Happy first Monday in August!
Can you believe that it is already August?
Where has the summer gone?
Just nuts.
Today I am linking up with my sweet Style Me Bloggers buddies Sarah at Foxy’s Domestic Side and Deena at Shoes to Shiraz to share our month of July recap in numbers posts. For the June recap I wrote the first of July, I had to break out the calculator, my fingers and toes to deal with all those numbers. And July is looking like an even more successful month. PC has taken off his socks and shoes in case I need to use his toes for my ‘ciphering.
Let’s start with some blog numbers. In July, Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After had:
- 2,382 page views, +332 (what?!!!)
- 1,806 unique visits, +357 (crazy!)
- 1,440 first time visits, +341 (unbelievable!)
- 366 return visits, +16 (I will take it!)
A big thank you to you, my readers, for stopping by my blog and then coming back again. I no longer feel like I am talking to myself on here. Thank you so much for joining me as I find my way through this new chapter in my life.
I wrote 16 blog posts for the month of July, an increase of 2 posts from June. Probably all those birthday girls I had to write about this past month.
My blog Facebook page has 202 likes – that’s up 3 from last month. I am so touched when somehow, somewhere, someone new comes across my blog FB page, and likes what they see enough to click that little LIKE in order to follow me. Holdin’ steady at 102 followers on Bloglovin‘.
Here’s something exciting…my Pinterest followers have increased by 133 (gotta love that number, look at those 3s) to a whooping 1135. I did that math in my head. Impressive! I love to Pinterest. Do you? What kinds of things do you pin most? Apparently, I pin fashion most (1,600+), then library lessons and ideas (1,300+) and main meal foodie pins come in third place (800+). I am so proud that food pins didn’t come in first. Yay, me!
I have 3 new Twitter followers for a grand total of 63. I still don’t really get Twitter but I am trying to remember to “tweet” now and then, although I am not sure anything I have going on is really Twitter-worthy!
I now have 85 Instagram followers, up 5 this month. I do enjoy Instagramming. Fun to post kind of random pics. Do you guys Instagram? My blogger friend Carrie at Curly, Crafty Mom mentioned something new on Instagram today. She has joined Periscope. So being the follower I am, I just jumped right into Periscope with both feet, too. It is an app I have downloaded onto my iPhone that I think will enable me to post videos I create with Periscope technology. Carrie and I will be figuring it out, hopefully sharing what we learn with one another. If you use Periscope already, please share!
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Ok, let’s file those numbers away til next month and move on to the important stuff…LIFE!
And July was full of living.
If you are just joining me the first time for a monthly recap, this is the part where I talk about how well I met my goals for the month. Shortly after the first of the year, I participated in a Rediscover ME challenge with Alison at Get Your Pretty On. While I have loved the fashion challenges Alison sponsors, this was the challenge I loved best. I am still using much of what I learned through Rediscover ME and I am excited because she will be offering a second opportunity for this challenge in September. Stay tuned for more info.
I have taken some of the worksheets that Alison shared in Rediscover ME and tweaked them to better fit my needs. I complete a Master Goals Worksheet the first of each month that I have adapted from one she shared with us. Here are my goals and how I fared with each in July.
Quality of Life goals:
- Work on artistic projects and create a DIY craft or project for a link-up with Carrie at Curly, Crafty Mom. I Skryped (scrapbooked + Skyped = Skryped) twice with my sister. And I attended a scrapbook day with my librarian friend Martha at another friend Susan’s beautiful home. We had pot luck lunch and learned a new craft that I will share as a DIY on the blog in August.
- Read one adult book, one children’s chapter book and one fairy tale and write reviews for each. Hmm. Did read 1 adult book. But apparently, I read 2 children’s chapter books in June and never wrote the review for 1, Ella Enchanted. I did write a review of The Midwife’s Apprentice and the book’s author Karen Cushman even stopped by the blog. Be still my heart!! I read a fairy tale in June, too, Rough-Face Girl but published the review in July. I did read a children’s picture book in July. You can read my reviews under my Title Talk category on the homepage. I will get you that review of Ella Enchanted this week, pinkie swear! Here’s what I did read in July.
- Write on my story. Nope, didn’t happen. But I did think about it.
- Write in my prayer journal and personal journal. Yes and yes. I have been writing in my prayer/gratitude journal on Mondays. Great way to get in the proper mindset to start the week.
- Devotional 5X a week. Oh, yeah. Blew this out of the water this month. Except the week I was on vacation.
- Catch up my Christmas fund and savings account. What was I thinking making this a goal in July. Really? With 3 major birthdays this month and 2 in August. I don’t see this happening for another month.
Self-Care/Appearance goals:
- Repeat the 30 Day Beginning Runner’s Challenge. I decided not to start all the way back at square one but to start from the middle. I have now run 3 miles and more several times so I know I can do it. These days I am running different distances each day but running with little or no walking. I only ran 1 time on vacation but did a whole lot of walking and inner tubing! But I ran 32 miles for the month.
- Workout at the gym 3 times a week. Really hit the gym this month. Yay, me. I would guesstimate at least 15X.
- Do Fitness Blender arms and core workouts. Always a work in progress.
- Swim 3X a month for 45 minutes. How about go tubing 2X and boogie board 1X a month instead? Fair enough? And a whole lot of wading around in the ocean. Check out this great tubing form! I fell off going over a water fall. But there’s my sunscreen staying dry aboard my tube. (See Healthy Living/Wellness goal #5)
Isn’t that pretty?
