Happy {WELLNESS} Wednesday, friends!
A few weeks ago, I shared..
…this fun little book: 100 WAYS TO BE THAT GIRL by Fiona Ferris.
You know me, I love all the books written by Fiona Ferris.
They’re specifically written to women.
They’re encouraging.
They’re practical.
They’re upbeat.
And they’re always inspiring.
In 100 WAYS TO BE THAT GIRL, she puts down as point #96 that we should frequently do a “life audit”. I thought this was a fun little exercise and would marry quite well with this BACK TO SCHOOL SEASON we are currently in (because as I’ve mentioned approximately 4 billion times, I always feel like the beginning of the school year feels more “fresh start” to me than January 1st).
I don’t know about you, but after a nice long summer of…
…relaxed schedules, eating out more than normal, staying up later, sleeping in later, fewer commitments, and loads of downtime, these first few days back in the normal routine kick my butt.
I mean, FOR REAL though!
On Monday, Erika picked me up at 5:40 to take me to a dinner, and we both agreed that no matter what was happening, we were exiting at 7:30 on the dot because our bedtime was basically 8:00 PM now. Ha!
Here is my own little “life audit” to get me (hopefully!) back in gear for the new school year. I would love to know what things you need to tweak/add/remove/correct transitioning from summer to fall too. I think even if you don’t have school aged kiddos at home, there is no bigger seasonal shift than between summer ending and September beginning.
In no particular order, here is my Back To School Life Audit…
#1: BEDTIME, BEDTIME, BEDTIME
I basically need to eat dinner at 4:00 PM and go to sleep by 5:00. It doesn’t sound practical but man, it sounds delightful 😉 .
I know every school system is different but because of the heat, down here in Texas (where the high yesterday was 105 degrees), we tend to do many of our sports very early in the morning this time of year. What this means for the Shulls is that the first kiddo leaves for school at 4:45 AM (you read that correctly) and the last one leaves for school at 6:20 AM. All four Shulls are either at school or on the way there by 6:20.
We are getting up EARLY which means…we must, must, must, MUST get ourselves to bed early.
We must.
#2: A FEED CLEAN OUT
I don’t know about you, but on occasion, I’ll go through my social media feeds and clean them out. Let’s be real, I feel like when I open any social media app these days (especially Facebook right now!), it’s never people I really know and/or content I really want to see. It’s all “stuff” from the algorithm that I never followed and/or have no interest in. I want all the back to school/happy/fall-loving/travel/wellness inspired content in my feed. So on occasion, I’ll go in and try to do a big purge of “excess” and comb through and try to engage with the content that I really find beneficial and inspiring. If I’m going to spend a few minutes scrolling, I at least want to scroll past things that interest me.
#3: MEAL PLANNING
I’m not just talking about dinner meal planning but ALL meal planning. My Life Audit certainly needs to include making sure I have quick breakfasts, lunchbox items, and after school snacks. For me, getting dinner together every day is pretty routine…but I often feel like I’m a step behind on having allllllll the things for lunches (even extra baggies and foil and things like that) and after school snacks. I also feel like these are areas where I either “over buy” or “under buy”. I’ll buy a giant box of bars and my kids will only eat one flavor…OR…I’ll buy a pound of turkey for sandwiches and it’s gone by the end of the day. I have been a mom almost 18 years and it amazes me how I still miss the mark on things like this.
#4: GET MY APPS TOGETHER
Technology is great…but it’s also kind of a pain. My kids’ schools/teachers/coaches all use a variety of apps to communicate. Maybe you’re in the same boat? They not only use apps specifically for the district but they use Band…and Group Me…and Rooms…and SportsYou…and true story, on Monday morning, I checked every one of these apps at 5:00 AM about cross country and there were no new messages. Andrew and I were tag teaming, so I left for the gym and Andrew took Ashby to school. He called me and said no one was there, and I said “but I checked the apps and there were no new messages!”…and then I opened my email inbox and voila, an email was sent the night before at 9:12 PM cancelling cross country. Who would have thought they’d use old school tech and email the cancellation? Agh! Now, I will be checking all the apps AND my email every morning for changes. Sigh (again). My Life Audit desperately needs my apps together.
