The year has wound down and we’ve spent the last few days reflecting on how great 2019 was. We both went through a fair number of life changes this year, and being able to see it all documented on the blog has been such a treat. Aside from life changes we also had some stellar content on Are We Adults Yet this year, and we loved getting to hear from many of you on what worked and what your favorite reads were. We are so looking forward to even more in 2020. What a way to close out the decade!
1. New Babies!
Obviously this is number one in our book! This year we welcomed Baby Ernie in April and Baby Colby in November. To say that this is a huge change is an understatement, and it definitely has us using our blog’s namesake question quite a bit… “are we adults yet?!”
Beyond the precious bundles arriving, we also loved documenting the journey. In 2019 Laura wrote about trimesters 2 and 3, and Stella announced her pregnancy as well as documenting trimesters 1, 2, and 3.
2. Baby-Related Content
It’s clear from a basic google search that baby content is a large part of the internet. We’ve both said numerous times “how did our parents do this?!” thinking about the number of middle-of-the-night questions we thankfully got answers to right away.
We sure are doing our part to contribute to all those search results! We had posts on lots of pregnancy and baby stuff including, but not limited to: what to put on your unconventional registry, our favorite pregnancy/motherhood podcasts, our favorite pregnancy/motherhood books, what to pack in your maternity hospital bag, what to think about during open enrollment and getting pregnant, flying during pregnancy, working out during pregnancy, sleeping while pregnant, traveling with a baby, splurges and saves to make on baby things, 10 things to do in your last month of pregnancy, gift guide for an infant, and how to best utilize your FSA while pregnant.
Beyond that we also did some “unboxing” content with the Amazon, Target, and Walmart baby welcome boxes. And this great rundown of using Amazon registry for returns.
3. Turning 30
We both turned 30 this year! While that seems like a big milestone, we were both pregnant for it, so the best thing we each felt like doing was taking a nap 😂. That being said, we did celebrate on the blog, Laura with 30 Bucket List items and Stella with 30 Free Food things!
4. Maximizing the New Starbucks Rewards Program
This post did superbly for us in search, and we’ve welcomed lots of new readers and followers because of it. The new Starbucks program has definitely messed with our standard routine a bit, so we loved being able to be a resource on how to maximize the rewards for others.
5. A Year With the Southwest Companion Pass
Stella is the biggest fan of flying with Southwest. Beyond the perks of no/low change fees, free checked bags, and low airfares, the airline offers the ability to earn a companion pass for a year that allows your flying partner to fly for free! This post details how much she saved by using the pass.
6. 43 Free Workouts in Los Angeles
We love trying new workout classes (see kickboxing, hot yoga, spin, and ideas for active ladies nights) and this list is our go-to for when we’re feeling the itch to try something new! Lots of studios offer a free first class, free week, or free intro class to let you test out the workout. Never hurts to ask what kind of special they’re running on membership or class packages, too!
7. A Best Friend’s Guide to Planning a Baby Shower
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8. Recipes
We both love experimenting in the kitchen and this year we highlighted some of our go-to recipes on the blog. Read up on our posts on a basic hummus recipe, banana and oatmeal lactation muffins, a not-too-sweet chocolate berry smoothie, and some ambitious kitchen projects we’ve tackled.
And we loved getting to highlight I’d Rather Be Meryl‘s rundown on “entertaining in three easy steps.” Their blog is full of delicious, drool-worthy recipes that we highly recommend checking out!
9. Saving Money
If there’s one thing to know about us, it’s that we love to save money. This probably doesn’t shine through on the blog as much as it really should, but this year we highlighted some great saving techniques on the blog. We loved writing these overviews on maximizing your cashback with ibotta and rakuten, the best ways to save money (and earn cash back!) on groceries, some meal kit hacks to stretch your dollars, how we save for a big purchase, and how to save money while moving. One more that hit home for both of us was this detail on maximizing high interest accounts and choosing the right bank for you.
10. It’s A Thing x52!
We took this same copout last year, but truly the weekly It’s A Thing posts are so fun to put together. It means that we’re chatting back and forth routinely each week, and know what’s going on in each others’ lives, beyond just “how are you” and “what’s new.”
What was your favorite part of 2019? Have any resolutions or goals for 2020?? Let us know in the comments!