High Five for Friday #131 | Superhero Elizabeth

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // July 14, 2017 // 6 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

This week was my favorite kind of week. The kind where I was productive! So yay!

1. Elizabeth had another VBS this week! It was so great. It was a morning one this time, so I had wonderful, quiet mornings. I let William have longer morning naps than normal (which ended up being a bad idea) and I tried to get stuff done! Next week will be back to the usual routine with nothing fun to look forward to. Bummer! But today VBS ends with a little song performance and pizza for lunch. Hooray for not needing to cook lunch! But the theme this week has been super heros and she’s been really into it!

2. And because Elizabeth had VBS this week, William and I got some great one-on-one time. He’s such a hoot! And helpful!

3. Hear ye! Hear ye! The weekly vlogs are coming back!

I was editing a few videos this week, and while waiting for them to upload, I was rewatching a few vlogs. And I realized I’ve been missing them! Shoot! You all watched Elizabeth grow up with them… but William hasn’t even been on video yet! You see him on Instastories, but not on my channel. So this week I started vlogging! Look for the vlog (hopefully) on Sunday.

4. So there was sad news in our house this week…. I realized that naps may be disappearing! WWWWAAAAAAAHHHHHH! William’s morning nap seems to be unnecessary… he ends up not needing an afternoon nap until its WAY too late in the day. So goodbye morning nap. And Elizabeth clearly isn’t needing an afternoon nap like she used to. The last few weeks she’s been taking a nap, but then staying up until 9 or 9:30 at night! We hear her still awake when we are heading to bed. Can’t have that. So yesterday we put some “quiet time” things in Elizabeth’s room so she’ll still come to her room and play, but it’s IN HER ROOM. Le sigh.

5. And finally, Saturday is my husband and my 10th wedding anniversary! Yahoo! It actually snuck up on us, because we had our 10 year anniversary trip back in May. But nonetheless, it’s fun to think we’ve been married a whole whopping 10 years. Stay tuned next week for some marriage-related content, including a story time video of how my husband and I met! It will knock you off your feet.

Today’s featured blogger is Jess from To Sparkle Punch! Jess is someone you just HAVE to start reading right away. She is the funniest writer! Every time I read a post, there is always a LOL moment for me. And you can always count on her to have a cat sighting! As a “don’t like cats” lady, I still look forward to hearing her neighborhood cat sighting report! Her monthly goals posts are always great, because I find myself nodding with her with each goal. Be sure to swing over and say hi to Jess!!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

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High Five for Friday #130 | Red, White + Blue

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // July 7, 2017 // 10 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

Who had a festive week?? We did!

1. Fourth of July was just the best! We did crafts, learned songs, chanted USA all day. And then we had a party with friends in the evening, complete with enough food to feed an army AND a kids parade! We even made it back to Durham just in time to catch the fireworks downtown! Elizabeth was THRILLED! We pulled off to a side street and slowly rubber-necked our way back home. It was fun!

2. Did I ever show you this picture?? I think I mentioned last week that Elizabeth had Science Summer Camp at her preschool. Well this gem was the take-home! It was amazing! And if you ever saw our previous school craft pics (like Drunk Santa) then you’ll know this is serious improvement!

3. Sunday we went to a birthday party at Pullen Park in downtown Raleigh! If you are local you haven’t been to Pullen Park, you must! It’s an old amusement park with a great playground area, carousal, train and boat ride. Anyway, I’m so grateful for friends that actually take pictures. I usually get so distracted by the goings-on that I forget to snap pics. (Hence… no 4th of July pics!) So thanks to my sweet friend, we have this picture:

And she snapped this picture!

Isn’t that picture just SCREAMING to be a “that moment when you…” meme? If memory serves me correctly, there was actually a bug buzzing around Elizabeth’s eye, and I really wanted to swat it away, but was worried I’d smack her! But also… blue frosting… we once went to a party where there was BLACK frosting on the cupcakes!

