My 18 Goals for 2018

As you will have probably gathered from my last few posts(!), I am a big lover of setting goals and plans. I find they help keep me focused, give me something to aim for, and help keep me motivated when I might otherwise feel a bit despondent.

As it is the start of a brand new shiny year, I decided to set myself both some Blogging Goals, but also some personal challenges for the year ahead. Here are my 18 goals for 2018!

1) Take a photo a day for 365 days – this won’t be hard considering I have about 12000 images from the last year alone (yes really!!!) but this year I want to create a little album for the girls and actually print them out. Mike bought me a HP Sprocket for Christmas, so the plan is to print an image a day and record what the girls have been up to scrapbook style. I recently wrote about how we don’t print enough photos anymore, and this will be something lovely for them to look back on.

2) Make more time for me – with little sleep and little rest, I think it’s fair to say that I haven’t really looked after myself in 2017, and don’t make much time for me. I need to start being kinder to myself and give myself a much needed break. This could take various forms – a lie in, a spa break, a bubble bath, exercise, pampering – at least once a month I need to do something for me and be selfish.

3) Shift some weight – this is such a new year cliché that I am almost embarrassed to put this as a goal but I don’t care – I have GOT to lose some weight in 2018 because a) my clothes don’t fit and b) my confidence is at an all time low. I don’t really care what anyone else thinks but I do care when I don’t feel comfortable in my own skin.

4) Focus more on my relationship – having two kids at home (one who doesn’t eat or sleep well!) can put a lot of strain on a relationship! In 2018 I want to make more time for me and Mike and try and have some dates (even if in the daytime!) where its just me and him, so we can revisit what life was like before the girls.

5) Go on holiday – We didn’t have a holiday in 2017 and boy, I really felt it. I would love for us to be able to take the girls away for their first ever international trip. Where is yet to be established and as always, this will be finance dependent! Some of my fondest childhood memories are from family holidays, and as such, I feel it’s important to give the girls that same opportunity.

6) Save some money into our offset account – We seem to spend a fortune on food, takeaways and eating out. Not only is this not great for achieving No.3 above, but I know we could save a fortune if I cut it back. We are quickly outgrowing this house, and I know that long term we will be trying to move to something bigger – so any money I can save into the offset account will be a step in the right direction!

7) Visit family – It’s easy to focus on the family in these four walls, however I lost my Uncle last year, and it was like a stark reminder that lots of my family are getting old. In 2018 I want to make more time to spend with my Dad, and visit my Aunties and Uncles – they make me feel closer to the memories of my Mum. I also want to carry on our tradition of a monthly Cuzzy Catchup – where all my cousins go out together minus the kids for a good old natter and afternoon tea.

8) Social Media Hiatus – I need to have at least one night a week where the phone goes in a drawer. It’s not healthy to be on it constantly, and as a blogger it’s easy to get a bit carried away with the world of stories, posts and status updates. I never seem to switch off and I need to learn how. I can use the time to be sociable in real life which is FAR more important.

9) Day trips – Some of my favourite days are when we all go out together as a family – whether it be a National Trust or English heritage site, a theme park or a trip to the beach. I want to go out as a family at least once a month – spending quality time with the girls and letting them run around in the fresh air.

10) Support Erin with her reading – Erin is really struggling with her reading at the moment despite having a confident start. I am so nervous about her falling behind, to the point where I have actually questioned whether her starting school at four was a good idea, or whether I should have held her back. I want to make a real effort to invest more time into practicing with her, and giving her the best chance possible at catching up.

11) Help Erin master the bike – Erin has a bike but hasn’t currently mastered the art of peddling, as such it hasn’t been used a great deal and has spent more time in the shed than it has being raced around the park. Again I want to invest more time into help Erin master the pedals and get her out and about in the fresh air, with the wind in her hair behind her!

12) Get more sleep. I can’t control how much Neve wakes in the night, which at 15 months old still continues to be awful! But I can get an early night at least once a week. At least then I won’t feel quite so zombie like and struggle to make it to the weekend!

13) Learn a new skill – I have always enjoyed learning new things, and if I am totally honest, I have moments where I miss the University Days of timetables, revision and exams – crazy right? In 2018, I want to learn a new skill, and would love to attend a photography workshop, a calligraphy workshop or something equally creative. For once, this won’t be for career reasons, won’t come with pressure of performing, but will be 100% for my personal enjoyment. I can’t wait. 🙂

14) Organised Chaos – 2018 is time to get organised. I need to create a file for all my paperwork including car, home, blog, payslips and bills, as well as all my blogging records. I used to be so good at this when we lived at the flat, but add in two children and limited storage space, and we now seem to have paperwork everywhere – probably the reason it took me nearly three hours to locate my p60 at tax return time!!!!

15) Drink more water – A simple one but one that a lot of people take for granted. I never forget in the days of university lectures I used to look around the room when I was bored. It was always the girls with the shiniest hair who had a bottle of water sat in front of them. I want to be the one with the shiny hair!

16) Invest in some new bras. Not maternity bras, not nursing bras…. ACTUAL bras. Ones without a feeding clasp, ones with lace or under-wiring, ones that make me feel like a woman again and not just a mum. I have NO idea what bra size I am, and no idea where to get them from, but I have to treat myself. Every woman deserves to feel special right?

17) Persist with Neve’s eating. In the words of her dietitian – persist persist persist. Her eating journey so far has been challenging to say the least, but she is making some progress, albeit very small steps. I am hoping that by the end of 2018 I can say that Neve has eaten a real meal, and whilst this is a little bit out of my hands, I can do as much as possible to help her make that step.

18) Try not to be shouty mum. Erin tests my patience so much and I shout far more than I would like. I overheard myself on video the other day telling her off and my tone actually broke my heart a little inside. I hated the way I sounded. I, at times, forget that she is just a child – a four year old little girl, and as such, I shouldn’t expect her to respond in the way an adult would. I need to try harder to bite my tongue, and reason with her without the need to raise my voice.