Wednesday, August 9, 2017

The Breakdown of a Bullet Journal

As I said in my last bullet journal (bujo) post, they are completely customization and you can use them anyway you want.  That being said, there are a few sections that are pretty standard in every bujo.

First up, the index.


As you can see, this is exactly what you would expect form an index.  This step is not to be skipped, especially if you include anything besides a calendar in your bujo.  Your index is where you can find all your random information.  It is also helpful if you run out of room on any page and need to continue your thoughts on a second, non-consecutive page.  You can easily find all this information if you've written down where to find it on your index.

The next common section is some type of calendar at a glance and/or future log.


Already, there are so many different ways to document this.  Some people choose to make this two separate sections as well.  For this first book, I chose to just create a future log so that I had somewhere to write down important dates and special events.  As if you don't already have enough choices, some people also choose to split this off even more and create special pages just for birthdays, or other specific calendars depending on what your life schedule is like.

From here, bullet journals really start to show their personality.  For the planner aspect of a bujo, there is usually some form of a monthly layout.  These can range anywhere from a straight forward calendar of boxes to a list of days where either and all options in between may or may not include goals, tasks, expenses, mini trackers, etc.  Although I like recording some of that information, I haven't included as part of a monthly spread.  At least not yet, as I can always change my layout every month if I decided to try something different.  So far, I have used this type of layout for my monthly layout.


Most bullet journals continue to break down after the monthly layout to a weekly spread and/or a daily log.  You can do a simple search on google, pinterest, or instagram and join facebook groups to see different layouts, but in my book, I sort of merge the weekly and daily.


If you're looking for a place to journal daily activities, I would suggest keeping a weekly and separate daily pages.

Before leaving the idea of using a bullet journal as a planner, here are the other pages that I include each month.  My monthly meal planner.


My mood tracker.


And a habit tracker.


I'm only in my third month of using the mood and habit trackers, but I like it so far, even though I'm still changing how they look.

The final section of almost every bullet journal is collections.  These collections are anything you choose to include in your bujo besides your calendar.  Seriously, anything!  Common collections include tracking books, movies and TV shows (to read/watch or have read/watch.) 



Of course, you can include any collection you'd like, but here are a few that I have included so far in my bujo.

My Whole30 journey.


Blog topics of a link-up I participate in, since I got tired of looking this up every other week.


A workout schedule.


A running log.


There are so many other ideas that I have wanted to include, but I haven't taken the time to include yet.  Although I have many mistakes and failed pages in my bujo, I still overthink almost everything I include.  So, even though I could theoretically quickly jot down all these ideas, I haven't done it yet since I want them all to look pretty.  Yes, I know this kind of defeats the purpose, but I also find making the pretty pages a little therapeutic.  Not to mention how accomplished and happy I feel after completing a pretty spread.  

If this sounds helpful and fun for you, take these standard sections and make them your own.

Monday, August 7, 2017

Hello Monday

Weekend Update

This past weekend is one I don't think I'll forget anytime soon.  Patrick played in the city golf tournament and I was his caddy.  It was great that the first day we played early and the weather was great.  The other two players in his group also had their wives caddy, so it was fun.  The second day, he had an afternoon tee time, and of course it started to rain just as he was getting ready to tee off.



It did stop raining for a hole or two, before starting up again with a vengeance.


  We made it to the green on hole 8 before the horn finally blew for a rain delay.  After spending 45 minutes in a maintenance barn, they sent us all back out for another attempt.  The rain came back right before play resumed, heavier than ever.


Without even making it through one more entire hole, they called us off again and decided to cancel the rest of the day.  Although Patrick was hoping to finish to boost his score, we were both happy to be able to get out of the rain and into some dry clothes.  Thanks to the crazy weather, I'll definitely always remember this first time I was Patrick's caddy.

Hello Monday
Here's your peek at my week.


You might have noticed, that today was my birthday!  So hello to another year.  We celebrated this evening with dinner at my parents, which is always a great time.  I truly am blessed in the family department, with both my family and Patrick's.  Everyone has made my day great today!

Hello School
You may also notice on my schedule, that it says tomorrow is the first day of school.  My plans were to start Littlecjc's homeschool preschool tomorrow.  However, I didn't get quite as much done as I had hoped this weekend, so I think I'm going to postpone to Wednesday.  Either way, we are definitely starting school this week.  So, here's hoping everything works out okay.  

