My New Year, Old Books Challenge (Join Me?)

After a bit of a lull, I've made huge strides in my reading this year (as I write this on December 31st, I'm at 119 books read for the year--almost 100 more than last year...! (That said, the 119 number is kind of killing me, so I'm hoping to squeeze in one more today to make it an even 120.)

But one thing has frustrated me about my reading this year: I've been focused on new books. Brand new books--and pretty much exclusively. I get caught up in the #bookstagram culture, tempted by all the amazing new releases, and also feel obligated to read and review any e-books I (very generously!) get free from NetGalley, and there just never seems to be time for the older stuff. And that's so annoying! There are SO many good, existing books out there. So many great books I haven't read. So many books I've already purchased (ugh--sooo many) that are just sitting around collecting dust on my shelves or lurking in my Kindle app.

So, I've decided to do something about that this year, right off the bat.

For the month of January, I'm going to be reading backlist books. Only backlist books. Even if I'm tempted by a great sounding new release. Even when my January Book of the Month box arrives. Even if an ARC of American Dirt somehow magically arrives in my mailbox. I'm calling it my "New Year, Old Books" challenge. It's going to be a little tough, but I'm focused, I'm ready, and I'm excited! 

There are so many great books out there that I have long been dying to read, and just haven't gotten around to for whatever reason. I recently went through my existing TBR pile (both real and virtual) and there are already way too many older books that I already own, so I'm not even truly going to make a dent in the old books already in my possession. But I'm looking forward to seeing how far I get! 

A few books now on my January TBR list (i.e. books I've, embarrasingly, never read): Bel Canto, A Gentleman in Moscow, Dark Matter, Firefly Lane, The Poisonwood Bible, All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, Sweetbitter, The Rules of Magic, The Dream Daughter, and--ugh--so many more!

My self-imposed rules for the challenge are pretty simple: The books I read this January must be from 2018 or earlier (but I'm going to aim for even older). And I can't buy any of the books I read. But the library is fair game! And I am actually going to allow myself to do new releases on audio though. (I don't know if this is "cheating," but I already own a million new releases on audio and pretty much zero old ones, so I'm just going to do it this way. Also, it takes me forever to get through audiobooks. So, if I don't keep at them, I will absolutely never catch up with those!) 

If you want to watch my progress (or, better yet, try the challenge yourself!), you can follow me on Instagram at @alyssaisbooked and via the hashtag #newyearoldbookswithalyssa. Let me know if you are going to participate, so we can motivate each other and exchange some great (old) book recs.

Happy reading--and happy new year!

My 2019 Health Resolutions

Since many of my resolutions always seem to revolve around health, I decided they deserved their own dedicated post this year! Here's what I've got planned to (hopefully!) make 2019 my healthiest year ever.

Work out (at least) three times a week. For the past several years, I've been incredibly disciplined about doing Pilates twice a week, every week. Unfortunately, more often than not, that's all I do. I'm not going to kid myself and vow to start exercising every single day, but I know that I can and should add at least one more workout session each week. It can be an hour of strength-training, it can be Spinning, whatever--but it has to be something. If I work out more than three times a week, great. If it's just three, great. But I do want to make that third time a must this year.

Eat better. I've never been a super healthy eater. I will almost always take a bowl of pasta over one filled with salad. But I also know I need to make some changes. I'm not planning on dieting my way through the year, and I'm not trying to lose a ton of weight or anything. But I do want to make healthier choices, focusing on a few main areas: eating more veggies, eating less sugar, and eating fewer complex carbs. If I follow those few rules, I'll be much better off. I did Whole 30 last February, and I'm planning on doing that again next month (somehow I'm never mentally ready to take it on in January--ha!) as a kind of reset for my eating. After that, I'll focus mainly on the veggies/sugar/carb thing. Seriously, if I just make those three changes, it should make a big difference for me.

Take my vitamins. I'm so bad about this. I'll get on a kick and take vitamins for awhile, but then I'll start to forget, or I'll run out, and suddenly I realize it's been months since I've downed one. But I really want to start up again. Vitamins are probably the easiest way to improve your health. Whenever I interview dermatologists for my stories, they almost always recommend taking multivitamins since the healthier your entire body is, the healthier your skin will be (and the better it will look!). And obviously it goes beyond skin. Vitamins can help everything from your heart to your immune system to your brain. So, this year, I'm getting on a regimen! Last week, I went to BJ's Wholesale Club and stocked up on a bunch of them including NatureMade Multi for Her (for general health), Culturelle Probiotics (to improve digestion and gut health!), and NatureMade Vitamin C Adult Gummies (especially important in the winter--and as a mom--when you are surrounded by germs!). While there, I also grabbed L'il Critters Gummy Vites Complete Multivitamins for my kids. (I've made a resolution to have my kids take their vitamins regularly, too.) As I move forward, I'd love to start adding some additional options like turmeric and vitamin D, but I'm trying to start simple! Best parts about buying vitamins at a wholesale club are 1) the value, and 2) they come in jumbo-sized jars, so it will take me much longer to run out--and then fall off the vitamin wagon!  