- Get a mani/pedi or massage/facial 2X a month. I am kind of frustrated about getting manis and pedis. The last ones I got really didn’t look nice for more than a day or two. I wish I could just have the mani/pedis without the polish for a discount. I did have a facial the day after we returned from vacation. Like a little vacay all its own.
- Floss and whiten teeth. Not enough.
- Dry brush 3X a week. This is something new. My daughter Brennyn shared the benefits of dry brushing with me. It works to give your skin (my cellulite) a smoother appearance. Read more here. I am thinking of doing a blog post about this but need to be more consistent about doing it before I can give an honest opinion. Here’s the brush I am using from Wal-Mart. Still taking detox baths, too.
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Healthy Living/Wellness goals:
- Drink water , take vitamins and my Miralax or Metamucil. Yup, even on vacay. What a good girl. Even tried these little dried, salted prunes with chili to complement my Metamucil. They were disgusting. Save your money!
- Limit alcohol to 2X a week. Have done well with this except on vacation. Didn’t overdo it by any means but did have a couple of cold beers after inner tubing or an afternoon at the beach.
- Sweets on Saturday. I am so proud of myself with this goal. Really trying hard. We did have mid-week birthday cupcakes on vacation but when I am at home, I am only enjoying ice cream on Saturdays, and a chocolate kiss or hug as dessert the rest of the week.
- Portion control, eat at home, cook. Really fell off the gut truck on this one. I did cook on vacation but I also ate. And ate out. A lot. Without much control over portion size. (Guess I could always just set down my fork!) You can see some of what I ate here. Here’s a hint.
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- Use sunscreen and sunless tanning sprays. Yes and yes. Loving this sunless tanning product from Roldan and Fields. I buy mine through a GYPO Challenge friend, Lauren. If you are interested in trying this product, please let me know or contact Lauren here through FB.
Personal Growth/Relationships goals:
- Plan dates with PC. How ’bout plan vacation(s) with PC, instead? Make that 2 trips. I pretty well planned both. One trip to Ruidoso, NM over night and our 7 day vacay with family.
Road trip baby. Good thing I didn’t pay to have my hair done. Could have brushed it, I guess.
- Kiss 2X a day. Make that kiss PC 2X a day. Not just a random stranger. We have made great strides on this goal.
- Listen to Brennyn and Lauren more. Trying hard not to always offer advice.
- Enjoy vacation time with family. YES! Post coming.
- Attend church a minimum of 1X a month. Vacation and baseball games got in the way of this. I think until we complete the baseball season, this is going to be tough. Only 7 more games. But I can commune with God anywhere and do.
So that’s my July in numbers.
Be sure to stop by Sarah and Deena’s blogs to check out their numbers for the month.
Hope you will share some of what you’ve been up to with me in a comment below. And hope you will follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin‘, Polyvore, and Goodreads to give my numbers an added boost for August.
Thank you!
Is there a goal you have made great progress on? Would love to know more. Please leave me a comment below just to share and to let me know you stopped by. So glad you did!
Hugs and kisses,
Shaunacey
well you knocked most of your goals out of the park!! go you!!
also, look at your numbers on the move!! that’s amazing!!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, baby girl! I was so proud. But then there’s pressure to keep the numbers moving upward and that’s scary. It is just a nice feeling that I am not talking to myself! Hugs those babies for me. They are so precious. XO
Sarah C
I love your recaps, they are so funny. The first picture was great…haha, nuts! As someone who’s mother is always offering advice or giving me the tone of disapproval, good for you for just listening! 🙂 And I feel ya on the mani/pedi, I love getting them done, but don’t like it when they start chipping a few days later…but love the hand massage part and getting pampered.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, Sarah, I want and often do offer W A Y too much advice but I am trying very hard to chew on the inside of mouth while I attempt to keep it shut. My oldest baby girl is struggling right now and I just want to hold her. I hate being sooo far away. And now I am crying again! Thank you for saying such sweet things, always. I consider you a real friend. Ok, maybe a real niece or real granddaughter, too! XO
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
Wow, you are a grand list maker just like me! Haha! Ok, so I don’t think we are friends on Periscope? What is your name on there? I am under Curly Crafty Mom if you search for that… I love how you save sweets for Saturdays and only a hug or kiss for weekdays, that is great. I have tried to cut back on alcohol, too, mainly wine… I really just want to have a glass or two once a week and leave it at that. I need to see if I am friends with you on all of your social channels.
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Will check to see if we are connected on Periscope. I haven’t done one thing with it yet but hope to have some time next week to play with that app. I love making lists and setting goals…not so great on always crossing everything off my list and getting things done! But I can make a mean list. Please think about doing the ReDiscover ME challenge Alison at GYPO is offering in September. It is so fabulous. And perfect for list making/goal setting gals like us. Let me know when you get your tee. Can’t wait to see you in it. XO
Carrie
What a great month, Leslie! Loved hearing about it. Dry brushing sounds like something I should try as well. I love my R&F tanner too.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I need to tie the brush I am using for the dry brushing around my neck because I forget to do it until I am wet in the shower! But I think, maybe, just maybe, it is helping. There’s lots to be done in the cellulite department all over this body but I would welcome any positive change. Can’t imagine you having the least little bump on your toned self!
deena
fantastic month you had! I like the sounds of that Larf book…will track it down for the munchkins. Thanks for co-hosting!!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thanks for allowing me co-host with you. Your numbers posts are inspirational and fun for all of us to read. Love the way your blog looks these days. Pretty!
Danielle
Wow. Atta girl. You completed a lot of your goals this month. And your blog numbers, super awesome! Keep at it! Looking forward to your upcoming posts.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
You are so kind to always leave me a sweet comment. Join me next month for the numbers recap, wanna?