With all my focus being put on getting off to a good start with school and getting my house back in order after our wet, crazy and lazy weekend/birthday (which I refused to do any of that today) I'm not even going to attempt any other hellos for this week.

That being said,
Happy Monday everyone!

Friday, August 4, 2017

Disney Height Requirement Breakdown

If you're traveling to Disney World with kids, you're probably what they can and cannot ride.  Let me start by saying I think you will be amazed at everything they can do.  According to the official Disney website, between the four parks there are 132 attractions.  To be fair, I don't personally agree with everything they consider to be an attraction such as all the animals at Animal Kingdom or all the gallery/exhibits at Epcot.  On that note though, they also don't count all the amazing shows that I do consider attractions.  Regardless, everything at Disney is worth seeing.  That all being said, out of the 132 attractions, only 18 of them have any height requirement.  

The height requirements range from 32-54 inches, but the magic number is 40 inches.  When your little one reaches 40in, they can experience 9 new attractions!  I'm so excited that my little one will get to experience these on our next trip...or at least I'm pretty sure.   Here's how they all breakdown.

32 inches


Tomorrowland Speedway at Magic Kingdom - This attraction can be enjoyed by your little ones once they are 32 inches, but be warned,  they probably still can't drive at this point as their feet most likely won't reach the pedals.  They also must be accompanied by someone age 14 or older. 

35 inches


The Barnstormer at Magic Kingdom- This is the first rollercoaster that kids can ride at Disney.  It is important to note that any child under the age of 7 must be accompanied by someone over the age of 14.  This advisory is actually listed on all attractions with height requirements and most without them as well.  However, I've never seen this be an issue anywhere except here.  The castmembers working the lines at The Barnstormer will stop any group with more kids than adults and ask the ages of anyone that they believe may be under the age of 7 to ensure that everyone is paired off with someone over the age of 14.

38 inches


Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom- At 38 inches, a child can ride their first adult rollercoaster.  This is a great one to start with as it does have decent drops, but it's a gentle ride with the swinging carts.  It also has a nice little break in the middle where they can spot their favorite dwarf characters.


Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom - This water ride will be loved by most little ones.  At 38 inches, your little one will get a special wristband to alert the loading ride attendants that your little one needs a special seat.  A few seats per boat are equipped with an extra lapbar that can be pulled down for smaller guest.

40 inches


Big Thunder Mountain at Magic Kingdom - This is the most classic coaster in my opinion at Disney World


Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom - This is one of my personal favorites, and a good one to start with if your little one has just reached this height group.  The drop into the briar patch is kind of big, but otherwise this is an extremely calm and enjoyable ride.

Stitch's Great Escape at Magic Kingdom - This attraction is currently only open seasonally during extremely busy days.  I have to admit that I haven't been inside here in a long time.  This ride takes place in the dark and you are strapped into a stationary seat by a shoulder restraint.  So, even if your kid loves Stitch, you may want to think twice about this one, if it's even open when you're there.

Soarin' at Epcot - I'm really excited to share this ride with my little one on our next visit.  Unless you have a problem with heights or motion simulators, you should be okay with this one as you experience what it would be like to soar under a hang glider around the world.


Test Track at Epcot - Littlecjc was so upset last trip that she wasn't tall enough for this one.  Most little ones should be okay on this one as you take your car through different test obsticles including the speed test as you lap around the building at high speeds.


Mission: Space Green Mission at Epcot - This attraction is currently closed for a refurbishment where they are changing the mission plans for those choosing the green mission, creating a more family friendly ride.  Previously, the height requirement was 44 inches, which I believe this little one was just over here, and you can see her head barely clears the shoulder restraint.  From my understanding, when this attraction reopens (scheduled for August 13) the green mission side will have a height requirement of 40 inches with the help of something called an X2 boaster seat.  I'll report back after our next visit with the details!  It is also worth noting that this ride confides you into a very tight space, but this seems like more of an issue for adults than little ones.


Star Tours at Hollywood Studios - Here we are in the back of four or five rows aboard our starship.  This is your standard motion simulator ride, but it is a little jerky which probably is the reason for the height requirement.


