Saturday 31 December 2011

New Years/Fresh Start

What is it about starting a new year that brings about feelings of change and a fresh start? Is it the cracking open of a new month in the agenda, taking the cello wrap off of a new calendar? All those open days. Days to be filled with expectations and possibilities. Any day is good for a fresh start but even I find myself drawn to the opportunities that knock on the dawn of a new year.

Personally I don't really do resolutions. I used to but I am more about entering the new year as who I  want to be not who I was and needing to change. Overall I like who I am. Obviously I know I'm not perfect (who is) but my flaws aren't my focus. My husband and I on the other hand prefer to make goals. Lists of things we wish to acquire or achieve.

Therefore in the spirit of all things starting fresh and new here is a small sample of a few of the things that are popping up on our list of goals this year...

#1 Big House

At the risk of sounding materialistic in that I want a big house let me assure you that is not the case. We need space. Lot's of space. Our boys our getting bigger. Our collection of guitars is growing. Our family and everything that implies is growing. Ideally I would love each of the kids to have their own room, a room for crafting and homeschool and creating. A room for music and all of our musical collections (from instruments to magazines). An office/library area for myself, a quiet place to reflect and work on my own personal pursuits. A nice fenced yard for the children and dog to play in safely. Maybe a fire place and a pool but there I am just getting picky. My point is, space, we need it.

#2 Let's get this rock thing rolling

Daddy and I have both been blessed to be musically gifted. I don't mean to toot our own horns but really we are good. There is a lot in life that I feel we are missing out on by not pursuing a musical career. The time for that is now. I have words and music that I want to share. Since our genre is mostly God Rock I want to get out there and share the love. The new year will bring more shows for us and hopefully more and more musical connections. I don't want to be selling out stadiums or anything but to live comfortably on the profits of our talents would, well, ROCK!!

#3 Blog It

When I started my blog I really wanted to be writing a minimum of 3 posts a week. I am sorely behind. I start many posts and then delete them because I feel they are either poorly written or just not interesting. I want to post more and share more of our lives with my readers. If you have shown up on my blog I want to at least give something good to read. I also figure that as a mother of three with lots going on I'm sure I have a few nuggets of information that others may find useful.

#4 Declutter, streamline, minimize

We have lots of crap. LOTS. Between the toys and books and clothes. Then on top of that the mess of every day living. I feel like we have so much waste in our lives. Keeping things tidy and neat and organized is always something I need to work on. I often get frustrated at always having to step over and around things. Part of our problem is the lack of storage space our home has. This is one of those life long type of projects.

#5 Mom Time

I need more time. Not just time in general but time for myself. I can feel myself loosing a bit of myself every day. I don't mean to sound like a downer because that is not my usual way but I truly do nothing without at least 2 people surrounding me. As I chose this to be number 5 I essentially brought my laptop and coffee upstairs to type. I never do that. It feels nice. I can actually think. I don't need much. Just an hour or two here and there.

#6 The finer things in life...

Again I don't wish to sound materialistic but sometimes you need to be. I feel that sometimes we need nice things in our lives. I'm not talking about extravagant things but things that you use every day. I bought myself a new kettle yesterday and it is nice. Simple, but good looking and of course functional. Why does functional have to utilitarian. If you are using it every day you better enjoy using it. In order to accomplish this it means not acquiring as much useless and meaningless stuff. In the long run I foresee this helping more with  #4.

#7 Keep it off!!!!

With the exception of a set back in the getting rid of weight department in December I am back on the wagon. I am back to counting my points, back to watching what I eat and in general back to getting myself into a healthier space. I won't go on and on about weight loss because I've done that before and that is not what this is about. Rather this is about reaffirming that I am on the right path and I am going to keep it up (and off).

#8 Create More

I really want to make more things. I received some wonderful rotary cutting supplies for Christmas and really want to get back into sewing. I do enjoy it. I need to make a space where I can do that though. I think my first project back at the needle will be a little quilt for Evelyn. I have seen some lovely fabrics and that would be an easy transition. I also wish to learn to knit. I have hand me down needles from my Grandmother (God rest her soul) and I want to do her proud. My first project there will be a little case for Vik's 3DS that Santa brought him (basically just two small dishcloths stitched together-easy right?). Still need to find a good project to make for Max, it's coming though. I have a few ideas up my sleeve.

#9 Tackle the Kitchen

I enjoy cooking but recently making nice things in the kitchen has taken a back seat to life. I've been busy but that is no excuse. Pre made stuff is full of preservatives and cost lots. Cutting corners in the kitchen is dragging us down both physically and financially. I pledge to get back to what I enjoy, cooking and baking. Really you can taste the love. In order to do this my kitchen needs a major overhaul. My stove has issues, my fridge has issues and the cupboards, we won't even go there. It's a major undertaking but I can handle it.

#10 Invest in Ourselves

In the new year I plan to start investing in ourselves more. I have a few top priorities such as finally getting a good family doctor, getting to the dentist and optometrist more, getting CAA coverage for our vehicles, health insurance etc. All of this is about protecting ourselves and being proactive in our own health care. We are very lucky to live in a country where those things are available and accessible to us. I feel that investing in ourselves now is part of securing our future.

I think that is a good list to start. There are more little things but those are more things I WANT not really need. Tonight the children and daddy and I will sit together and ring in the new year and look at our goals for ourselves. Maybe tonight will be a good night to watch The Secret.

I will close now and wish you all a very prosperous and love filled New Year. Ring it in baby.

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