The other day my husband and I were discussing goals and how so many people feel like they quickly fail because they continue to have the “all or nothing” mentality. The older I get, the more I realize how much of a negative impact that mindset can create. It is unrealistic to set goals with the expectation to execute them perfectly. I have mentioned before, that I truly believe the secret to any accomplishment is not the “hustle” but the consistency. You can read more on that here.

I thought I would share three ways to help ditch the all or nothing mentality to produce positive results in whatever area you are wanting to improve on. I would love to know your thoughts!

1.No Magic Date

There is no magic date or time to start implementing change. I don’t know why so many of us convince ourselves we have to start fresh with a new week, month or year. Change doesn’t happen overnight and there is no magic time to start. Implementing small changes that you can create consistency with will help eliminate feeling like you constantly have to “start over”. Any action towards your end goal is a positive step!

2.Stop Labeling

I don’t know about you, but I used to place labels on certain categories of my life. I would tell myself specific foods were “good” or “bad”, different workouts were intense or not intense enough to “count”, designated days were “treat” days, etc. I realized when I did this, I was placing power on those things. Once I stopped focusing on labeling things mentally I was able to keep the bigger picture in mind. Life is about balance, and you are still able to reach goals without having to go “all in”.

3 Ways To Maintain Balance & Balance Within Health/Wellness

3.Focus On One Change At A Time

Many times, we try to implement too many changes at once. We quickly get overwhelmed and realize it is too much or unrealistic with our lifestyle. This is one of the easiest ways to set ourselves up to feel like we “failed”. I am a big believer in focusing on one change at a time, allowing that change to become a habit, and then implementing the next change. This is also referred to as habit stacking!

As always, sending light and love.

Blessings,

Jac

As I was cleaning up after dinner the other night, I started thinking about chores or responsibilities my husband and I naturally alternate. I personally appreciate our routines and systems because it allows us both to get “breaks”, which is always nice. I know every family dynamic is so different, however I thought I would share a few ideas and things that work for us! I would love to know anything that works for you!

1.Bath Time

If you have children, you know bed time routines can take a good chunk out of your night. We started alternating bath time once our youngest son could join our oldest. We alternate each night with bathing, pajamas, snack, etc. It is so nice to have some down time on the off nights and just a minute to relax or get other things done.

2.Weekend Mornings

Once I am done breastfeeding, my husband and I will go back to our weekend morning routine. We like to alternate Saturday and Sunday mornings with getting up with the kids while the other person sleeps in/ relaxes. It is so nice to have a slow morning and I am so looking forward to doing that again!

3.Dinner & Dishes

My husband and I both enjoy cooking, so we typically alternate meals throughout the week. We like to share dinner responsibility by cleaning up the kitchen and doing the dishes if it wasn’t our night to cook!

4.Inside/Outside Chores

My husband and I have gotten into our groove of outside and inside chores. I prefer to take care of the inside, while I leave the outside to him. Of course, if either of us need help we are willing to do what we can! You can check out more on inside chores here: Cleaning Schedule

As always, sending light and love.

Blessings,

Jac

I have shared in previous posts that I chose to exclusively breastfeed both of our boys. You can read more on that here: Breastfeeding & Pumping With Baby 2. I have also shared some tips on pumping when traveling away from your baby (Pumping & Traveling) that helped make things easier for me and my husband. We personally only use bottles when I am away because that is what works best for our family. Even though I have said it multiple times, every person and family has to do what works best for them and their situation.

I recently had another girls weekend and flew for the first time while breastfeeding/pumping. I thought I would share what worked best for me and some insight. I will admit I was nervous about bringing milk back and the overall logistics, however it was so easy! The only downside in my opinion is just the space it takes up.

I would love to know any of your tips!

1. Keep Items With You

I personally only used a carry on and personal item for this trip so I had everything I needed on hand. However, I do suggest having your pump and parts/materials needed for a session with you in case you need to pump at the airport or something happens to your checked bag. I did put extra parts, bags, etc in my suitcase to save space in my backpack, however had everything I needed on hand.

I kept my pump, gallon zip lock bag of parts for a session, and lunch box with 2 ice packs in my back pack which fit perfectly! You can find the lunch box I used here.

2. Plan Ahead

If you nurse or pump, you know there are always a lot of logistics when leaving your baby. I try to minimize what I am taking because it already takes up so much space. If I am able to, I ask to use the dishwasher for my parts prior to the trip to make cleaning easier. If that is not an option, you can bring sterilizing bags and a small soap to clean yourself! I also bring bags to immediately freeze my milk so I am not returning with a ton of bottles. All of this is personal preference, however thinking ahead will be beneficial and help with the logistical side.

3. Freeze Milk

If you are able to, freeze your milk so you can easily pack it in your lunchbox on the flight home. I put an ice pack at the bottom of my lunchbox, stacked my frozen bags, and put another ice box on top (I use thin ones). I also sandwiched my fresh milk from that morning in between the frozen to keep as cold as possible.

Before my bag went through security, I let them know I had breast milk. They had me open my lunch box and felt the top bag to see it was frozen. If they are all fresh, they may put a test strip in them (milk is exception to liquid guidelines). Once they looked in my lunch box, I put it back in my backpack to go through the scanner. It was as easy as that!

I kept my lunchbox in my backpack the entire time and had zero issues with leaking, thawing, etc. It honestly was such an easy process, and I am so thankful airlines are very accommodating to Mommas!

As always, sending light and love.

Blessings,

Jac