Camera

Watch Ya' Mouth Throwdown

Despicable Me 3

Watch Ya' Mouth Throwdown

Ok, I have to admit, my family likes games where we make ourselves look like idiots or have a level of grossness that is more than your average game. That's where our review of Watch Ya' Mouth Throwdown comes in to play. We received our game just in time for the holiday festivities.

If you've watched my Instagram stream, you know that when my family gets together we love playing games. There's usually one game of cards and then other family members get together to play board games. Earlier this year my family reviewed the original Watch Ya' Mouth game and drooled all over ourselves as we laughed ourselves into hysterics.

This game does the same except on a grander, droolier level. We were laughing and drooling, which is exactly how we like it! The best time we have together is when we're laughing so hard we can't make a sound. Playing Watch Ya' Mouth Throwdown will give your family that.

So, the new game comes with some extra items. There are straws, two balls, and 4 noisemakers. The new mouth pieces are colored also! Sadly, the first week we had the game we couldn't play because first my youngest got sick and then passed it on to me. I was so bummed having this game at the house and not being able to play it. When we finally were able to play, it was worth the wait!

There's plenty of time to grab a game for your holiday get togethers. Your kids will be out of school for winter break, may as well have something extremely entertaining for them to do! This game will definitely keep them from getting board.

* Throwdown Edition was awarded Top Holiday Toy of 2017 by Toy Insider
* Selected for the 2017 Amazon Holiday Toy List