Get more sleep. I've always prided myself on being one of those people who "doesn't need a lot of sleep." But lately, I'm starting to reconsider that. I mean, I'm tired a lot of the time! And I think the lack of sleep has been taking a toll on my skin. (Like many other organs in your body, your skin really needs you to sleep so it can repair itself.) My problem is that I stay up really late (usually between midnight and 1am) for no good reason, and then I wake up early--usually between 5:30 and 6:30am--because of my kids. I can't do much about my mornings, so I want to start going to bed earlier (ideally around 10pm) at least a couple of times each week.

Floss regularly. This has been on my resolutions list since I was a teenager. I go through spurts when I'm great about it, flossing every single night like a champ, and then I go through stretches where nothing seems harder than taking sixty seconds to run a piece of string through my teeth before bed.  But this is my year, baby. In 2019, I will become an every-night-without-exception flosser! Mark my words. 

Drink more water. Sigh. This is another perennial list lurker for me. Frustrating because I actually love water! It's the only thing I drink besides coffee (and the very occasional glass of wine). But I have just never gotten in the habit of drinking enough of it. May 2019 be the year that I finally start chugging H2O like a boss. 

Do you guys have health resolutions for 2019? If so, I'd love to hear them!

Thank you to BJ's for sponsoring this post. Are you a BJ's member? If not, click here to join.

Here's How I'm Going Green For 2019 (Plus, FREE Stuff For You!)

I've been slowly but surely trying to be more "green" for the last few years, and I've made some definite progress. Plastic--in particular the single-use plastic--is what really freaks me out, so that's where I've focused a lot of my efforts. I bring a resuable cup (love this one!) to the coffee shop and I use metal straws whenever possible. But after our recent trip to a turtle rescue hospital in the Florida Keys (where nearly all of the turtle patients had stomachs full of plastic garbage--so sad!), I realized I had to step up my game. 

So, one of my resolutions this year is to cut back even further on the amount of single-use plastic we use in our home. To that end, I recently purchased some resuable plastic baggies to cut back on my Ziploc habit, I'm going to make myself be better about toting my resuable bag to the grocery store, and I've also started using these new refillable glass hand soap dispensers from Grove.  (Spoiler alert: I'm going to tell you how to get one for FREE. Details below...)

The dispensers themselves are beautiful--very chic, mimimalist, and appropriate for any decor, and the scents are fantastic (there's Lemon Eucalyptus & Mint and Lavender Thyme as well as Free & Clear, if you prefer unscented.) Intrigued? Well, I've partnered with Grove to give 'em to you for free!

Many of you guys have heard me talk about Grove before, but if you're new here: Grove Collaborative is a site that carries natural products for home and body, and somehow, manages to offer these high-end, normally-pricy brands at very competitive, very affordable prices. (They carry lines like Mrs. Meyer's, Method, Caldrea, Seventh Generation, Acure Organics, Burt's Bees, and many more.)

The other awesome thing about Grove is that, from time to time, they offer these amazing, limited-time free gifts just for trying out the site. And this is a really great one!

With your first order of $20 from Grove Collaborative using this affiliate link, you will get the following items for FREE:

• Grove glass hand soap dispenser

• Grove hand soap refill pouch

• Grove Bubble Up scrub brush

• Grove Walnut Scrubber sponges

• Free shipping and VIP trial

*FYI, if you're already a Grove Collaborative customer, you aren't eligible for the deal above (sorry!). BUT *if you use this link,* you'll get a FREE set of Grove's awesome walnut scrubber sponges.

You can cancel anytime, so honestly, it's worth at least placing one $20 order and getting all the free stuff! Then you can decide later whether or not you want to continue ordering through them. (That's what I planned to do when I got my own deal way back when, but I've totally stayed on and I order all of my cleaning products through Grove now. Since I live in a city, it's way easier to have my heavy cleaning products delivered!)

Don't forget: This offer is only available while supplies last, so grab your free products now!

And, of course, if you all have any other tips for reducing plastic use, please let me know. We need to save those turtles, guys. ;)

My 2018 Goals

Photo by Caitie of @ktnewsms

Though I've always made New Year's goals and resolutions privately, surprisingly, I don't think I've ever actually shared them here in this space. Well, this year, I feel like I need the kick in the pants that comes with accountability, so here I am putting them out into the world. They're not revolutionary resolutions or groundbreaking goals, but they're mine. Read, enjoy, and please...help me stick to them!

1. Read more books. I talked about this in my Instagram Stories recently, but though I consider myself someone who loves to read, I don't actually read that many books anymore. I've really gotten into podcasts, and those have kind of replaced books for me in many situations where I used to read them (I.e. during a commute). I also spend a ton of my free time on my computer--on social media, reading political articles (ugh), etc. No more! I'm going to make reading books a priority, and my aim is two each month. (That's not a ton, I know--and I do hope to exceed that--but I need a doable goal to start with.) I recently started This Is How it Always Is, because it was on so many best-of-2017 lists, and so far it's great! And as soon as I finish it, I'm diving into The Bright Hour. It had already been on my Amazon wishlist for months, but then I read this amazing, beautiful story yesterday and realized I had to read it asap. (BTW, I had already read--and sobbed through, and adored--When Breath Becomes Air, but if you haven't read it, you need to do so immediately. It's incredible!)

