Since we had Winter Day off from school yesterday I completely felt still sucked into winter vacation. We were rumored to get ice and a wintry mix with the possibility of a little bit of snow but all we experienced were really cold temps and rain.
Gross and no thank you! Instead of venturing out into game/presidential traffic we stayed in for the day, next to a warm fire and I took full advantage of the two helpers to help me tackle Christmas decorations and get them packed up and put away. It turned into a very productive day, and I am always super excited to have extra time home as a family. I will call that one a win, win.
I have been thinking about the beginning of this year since the beginning of fall last year. I love a new year, a clean slate and a new fresh calendar. About the same time I grab a new calendar I also grab some new pens, new post its and a new candle. Nothing like a few new things to make you feel super productive, right?
With so many thoughts about my goals personally and professionally this year I have decided to break it down into a few categories. I learned a few years ago that resolutions don't work for me. After making a list of things to do differently I would almost always fail a few weeks/months in and then feel horrible and as if I failed. After realizing that the only thing I was failing at was making resolutions I gave it up and felt immediately better. This year I am adding a few goals for myself for both the personal and profession categories and then checking in at the end of each month to see how I feel about them. I did this exact thing with my brand manager a year ago and it was life changing. I am even open to expanding on my goals each month.
Here we go ...
Water! I don't drink enough water and it shows in my skin, my inability to fight off headaches and my overall level of energy. Basically I get up in the morning and drink coffee followed by another cup of coffee, a large unsweet tea which lasts the duration of the day and then I follow it up with a few glasses of water and then bed. See what I am doing wrong, the water is an afterthought and it is affecting my whole being. Super duper bad plan! My goal is to find a water bottle I love, fill it with water and cut out the tea as much a possible to be able to drink my goal in water.
Travel ... as in more, not less. The past few years we have let the kids and their activities dictate when we travel as a family and it isn't working for me. Our youngest and her strict swim schedule, most definitely in the summer, has all but nixed our family trip to the beach in the summer. I am not happy giving up our weeks at the beach and this year I am single handedly taking it back. Last year we also gave up our Winter Break plans to stay home for a medical appointment and it was another sad week for one and all. This year we are are not only taking our usual vacations but I am also planning them ahead of time. I could not be more excited about this one! Adventure is good for the soul!!
Posts ... I asked and you answered. When planning each month of posts I have asked what you would like more of and a lot of you gave me such great insight. You want more personal, more how tos, more insider tips, more house tours and more travel. It is my goal to give those to you. I have already started working on a new crafted Cocktail du Jour weekly post along with more personal posts. I have two small overnights planned for January so I have more travel coming soon. I am thankful I asked for your input and even more thankful you gave me your honest answers!
One of the most interesting comments I received, and I got three of them, was the comment that they would like to see more of us entertaining. We do entertain a lot, but it isn't large functions and never anything fancy. Most of the entertaining we do at this point is hosting friends or family or the kids favorite our friends who are family. I will do my best to take more in process shots but at the same time I need to find a better balance of setting down my phone. We have a strict no technology at the table rule and I intend to keep this rule. Time is so fleeting (as well all know) and I try to only use my phone to quickly snap photos before we eat and then set it aside for the evening. I have noticed the kids asking for more face time and I will be doing all I can to give it to them. I will find a balance and do my best to be good to all parties. 😀
Home Projects ... I have three, maybe four projects on the to do list for the year. They are most definitely not large ones and I have no plans to complete any One Room Challenges this year. Tackling rooms and projects with a house full of people and a regular schedule is hard enough but squeezing into six weeks was down right hard for me the last two challenges. The fall master bedroom almost did me in and the spring Jack and Jill bathroom absolutely threw me over. Finishing that one with an inner ear infection and vertigo was incredibly hard ... I promised myself and my family I would take some time off. I have partnered with some super fun companies and I will be working on my office, the basement and two outdoor projects and I could not be more excited!!
Read ... I find myself getting sucked into watching television every single night. I justify it by saying I am spending time with the Hubs while he is watching and I am working on the blog but the truth of the matter is I end up staying up later than I want to watching something that truly doesn't add anything to my life. I love to read and I find I only do it when we travel or on vacation and every single time I do I say I am going to read more when I get home and I never do. This year I am committing to a book a month and hopefully more. I would love to have a number of books to add up at the end of the year and this is the year I am committing to not get sucked into watching The Bachelor. Don't try to tempt me, its the worst show on the planet and I get sucked in every single time. It is basically melting my brain.
Learn ... I love learning new things and this year I am holding myself to learning more than usual. Last year I took a candle making class and then took one with the Hubs but I am interested in so many things and I am committing to taking more classes and broadening my horizons and, of course, creating content doing it.
... and last, but definitely the most important ...
Faith ... my word for the year. I rely on my relationship with Jesus but the moment the going gets hard I find myself standing with more than one foot in fear. I have said it many times you can not worship both the God of fear and the God of faith at the same time and I am committed to letting go on my firm hold on the God of fear. It is doing not one thing for me and it is time I learned this lesson.
Happy Tuesday loves ... and here's to a productive 2018!
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