Kerri Banyas Photography

Eeeek! Happy 2012!

I know, I know, I’m a week late in talking about all of my resolutions…but it really has been fabulous to take some time off for the Holiday Season and just have family time! We filled our days with lots of holiday crafts, comfort foods, footie pajamas, classic Christmas movies and lots and lots of snuggle time (oh, and maybe a little bit of Justin Bieber’s Christmas Album….but I swear it was “for the kids” ) Family time made my heart happy and my kids are growing up way too fast for me to miss out

Taking time off was also a great way for me to reflect on this past year and many things I am so grateful for as well as what I need to improve…so if you aren’t annoyed yet by all of the New Years Resolution blog posts, go ahead and read all about my goals for 2012:

Get Fit!

I want to make more time to exercise, dance and be more active every day as well as eating better than before. I already LOVE veggies and eating clean when I can, but coffee and sugar are my weakness so I can easily fall off the wagon if I see a plate full of brownies! Don’t even get me talking about how much I gained over the holidays, but how could I say no to all of those wonderfully gooey desserts! I have started working out a bit with my dusty old 30 Day Shred DVD and a new one that I snagged at Walmart from the PussyCat Dolls (I just have to be careful not to do this one in front of the kids!) Hopefully by the end of this year I will have my pre-baby body back and I want to make sure my kids learn some healthy habits instead of becoming total T.V. zombies!

I also LOVE to use my iPhone to help me keep track of things such as what I am eating and how many glasses of water I have had each day (never enough!). I fell in love with the My Fitness Pal app last year and I started using it again recently…and its totally FREE! It lets you track everything and it even has a barcode scanner to save time when tracking your favorite foods….plus you can connect with friends so you can be accountable. No more excuses! I LOVE it!

Get Organized!

Who doesn’t add this to their list? Thanks to my Pinterest addiction, I am sure I can make this happen without it feeling as overwhelming as it has in the past. I never knew where to start and what the end result should look like. I am a girl who needs visual guidelines. There are so many images there that inspire me to get my closets, drawers, pantry and life in working order. I have already begun a few projects around the house…and to be honest I think I am becoming addicted to organizing. In fact I have started stalking this blog that is full of fab ideas and free printables! If you have a chance to pop over there and check out her house you will be amazed…and she has 3 boys! Yup, Jen is my new hero! I can’t wait to declutter and live more simply, I know its going to help us all to have less stress in our lives. My only problem is that IKEA is so far awayBut, I do have an online shopping cart at the Container Store full of things like this:

and eventually I want my pantry to look like this:

I must be getting old when getting my house in order is this exciting! Ha!

Spend More Time with my Family!

Just look at these stinkers….they totally need more mommy time!

My life is sooo sooo busy and I am a bit of a Free Spirit, so I know I struggle with time management and its ALWAYS been a struggle to make enough time for family. I honestly don’t know if you ever feel satisfied as a working mom in this area, but I certainly can do more to make sure I get the most out of my time with them.

Recently while attending the HER Conference, I was able to meet Chenin Boutwell, a fabulous photographer/blogger/entrepreneur mama from California who also happens to be AH-MAZ-ING at time management. She shared some very fabulous tips on how to balance photography and motherhood that I plan to incorporate into my life. My calendar system is about to get a total overhaul! You can check out Chenin’s new blog Fudge Banana Swirl to for some wonderful tips too! Warning….you will get addicted!

More Date Nights with The Hubs!

This is something I truly NEED! Drew and I have been together for almost 11 years (seriously how did that go by so fast!) and we are probably the closest we have ever been….I can’t tell you how much of a blessing it is to have a husband who is my best friend. I thank God every day for bringing him into my life. We’ve been through some major valleys to get here, and I want to start making more time to actually spend together without the kids screaming, phone ringing and computers stealing our attention.

Once a week we are going to unplug and have a glass of wine and chat about our day, play cards, monopoly, slow dance in the living room…and every other month I plan on having an actual babysitter date night where we can go out on the town….even if that means we just go to a coffee shop and grab a latte together…I don’t mind being a cheap date…whatever it takes to make sure we stay connected. Having a healthy marriage is so important to me and its easy to get too caught up in a busy life and the kids and not make time for each other. I simply can’t wait to see how much this will improve what we already have….LOVE is such a BEAUTIFUL thing

More “ME” Time!