The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios - I love this ride, but it is exactly what you expect with multiple ups and downs.  I'm sure Littlecjc will want to ride this on our next trip and I'm so curious as to how she will do.


Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom - In all honesty, this may be my least favorite attraction on property.  This is a very bouncy/jerky ride mostly just in the dark.

44 inches


Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom - This is an indoor coaster.  As a parent, I think the scariest part of this ride would be that you can't sit next to your little one or watch their face.

Mission: Space Orange Mission at Epcot - The same information from above applies here in regards to the shoulder restraints and close spaces.  To my knowledge, the only changes to the orange mission is that the video quality is being updated.

Avatar Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom - I'll admit I have no personal experience with this ride, but I can't wait to try it on our next trip.  From what I've heard, it is similar to Soarin, but way more intense.  I can't wait!


Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom - This is your standard roller-coaster with one exception, you also go backwards.

48 inches


Rock 'n Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios - This coaster is great!  It is an inside coaster that takes off quickly (which you witness close up while waiting to board) and it goes upside down a few times.


Primeval Whirl at Animal Kingdom - This ride is kind of silly and therefore I find it funny that it has one of the tallest height requirements.  That being said, I loved this ride as a kid, getting spun all around and whipped back and forth.

54 inches

Tomorrowland Speedway at Animal Kingdom - At 54 inches, you can finally drive a car all by yourself.

That's all of them!  I'm so happy that Littlecjc has finally reached that magic number and I can't wait to watch her experience those 9 new attractions!

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Homeschool Preschool Daily Plans

The more I plan for our upcoming school days, the more I wonder how much I will change my schedule and plans.  That being said, here is what my plans look like before day 1.

8:30    Calendar/Circle time
9:00    Phonics
9:15    Fine Motor
9:30    Math
9:45    Handwriting
10:00  Gross Motor
10:15  Snack
10:30  Art
10:45  Shapes/Color
11:00  Reading
11:15  Play outside
12:00  Lunch
Watch themed movie

I have a reality check post planned, where I will let you know how this works and what changes I inevitably will make.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Hello Tuesday

Weekend Update
We had so much fun this past weekend!  We had a beautiful new construction home that we had rented out at Lake Barkley in Kentucky.  The weather was unbelievable!  It was a little windy to really get out on the big lake, but the bay we were on was plenty big enough to still have a ton of fun.  The wind felt nice at times, keeping us all from getting too hot.  I know last week I complained about our heatwave, but this weekend there were times I was actually cold either in the water or when getting out of it.  We also celebrated my mom's 60th birthday and I made a chocolate zucchini cake that had the best chocolate frosting ever.



Littlecjc loved Grandpa's boat, until she rode up front in Uncle Lee's.


She also loved being able to jump off the back of Uncle Lee's boat.



She enjoyed watching Uncle Lee use "that thing" or his wake board.


We even got the big girl tube out, but the verdict is still out on this one.  She loved it, even the waves, but then she suddenly said nope, I'm done and then wanted to watch someone else ride.  After watching mom and Grandma ride together, she decided that she wanted another turn.  Again, after a short while, she decided she was ready to stop after giggling all through her ride.


Hello Tuesday
That's right, it's another Hello Monday, Tuesday edition.  I must admit that I was pretty lazy yesterday.  I did spend a lot of time on the computer yesterday, but I quickly got distracted from this post by planning another family getaway and designing some shirts for our upcoming Disney trip.  Here's your peek at my week.



Hello Golf and Date Night
This weekend, Patrick is playing in the city golf tournament and I am going to be his caddie.  Last year was his first year in this tournament, and he had some friends caddie for him.  I guess all his buddies are busy this year, so I agreed as long as he figured out who was watching Littlecjc.  The only available option, is his parents who live 2 hours away.  Close enough that they can help in these situations, but far enough that Littlecjc's getting dropped off for the entire weekend.  This means Saturday night, we get to have a date night!

Hello Calendar Prep
If you've been following along with my other posts, you know that I am planning on homeschooling Littlecjc this year for preschool.   One of the most important academic aspects of any preschool is the calendar/circle time.  With my plans of starting school next week, I need to work on putting my calendar together this week.  I also need to finish all the other preparations for school that I haven't even started other than my planning.

That all being said, here's hoping I can get busy soon!

Happy Tuesday everyone!