Hey y'all,
Instead of just re-writing my Christmas letter for everyone (if you want to be on that mailing list, just let me know), I decided I would do something a little different: reveal my 2018 resolutions.
You want a peek into how I defined the last year before it had even started? Read on.
New Year's Resolutions for 2018 (I kept these in a note on my phone and gradually updated some of them as they needed):
- Read 1 book a month, or 12 books for the total year.
January: "The Eighty Dollar Champion", "Unglued",
February: "A Portrait of Emily Price", "The Magnolia Story", "Wuthering Heights", "Capital Gaines," "Two By Two"
March: "Sparkly Green Earrings"
April: "Weaving the Strands"
August: "The Austen Escape"
September: "Emma"
Somewhere in the year: Phantom Stallion books 1-4 (and most of 5), listened to "Girl Wash Your Face" on Audible (Jacob's Audible history is way more extensive)
Began many others, and read much of my Bible.
This was a pretty successful resolution, mostly thanks to the fact I had a newborn to nurse for the majority of the year. Things definitely tapered off after he started solids and began weaning. When we moved to Cedar Creek, my husband and I began waking a few minutes earlier and had a regular coffee date and read time, so that helped to pick it up again. Then we got horses; and now we're slowly getting back into the swing of literary education in the evenings before bed. *high five*
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| This is her waking me up at the butt-crack of dawn. Oi. |
- Save money according to my weekly chart.
Don't ask me where or what this chart is.
Although, that being said, I did learn a lot about unique ways to save $$ and how to keep track of our finances better. And we did save a lot more than we had the year(s) prior; and that was with two kids in diapers. *double high five*
- Exercise at least 30 minutes every day.
I'm laughing (and crying) so hard right now. I'm not about to sit here and tell you that I slacked; but boy did my reality of "exercise" vs my vision of it for this year look as different as night and day.
Context: I was fresh after having my second baby in exactly one year and I suffered from postpartum in every way. lol Yes, there was some body image issues driving this goal; but mostly, I just wanted to move after nine months of working a desk job and getting fatter with pregnancy. Ugh.
There were some days when I crammed in a desperate yoga sesh in my living room, or even payed for a class at a studio to get some bestie time in as well. But I had no idea how much I would move just taking care of two little people, much less adding so many animals to the mix. Again: laughing so hard right now. I'll count this resolution as completed.
- DO NOT GET PREGNANT (it's for real in all caps)
WIN WIN WIN WIN!!!!!!!!
Moving on.
- Continue eating "organically"
I think we're all laughing at the quotes; but let's appreciate my realness, here. I'm lucky to get an entire meal some days. lol Knowing that, I try to make the food I do get to swallow really count. Mama's need fuel more than any trucker out there. Make healthy choices for the sake of setting an example and just being able to take care of your littles, ladies. Drink that glass of water before downing that next glass of wine (or coffee). Have a bowl of nuts out to grab snatches of when you're passing the kitchen on your way to the laundry room. Make your dinners really count!!
Something I noticed? Making sure we all sit down to a single family meal at the end of the day already means the world to my kids. Weird, huh? With toddlers that just want to pretty much snack all day, and a super picky husband (you're getting better, honey) I honestly envision dinner time as my most important boxing round as far as my family's -- and my own -- nutrition goes. Some days, my husband doesn't get to eat until supper time, either. If this is the case for you, make sure you've got a well-rounded meal prepared and ready to eat before calling it a day. It doesn't have to take forever, ie a ton of prep, and it doesn't have to break the bank to make sure your family is getting the nutrients it needs for success.
- Pay off hospital debt
We did knock out about 90% of this particular debt in the first six months of this year! *fist pump!* Then we found a "surprise" cost leftover from Mason (dontcha just love those?) and then hubby's knee gave him a fit near the end of the summer that racked up a few more bills. But nothing near the grand total that we were staring in the face on January 1st of 2018, and for that, I am grateful.
- Spend one day a week at the barn
- Cut some new horse trail's at Dad's
Needless to say, these are both checked off for the year, but, once again, differently than I expected. God doesn't forget your dreams, ladies, even if you do. I'm so happy/lucky to have my pony-boy back home with me again, even if we're currently on the recovery train from having to share a paddock with a "monster" aka young mare.
- Learn 2 new piano songs
I actually did this, thanks to Christmas. lol And to Mamaw T. for surprising me with a copy of intermediate carols, pre-season. ;)
- Have lunch with a friend once a month
This was a little on the 50/50 side of being completed, though I did try. Sometimes it meant lunch. Sometimes it meant the bribery of ice cream while they tagged along on an errand run. Other times it was an exercise class. We made some new mom friends this year, and that meant sometimes we actually got to have other kids over for lunch and a play date. It may not have been once a month, but it was more often than I've made time for in a long while. Thanks for being patient, friends. You know who you are.
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| Me on the left, my 17yo brother, and my 19 yo sister at Thanksgiving. Oh, and my 12 yo sister on the far right, there. (there are 7 kids in my family.) |
- Have family game night once a month
So, some time in the last 18 months, we all (Jacob's Dad's family) decided we don't see enough of each other. Thus, we began scheduling regular dinners at our house that turned into late nights playing games and laughing our heads off. This year, the goal was to aim to have at least one of these nights once a month. We were able to accomplish this goal, more or less; and I hope to see this as an established habit for the next year. So much fun.
- Make Jacob a priority in every way
Obviously, this one is a littler harder to gauge. As does every marriage and every season, we had our ups and downs this year. At the end of these last 365 days, though, I am happy, proud, and so grateful to report a strong marriage union with my husband. Not everyone can say that, no matter how long they have been married, how young or old they are, or whether or not they have kids -- a happy and confident marriage is not everyone's year-end summary. And my heart breaks for those people.
Praise Jesus, alone, for the grace that exists in my marriage. I am one blessed woman.
A Final Word
I feel like when you have a young family, it's rare to live a full year without much change. And so many things can play into that change: when you're young and new to this "family thing", you're still trying to find your niche in the world -- as a person, much less as an entire family! So there's that settling down and settling in process. Some people are lucky enough to find that settled feel good vibe with the first house they live in. For others, it takes a few houses over the span of a few years (as has been the case with our little family). Praise the Lord (and my husband's family), I think we're finally done searching, at least for a little while.
It's so easy to take all of my hopes and dreams that I've carried from the time I was a small child, and envision them all coming true at a place like Cedar Creek. I have been very blessed. There's just no other way to state it. I am looking forward to the next year spent here in our new country house. I've planned a great big garden, many horse rides, maybe a few more additions to the farm. I'm planning for more fun times with family, more laughs, hopefully fewer tears.
But mostly, I'm planning on leaning more into God and letting Him shape myself and my journey, day by day.
(Jacob and I already started a plan to read the Bible in chronological order in a year. I've never read through the Bible before, though I've read much of it.)
Wherever you are, whatever your year holds for you, take heart that this can be your single goal, as well.
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