I can’t believe 2020 AND 2021 are over. These past few years have been so busy, and after adding another baby into the mix the juggling act that is my life has evolved tremendously. It’s been pretty quiet on here and throughout all of my online escapades, so I want to share what we’ve been up to and what I’m hoping to for this year.
Last year
While I wasn’t entirely present on my blog via posts, I am always working on drafts/products/email list things/bigger goals in the background.
The deck plans
I finally created some simple, saw less deck plans after being asked for years(!!!). Thousands of people have downloaded them and I’m so happy to have that out there. They’re free and just make me happy to call myself a woodworking gateway drug.
One room challenge
I participated in 1 and a half One Room Challenges. The majority of that “activity” is on Instagram, but I participate more on the blog side of that so all of my updates are here. At the end of the fall edition, I planned to keep up with my posting but that… did not happen.
There may or may not be some undiagnosed ADD in me, and I would love to check that out. Whatever it is, I know that I am wayyyy too busy to get so little done in terms of my goals and even those little promises to myself.
Regardless, my priorities are straight and my babies are the most important responsibilities right now. I am more than ok with that, but and I’d like to challenge myself to do more.
Baby boy turned one and baby girl started kindergarten
My favorite distractions and ultimately the reason why I started blogging. Motherhood is hard! Everyone says that, and nobody disagrees but it’s not the day-to-day that gets me, it’s the big picture. Working so hard to not be the reason they end up in therapy is my full time job, and of course I feel like I’m failing.
Fortunately I have been home for the last 2 years already (ty COVID and my self-made maternity leave). The first time around i went back to work at 12 weeks/too early. This time I did not go back to work.
It’s been really nice to have both experiences and be able to compare the two. I want to write something on the differences between working moms and stay-at-home moms, because naturally I think that I can shed some light on the not-so-obvious differences (and *gasp* likenesses).
Fitness
The week before Christmas, I woke one day and (in my best Forrest Gump voice) just felt like running.
My husband and I have been preaching “fit thirties” for a few years and my brain started subconsciously telling me to go for a run. So I did and I “get it” now!!
I finally felt the runner’s high and it is really good! Whenever I ran before, I never enjoyed the process, just the aftermath. The good feeling always came after it was over but I started enjoying the whole experience. It feels like I could run forever.
I originally decided I was going to run 4 days a week, taking off on the weekends and Wednesdays. I was off to a great start, ordered some nice new shoes and bam! Injured.
I’ve been sidelined for a week already but looking forward to getting back into it as soon as my pain lets up. More on that in another post! Yes I am suddenly a run-junkie and I’m sorry about that but also obsessed and excited to challenge myself in that arena.
My plans for 2022
Looking forward, we don’t have a ton of things coming up, but we’re always planning and growing. Having said that, our next big goal is to upgrade our home.
Moving up and out
We want a larger house in a different neighborhood. We love our house, but it is our starter home and the self-imposed expiration date is coming up. It won’t necessarily happen this year, but it’s coming!
The original plan has always been to own this and rent it out to tenants, and I guess that is still a viable option. However, with the way the market is and has been, the only way we’d be able to buy another home here AND upgrade is to sell and roll our equity over.
I am forever grateful for this house and the wonderful opportunity we were given. It’s been the ultimate millennial blessing and was a unicorn deal. Now considering our plans, I’ll be spending 2022 getting it ready to put on the market. Finishing up my 95% projects and making small updates.
I’ll put together a list of what needs to be done before we sell and do my best to catalogue those processes!
Baby boy is turning 2
After Guy’s birthday, I’d like to enroll him in a part time daycare for the social aspect and to free up some more of my time. Childcare gets more reasonable after 2, and I have been itching to focus more on my professional goals.
But until then, I am continuing to soak up sweet baby snuggles and embracing this phase of life. These are my only babies, after all!
Start a service-based family business
We are always entertaining business ideas and I just love creating something. Anything! So this year I’d like to present a local business idea I’ve been working on for a while. Details to come!!
No resolutions, just reflections
I completely blew off the traditional resolutions this year. After reflecting, and thinking about what a resolution is, it made me think of them as corrections to past mistakes instead of productive goals. Does that make sense?
This year I’m working harder to ask myself the right questions that get me where I want to go, not how I’m going to get “somewhere” before I know where that is. Baby steps!
That’s what I’m up to! What are you looking forward to this year?
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