2. Drink more water. This is a lame one, I know, but it's necessary. I'm so bad at drinking water and am pretty sure I have to be constantly dehydrated. And honestly, I feel like I'm starting to see my dehydration in my face! And the worst part is that I'm not one of those people who doesn't like drinking plain water. I love a glass of ice cold water! My issue is that I just never think to drink it.(Except at meals when I only ever have water. I don't drink soda, juice, etc.) If anyone has tips on how to make yourself drink more water (and how to track your ounces), I would love to hear them! In the meantime, I think I'm going to buy this cool water bottle, which helps track how much you drink.) I'm aiming for half my body weight in ounces each day, which seems reasonable. 

3. Put my phone away when I'm with my kids. Yes, sometimes it's necessary to be on it, but usually it's just not. Yet, I constantly find myself mindlessly scrolling through Twitter when I should be snuggling and engaging. This especially happens when I'm eating a meal with my kids or putting them to bed, and I've thought about it/felt guilty about it for some time now. But what really inspired me to put this on my list is this: Last night, while my son was brushing his teeth, I had my head down focused on my phone per usual when he suddenly said, "I don't like it when I try to tell you something and you are on your phone and are not listening." Heart. Broken. I shouldn't even have it with me during moments like that, I know, so going forward, I won't. (BTW, I need to get my husband on board with this goal, too!)

4. Eat for health. This is a bit vague, I know, but I'm not trying to adopt some crazy diet here. I just need to eat in a more health-focused way. I'm not looking to lose a ton of weight or become a vegan or anything dramatic. But I do need to do a few key things. I need to eat fewer carbs (sadly, they make up the bulk of my diet right now. Me love carbs.), I need to eat more protein, and perhaps the biggest one: I need to eat more veggies. Above all, with every meal, I need to remember to eat to nourish my body, not just to fill it with stuff. That means meals with veggies and fiber and protein--and not just a bowl of cereal or pasta because it's easy. 

5. Spin at least twice a week. I do private Pilates sessions twice a week, religiously, so I'm really good about getting in my core work/stretching. But I'm abysmal at cardio, these days. And worst of all, I have no excuse for this one considering we have a damn Peloton bike in our bedroom!!! So I'm setting a very reasonable, very doable goal of two Peloton sessions a week. And then hopefully I'll become hooked again and will do it a lot more!

6. Blog three times each week. Or, okay, maybe twice a week. But more than now! You guys, I'm sorry. I've never been the type of person who blogs every day, but yikes--my blogging schedule this past year was, shall we say...irregular. I'd like to make three times a week my goal, but I also want to make sure I'm not bringing you crap, so let's say two to three times a week. One things for sure: I'm going to be here for you more this year. Promise.

7. Do a blog re-design. Another huge goal that I have for this space is a re-design. My site has actually never been redesigned. And I've had this blog for almost seven years now. It's gotten embarrassing...and it's beyond time. (If you know a great blog designer, let me know! I have started looking into this a bit, but I'd definitely like to get more suggstions.)

8. Start an email newsletter. Here's something else I've been meaning to do forever. But I never wanted to do a newsletter just for the sake of doing one. I only want to do it if it's going to provide new info, cool recommendations, exclusive giveaways--basically fun stuff you haven't seen or read before. I can't stand newsletters that exist solely to regurgiate what you've already read on someone's blog. But I feel like I've got a good plan for a cool newsletter now, so this is my year. If you are interested in being one of the first people to read it when it (hopefully!) launches, you can sign up for it here. Note: I will NEVER sell your email or use it to spam you. I will also send my newsletter very rarely--once a week max, probably even less. (I mean, you know me...!) Basically, I promise to never, ever clog up your inbox.

9. Get rid of clutter. I have so much stuff, you guys. I buy too much stuff, I get too much stuff for free thanks to my job, and I am bad (like really, epically bad) at getting rid of stuff. As a result, my house is in a constant state of clutter. And while I'm not one of those people who needs no clutter in order to function happily, the amount I have is just too much, even for me. I didn't connect with the Marie Kondo method, and I'm not even sure if I need a method, but I do need to get rid of stuff. So, I'm going to set aside two half days each week to go through all of my crap and get rid of it. (Salvation Army, get ready!) P.S.: If you guys have any pieces of advice for sorting through stuff--or any favorite books, articles, or organizing doodads--please send them my way!

So that's it. I have a few additional personal and professional goals, of course, but these are some key ones. And the ones I really want accountability on! Would love to hear if any of my 2018 goals coincide with yours. What are we all aiming for this year? Tell me below!