Team Cultivate's Favorite Discoveries of 2022

If you’ve peeked at the final page of your 2022 PowerSheets, you’ve likely seen one of our favorite pages: the year in review! Before the end of this month, take a few minutes to flip back through your goal planner—your year of Prep Work, Tending Lists, months in review, refreshes, and little by little adding up—and fill in your “bests" and "favorites."

It wouldn’t be a cultivated year without a little team reflection, so here are some of Team Cultivate’s "bests" and "favorites," too: the finds, practices, rhythms, and habits that have made our lives easier and more joyful in 2022. We wanted to share them with you, too. (We’d love to see yours—share them on Instagram with us, if you like. Simply tag @cultivatewhatmatters!)

FOR THE MIND:

• “My husband is a firefighter, and we have started to base a lot of our family rhythms (think household tasks, errands, workout plans, meals, etc.) off of his shift cycle instead of a traditional 7-day week cycle. It has been a GAME CHANGER for my very routined self to have consistency that works with us, instead of being constantly frustrated when each week looks different.” - Alli
• “Liturgy of the Ordinary was my favorite book of 2023!” - Abbie
• “I began to read non-fiction in the morning before the house is up, and fiction to wind down before bed.” - Alli
• “We hung a clock on our wall after our kitchen refresh (similar to this one) and I'm not sure what we did without it! It's helped me go phone-free when I'm with my kids and it's helped them learn to tell time, too.” - Emily

FOR THE BODY:

• “I re-discovered my love of running. By having a goal to run a race it forced me to get back into the rhythm, then little by little I saw my mind and body love it more and more than I had before. (Shout out to my HOKAS!)” - Abbie
• “Tracking my calories with My Fitness Pal has truly revolutionized my perspective on my health. My mindset on food and my awareness of what I’m eating has shifted so much to not being calories for my body, necessarily, but fuel for my body”. - Casey
• “We have started drinking Fair Life chocolate milk after working out. It's a very effective reward and weirdly low in sugar. My husband started us on this kick after hearing that Katie Ledecky drinks chocolate milk while in the pool doing cool down laps after a race, ha!” - Emily
• “5:30 am workouts: I am not a morning person, but finally realized that early in the morning is the only time of day I know I will get my workout in, with no distractions or responsibilities. I have committed to going to the gym at 5:30 am four times a week, and have loved the feeling of getting stronger!” - Sara
• “We make a double batch of these pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes year-round. So fluffy and delicious and they freeze really well for weekday mornings!” - Emily
• “I love this salt scalp scrub and LMNT electrolytes.” - Alli
• “WALKING. I have started walking more and more, even on rest days. About halfway through the year, I started trying to get 8-10k steps a day. It’s been a powerful tool for me mentally, physically, and emotionally just to get some form of movement in each day.” - Casey
• “BAREFACED Liquid Gold Vitamin C Serum and Retinol Skin has been a game changer.” - Abbie
• “I mix one drop of these tan drops into my moisturizer every night and it gives a lovely glow! This is especially helpful because I wear sunscreen fanatically and would be quite pale otherwise, ha.” - Emily
• “Trader Joe’s — I’ve become a huge fan! I’ve altered my diet a lot these past few years, and this year, it’s been such a helpful place for me to shop for healthy foods I can enjoy with balance and FUN!” - Casey

FOR THE SOUL:

• “I’ve loved adding scripture reading into our Sabbath routine. Every Friday night we read Matthew 11:28-30 to begin Sabbath, and then we end with Psalm 100 on Saturday night.” - Abbie
• “My 2023 Val Marie Prayer Journal transformed my prayer rhythm.” - Abbie
• “The Slugs and Bugs YouTube Channel has been a favorite this year. If my kids are going to be having screen time, I love for it to be beneficial for them. This channel is full of songs about faith and Bible verses, and allows them to learn about God while also having fun. I have found myself singing along and learning, too!” - Sara
• “IF:Table! This year I joined a ‘Supper Club’ with a handful of women at my church. We meet once a month to fellowship and have authentic, Gospel-centered conversations with the help of the IF:Table prompts. It has been such a fun way to step out of my comfort zone - and has allowed me to make some amazing new friends in similar stages of life!” - Sara
• “Small group! We started with a new small group this year and it has been so transformative already. The community is a huge answer to prayer.” - Alli
• “I read and listen to many things about social media and its effects, but this mini series by Risen Motherhood was still able to make me stop and think. So good, especially the episode on ‘when it makes you mad.’” - Emily
• “Scheduling a weekly Sabbath and 2-3 nights unplugged and/or with nothing planned with room for spontaneity has been a challenge I’ve met with resistance. It’s a habit that I live in tension with, yet know I need to keep growing in!” - Casey

JUST FOR FUN:

• “Now that we have an elementary school student, I've looked high and low for a non-cheesy school year memories book - and I've found it! It's so good!” - Emily
• “I have reached for my favorite Go and Tell Gals ‘get your hopes up’ hat so often this year. It’s not available anymore, but this cute, similar one is!” - Alli
• “My sister turned us on to the card game Dutch Blitz while on vacation this summer. It's fast-moving, fun, and addicting, though beware if you have competitive people in your group.” - Emily
• “I read this book this year and started following this influencer about personal style. I’ve been working to consciously shop for my body type (not shop to fit the body type I wish I had). It’s building in me so much confidence, and it’s been so much fun to style myself in outfits that make me look and feel amazing!” - Casey
• “Look no further for a family-friendly but truly funny comedian: my SIL introduced us to Nate Bargatze earlier in the year and we enjoyed him so much we bought tickets to see him live! His Netflix specials are great.” - Emily
• “This year has been a roller coaster with lots of highs and lots of lows. Putting a daily habit down to smile or laugh has reminded me to build confidence, security, hope, and joy into my life, no matter the season.” - Casey
• “Our whole family enjoys this family road trip podcast - fun games to play together when you're on the road!” - Emily

Tell us, friends: what’s on your Best of 2022 list?! We can’t wait to see what you loved this year!