Welcome to the newly named What’s Been On Your Calendar? linkup, the first for 2023. It’s lovely to have you join myself, Debbie, Donna and Jo your hosts.
It’s a bumper edition from me, so make a cuppa and we can catch up on what’s been happening during January.
Whilst January has flown by, life has mostly been good. There was a blip towards the middle of the month when life threw a curveball which I wasn’t expecting, it prompted me to write Strategies to stop ‘worry’ stealing your TIME and from the comments I received it seems many of us fall into the ‘worrier’ category. With support from family and friends, life now appears to have settled down.
I’m constantly learning that life is dynamic – good and bad times and how our mindset in dealing with the ups and downs is so important to developing resilience.
Sue Loncaric
I love January it is a little like Spring because to me, both bring feelings of HOPE as a new year (or in the case of Spring, a new season) begins. It is also Summer time and where I live in Queensland that means lots of outdoor activities enjoying the sunshine, blue skies (but perhaps not the humidity)!
TIME and using my TIME wisely is my theme for 2023 and I’ve certainly started January well. I think I will enjoy writing these wrap up posts each month as a reminder of how I used my time during the month. I recently read The Measure by Nikki Erlick and it certainly put into perspective TIME and the fact that we never really know how much TIME we have and not to take that for granted.
Planning
January is my planning month and I use it not to make New Year resolutions but rather to list what I would like to do during the year. Looking back at my plans, my darling and I are in for a busy but hopefully healthy and enjoyable year.
Travel – We have booked a trip to Europe in November for a River Cruise and Christmas Markets and also a cruise to Papua New Guinea (a spontaneous booking!) for June
Regular Day Trips – last year my darling and I started weekly dates taking day trips but since we moved these haven’t happened. They are back on the agenda for 2023.
Health and wellness – I’ve entered 3 running events for the year with my daughter and running friend. This is a great motivator for us to meet socially but also gives our running a purpose. I participated in the monthly Yoga with Adriene challenge. For January it was Center. Yoga is a great way to stay strong, flexible and so good for the mind and spirit. I also need get back to healthier eating habits after the Festive Season. I continue to be a Group Fitness Instructor for Strong Healthy Women
Home restaurant – I’ve decided to reinitiate our weekly ‘Restaurant at Home’ date nights where my darling and I each take a turn to select a main and dessert recipe and then prepare it.
Home renovations – We moved house last August and in October we had new hybrid timber flooring installed. For 2023 we are looking at updating our bathrooms and designing our garden.
Podcast interviews – Season 5 of the Women Living Well After 50 podcast will resume interviews from February. I share stories from women Over 50 who are inspiring and motivating.
Exploring community groups Mike and I can join – My darling and I have never really been into joining groups as we’ve always had too many other responsibilities and activities to take up our time. This year, sees a reduction of responsibilities and we would like to explore community groups in our area to maintain social contact.
School Holiday Fun
December/January is the longest period of school holidays and as always I found joy spending time with my grandsons. The youngest, Elliot started school this week and I can’t believe it.
Cooking
One of my plans for 2023 is to try new recipes and this month I’ve tried a very quick and easy tiramisu recipe that I found on Taste. It literally took 15 minutes, (although it is called 2 minute Tiramisu). It isn’t the traditional recipe which I will be trying in the near future, it certainly tasted good. I’ve also tried a couple of recipes from Nigella Lawson which I will share in upcoming posts.
Participating
Guest speaking engagement
I was honoured to be a guest speaker at the Kickstart Your Confidence Summit – Women Living Well After 50
Fun with Fashion & Beauty
I had some fun playing ‘model’ for a ‘Fashion Photo shoot’ and roped my very patient husband in to be photographer. I had been gifted some clothes from 3rd Story and also purchased some clothing from West Indies Wear both of these labels are perfect for my lifestyle. The orange beach pants and pink dress are from West Indies Wear and the star tees and pants are from 3rd Story.
