It’s a brand new year! And while I’m not entirely sure where the last year went – I’m pretty convinced that someone swiped several months from my 2015 calendar because it went by SO FAST! – I’m choosing to enter this one with optimism and good cheer.
There are a LOT of things I’m looking forward to doing better in 2016.
- I want to improve this blog and my other blog and I have tons of ideas for them both. I’ve been practicing taking better pictures and I desperately want to learn better editing techniques. And I definitely want to have a better routine when it comes to writing and posting.
- I’m aiming to be more organized in pretty much everything. Up until a few years ago, I was a very ‘together’ person: I made monthly menu plans, kept ongoing lists of pantry and freezer items, made sure our closets and drawers were appropriately rotated by season … I was amazing. Then came a problematic pregnancy and long recovery, during which my amazing togetherness fell completely apart. I’ve really been struggling to get it back since then. And this year I’m revved up to retrieve order from the chaos of my life.
- Whether or not our ‘forever’ house comes into being this year, I’m done with waiting around to decorate the way I want. I started fulfilling this goal a bit last year – I brought out some of the items in storage from our move and put them in our *temporary* house. It’s made me so happy – I can’t wait to cull my Pinterest boards and start building, painting and re-purposing! I have plans for bookcases, tables, wall art and more that I am ready to start working on. Such fun will be had! And if a new house is built, I’ll have all these treasures to use in it.
- I refuse to make the typical ‘I’m going to lose 50 pounds, cut sugar from my diet and go to the gym every day’ resolutions. But I am serious about incorporating more healthy habits into my life. We eat pretty clean, overall, but regular exercise … well, that’s another one of those things I used to have all together that sort of fell by the wayside during the pregnancy/recovery/now I have 4 kids and zero time thing. Now that my youngest is a toddler and more easily managed, I think I can eek out some Mama Time on a regular basis. Woot!
- Last year, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone in several areas of my life – both personal and professional. This year, I plan to continue to do the same. I’ve got some ideas for this blog that will absolutely take me into brand new territory – eep! And it’s not only my own horizons I plan to broaden … my kids are going to become involved in new activities which I hope will provide some very cool opportunities for them.
- Of course, as a home school mama, education is almost always on my mind. I now have two teenagers in my classroom, as well as an incredibly precocious 8 year old who is doing 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade level course work, and that little bundle of joy who caused so much disorganization a few years ago is now ready to start pre-school. This semester finds me prepared with lesson plans, new resources and binders galore — I’m ready to tackle the transcripts, college-level & dual-credit courses, electives. Whatever tricky, sticky, traps lie ahead, I’m actually excited about guiding my kids through them. This is a new feeling for me, because I have spent much of the last year feeling overwhelmed and unprepared for our home school journey. This is a nice change.
I have no illusions that I’m going to be sailing through the upcoming year without any hurdles or obstacles to overcome. And I’m sure there will be more than one goal I fail to meet, or expectation that falls short.
That’s okay. It will be okay. Probably even good.
I’m so very thrilled to be looking at this upcoming year – this fresh slate – filled with joy and energy and ideas. And I’m so looking forward to sharing the journey will all of y’all. I hope you will join me – this is going to be so much fun!
Love & Blessings,
That Farm Mama
