I’ll be the one millionth person to say this, but hello, was the month of January actually 200 days long!? I’m thrilled to welcome February for a number of reasons, the main one being that I’m back in business here on the blog! 
Two years ago, I decided that the only way to recover from the 4th quarter (the peak time in a full time blogger’s work schedule) was to take the month of January “off”. This year, I took the month to travel with my husband, get my family and house in order from the holiday/no school madness and to truly set our game plan for the coming year. The truth is, I can never really be “off” from my job, since my work life and personal life blend together, but taking the pressure off of myself to create blog content after the busy season has proven to be a sanity saver. 
This year, Justin and I are focusing on a handful of major life things – most notably, the renovation of our master bathroom! For the sake of transparency, I actually pulled the plug on the bathroom reno in the fall. I just couldn’t get my mind right about living through the renovation of our bedroom/bathroom with the kids home and trickling into the holiday season. Our house is a classic 3/2 ranch so we will be handing one of our two bathrooms and our bedroom over to the contractors with our fingers crossed that we all make it through in one piece. Obviously, we enjoy the renovation process but it’s fair to point out that living in a construction zone with little kids and a wild puppy is a less than ideal situation. 
On the flip side, I absolutely love the design plan I’ve pulled together and cannot wait to see the space transform. We’ve lived in this house for two years, having known since the day we saw it for the first time that this is a project we would tackle, so I’ve had ample time to dream and scheme for this space. I’m going to share the design board, all of the sources I’ve sifted through, progress shots and the final space over the next few months so I hope ya’ll are ready for an influx of decor posts!
Speaking of content and all things blog related, I wanted to thank you for sharing what you’d love to see more of here on Olive and Tate via our very informal Instagram poll. I was shocked that so many of you (almost all of the suggestions!) wanted to see fashion related content from me! I don’t consider myself a fashion blogger in the least and often shy away from sharing style related content – but if you guys really want it, I’m going to deliver! 
The most common requests for blog posts from my followers on Instagram were:
Fashion
Mom Style/Work Out 
Try Ons (suggested retailers: Loft, H&M, Nordstrom, Old Navy, Target)
Swim. Swim. Swim.
Denim Shorts
Kids Clothes
Mom/Life Hacks
Amazon Finds/Hauls/Recent Purchases
“Real Life” Decorating/Decorating on a Budget
Easy Dinner/Family/Kid/Lunch Recipes 
Gluten Free Ideas for Kids
As promised, I really did spend the month off planning and many of these topics are already in the works! Here’s what’s coming up in the month of February: Amazon work out wear, Amazon mom style, Valentine’s PJs for kids (also Amazon!), toddler friendly Insta-pot dinner round up, the master bath renovation design, coastal modern bathroom vanities on a budget and gluten free snack swaps for kids. 
Swimwear is on the docket, but this year we’re going to do things a bit differently! I will still do a budget friendly/Amazon swim round up but there have been requests for swimsuit options that can stand the test of time so we’re going to branch out into new brands and retailers – and I can’t wait. Get ready for lots of try on videos with the sounds of demolition and construction in the back ground, ladies! It’s gonna be a wild ride! 
I was also happily surprised that so many of you wanted me to focus on my real-deal Amazon purchases for my family. I’ll get to work on cleaning up and revitalizing my Amazon Faves page and will be sure to share via stories and an occasional blog round up.
2019 was an amazing year for my little business and I’m so very grateful for each of you and your continued support. This space of mine couldn’t and wouldn’t exist without you and your support – every photo like, Facebook post share and post you read here on the blog means the world to me. I am beyond excited to continue to bring you the most flattering swimsuits, most durable furniture, funniest toddler stories and wine fueled dinner recipes in 2020!