If you would like to purchase from 3rd story you can use my discount code: SUE15
- 15% off entire order
- No minimum purchase requirement
- All customers
- One use per customer
- Can’t combine with other discounts
- Active from today until Apr 30
I’m also working with Enhance Pro Age products which are a handy trio perfect for a simplified beauty routine. You can check out the products HERE and if you wish to purchase remember to use CODE: SUE15 for a discount.
Link ups I’ve participated in during January included:
- Wednesday Words & Pics hosted by Denyse Whelan
- What’s On Your Plate? Challenge hosted by Donna from Retirement Reflections and Deb from The Widow Badass
- What’s On Your Bookshelf? and What’s Been On Your Calendar? Hosted by Deb from Deb’s World, Donna from Retirement Reflections, Jo from And Anyways and myself
The 52 Book Club Reading challenge
I found this through my friend Jennifer Jones from Next Phase in Fitness and am enjoying trying to find books to match the prompts. I’ll be sharing my progress in our monthly What’s On Your Bookshelf? post.
Blog Posts in January
Action for Happiness January Calendar
Using my TIME Wisely in 2023 (my WOTY)
TIME to try new recipes in 2023 (joining in the What’s On Your Plate? Challenge)
6 Reasons it’s TIME to Let go, Accept & Move Forward
Strategies to stop ‘worry’ stealing your TIME
What’s Been On Your Bookshelf?
Achievements
Podcast – I was very excited to receive the 2022 stats for my Women Living Well After 50 Podcast. A huge thank you to all of my dedicated listeners and for the positive feedback and love you show to me. I am now in production for Season 5 and always looking for guests. If you feel you have a story to share that will inspire women over 50 then I’d love to hear from you,
Well, that’s what’s been on my calendar for January and I Iook forward hearing what you’ve been up to. I’m sharing my co-hosts’ links as well so remember to pop over and visit to see how their January progressed.
Debbie Harris
Donna Connolly
Jo Tracey
Enjoy your month!
What’s Been On Your Calendar? #WBOYC
What: 2023 Monthly Wrap-Up Link Party.
When: Last Thursday PM (Northern Hemisphere)/ Last Friday AM (Southern Hemisphere). The link will be open for 7 days
Why: A space to share highlights from your past month.
Where: Link Party, Blog, Blog Comments, Instagram or other social media.
Who: This linkup is open to everyone.
How: You can share in the comments, with a blog post, or on other social media of your choice. Include the hashtag so that we can find you and include your link in our posts.
The next #WBOYC will be Thursday February 24/Friday February 25 I’m lookingforward to seeing What’s Been on your Calendar? during the month.
30 Comments
Oh wow Sue what a positive and forward thinking post! Time is a perfect WOTY for you and you’ve certainly got into the swing of it :). I love all your fashion photos, you really should be a model! Your holiday news is exciting and I love making spontaneous plans, they’re always so exciting. I’m reading The Measure and enjoying it, wondering how it will end already, many thanks for the recommendation. Congratulations on all your achievements, you are so inspiring with all you do for others but you obviously enjoy it all too, which must make it feel less of a chore. I can’t believe both boys are now at school, you’ll miss your days with I’m sure. Thanks for always being a great supportive co-host, we all work so well together it’s such a pleasure to be involved in these linkups. xx
Thanks Deb! I love writing these posts because they are always a pleasant surprise. I realise I’ve done more than I thought. It is certainly going to be a change having Wednesdays without Elliot although I will continue to collect the boys from school so I can still have some Nan time. Lots to look forward to in 2023 including our continued friendship xx
Oh, I popped over to your post to see what had happened that had you worrying. I hope it’s all okay now, or that you’ve been able to move on anyway.
How lovely to have some great stuff planned for the year!
Hi Deb, I’ve been worried about my husband who has had some health issues and been quite low. Moving house has been a huge adjustment and then throw in COVID for Christmas and I think it all just got a bit too much for him. We are getting back on track though and thank you for checking in. We do have some lovely things planned for 2023 and that certainly helps – having something to look forward to. x
Hi, Sue – What an inspiring post!! Despite definite challenges, you remained incredibly positive and planned out some wonderful paths for 2023. I love all of your travel plans, the resurrection of date nights, the looking forward to community groups and so much more. I also agree with Deb – you make a beautiful model!
