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How did it get to be 2019?  This will be a big year for our family with our oldest daughter graduation from high school and going to college in the fall.  I’m really wondering how we got here but we are making the most of every minute with our family of 5.

I’m not a big New Year Resolution person but I do like to take the time for a New Year Reset, I call it.  A time to think and plan for what I would like to work on for the year.  Also, a lot of people choose a word for the year, this year I am choosing Family.  I want everything I do to be done with my Family in mind.  Not that I do things without thinking of the impact on my family but really focus on things that are good for my Family and put Family over everything else intentionally.

I did ok on my NY Reset for 2018.  Many of these items are the same and I’m determined to do better this year!  Here are the things I’ll be focused on personally and professionally for 2019:

Personal Goals

• Schedule Exercise on My Calendar – I did really terrible on this one in 2018!  My plan is to get dressed to work out when I leave for carpool and go straight to the gym or the treadmill in our garage.  I’d love to get back to a pilates reformer class but I think I need to do a little work on my own first or I’ll never make it through a class.  So sad! Big Crazy Goal for the year:  Run a 1/2 Marathon.  We’ll see!
• Get individual time with each of my girls –  I did pretty well on this one. It is easy to focus on “mothering” and not enjoy time just being together listening to their thoughts and what is on their hearts. Whether it was a quick run to get an Arnold Palmer at our favorite cafe or a run to Starbucks, I snuck in time with each girl most days other than bedtime.  I am really focused over the next 9 months on this before my oldest daughter heads to college.  It is so true that the days are long and the year are short!
• Work on my Bible Study DAILY – We do a couples small group study on Sunday nights. The week always gets away from me so I find myself cramming to finish.  I don’t think this is the point!  Ha!  I need to finish the last two chapters of The Meaning of Marriage.  This study was so good and thought provoking.  I highly recommend it no matter how long you have been married.  I also want to do an individual devotional each morning with either The Upper Room, My Utmost for His Highest or Jesus Calling.  Each of these have apps so I can read them before my feet hit the floor each morning!
• Drink More Water – In addition to drinking this collagen drink I drink daily, I did an ok job on drinking more water.  I’ve purchased a Corksicle cup so that I can keep it filled at all times and take it with me. I do notice that my skin looks much better when I do this.
• Cook More from my favorite cookbooks – This helps push me in learning new skills and in creating new dishes as well.  My family loves this!  This, this and this are my current favorites.  I’m on the hunt for two new ones…looking at this and this.
• Lunch with Friends – I do this several times a week and will continue.  It’s my favorite thing!
• Weekly Date Night – This didn’t happen a lot the 4th quarter of the year but it so important.  We need to synch our hearts and our calendars on a regular basis!
• Quarterly Travel with Hubby – I really want to make this happen this year!  Last year, we took two trips together (one to Cabo in January and one to Spain in September) which was double the year before so maybe we can fit in 4 in 2019!  We do have a trip in a few weeks and another one we are planning for late April.  I’m not great at planning too far ahead because of wanting to make all of the girls’ events but this is a priority as well.

Professional Goals

• Set Work Hours – Working from home and in a business that is about sharing my life, it is hard to shut it down.  I have good boundaries around what I share regarding my husband and girls but time is another story.  I’m hoping to find a good balance this year. I also want to end my “work day” by carpool time each day.  That will be a biggie!  If you work from home or are also an influencer, I’d love to know your program!
• Develop More Recipes for the Blog (which leads to cooking more!)-  I only increased the more than 120 recipes on The Lush List a bit this year.  My goal is to do at least 1 recipe each month but I hope to do 20 for the year.  The poll I did yesterday on Instagram shows that readers are wanting more dinner ideas so I’m thinking!
• Work Less/Smarter – This is a continuing goal.  I started the year really well with time set aside to work on email, blog planning, etc.  Then the wheels fell off in the spring/summer.  I love using my favorite Erin Condren planner to keep me organized for the blog content and shoot schedules.  I now need to create productivity time and schedule it in 1 hour a day or 2-3 days a week just like exercise.
• Expand my team – I have a fabulously talented assistant who lives in North Carolina that helps me with computer and digital projects.  Don’t you love my collages and pinnable graphics!?!?  I’m hoping to hire someone in Dallas to help with photo shoots and organization.  I am also hoping to hire someone to help me with strategy and planning.  Let me know if you know someone!

I’d love to know what your New Year goals are and also you’d like to see on The Lush List this year.  Do you want to see more Style posts around a certain price point like Favorites Under $150?  More Recipes? More Travel ideas and itineraries? More Clean Beauty? I have several great Home Design projects in the works for 2019.  I am so excited to share them with you!  Let me know in the comments section below (or you might have to click Comments at the top of the post) or drop me an email.  I love hearing from you!

Happy 2019!

xo

Alicia

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Photos by Audrie Dollins

Now for the Giveaway!

2019 is here and we are celebrating the New Year with a Target giveaway! One lucky winner will bring in the New Year with a Target shopping spree. Woo hoo!

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One lucky winner will get a $500 Target E-Gift Card. This giveaway is brought to you by the talented influencers you see above, be sure to check out their websites for some fun New Year’s posts! Enter by performing the actions listed in the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

Make sure to do the actions in the Rafflecopter before marking they are done! Marking done doesn’t automatically perform the action. Good luck! Winner will be announced in the Rafflecopter on this blog post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One winner, giveaway runs from January 1, 2019 to January 15, 2019 (concludes at 11:59 PM on the last day). Open to the U.S. and Canada only. Void where prohibited. By entering you are agreeing that you are performing the actions in the Rafflecopter that you have marked as done. By entering you acknowledge that you are agreeing to the newsletter subscriptions and all other terms & conditions of the giveaway. More giveaway details can be read in the terms & conditions here. Winner will be announced within 14 days of the conclusion of the giveaway and entries will be verified by the hosts. Thanks for participating, I can’t wait for you to get to know you more as you follow along!

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