#5: DOWNTIME, DOWNTIME
I haven’t been reading as much as I normally do because I can’t quite seem to get my act together. Since I’m trying to get to bed earlier than normal, I’m reading less at night. But when I read less at night, I feel like it takes my brain longer to unwind. I find that I sleep better when I read more before bed…but I’m trying to sleep more, so I’m reading less. It’s a vicious cycle.
#6: KEEP IT SIMPLE (AT DINNER!)
As much as I love making an assortment of dinners for my family, right now, we are repeating a lot of meals. You know those moms who always make the same five dinners Monday through Friday? I get that now. Back in the day, I never would have made the same pasta recipe two weeks in a row, but right now, if my family likes it and it’s simple…we will repeat it.
#7: SHORTER, HARDER WORKOUTS
I was spoiled over the summer with more time for working out and more opportunities to get out and about and be active. Right this minute, I have less time, and it’s just too darn hot. I am trying to reframe my workouts to a bit shorter but HARDER.
And those are just a few little ways I’m “auditing” my Back to School self right now.
Anyone else tweaking things as they bridge the distance between summer and fall? If so, please share!
Okay and speaking of all things Back to School…
…make sure you pop over and check out my MAGIC BARS! You guys, they have a pretzel crust which makes them extra magical 🙂 .
Happy happy Wednesday! I hope you all have a great midweek! I will see you back here tomorrow! xx
Elspeth Mizner says
After a busy summer, I’m looking to get back into a routine and these are great suggestions on how to do it!
Thank you!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Laura Fuller says
I get it with the apps. I don’t think I ever managed to keep all the way up with those school age kids and their 57 teachers & coaches.
And, my pilates workout this morning was a KILLER. Maybe because I’m TIRED.
Sarah C says
I love and need to do all of this! One “hack” that’s helped me cut down on my screen time significantly is snoozing “suggested content” on Instagram (click on Instagram profile-> settings -> content preferences -> toggle the button for “snooze suggested content”) Then I only see the accounts I follow and don’t get sucked down the rabbit hole of people/accounts I don’t know and waste more time scrolling! I also just use the “friends” button on Facebook for the same reason! 🙂
Mix and Match Mama says
Thank you, thank you for that reminder! I wish it let you snooze longer than 30 days because I always forget to go back in and do it again. THANK YOU for the reminder!
sandi says
Sarah, thanks for the Instagram content tip… for the last week I’ve been taking about ten minutes a day hitting “not interested” on suggested posts trying to solve this problem and you just gave me a 10 second fix! The button has been toggled and I only saw one new post from my niece this morning… it was glorious!
Shay, one of your readers a while back mentioned having an email specifically for school emails. All four of mine are out of high school now, but that tip would have been helpful years ago. It’s been nice being able to delete some apps that were school specific and my home screen looks cleaner. Back to school has always been reset for me… after everyone being home all summer its nice to do a fall deep clean of all the nooks and spaces that have been ignored. Much preferred to traditional spring cleaning.
Valerie A says
Oh, wow! Thank you for this!
Jean E says
Thank you for this reminder!!
Katrina Walker says
Brilliant! Does anyone know of a way to do this for facebook?
Mix and Match Mama says
Emily just left a comment with details!
Katrina Walker says
Thank you!
Lyssy in the City says
The Facebook algorithm is so bad right now! I have to click “not interested” in 10 things before I see someone I’m friends with. It’s so hard to go to bed earlier. I’ve been trying to get my toddler to bed earlier, but she always plays so nicely by herself before bed that I don’t want to interrupt her ha.
Mix and Match Mama says
You used to be able to count on FB to show you your actual friends and content you wanted…not any longer. Sigh.
Ellen says
SO bad. They have ruined this app.
Laci Murray says
Amen!
Jessica Shobe says
For Wellness Wednesday, have you listened to Cynthia Thurlow’s episode 623? It’s with Dr. Tabatha Barber and she talks so much about God, especially in the last half of it. I loved it!
