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Magazine Junkie 

When I was young I would sneak my mom’s Glamour and Good House Keeping magazines, read them cover to cover and rip out all the articles and advice I thought I would need later in life. At times I would even bind months’ worth of pages into my own “magazine”. It was my love of magazines and the ad placement that initially interested me in Marketing as a major in college. Though I found out very quickly that marketing was much more than just advertising – but that’s a different story.

When I moved into my first apartment at the end of my freshman year of college I got roped into (read: it was a cute upperclassman who asked) purchasing a slew of magazines in order to help an ambitious college student win a trip. My first four magazines were Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Sports Illustrated. Their arrival was the highlight of my month and soon I could almost guess exactly which day they would turn up in the mail. I would read them cover to cover, sometimes multiple times, still ripping out pages that I found intriguing. By my sophomore year I had added Elle and Self. It would take me approximately 1 hour to read each cover to cover. I could often be found on the quad flipping through pages in between classes. I added new magazines each year, for special introductory pricing of course. By time I graduated I had added Maxium, Shape, Vogue, Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly, People, Good Housekeeping, Paper Crafts & Allure. Each, I carefully and completely read from cover to cover – filling time late at night after I got done working. (Restaurant industry will kick your booty and everyone needs some unwind time following a shift.)

When I started working 60 hours a week following graduation I found my magazines started piling up and my mom would encourage me to stop some of the subscriptions. I was, after all, in debt at the time and still managing to pay $10–$80 for an annual subscription. Instead, I added more inStyle, People Style Watch, Women’s Health Magazine, & Yoga Journal. When I moved to St Louis in 2009 I had approx 30 magazine subscriptions. Within two weeks of moving in to my apartment I got sucked into ordering four more through the same “college student magazine seller trip winner” gimmick ad that got me started. I added Rachel Ray, Cooking Light, Weight Watchers and Rolling Stone Magazine.  I now had a full storage bin that was three feet tall to hold all my ripped out pages.

When I moved in with my now husband he couldn’t believe how many magazines came to the house but I’ve heard him tell several people, “She reads all of them, honest.” Then a friend mentioned Real Simple, a magazine I had never heard of – done. Another sent me a short story from The New Yorker – done. I also added National Geographic, Parents, HGTV magazine, Redbook, Marie Claire, Travel & Leisure,  Conde Naste Traveler and multiple annual publications from Fortune and Money.  In any given year I had approx 40 magazines come to my door. That I read cover to cover – that’s a work week in magazine time!

It’s still my guilty pleasure today, even though I have cut back tremendously. I analyzed the articles I had ripped out over 10 years and determined where I was keeping the majority from. These were pages that I refer to all the time – include recipes, work-outs, makeup trends, fashion and outfit ideas, gift ideas, practical advice, quotes, inspiring stories, and parenting advice. I narrowed down my service to only those magazines I was getting the most out of – still probably more than average but I get the most out of them.  Here are my top 5.

1. Real Simple – this magazine has it all from home decor and design, cleaning notes, easy meals –> trends in hair, makeup and fashion. I find the magazine is laid out well, flows and is practical advice.

2. Glamour – a long time favorite for all things beauty/health/fashion and more recently women’s issues with an international flair. The fashion is up to date with real word application. The articles are well written and include a variety of current events.

3. Good Housekeeping – where else can you find the best cleaning products, lists on how long to keep food in the refrigerator and the appropriate furniture layout.

4. People – it’s ok to drool over those designer Oscar dresses, while getting a spin on the latest tragedy, celebrity vacation spot, Kardashian baby or Duggar wedding. This is my Saturday morning coffee read. (Note: since I don’t watch reality tv – this is my guiltiest pleasure.)

5. Women’s Health Magazine – every month I am surprised at the amount of knowledge about health and fitness that is compiled. The workouts are easy to follow and the articles are well written and make you want to live a better life. By “better” I mean healthier. The advice feels like a trainer is talking to you.

Runner(s) Up: Marie Claire, Self, Sports Illustrated & Time

In today’s digital world I also subscribe to texture. Not every magazine is available and I don’t always feel like I get the full content but it is awesome for those of us on the go that don’t want to carry 5 magazines adding weight to that travel bag.

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Accountability Statement 2018

Another new year has arrived and with it the expectations and overarching themes of “starting over” or “new opportunities.” It’s easy for me to have such good intentions and then quickly allow myself to fall back into relaxed patterns and habits. The last few years instead of selecting resolutions for the new year I have chosen a word to focus on throughout the year.

Two years ago I selected the word “patience” and last year “balance.” Both years I tried to use this word to bring me back during daily meditation sessions in addition to using it at a lens through which I tried to make decisions and choices best for my family. It’s not a perfect science but it definitely helps to ensure I am in the present and think about the intentions behind my actions.

This year, 2018, there are a lot of changes ahead for my family. Specifically we are leaving the home that our children have spent the first 3.5 years of their lives to move 800 miles away from our friends and family. I anticipate this will be a big transition for the girls, my husband and me. This will entail a new school, teachers and friends for the girls and a new job for my husband. For me, it will be the art of balancing the excitement of exploring a new city with recognizing what my family can handle at any given time. For all of us it will also be an adjustment as Sabrina leaves for Brazil, we set new schedules and find a new normal.

Further, I have relaxed quite a bit in some of my routines that I spent so much time creating over the last five years. I have not been meal prepping, exercising with weights, spending time away from my phone or breathing in fresh air nearly as much – a known trigger to keep me mentally in sync. It is time that I take a disciplined approach to ensure that I am the example I strive to be for my girls.

My word for 2018 is “discipline” and not in the aggressive sense of punishment for me or my children but “train oneself to do something in a controlled and habitual way.” (Defined by Google) I want to use this word as a guiding post for how we transition, how I commit to a routine and how I love my girls. That may sound odd to some but what I mean by it is to ensure that I have a disciplined approach to everything so that I can focus the time and attention to the ones who love and need me most.