Happy New Year!

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!

Personally, Christmas was not the same this year as families on both our sides contracted Covid so we had no get-togethers with extended family. However, as the girls are getting older it is fun to see them experience the joy of Christmas.

In this newsletter, I'll be sharing my favourite purchases, books I read, podcasts to check out and some takeaways from the past year.

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Favourite Amazon purchases:

*not affiliate links

​In-drawer bamboo knife organizer​

Instead of having clutter on the counter, this knife block discreetly stores all my knives

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​Spice organizer​

In the vein of keeping counters clear I also love this spice organizer. I finally moved all my spices out of bags and now have a clear view of all my spices.

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​Simple Modern Tumbler​

I love this tumbler because it has a straw lid perfect for iced coffee or water and a flip lid for hot drinks. It’s double-walled to keep drinks insulated all day long. I find that if I force myself to make a drink at home using this cup I don’t make an impulse stop through the drive-thru.

​Space saver vacuum bags​

I’ve been organizing our basement and using these bags to clear out totes of baby clothes, winter gear, pillows and blankets. They are great for saving space and keeping mould and smells out of our things.

​Food shape cutters​

These shapes are a fun tool for making my daughter’s lunches more interesting and hopefully palatable for her. She also loves to help make and cute her sandwiches with these shapes.

​Acrylic cookbook holder​

Nothing is more frustrating than figuring out how to keep a cookbook open. I like this holder because it also keeps the pages of my cookbook clean.

​Car vacuum​

I can't stand crumbs in my car, this handy tool is perfect to keep on top of small messes.

Books I Read This Year

This year I read (or *started and the library took it back before I could finish):

Fiction:

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book read like a memoir, it was good from beginning to end

*The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I still need to finish this, I'll probably buy the ebook

You Betrayed Me by Lisa Jackson

A fun, thriller/mystery/romance book

I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

A cute romance closed-door novel

Royal Family:

Battle of Brothers By William Lacey

I am obsessed with the Royals and will read most books written about them

*Prince Philip Revealed by Ingrid Seward

Interesting to learn about Prince Philip, but a little dry

The Other Side of the Coin by Angela Kelly

This book was fascinating, it was written by the lady who dresses the Queen

Parenting:

*The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson

I need to reread this book every year, it’s filled with great nuggets

Faith:

*Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

I still have to finish this book as well, but it gave me lots to think about

The Great Sex Rescue by Sheila Wray Gregoire

This book was good, however, I found it repetitive, overall I appreciate the message behind it

Memoirs/Biographies:

Mom Truths by Cat and Nat

A fun read, probably better suited to a new mom

Open Book by Jessica Simpson

Loved this book! I was a huge Newlyweds fan and it was cool to get a glimpse into more of Jessica

The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey

I'm not a Mariah Carey fan but I was interested in learning more about her

Frontier Follies by Ree Drummond

A fun, lighthearted, funny book, I highly recommend!

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

Too much poetry and hard to get into, but overall interesting to look at his life

Empire State of Mind by Zack O’Malley Greenburg

I listened to a podcast about Beyonce and Jay Z and they referenced this book, it was intriguing to read about Jay-Z’s rise

Top Podcast Recommendations:

Fun Podcasts:

Celebrity Book Club and Celebrity Memoir Book Club

All your favourite celebrity memoirs discussed like a book club

Office Ladies

Annoying at times but interesting

Beck and Call

My new favourite podcast from Merrit Beck, a single woman in her 30's who is a fashion blogger, this podcast has a good flow

What We Said

Chelsea and Jaci are my peers and keep things light and share fun stories from bad first dates to spooky Halloween stories

Fluently Forward

If you are semi into conspiracy theories and celebrities this podcast is for you #Kaylor

The Bible Binge

I learn so much from this podcast about the Bible but in a fun lighthearted way

Royals:

Royally Obsessed

A light fun podcast to keep up with Royals

Pod Save the Queen

A British take on the Royals with more dimension than Royally Obsessed

Stories of Our Times

Highlights articles from the Times, especially their royal coverage (Harry and Meghan)

Takeaways from 2021

Here's a quick rundown of my favourite moments from 2021:

Renovating our main living area and kitchen, even though it was so much work and very messy.

Working part-time as a dietary aide with a schedule that suits our family.

Travelling up north for a week at a cottage.

Celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary.

Make time for date nights now that Willow is older.

Opening my Etsy store.

Make things easier on myself:

This year I decided I have enough things to worry about, so here are a few small changes I've made to make my life easier:

• dishwasher tablets
• laundry pods
• sliced cheese for sandwiches
• occasional grocery delivery
• always having frozen pizza on hand

My biggest takeaway from 2021 involved my decision to work part-time. As I was reflecting on what to write for this part it dawned on me, working has been the biggest and most profound change in my personal life.

This past September I was driving home from my previous job and I T-boned another car. Our car got totalled and I took a week off of work. It was a mess of unfortunate circumstances. While I had the week off I reevaluated where I was working and decided to apply to a dietary aide position. Being a dietary aide allowed for a more flexible schedule, my wages increased and I could make a connection to my degree and future career goals.

Why is working important to me?

Over the past four years, I have devoted myself to being a stay-at-home mom. Prior to this season, I invested a lot of time and money into myself. I graduated from university and instead of beginning a career I had a newborn to care for. From a career standpoint, I have had to put a lot of my career goals aside. I chose this path and I'm grateful to be in the position I am in.

However, since starting to work outside our home and receiving a paycheck my sense of self has increased. I'm proud of myself for finding employment. I am thankful for the break from my responsibilities at home and I feel more hopeful about my future.

Goals for next year:

This next year I want to journal more, cook more, travel within Canada, take some courses at Niagara College and work more on my Etsy store and Instagram.

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