Well, I for one am glad to see the back of 2018. The only thing that year had going for it was that it wasn’t a leap year and therefore didn’t last as long as it could have. This year though, I feel like I am already in a better headspace. I am going places. It might even be somewhere other than the fridge to scout out more snacks too! This year is all about goals.

I know it’s all semantics really but I dislike the term New Years Resolution. I think it just sets you up to fail.

The moment you say you have one, people tend to dismiss whatever follows as a flight of fancy. Instead, I like the idea of outlining what I would like to get done – or at least start to get done – in the shiny and untarnished 12 months we have at our feet.

I know how this is going to sound in a post of 19 goals for the year but my first goal is to stop making lists. Who doesn’t love a list? Too much crowding your brain? Make a list! What is not okay though is that often that’s as far as my ideas get. They make it onto the list but I am such a procrastinator that nothing comes of them. This year I am aiming to actually complete what I set out to do. Sometimes.

One of the (few) downsides to working for myself from home is that I find myself always on the clock. The flip side of course is that if I need to free a day up to deal with a sickly child then it’s easy to get permission. On the most part though that’s not how it works. My email is open (as is my Facebook) most of the day and night. I am forever playing with Moose with 1 eye toward my phone or my laptop and that needs addressing. School time is when I create most of my clay figures but the other bits and bobs regularly seep into family time.

I need to be more present

So, my priority for 2019 is to be in the moment with my children. Not just Moose but the older two too. I know they are less inclined to want to spend time together nowadays. They have Mates to hang around with. That’s ok. But I want to be here when they do. It’s important. Maybe more now than when they were younger?

Why can I never find a pen in this place?

Short one, this. I need to organise the house. I cannot and will not dress up the idea of housework by giving it a nickname. It’s tidying up and I hate it but it needs doing and since I cannot bare the thought of others sorting out my stuff. I will be pulling up my XXL’s and getting it done.

Another major (and I do mean major) thing I need to focus on this year is to watch my spending. I totted up how much money I spend on needless crap (oh haiii Starbucks) and it’s ridiculous. Not to mention what I spend on food. Less spending means less waste and (hopefully) more savings. I am closer to 40 than 30 and I need to rein it in. I will be completing this one with a combination of meal planning, leaving the house with no more than £10 in my pocket and staring longingly through bakery windows at things I shouldn’t really be eating regularly anyway.

One of the biggest events of 2018 for me was discovering that I have a really rare eye disease called Punctate Inner Choroidopathy. It has taken me a while to get my head around it but basically if I don’t take care when dealing with stress, I could very well lose my vision. I currently only have it in one eye but the scarring from my big retinal bleed back in March has left me with constant double vision. I am learning to live with it but I miss reading books.

My aim for 2019 is to read a whole book.

Something which prior to my condition I could easily do in 48 hours. Now I am not sure I can do it at all. But I will.

I do 95% of the cooking in our household and I think that because I do it a lot, I have fallen out of love with cooking. This year I want broaden my gastronomical horizons and learn to cook something new. I really want to enjoy cooking again, I might as well since I spend so much time doing it. As an extension of this I have decided that Col and Bess will be cooking once a week to give me a night off! Because of the issues with my vision I have been prompted to examine my lifestyle. My aim is to try in 2019 to eat less meat and far more vegetables. I am not sure I could bring myself to stop eating meat entirely but I recognise that eating more veg will be helpful for my health. Hopefully I might lose some weight too!

I am also going to walk. Not just for my weight but for my mental health. I always feel better after some fresh air and I used to walk everywhere. In 2019 I am planning on completing the couch to 5k – this is so far from my comfort zone but definitely something I want to achieve.

I have wanted to visit Scotland for ages and every year it gets forgotten about. This year will be different. In 2019 I am going to plan a trip to Edinburgh for us. I think it will probably be during the summer holidays. I really want to visit Edinburgh castle. Wanting to see more of the Uk generally is something I have been thinking about. 2019 saw us visit Somerset and Southampton so hopefully we will be able to make a few stops on the way up north!

Prioritising myself

I am sure it’s not just me who feels like they have lost touch with who they were. Before the kids and the house and the husband (and the stress), I mean. This year I am going to set aside time for self care. I started doing this last year and I think it is really important that I continue. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive, even just a few minutes a day to drink a hot coffee or dry and style my hair or (see above) read a book! I would like to throw away my old make up and learn how to properly apply what I have. I have so many random bits of makeup which are, I suspect, older than at least 2 of my children..

When I was younger I had the luxury of sometimes being a bit selfish and spending a lot of time on myself. I want to reconnect with myself and find out what I like now. Not as a Mum but as me. It would be lovely to learn a new skill. I suspect that having that time will help me be a better Mum and Wife. It’s important to me that Bess sees this. I want her to know that she needs to take time to reconnect with herself too.

One of my goals this year is to spend more time with the people I care about. I need to be a better friend this year. I drifted a bit last year and it wasn’t good for me. Spending time with friends (and my siblings) makes me happy. I have booked my ticket to BlogOn in May which I know will be some good quality me time!

I know what I said about writing lists but there is an exception. This year I intend to write Kickerlists! A Kickerlist is a daily to do list. It’s the brainchild of Katy from Katykicker and it really resonates with me. A great way to get motivated and organise your time!

One of my goals for 2019 is definitely to give back. I intend to go and give blood. I will continue buying the odd coffee or sandwich for homeless people and I will be making donations to our local women’s aid branch during the course of the year. We can and should make time for self care but I believe that helping other people brings true happiness.

If that’s something I can achieve this year then I will think it a year well spent.