On a different note, my family is going to Ireland next summer, our first time out of the country, and we are using your travel agency to plan it. I can’t wait!
Mix and Match Mama says
YES!!!!
Maria says
Shay, have you heard about the mini magnetic e-reader for your phone? I’m really intrigued by it. Someone I follow on Instagram just showed it, and it looks incredibly handy for those moments when you’re engrossed in a book but can’t use your Kindle at the moment. It’s essentially a mini kindle on the back of your phone, Like when you’re in line at Starbucks. 😂 😂
https://a.co/d/0dZ5HL2T
Mix and Match Mama says
I have never heard of such! I use the Kindle app on my phone. It syncs up with my Kindle and I can go from one to the next and the pages move forward on both devices.
Sara says
I didn’t know my Kindle and Kindle app worked together like this. I am so excited to now be able to read a few pages of my book on my phone while waiting places!
Mix and Match Mama says
They do! I use it all the time!!
Krista says
I agree that the beginning of the school year feels more like a fresh start than Jan. 1… I think you made me realize that a long time ago! My husband and I just recently created a cleaning schedule listing things we need to do daily, weekly, monthly, etc. so that we can stay focused and hold each other accountable. Hoping it sticks longer than New Year’s resolutions 😊
Bren says
All so good! Thanks to Sarah above, I just happily used her tip to snooze suggested posts in feed! So thanks to you for this post, Shay, and thanks to Sarah for the tip!
Susan P Fitzpatrick says
I have learned never to buy food items twice in a row no matter how good they are. 😂 I bought some awesome cherries and we ate them quickly. Bought them a second time and we only ate a quarter of them. Yikes!! That’s an early bedtime but this heat is just awful. I always feel so sorry for band and football kids practicing in August and September 🥵
Mix and Match Mama says
Those are words to live by, Susan!
Tabitha says
Thanks for this fun blog post, Shay! I used to be a teacher before being home with my littles, so I feel the same way about the start of school!! If I were to get a Fiona Ferris book for the first time, do you have a suggestion on which one to start with?! Thought it’d be a fun addition to my fall reading 🙂 Thanks again!!
Elizabeth says
Yes to all of this!! Always a great reminder that most of us are going through the same things.
Vincy George says
I feel so validated! Haha! This is literally my life right now and these tips are super helpful. I’ve really needed to come to terms with keeping meals simple and now have zero shame in repeating a family favorite dinner once or twice….or 5 times!😅 Thanks for sharing!
Lauren Palmer says
I literally got anxiety reading about the cross country debacle. That is so annoying and would have me sending a passive aggressive email.
Sheaffer says
Magic Bars are my favorite!
Emily says
Instagram and Facebook both have ways to only see your friends in your feed!
Facebook: on the app, hit the “friends” button at the bottom and you only see posts from your friends!
Instagram: on the app, tap the Instagram logo at the top and select “following”
It’s an extra step in both apps but it helps clear out all the other stuff 🙂
Holly Garberich says
When I hit the ‘friends’ button at the bottom of my Facebook app it just shows me friend requests and ‘people you may know’ .. what am I missing?
Mix and Match Mama says
I couldn’t figure it out either!
Lydia M says
In the app, click the Friends tab at the bottom, then click the “All” tab (other tabs are Requests, Birthdays, etc.” Ta da!
Lydia M says
In the app, click the “Friends” tab at the bottom, then click the “All” tab (other tabs are Requests, Birthdays, etc.” Ta da!
Katie Compton says
I don’t even see a “friends” button at the bottom of my FB app…
Katrina Walker says
Thank you!
Jaren says
I am right there with you on the apps and the easy dinners. We drove all the way to one practice location only to realize the practice location had been updated on the app calendar at some point in the day!
Kristal Strong says
Meal planning. Yes! I’m super consistent on dinners and breakfast, but for the life of me lunch and snacks sink me every single time. What a relief to know we’re not alone in the struggle. 🫣
Abbey Ladwig says
Hi Shay – Will you do any posts on your morning and evening routines with such an early schedule? I would love to hear how you are making this work. We also go to bed early and wake up early!
Mix and Match Mama says
Absolutely!!