My New Year’s Resolutions + Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale Details + An OOTD

Happy New Year, Y’all!  We got back in town last night, after a week away, and the girls already have school today.  Talk about jumping back into the swing of things.  They usually have the day after New Year’s Day off, but this year it’s a make-up day from Hurricane Matthew.  How sweet is Effie’s little necklace?  It’s hard to leave family after staying with them for so long, but we’re happy to have Charleston as our destination.

It’s that time of year again, when everyone sets their sights on the new year and making it the best they can.  I love the chance of having a restart each year.  Nothing too extreme, but a time to re-evaluate my goals and what I want to make out of my life or how I can improve it.  I realize that everyone has different priorities, but these are what work for me.  And I know firsthand that if I can work on these resolutions, that my life feels more in line and my attitude is tremendously different and more positive.  I don’t know about you, but a happy attitude and positivite behavior makes a world of a difference when you wake up, not just for you, but those surrounding you too.

Exercise

Here’s hoping I’ll work out more in my Lulu pieces, than just using them for loungewear this year.  I know I’m constantly talking about these leggings, but they’re made so well.  The high rise was definitely needed this past week.  And this is a Scuba Hoodie, but the fabric is terry.  I honestly like it better than the usual fabric.  For sizing on Lulu pieces, I go up a size.

How great are these slippers?  I’ve had mine a few months now and still continue to love wearing them.  I didn’t realize how popular they were.  When I went to search for them for you, I realized they’re almost sold out everywhere.  But I did find them here.  For fit, I’m an 8.5 and wear a 9 in them. // Leggings

On exercising, I just need to get more motivated.  Once I start a routine, I can usually stick with it.  I’m making it super simple in the beginning, just to exercise at least 30 minutes everyday.  It’s a reasonable goal and I know I’ll feel a difference quickly.

Early Bed Time

This is going to be a huge one for me this year.  I usually go to bed around midnight and wake up at 5am.  My goal is to get at least six hours of sleep each night.  So midnight bedtimes aren’t going to cut it anymore.  11 will be the latest.  I know it’s after the busy holiday season, so my body should be tired, but I need more energy.  I’ve always been used to waking up at 5am, but lately it’s been so hard to make myself get up, let alone, stay awake.  Part of that may be this time of year.  The cold weather just makes me want to hit snooze a million times and snuggle under the warm sheets for as long as I can.  But that can’t happen.  In order for me to really wake up and feel well-rested, I just need more sleep.  It’s that simple.

Healthy Eating

I can see a difference when I change my eating habits even after as little as three days!  The healthier food I eat and water I drink, everything seems brighter.  I want that feeling again.  In the beginning, I’ll be incorporating more veggies and fruit in my diet.  I honestly don’t drink water.  I do when I’m on the tennis court or after a run, but besides that, I just don’t.  That’s a simple, mental fix and I’m going to change that.

Less Technology and TV

I’ve hidden our iPads for about a month now and what a difference it’s made.  I’m going to keep being more conscious about turning the tv off and allowing the kids to experience their surroundings, even just exploring outside, which they love to do. I also want to take time to read more with the kids.

Looking back at last year’s resolutions, two that I had ‘Organization’ and ‘Reading’ were left off this year’s list.  That’s not to say that my life is completely organized and that I’m finding time to read, but this year those goals aren’t as important to me.  I feel like if I can stick with my simplified resolutions this year, those two topics will just work themselves out.

I guess what I love most about writing out resolutions, is that you have something in writing that you can work on.  I for one know that I can say I’ll get better at that, or work on that, etc., but saying it is easily forgotten and often ignored after awhile.  It really doesn’t mean as much as when it’s written out.  It’s official.  If you haven’t yet, try writing a few resolutions out.  This time next year, it’s always nice to reflect on the year and look back at what all you’ve accomplished and see what you could work on.  Our life is a work in progress.  I’m always striving to be my best self and resolutions help to streamline my thoughts and goals.  Here’s hoping I can stick to them and continue to make the best life I have, not just for me, but for my family, as well.

Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale

As I mentioned on Friday’s post, the Lilly Sale is coming!  No, it’s won’t be today, as some of you asked, but it will be this week.  I received final confirmation of the date last night and it’s very different than in years past.  For those of you who may not know, for the past few years, Lilly Pulitzer has offered two online sales each year. One usually being in January and the other in August. They markdown a ton of Lilly items from clothing to accessories, usually over the course of 1-3 days. This time, the sale will last two days.  It will begin on Thursday morning, January 5th and run until Friday, January 6th.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

The most important thing to prepare yourself for the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale is to create an account and/or make sure yours is updated with your correct address and current credit card info. The reason? When the sale goes live on Thursday, you’re going to start adding your favorite items to your cart. And when you go to check-out, if you haven’t created an account, it’s going to take you that much longer to go through the check-out process. And during this sale, longer is not a good thing. Lilly Pulitzer doesn’t allow you to hold/reserve items once they’re in your cart, so they’re not confirmed until you’ve completely checked out. Sometimes items leave your cart as soon as you’ve added them. Not joking on that one. Go ahead and CREATE/UPDATE YOUR ACCOUNT here now because if you decide to wait and do it right before the sale starts on Thursday morning, you won’t be able to. They’re even closing down the site in the morning, right before the sale starts, to prepare for the sale.

One strategy I always use is to pick out my absolute ‘must-have’ favorites quickly first, then check-out as fast as I can. That way I know my most coveted pieces are confirmed mine. Just like the new technique they used for the first time this past summer, they’re using it again: THE VIRTUAL LINE. Basically, when you enter the site Thursday morning, you may be added to the virtual line. Be sure and get what you can when you get on the site after being in line, because if you want to shop again, you’ll be added to the back of the virtual line again, after you check-out. It definitely isn’t as quick of a process as previous sales, but it did run smoother than previous sales Lilly has had, and the site didn’t crash as often as it used to.

Lilly Pulitzer offers FREE SHIPPING during the sale, so you can always go back for more. Which I ALWAYS do. The sale lasts two days, from January 5th-6th.  Even if you’re not planning on shopping a lot during the sale, maybe just wanting to check it out, I’d still set up an account ahead of time. Just wait until you see the prices. You’ll be kicking yourself when all you may have wanted is that one thing, and then it sells out before you could finish checking out. When I shop this sale, I’m thinking summer. I stock up on Little Lilly Shifts, and especially if there are girls’ swimsuits I try and guess what size they’ll be wearing this summer. Great ideas for baby gifts and birthdays, as well. What little girl wouldn’t want a little shift dress for their birthday!

LOADING ERRORS. I’m going to be honest, Lilly’s site ALWAYS crashes. Like I’m talking every year. No matter how well they prepare for this sale, their system can’t handle the popularity of this sale and the flooding of all the clicks, hits, etc. I say it every single year, but here’s hoping this won’t happen this year. Maybe this will be the year that all of us have smooth transactions. I know it’s hard, but if it does crash, have some patience. The Lilly team works extremely hard to prepare for this online sale, and how great is Lilly to even offer all of us such a fabulous online sale? If you’re anxious, just keep checking back, refreshing, whatever works for you, until the sale is back up again.

Alright, I hope I’ve prepared y’all as much as I can for Thursday! And remember, the most important thing you can do now is to create an account. Oh, and if you want to be one of the first ones to check out the sale come Thursday morning, don’t forget to set your alarm! There will be plenty up for grabs during the day of the sale.

Be sure and check back here early Thursday morning, maybe while you’re waiting for the sale to start? I’ll be providing some photos of recent Lilly items I own, that may be part of the sale. I’ll also include sizing help and fit guides. After the sale goes live at 8am, I’ll be updating my site throughout the day with my favorites from the sale, and what some of the best deals are, so be sure and keep checking back. As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve got a surprise that I’m announcing on Thursday morning, if you’re a Lilly Lover, you’re going to love it!

So tell me, what items are you hoping will be part of the sale this year?? I’ve got a few favorite styles that I’m loving. You know I’m all about an Elsa top, but I’ve got some others on my wish list too.

Don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions about the sale!  And my apologies if you’ve read all of the above details on SSP from previous sales.  Think of them as friendly reminders, Lilly lovers!

Pattern Mixing: Plaid & Leopard

I wish I could say this pup was mine.  My kids were begging to take one home yesterday after our trip, but we’ve got our Boozer and that’s all we need right now.  After this week, we sure will miss them all though!

Vest // Top // Jeans // Heels (50% off, I’m an 8.5 and wear an 8 in them.)  // Sunnies // Because I usually get emails about which one I use, I use this curler to get my waves.  The one available at Nordstrom is currently on back order.  I also found it available here.

Whatever your resolutions are this year, good luck!  I’m so excited to see what 2017 brings.  And a major thank you to you, my readers!  Crazy to think I’ve been blogging for almost seven years!  Unreal to me! Back then I could never have imagined that I’d be still be blogging, especially with babies being born and life continuing to get busier. But I wouldn’t change it for the world! I’m so thankful for all of you!  Makes it all so worth it!

Cheers to a Happy New Year!  May we make the best of it, and continue to live a happy, healthy life.  After all, it’s the only one we’ve got!