4. Remember last week’s post on 60 day habits? Well I’m pleased to announce that I started my first one, daily planning, on the first and I’m doing ok! I’ve missed the 4th… because we got home SO late and knew the next day was going to be a quiet day. But otherwise doing well! I really should start tracking my water habit next because I’m doing REALLY well with that, randomly. But one habit at a time. Look for a recap at the end of the month.

5. I’m such a podcast fan, so this week I shared my favorite productivity podcasts! I’ve got a few more posts planned with other recommendations, but definitely check out these great ones!

Today’s featured blogger is Amanda from Cupcake N Dreams! Amanda is a lifestyle blogger sharing all about her adventures at home and away! Her Huntsville travel guide has me wanting to pack my bags to visit. And her recap of her Bahamas trip to Atlantis is amazing! Swing over and say hi to Amanda!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

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Favorite Podcasts | Productivity + Organization

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // July 5, 2017 // 5 Comments

I have a secret.

Well, maybe it’s not so secret. But it is something I don’t shout from the rooftops.

I love reading, listening and learning about productivity.

Some people love to read biographies about ancient peoples, or amazing leaders. Some love to read novels. Others enjoy a good Instagram flip-through. Me too.

But I can totally nerd out over productivity stuff.

I’ve always been interested in productivity. Using my time wisely. Mastering a to-do list. I can remember the joy I felt when it was back-to-school time in middle school and buying a fresh planner for the year.

I do love reading books on productivity, most recently The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey. It was a good read! I even convinced my husband to read it.

But these days it takes me time to read a book cover to cover. So I get productive (see what I did there?) by listening to podcasts on productivity!

So if you’re like me and love hearing strategies, tips and ideas all around maximizing time, then here are my favorite podcasts I listen to as soon as they come out, and a few “start here” episodes.

Beyond the To Do List | This one has a great mix of “theory” and practicality when it comes to productivity strategies. The host, Erik Fisher, has a stellar guest line up as well. Listen to this episode if you want to discover your personal productivity style. This episode is all about automation and routines, and this episode is a great one if you feel like you’re off course when it comes to your priorities.

The Productivity Show | These guys are all theory basically! These days they focus a lot on how to increase energy for more productive days, as well as getting back your ability to focus and get deep work done. It’s harder than ever for us to focus on one task for longer than 10 minutes. That skill takes practice. This episode is great if you need to get back on track with focus. (I do!) And if you’ve always wanted to be an early riser to get more stuff done, this episode has good tips! Although… I’d argue that you should be doing your most important work when you have the most energy, and that may not be early in the morning…

The 5AM Miracle | So obviously, based on the podcast name, this one focuses a lot on getting up early and getting some stuff done right away. But I also like his emphasis on batching tasks. Basically, what similar tasks can you do all at once while you’re in that zone? A year ago, I was doing a little bit of cleaning each day. But I found that I naturally get in a cleaning mood once I start cleaning, and it was hard for me to stop cleaning. So I decided why not move all the cleaning tasks to one day and just blitz through it! That’s the idea of batching tasks. A blogging example might be saving all of your Facebook scheduling for one time a week. Or answering comments. Or recording videos! This episode was a great introduction to it all!

What are some of your favorite podcasts? Do you have a favorite genre? I want to hear them!

High Five for Friday #129 | The Best of Weeks

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // June 30, 2017 // 11 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

It was such a great week!

1. All week long Elizabeth has had summer school at her preschool! It has been so great. She’s definitely loved Science Week there, and I have loved the 3 hours of peace! I had a great chance to be super productive!! It was like Stella Got Her Groove Back!

2. We’ve been gearing up for 4th of July! I stocked up on supplies at the Dollar Tree earlier this week. And then I’ve been planning activities for us next week. Thankfully, Elizabeth and William are all about it!

?"Three cheers for the red, white and blue!"? ???????? #redwhiteandblue #independenceday #preparing

A post shared by Katie (@ktcupoftea) on Jun 29, 2017 at 10:12am PDT

3. One part wasn’t so great, I guess… This past weekend was spent very bittersweet – we said goodbye to a few dear friends who are moving away. It’s the stinky part about medicine… come summer, we always have shifting…. le sigh.