If I confessed to you how many days of the week I stay in my P.J.’s you would probably freak…well, unless of course you stay in your P.J.’s too much also. In that case, we BOTH need an intervention!!!

10 years ago, I wouldn’t be caught dead without my hair & nails done, and make-up perfectly applied. I spent hours per day on looking adorable….HOURS. PER. DAY. Now, I’m lucky to give it 15 minutes. I also spent all my money on the cutest clothes, shoes, meaningless junk and going out…. Oh how times have changed. Although I am super duper thankful for not being stuck in the same place I was 10 years ago (I would travel back in time and smack that girl if I could!), I do realize I could also learn a lot from her.

Having children will change you, but instead of becoming less self-absorbed, I pretty much let it all go. Of course, I still adore looking cute when I have a meeting or event…but on a daily basis, after chasing kids, cooking dinner, and managing my business, I do not make time to take care of myself. Yes, there is a time for yoga pants (Lord knows I have enough for every day of the month), but what I am doing is overkill! It has gotten so bad that when I spend time putting on my make-up and doing my hair, my kids beg me not to leave….and I am not even going anywhere.

Clearly I need a schedule. Working from home can be a trap…it might sound great to work in your P.J.’s, but its not the best way to stay productive or inspired. Its so funny how a lot of people start a business to stop punching the time clock and then they slowly realize that a time clock is exactly what they need

So, here’s my plan….I need a schedule. To be realistic, I have to have certain days that I can totally rebel and stay in my yoga pants…but as I revamp my calendar and my schedule, I will choose specific days that are my work days and I have to require myself to get ready just as if I was leaving for work. On my days “off” I can stay comfy, but I still need to look put together…because I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me! (yes, that was a little Stuart Smalley reference for ya!)

Re-Organize My Business!

I have learned over the last 6 years or so that some things work and others just don’t. To be honest some tasks are just not my favorite way to spend my time, so I am not the best person for that particular job. This year, I am finally outsourcing some of those tasks so that I can be much more productive. I will be adding a few fabulous people to my team so that my business can grow and so I can focus on doing the things I love such as shooting more sessions & weddings, chatting it up with my clients, scouting awesome locations, and BLOGGING moreOn that note, I have a few really fun things that I am adding to my blog coming very soon that I am super excited about!! I can’t wait to share them with you!

I also am planning on redoing my office this year….so stay tuned for updates on that too!

Make More Time for GOD!

I could cry for years over how much I have been blessed….life is not a cakewalk…but so what. Who said it would be easy? Would I even want that life? I am excited to have challenges, to grow, and to learn as a person, and to grow closer to God. He has stuck with me when I was completely foolish, and His love has never failed me….even when I felt I had no one….He was there.

My faith has not ever been something that I shout from the mountain tops and into people’s faces….its a very personal relationship to me. I grew up really religious, and some of it was very good, but I also saw a lot of hate and a ton of judgement, and that is not how I wanted to be as a person. That is also not what God wants for me either. I want to make more time to show God’s love in my life and to talk about it…its a scary thing to open up that part of you. Its something that either people love or hate, and it can bring some very unwelcome opinions. I am not preachy, and I never will be, so you won’t see that side of things here. I simply want to make more time for God in my life by attending church more regularly with my family, reading more of my Bible, praying and reflecting on what He has in store for me….and giving back. I know that this may seem small to some of you, but to me, doing this will spark some very BIG things, and I am excited to fill my life with more of what I am lead to do….its been such a lovely journey so far and I just know that its only going to get better

A Few More Random Things to do for 2012…

• Schedule a Family Portrait Session!!! Our last one was 2 years ago now!
• Reorganize my personal photos and make yearly photo books
• Take at least 3 family trips (I already have 2 planned!)
• Connect more with some of my oldest & dearest friends (miss you Jenny & Trena!)
• Renovate the Basement into our new Master Suite…50′s houses just don’t have room for a modern family of 5
• Attend a Photography Workshop to stay inspired (first I need to narrow it down)
• Add things to my completely empty Etsy Shop (yet another business venture for me)
• Get started on some of personal photography projects (shooting for yourself is very important!)

What kinds of things are you doing to make this year fabulous? I’d love to hear all about it!

Cheers to getting our lives in order….even if we lose steam…its always great to get back up and start again! 2012 is going to ROCK!!!