Thank you for your friendship, your positivity and your inspiration! <3
Thank you, lovely Donna! There were some challenges but when I wrote the post, as you mentioned there are many wonderful paths and plans for 2023. I think having something to look forward to really helps. Thank you for your continued friendship and support and here’s to another year of having each other in our lives, despite the distance. xx
Hi Sue, wow you sure did cover a lot in this post. Firstly, congratulations on the success of your podcast. It is such an achievement to have 1) worked out how to do a Podcast; 2) dived bravely into the unknown, 3) made the time for it, 4) found interesting people to interview and 5) done so well! I’ll have to have a look at ‘3rd Story’ – I’m wanting to find a couple of pairs of comfy long pants for all the walking we’ll be doing in NZ in May. Your planning for 2023 is fabulous and two exciting trips to look forward to! I really hope that I get to the UK and Europe one day before I die *fingers crossed*. I look forward to keeping up with what you get up to during 2023 via our blogs. Thanks for hosting and I will try my best to link up each month! xo
Hi Min, yes maybe I went a little overboard with information for the post but once I started I couldn’t stop! Thank you so much for your kind words about the Podcast. It has been a great way to overcome fear and build confidence. 3rd story clothes are fairly inexpensive and feel great. I’m sure you will find something for your NZ trip. I look forward to keeping up with your plans for the year, too. I think we both have some lovely things to look forward to. Take care and hope your Mum is doing okay. xx
What a month you have had Sue. So much to talk about. I also love planning in January though I have been a bit sidetracked and hope to get to it very soon. The tiramisu looks very yum. Congratulations on the success of your podcast. Very well deserved.
Hi Jen yes it’s been a busier month than I realised! I enjoy writing these posts because it gives me pause to reflect on how I’ve been spending my time and I’m usually pleasantly surprised. Hope you are enjoying your time in Hobart. Take care x
Hi Sue – great to see all your forward thinking and plans for 2023. It sounds like a really good mix of activities, travel, food and more. Your grandsons are looking great – our youngest grandgirl starts kindy this year – so both will be at school (and their mum just got a job as a school admin at their school – so it’ll fit well with matching their hours etc). I was blown away by your podcast figures – it’s certainly a popular way to engage with an audience and you seem to have found a theme that others want to know more about. I’ll be back on Monday (better late than never) to link my month end post. x
Hi Leanne, I’m glad you can link up as we now have the link opened for a week to accommodate everyone. Hopefully 2023 will be a good year for everyone. xx
Congrats on the success of your podcast! Very well done. I reviewed it quite a long time ago now and probably need to catch up with a few episodes.
I did a double take when I saw “I love January” – but of course it’s now summer for you! January seems endless in the UK as it’s been very cold, colder than usual. But I’ve seen a few daffodils and snowdrop shoots, so spring is on the way.
Looking forward to hearing your trip to Papua New Guinea, a country I’ve always found fascinating.
Hi Gail thank you for your good wishes re the Podcast. It was a goal of mine and although I was very nervous starting it off, it has proven to be such a wonderful addition in my life. I have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful women sharing their stories. We are having an extremely hot few days here and the humidity is a killer. Spring is on the way and daffodils are one of my favorites. They remind me of my Mum. Enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping by. x
What a fabulous January! You have so many things to look forward to this year. I enjoy working out using Yoga with Adrienne too (though I don’t do yoga every day as I like to switch up my exercises so her challenges take me a bit longer to work though).
