The cold weather is slowing and spring is upon us! I'm sharing an update on all things work, kids, shopping and travel.
WORK:
I'm still extremely thankful and blessed to have a job in such a rocky time in the tech industry. Having a career where I have the flexibility to work from home has been absolutely life changing as a mother. Back in the fall I attended our annual conference which took a ton of work leading up to it, but it was a great success and we're already planning for the next. I rarely travel but occasionally go into the office for analyst meetings. Hit me up on LinkedIn if you're interested in chatting about careers!
SHOPPING:
It's been a few months since I stopped my shopping challenge where I tried to limit myself to only 24 clothing purchases in 2024. I'm now realizing how much it really impacted my shopping habits. I honestly feel like I've shopped less this year than last so far. I decided to get a Nuuly subscription and it's been SO fun! I find that when I get bored and feel the urge to buy something new I will jump on the Nuuly site and search through their thousands of pieces of clothing and save them to my "Closet". This is where I save all the pieces I'm loving and it curbs that feeling of wanting to shop. I receive 6 items every month and I love trying out trends, colorful pieces and jeans! I'm able to try out different jean brands such as Agolde, Mother, Citizens of Humanity and more.
I do have one purchase I plan on making soon that I've been wanting for over 2 years. I got my work bonus and while most of the money will go to savings and travel, Alex asked, "What do you want to treat yourself with?". At first I wasn't planning on buying myself anything but I immediately thought of this item because it will be a staple piece in my closet that will work with all my outfits. Stay tuned!
I've purchased 8 pieces of clothing this year and I'm continuing to be very intentional with each purchase decision.
BLOGGING:
Writing here has definitely taken a back seat as I'm in the thick of parenting and working full-time. I've been enjoying creating content for my foodie Instagram account @GeorgetownBites which hit 10k followers. One of my 10 second reels of a small taco truck has almost hit 1 million views...crazy to me! I'll always refer to myself as a OG "blogger" but that word makes me feel old when I'm surrounded by twenty year old TikTokers. SXSW is currently happening in Austin and I see dozens of influencers in the mix of all the activations and while a part of me wants to join in a bigger part of me is completely content to be in the suburbs raising my kiddos and making content at my own pace. I was invited to a few events I was planning on attending but I got a cold over the weekend and had to hit pause.
I have been doing more UGC "User Generated Content" work which is so fun because I get paid to create videos, but don't have the pressure to put on my social pages and hope it performs well. Alex was actually the main character in one of my videos so you might just see him on TikTok for Dial soap 😉.
TRAVEL:
Last year was all about Italy for me...but this year I have no international travel plans. Instead I'm focusing on weekend trips and a couple of week long vacations. I don't have enough vacation days to take the week off for spring break so we're going to do a little getaway each weekend of the break including glamping at Hilla Ranch in San Saba and a dude ranch experience at Mayan Ranch in Bandera.
Other trips I have planned for 2025 include;
- Round Top: Using my mental health day at work and going antiquing at the Spring Round Top Antiques Show (check out my Round Top Guide here)
- Melrose River Club: Doing a 24 hour stay in San Marcos with my mom & sis
- Palm Springs: A kidless vacation with Alex while the kids are at overnight summer camp at Camp Eagle. The goal is to play golf, shop at some antique stores, eat well and hike Joshua Tree.
- Wimberley: Day trip to swim at Blue Hole Regional Park in Wimberley (make reservations here)
- Mo-Ranch: Annual weekend trip with friends in the TX hill country
- New York: Taking Whitney to see the Rockettes and experience Christmas in NYC
- Angel Fire, NM: Family ski trip with my mom, siblings and nieces/nephews for Christmas (read my Angel Fire Travel Guide here)
While these may not be "trips" I have a few concerts coming up including Brooks & Dunn in Austin, Two Step Inn in Georgetown and Post Malone in San Antonio all before the end of May! Did I mention I'm an Enneagram 7 who lives for their next adventure.
In 2026 I'll be turning 40 so I'm hoping to plan a summer trip to Germany/Austria with Alex to reminisce of our time studying abroad 18 years ago! I would also love to plan a trip to Costa Rica with the family so hopefully we can make that happen in December.
KIDS:
Walt and Whitney turned 9 in December and Turner is 12 currently in 6th grade! We have an activity 4 out of 5 nights during the week including equine therapy, jiu-jitsu and church youth group and thankfully NO weekend games. Turner finished up rec basketball and will start flag football this spring with games on Friday nights. Walt & Whitney are doing jiu-jitsu and can go at least 3 days a week but at this time aren't doing any competitions since they still have a lot to learn!
I have this itch to redecorate ALL of my kids' rooms as well as my family/media room but the budget is not there to do them all at once. Our home has that plain builder grade look and I want to make it feel more cozy and unique to our family. I started with Whitney's room and recently added beadboard and removable wallpaper. Now the room is too white so I want to incorporate some warmer wood tones but I only want to add antique furniture from here on out. I know this could take time so I'm hoping a few trips to Round Top and some antique stores will help me find what I'm looking for over. This is a lesson I'm trying to teach Whitney...patience to wait for things we love. We can't just instantly flip this room and buy all the things. It takes time to curate!
ADHD is still something we're navigating with our child. No day is the same, and it's a tough journey but I'm proud of all we've learned and I'm confident we're doing the best we can to support them. Some people don't agree with my bullish thoughts on social media, smart phones and tech in schools, but I really can't comprehend why this isn't a bigger issue in the minds of parents. I think having an ADHD child made me more aware of the harm technology can do to our kids because iPads and YouTube only made my child's ADHD symptoms worse.
I think it's easier to delay these things when you have open conversations with your children about your family values and why you're choosing to delay. Have these conversations often. And if I could recommend ONE book to every parent and grandparent it would be The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. "We have overprotected our children in the real world while under protecting them online."
Summer is quickly approaching and I already have a spreadsheet with every week listed and a column for each kid. I have it down to a science after many years of working full-time with kids on summer break. Half day camps are my arch nemesis, indoor camps for my ADHD child are a nightmare, and full day camps are pure magic. I am collaborating with two overnight camps including Camp Eagle and T Bar M. Turner has attended Camp Eagle for 2 years and raves about it! You can use code "JESSE10" for 10% off.
I've always heard amazing things about T Bar M Camp in New Braunfels so I'm excited to send my kids there for a week. It's a christ-centered camp with zero technology and loads of activities! They've already sent over the packing list with all of the theme nights so the kids and I can't wait to fill their trunks with fun costumes for each night! You can use code "JESSE100" for $100 off a week of overnight camp for new campers.
When it comes to my own health I have been strength training at Orange Theory twice a week consistently however I've been in a rut when it comes to healthy eating. I will grab fast food for the convenience during a work day or busy evening and I crave Chic-fil-a sweet tea too much. I know myself and know I won't ever meal prep however a meal service like Factor is something I would try. As I approach 40 I'm becoming more and more comfortable with my body and owning that I "could" have abs but I like queso more. I really just want to feed my body nourishing foods so I can live longer. Bodies change as we age, and it's something I want to become more comfortable with especially with my face. I definitely have insecurities about my neck, but I try to remember that no one really cares except me.
Thank you for following along my journey!