4. It’s finally starting to happen, people! Our kids are starting to play together!! Parent Dream! I caught them on several occasions this week playing and giggling together. And then last night they played with a laundry basket for about 30 minutes! BLISS!!!!!!

5. Did you catch this week’s posts? There were 2 good ones! My favorite recipes from the month and my goal strategy for the rest of the year. Check them out!

Today’s featured blogger is Laura from Fantastically Four! Her blog is full of encouragement for us fellow mammas! She’s got so many great ideas, like her post on summer ideas for kids, or her encouragement for moms dealing with the messiness of Mom Life. Be sure to swing over and say hi to Laura!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

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Half Year Goals + The Power of a 60 Day Habit

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // June 28, 2017 // 5 Comments

Somehow, I missed New Years resolutions.

I guess what I mean is I had meant to officially “blog” those resolutions, but then decided against it. I tried it a few years ago, but I quickly lost sight of the resolutions. I know I’m not alone in that failing, right?

This year I have been plugging away at my “word for the year”. I just naturally started to simplify. I found myself purging closets. I was mindful of my spending habits. I was saying no to some things, and focusing on the things that were important.

So far, so good! But now that we are halfway through the year, I thought it was time to put a little more meat on the bones.

Here’s the thing – often times I get too large or silly with my goals. Either I make them so large and unattainable that I’m always missing the mark or I choose something that’s not actually a goal at all. I make a task and call it a “goal”. Or I say “change the world” when I can barely change myself.

So as we’re closing in on July, I decided I’d work on some habits.

Habits are great! Habits are things that, once established, you do automatically, without thinking. They just become a part of your everyday routine.

And I like routine.

This past year there are a few previously-established habits that I’ve ignored… and I want to get them back. There are also some habits I’ve tried and failed to implement, and I want to actually succeed this time.

There’s quite a bit of research out there that says it takes an average of 66 days to solidify a habit! 66! That’s quite a bit of time, right? But in order for something to become a regular habit, you need to focus on it for a prolonged period of time. And really, 2 months isn’t long at all!

So, for the next 6 months, I am going to focus on 6 habits. I’ll track my progress each day. Once I’ve hit the 30 day mark on a habit (hopefully the end of the month!) a new habit can begin, while continuing the final 30 days on the first habit.

Here are the habits I’ll be tracking over the next 6 months:

Planning | I’ve gotten out of my habit of planning daily. I was REALLY doing well with that! But then along came William (I know… a year ago!) and I just fell out of the routine. I’m confident that any goal I have will be more successful if I take to plan!
Water | I drink way more tea or coffee than I do just plain water. I realize that tea and coffee could count towards my daily intake of water, but I should be drinking more water…. I want to do better!
Outside | I love a good walk! But if the stars aren’t aligned for walking (like kids are crabby, it’s too close to nap time, etc) I am also quick to say “maybe tomorrow”. I want to get outside, even if it’s just for chalk art on the driveway, every single day. And if it’s raining, oh well! I quick dance in the rain never hurt anyone!
Bible Study | This probably should be number one on my list… but the truth is I’m already doing something. But I want to set aside some quiet time for deeper study and prayer.
Spending | I’ve actually been doing REALLY well on my spending habits. But I’d love to have a habit of not just spontaneously spending. I want to stop and take a breath before I buy something. And it may take longer than 60 days haha!
Reading | There is nothing better than curling up with a book! But I don’t take the time to do it like I used to. So I want to try to read every day for 60 days.

So starting July 1, I’m challenging myself to spend just a few minutes each day to plan for tomorrow. It’s such a valuable habit! I’m disappointed in myself that I’ve let this slip. And it seems like the best one to start up! Stay tuned for an update in 30 days 🙂

What habit do you need to start working on? Join me for the next 60 days!

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