Well, goodbye 2014. If I had to sum this year up in a few words, I might choose exciting, dramatic, challenging or redeeming. All in all, it was a year I will cherish forever in my memory, but I am happy to see go.
Take a look at some of the memories from our year:
Resolutions or not?
I’m not normally a resolution-making kind of gal. As Brian told me today, we’re pretty goal-oriented anyway and don’t need to make a silly resolution to make a change in our life. But, I think the new year is a great time to re-evaluate how things are going in life and make goals and resolutions to guide the coming year. I have made a few resolutions in the past, and those resolutions inspired amazing change in my life.
In 2012, my resolution was to eat real food and by educating myself with books, documentaries and blogs and cutting out processed food from our diets, I was able to completely overhaul the way my family eats. Besides adding years to our lives and giving my daughter the best start on solid foods I could, we looked and felt better than ever before.
In 2014, my resolution was to get fit. We joined the YMCA in January when I was about 20 weeks pregnant and I’m happy to say that I went to the gym at least 3 times a week up until the day I went into labor. Multiple surgeries and complications during my recovery kept me from working out for three months, but I started going again as soon as I could. It is hard work to get out of the house with two kids and make time for exercise but it has become something I am not willing to compromise on. Gym time is “me” time and every mommy needs some of that!
My resolutions
For 2015, I have two resolutions: eat more vegetables and be present in all that I do.
My first resolution is simple. We can all eat more vegetables, right? I am 100% responsible for the grocery shopping and meal preparation in our house and therefore 100% responsible for what my children and I eat (I’d say about 75% for Brian). While we eat mostly real food, it is challenging to make sure we’re eating vegetables at each meal and not getting stuck in a rut eating carrots and broccoli all the time.
My next resolution is something I have been working on for a few months, but need to continue striving for. Our culture is one that encourages multitasking especially in school, work and parenting. It’s easy to imagine a mom reading a story while making breakfast, tossing in some laundry, paying bills online and catching up on the morning news all at the same time. I don’t even have to imagine that- I’ve done it!
When I envisioned my life as a stay-at-home-mom, I never actually pictured it being so busy. The truth is I have to work had to plan times that we can actually stay at home. Between my professional blogging work, homeschool and enrichment activities for Gabriella, my passion for photography, cooking meals from scratch, working out, cleaning the house and running errands, multitasking might seem inevitable and even desirable. But this year, I want to by fully present in each moment of my life.
What will being present in all that I do look like?
- I will play with my children- really play with them. I will read the same book 14 times or drink pretend tea until I really have to pee or tickle my baby until he stops laughing about it.
- I will take advantage of time with my husband in the rare moments we have to ourselves. I won’t shove a to-do list in his face or use the time to catch up on Facebook. I will ask him about his day, linger in conversation and cuddle more.
- I will enjoy my hobbies instead of worrying about the mess at home or what I need to do next. Photography, reading, working out and volunteering are things I do for myself and are just as necessary as the things I do for my family.
- If I am in the company of another person (children are people too!), I will hold that person in higher esteem than any electronic device. I’ve been inspired by Hands Free Mama to let go of daily distractions and place my focus on something or someone meaningful.
I can’t wait to see what 2015 brings for our family. At the very least, I know it will involve some kale and more tea parties and that sounds good to me.
[…] been cutting back the amount of grains we eat and trying to eat more vegetables, and about a year ago I discovered spaghetti squash, which is an awesome substitution that my […]