It was a lovely January, Joanne despite a couple of personal hiccups along the way. I like to mix up my workouts too. It is good to keep variety in our movement and use our muscles in different ways. Have a lovely weekend and thanks for visting. x
A bumper edition indeed. I love the idea of reinstating your date days and restaurant at home dinners – and finding groups to join. I’ve been loving your fashion posts (you’re a natural) and your podcast stats are well deserved. x
Thanks Jo. It is difficult getting back into doing things we once enjoyed but let slide. I’m taking a softly, softly approach and not going in at 110% as I normally do. Maybe fortnightly date days and on the other fortnight restaurant at home. Thanks for the compliment about the fashion posts. I’m never confident but there is an obligation if a brand has sent me some clothes to try to do some decent type of promotion. Hope you had a lovely time with your Mum (& Dad). xx
Hi Sue, It’s great to catch up with you and your productive January. I’m glad you found ways to overcome your worry and plan many fun activities and trips for 2023. Have a fabulous February! #WBOYC
Hi Natalie, worry can be so destructive but it is difficult for a ‘worrier’ like me to overcome. I do try though! January was much nicer than I thought it would be and I”m looking forward to putting some of my plans into action. Enjoy your weekend. xx
Oh gosh Sue, you really have used your time wisely in January and packed so much in. Congratulations again on your podcast results – it’s an amazing achievement in light of the millions of podcasts there are. It must be very exciting planning out your trips and other plans for the year. I’ve been very slow and haven’t got myself organised yet. I look forward to reading your monthly round up posts to see how you are getting on. Another very inspiring post. Thanks for sharing your plans x
Hi Janine, I’m trying to make a concerted effort with my time and we have some lovely plans for 2023 to look forward to. I’m very happy with the podcast and perhaps you might consider being a guest for me to talk about the work that you do. Enjoy your weekend! xx
Isn’t blogging a great means by which to connect with others AND so importantly share with others! Sue, you have been a stalwart of my connections to the ‘on line world’ and a wonderful support to me when I was diagnosed with Cancer. I think what I’ve read here is you have made lots of plans with such variety I can see life, back in the city, unfolding as you and your dear M, find it best for you. I cannot believe your younger grandson is also off to school. So many memories you have made of your special times with both boys. They are lucky to have you nearby now too. You are reaching out to a range of audiences via your podcasts and some posts which are related to products you enjoy and want to share. Congratulations, if January is this impressive…and it is….watch out February! Thank you and your friends for this link up. It keeps us accountable in some ways! Denyse.
Thank you Denyse for your support on the blog and privately, it is greatly appreciated. I agree the link up does keep us accountable but also is a lovely way to reflect on how we have lived during the month. Were we happy with the way life is going or do we have to tweak in some areas? Thanks for joining us and again for your friendship. xx
Hi Sue, I love that you are balancing so many moving parts with grace and a positivie attitude. And, you look great while doing it all. Congratulations on your many successes. You are a busy and ‘successful’ woman.
Hi Suzanne, I try to balance moving parts sometimes with success and at other times I struggle. 2023 has started quite well and we do have lots to look forward to with our travel and other goals that I have. Enjoy your week and thanks for stopping by. x
I see we are kindred spirits in the long-range planning efforts, Sue! My first wow, was your booked European River cruise! Hubby and I are thinking one in 2024! You are such a busy person! How cool you spoke at a conference–been a few years for me! Your calendar is already full and you have grabbed life by the horns. Thanks for co-hosting WBOYC, and have a lovely week!
I certainly am a planner from way back, Terri. We have wanted to do a River cruise for quite some time, so 2023 is the year we will! I will let you know my thoughts after the cruise as I’m sure to write a post or two about it. Have a lovely week yourself and thanks again for joining us. xx
You have some really lovely plans for this year, Sue! How exciting about a trip to Europe – where is the cruise?
I love your quote about how your mindset is dealing with the ups and downs in life, my recent foot injury showed me I need to learn to handle that kind of setback a lot better, and I’ve done some good self-reflection recently and learned a lot from it.
I’m excited for our travel plans, Susanne as it has been about 4 years since we were in Europe. That was to Spain and I’m sure you will have a very enjoyable time when you visit. Thank you for your kind words re the quote. Mindset plays a huge part in how we cope with the good and the not-so-good times in life. Take care and stay positive, you will be back to running before you know it. x