Winter Style Inspo

Essie Lady Like Polish

Mary Kay Skinvigorate Cleansing Brush
Chunky Sweaters 1, 2, 3
Cozy Scarves 1, 2
Faux Leather Jacket (similar)
Faux Leather Notebook
 Ruffle Sleeve Top | DIY by me (similar here + here)

Biore' Pore Strips
Crest White Strips
Nesquick Chocolate Milk (my favorite ;) )

The winter blues are starting to hit hard over here, with Christmas over and no other real holidays to get us in a celebratory mood till Valentine's Day. But, I find that a fresh dose of perspective (and a little extra chocolate) always helps me get my jive back. Right now, that's in the form of lazy days at home, Nesquick chocolate milk, a few easy beauty treatments, striving to get back into my Bible and pinning outfit inspo to get me through the winter. Some of my favorite ways to brighten my mood or make my days feel a little lighter are 1| painting my nails (though it's such a rare occurrence lately), 2| freeing our schedule up to include more down time and 3| purging the house, closets, counters and rooms of unneeded/unused things. 

Personally, I think winter days were made for staying home, cozying up to the fire in our jammies with a warm blanket, a bowl of ice cream and a good movie/binge show or game with the family. All of those comfort things we think of when we're tired and stressed and just want some free time. That's a hard thing to come by as moms but, if you plan a little, you can totally make it happen. I've been able to sync Blake and Tyler's nap times recently and that has worked WONDERS for my afternoons. Lucas and JD get the downstairs playtime they ask for all during school work and I get a good hour and a half to write on the blog, speed through some to-dos, straighten up from the morning, read a little in my Bible study or just zone out (which usually means turning on Friends and scrolling through my apps). Plus, I'm not trying to keep as many kiddos quiet which is helpful in getting those good, long naps in. 

I love doing little things to boost my self confidence when I know we're going to be stuck at home for a few days (#icestorm2017). Some of those include whitening strips, face masks, pore cleansers, anything I wouldn't normally have time for on a regular basis when our schedule is jam packed. I used to paint my nails about every two weeks or so to keep them looking fresh and clean but, lately there just hasn't been time. Tyler is still up two to three times a night to nurse and that kind of throws out my whole "paint them an hour before bed" plan. I've found that it works well to paint them that far in advance and then let them sit overnight to harden. They don't get smudged if I keep my hands outside the blankets and they're nice and ready the next day so I don't have to be as careful doing stuff around the house. It works. But, I've had to take a break from that the last few months with mister Tyler's sleeping habits. I did just get a pretty, new Essie (Lady Like) polish though so, I'm excited to try it out in the next day or so (hopefully on a night that Tyler sleeps unusually long)!

It always feels good to purge things and I've found that if I wait until I have motivation to do so I am much more efficient at it. When I'm rearranging after the holidays or putting clothes away after folding them both seem to be good "purge" times for me. Or if I've finished up my to-do list for the week (though that's pretty rare too) and need something to focus my energy on while the boys play. I like to take their unused toys/books/shoes to Crosslines or the Salvation Army and usually pack up clothes that we no longer wear to take them to our local consignment shop. It works well for me because then I can use my credit from selling them to get things we need or want later. With four growing boys who are constantly wearing out clothes, that's been a life saver. And, who doesn't love the extra space and openness when we're stuck inside so much during those cold months.

Need more inspiration?...What do you do to gain extra inspiration through the winter?