The best part about January is that it's the time of year when I tend to do some reflecting on things that I want to do. "Um, like resolutions?" you ask. Yep, pretty much.
For me, setting some goals for 2014 is natural because January feels like the beginning, like something brand new, like a fresh start. Because I was a student for so long, I used to experience my year as beginning in September. But somewhere along the line, my sense of the beginning shifted to January. This is partly because Dave and I moved to Victoria in the month of January. Three years ago, when we stepped off the bus into the city that would become our home, I very much felt like something new was beginning. And every January when the anniversary of our arrival comes around, I sense that significant beginning again. The shift is also due to the day-planners I use. In school, I always used a calendar that charted the weeks and months from September to August. For the past few years, my calendars have run from January to December. A few weeks ago, I flipped through my wrinkled, tea-stained, and scribbled-on-every-page day-planner one last time and then pitched it in the recycling bin. The day-planner I now have is completely fresh, new, and stain-free. I love that! How will I fill it up?!? What will I do?!?
Thinking about things that I want to do in the new year isn't just natural for me, it's important. I don't know about you, but when I have a to-do list, I'm at my best. When I have a few things to focus on, I tend to be much more intentional with my time... the result being that - more often than not - I go to bed tired, grateful, and thinking, "Wow. What a great day!" You can imagine the opposite. Without some things to work on, free time is gobbled up by Facebook and TV and as a result, the old and ugly claws of discontentment start to tighten their grip on my soul. (Not to be overly dramatic... but it's totally true for me.)
The title of this post is "Things to Do 2014", but it's probably more accurate to title it, "Things to Do Before the Baby Comes". I've done the baby thing once before, and while some moms are very ambitious about their post-baby selves, I am not. After this little one arrives in May, I anticipate that I will be entirely caught up in the work of parenting. Breast-feeding takes a lot of time and energy! So does hanging out with a toddler! Between doing my best to take good care of Joseph and his little brother/sister, I have no goals. Being a mom is the goal.
BUT there are definitely some things I'd like to do before the baby's arrival. There are four things, actually. In no particular order, here they are:
1. Blog more. When I do make the time to write, I get positive feedback. And when I make the time to do it, I'm always really glad about it. I think blogging does two things for me: helps me connect with friends and family and gives me something a little fun and productive to do. So I plan to do it more. I'm thinking about moving towards a once-a-week routine.
2. Swim. Last year, the big thing-to-do in 2013 was participate in a triathlon. In previous posts I've mentioned how amazing that experience was. I forget if I've mentioned that the swimming was one of my favourite parts. Well, if I haven't said that yet, let me reiterate: the swimming was one of my favourite parts! I loved being in the water. It was so freeing and so joyful and so...easy. So I want to do it more. In order to help with that, Dave and I bought each other access passes to the local recreation centres for Christmas. We plan to go to the pool as a family on our weekly day-off.
3. Organize photos. The storage on my laptop is currently filled to the brim with photos, and they nee to be dealt with. I've made a few photo books in the past, and it was such a good thing to do! Those photos are no longer clogging up much-needed computer space, but are printed out in an easy-to-access book format and are ready to enjoy whenever I get the urge to reminisce over a cup of tea. (Memory lane is so much nicer to stroll down when you are flipping the pages of a book rather than scrolling down a screen, don't you think?) In order to get through our entire collection, I need to do a book for 2012, a book for 2013, and then a book just of Joseph and his first year. This is a lot of work, and will require a lot of time on my free evenings, but I wholeheartedly believe it will be well worth it.
4. Plan play-time. Each week I plan the household meals. Why not do the same with play-time? Someone gave me a great book called the Toddler's Busy Book, and this was definitely a divinely-appointed occurrence. Play time is not my strong suit. Joseph and I go for a lot of walks and visit a lot of parks. Why? 1. Outdoor time is great for kids. 2. This mama is at a complete loss for how spend time indoors! Well, this book is filled with good ideas. As a thing-to-do, the plan is to read the book, make a list of my favourite toddler-friendly activities, and then spend a little time at the beginning of each week making plans and provisions so that we actually do them. I'm hopeful that this will be a good thing for Joseph and I. We live on the rainy West Coast. We can only jump around in puddles for so long.
At this point, I'm hopeful! But isn't everyone who makes resolutions in January? :) Given that one of my goals is to blog more, I will be sure to give you the update on how things are coming along.
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