Closing out 2014 and Getting Ready for a Healthier 2015

I don’t know about you, but I am a pretty sentimental person. The week of new year’s is pretty intense for me. My children are home and I pause to note how quickly time flies by. My oldest son is 21. How is that even possible? My baby is 7 and he is so tall that I’m sure he will be taller than me by this time next year. In fact, my oldest son and I joked this weekend that my little guy’s new jeans that fit him in the morning were looking kind of short by the afternoon. Stop growing kid! I think I’m going to have to quit calling him “my little guy” soon. At least he is still a good snuggler with all of those long arms and legs.

There are lots of year end wrap-up shows on TV. These shows are definitely geared towards sentimental fools like me . I get to reminisce on the lives of famous actors and musicians who have had an impact on my life. I get to enjoy all of the pictures of the new babies that were born this year. I also am reminded about all of those famous folks that got married……….and divorced this year. So much change in just one year.

I would like to do my own little year in review. Hmm…….so much has happened here at Juggling……where do I even begin?

1. January started with a bang. We had our first ever Real Food Experience where we worked with some great people to help them transition from fast and processed food to a real food lifestyle. We are starting a new group in 2015. It’s going to be bigger and better than ever before. You can find out more about it here: Real Food Experience 2015. If you are a social media guru you can also follow us with #RealFoodExperience.

2. In March I introduced my new series which focuses on healthy eating for young athletes. There is so much bad information out there. It was important for me to sift through all of the information I could so that I could make sure my young athletes perform at their best. The series has really resonated with a lot of you out there as well and has proven to be quite a popular. You can check it out here.

3. In July, Juggling Real Food and Real Life held its second annual Smoothie Competition. Some of the best bloggers from across the web shared their favorite smoothie recipes for us to try. Smoothies are such a great way to pack lots of nutrition into a cup and enjoy a dessert-like treat. I look forward to the 2015 competition. You can check out our 2014 Juggling Real Food and Real Life Smoothie Competition finalists here. I know I have discovered some new favorite recipes.

Juggling Real Food and Real Life Smoothie Competition

4. Juggling’s Lunchbox series also proved to be quite popular. It’s so fun to share ideas together on healthy eating for our little ones. My kids are so funny because they talk about their “famous lunches”. I would love to hear all about your kids and their famous lunches too. You can find lots of ideas, tips, and tricks for packing healthy, fun, and delicious real food lunches here. There is lots more planned for 2015 so stay tuned.

Peanut Butter Whole Wheat Waffle Sandwich

5. Juggling got you through the holidays with our gift guides here and here. These gifts are great for any time of the year. I also shared tips on saving money at the grocery store, surviving the office potluck, and one important health benefit of eating real food.

And now for some thank yous!

I don’t ever want to take my family for granted so I want to start by thanking my family for putting up with my blogging. Thank you for allowing me to stare at my computer long into the night, waiting for me to photograph your dinner, and for always giving me new material to write about.

I would also like to thank my Let’s Get Real co-hosts. They make my life so much easier by working together like a well-oiled machine. Thank you to Nicole at 365ish-Days of Pinterest, Nicky at Little Family Adventure, and Gaye over at Calm.Healthy.Sexy. Thank you also to all of the wonderful bloggers who link up with us each week. I really enjoy reading all of the amazing content you put out each week. Let’s Get Real goes live every Thursday at 5PM. Don’t miss it.

Finally, I would like to thank you, my readers. It is because of you that I continue to write. As long as you keep reading, I will keep writing. Thanks to all of the great conversations we have on Facebook, I know some of your names. I will mention a few, but please don’t be upset if I don’t mention you. I love you all! I will run out of space if I include all of you. So for a few specific thank yous…………..Thank you to : Mary Beth, Katy, Suzanne, Carol, Heather, Alicia, Seth Jennifer, Janice, Katie, Sarah, Natosha, Hillary, Christine, Jessica, Michelle, Monique, Melissa, Tera, Lawanda, Candi, Donna, Tara, Cindy, Tabi, Lydia, Shanna, Elissa, Anne, Christina, Mary, Kristen, Marjie and Janelle, Meeghan, Dawn, Crystal, and Rhonda. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me on social media. It sure would be boring if I was talking to myself all of the time. I read every one of your comments. I learn so much from you and really enjoy the conversations.

Thank you for being my friend!

Here is to a beautiful and healthy 2015………..and since this is me and Juggling Real Food and Real Life we are talking about. I promise to always bring you lots of love and laughter as well.

Happy New Year my friends!

So, what makes you sentimental? Do you watch all of those sappy year in review shows? What was your favorite Juggling post this past year? What do you look forward to in 2015?