Happy First day of Spring! Although there is still quite a bit of snow out there, I know the  nicer weather is coming. It also makes Monday seem a little friendlier when the word "Spring" is associated with it. Am I right?



So today I want to introduce a new 5 day challenge and also let you know with pictures how I did last week. Last week I challenged myself to get dressed 5 days in a row. That to me meant changing out of what I wore to bed into something new. Working from home can make it easy to hop out of bed in your PJ's and start work.

I am excited to announce that I met my goal and dressed all 5 days! I learned it really made me feel put together and made me take my work seriously. I also realized I own A LOT of leggings! But ya know what? When you sit 8 hours a day, this is okay in my book. Plus it's winter.

Here's the proof!



This week I am challenging myself to drink 80 ounces of water every day. Spring is here and I am ready to start working on myself. I gained some weight over the winter and clothing is a bit snug. Time to work towards that summer goal so I don't need to buy a new swimsuit! My current one is new from last year.

Will you be joining me in this challenge? Check back to see my results next week!

Recently I decided to trace my ancestry. It is a lot of work and gets frustrating at times, but it is so rewarding when you find connections that were your ancestors. I found it appropriate to write about this today, on St. Patrick's Day, as I have traced most of my ancestors back to Ireland.

My Irish eyes were shining! Picture from many many years ago!

I am doing this search mostly on my own. I no longer have grandparents to ask these questions to. My parents have been a little helpful. One of my uncles is in connection with an aunt of his who would have some of the info I am looking for. I am planning to call her this weekend.

It is exciting to see the old documents with my ancestors names on them. So far all of the people I have found settled in Brooklyn, New York when they come over from Ireland. My mother told me her grandfather was an orphan, so I would probably have a hard time finding him. I do believe I found him and his siblings.

It seems his parents immigrated here in the early 1900's and his mother passed away somewhere between 1905 and 1910. I was able to find her on a census for 1905, but by 1910 her husband was marked as a widow. I have not found any proper paperwork, but my own suspicion has me wondering if the father abandoned his children after his wife passed, leaving them in an orphanage.

So much to still learn, but so exciting none the less! I am proud of my heritage and what my family worked for to make us who we are today. Everyone I found had hard labor jobs and provided for a lot of children. I today still follow in those footsteps. I have worked 2 and 3 jobs to provide when needed. Hard work is in my blood, and I can see that clearly now from my ancestors.

Today I remember those people who have passed on. I am celebrating by cooking some Irish food and sharing stories with my family. I am teaching my husband some tradition and I can't wait to share this with my children one day!

Have you traced back your ancestry? What did you find? Let's chat about it!

Sometimes forming habits take time. It doesn't happen overnight. When life gets busy and you have a million things going on (hello yoga teacher training classes, work, and family) you may get even further behind on forming habits or getting back on track to your goals.

Because we all have long term goals we are working towards that may take months or even years, I figured I was going to implement short term goals that will help me reach those long term goals. Little things to remind you of what you want and who you are at the end of the day.

These 5 day challenges may reguire me to do something new each day or reguire me to work on something through out the 5 days to achieve a small goal.

Because I decided March was going to be a month of challenges, I figured this would be the perfect time to implement this. This first week I am challenging myself to get dressed every day. Let me clarify.

I am now working from home. I get to work in my pajamas if I want to, and let's just say I have taken that to the extreme. I get out of bed, throw on my robe, throw my hair up in a messy blob and get to work.

It's really easy to forget who you are this way. I have all of these cute clothes (hello new Stich Fix clothes!) and I am living in my sweats and t-shirts. Not to say this isn't nice once in awhile, but seriously, what's the point of buying cute clothes if I don't wear them regularly?

Starting today, I am fully dressed. I have on real pants, a top, my hair is brushed, and hey I even put on some makeup. Stop back Sunday to see pictures of my 5 days of outfits.

This is helping me reach my long term goals of being a successful #girlboss. It makes me feel better about myself. I'm put together and don't feel like I am dressed for a sick day. I am dressed to be a strong, confident woman.

What do you do to make yourself feel put together and ready to conquer the day? Share in the comments!

Stop back Sunday to see if I achieved my 5 days. I will also let you know what my next 5 day challenge is! I'd  love to know if you have these type of challenges or if you want to follow along with my challenges! We can make reach our goals together!