Looking Ahead to 2015

I always find the start of a new year so inspiring. I don't care if most resolutions or goals don't get met, it's the feeling of hope, motivation and inspiration to do better that I love so much about it. It's also a time to reflect on the year behind us, and often, it can be a fresh start. The possibilities a new year can bring is such a wonderful feeling.

2014 will always be one of the best years of my life. It's the year I became a mother for the first time, and while navigating the paths of motherhood can be challenging and trying at times, it was still a great year. Much of 2014 was spent learning all about my new role as a mom and figuring out how to care for a newborn. This year though, as Sully gets older and I've become more comfortable and confident as a mother, I feel I can focus a little bit more on things I want to do and accomplish.

This post took me a while to write because I really had to think about what it is I want to happen in 2015, the things I have some control over anyway. And I wanted to have more specific goals, not just "lose the last bit of baby weight", "read more",  "be more active", "stop biting my thumb nails", etc. Sure, those are all things I want to happen, but I need to know how I am going to make these things happen.

So in the spirit of new years resolutions, here are my goals for 2015 (in no particular order):

1. Simplify my belongings: These past few months, I've really felt the strain and weight of all the clutter in our home. I'm so tired of things not having a "home", and I'm equally as tired of the boxes upon boxes of old memorabilia in the basement that I just can't bear to get rid of. Inspired by a few blogs, this one in particularly, and by this book I just read, the journey to decluttering my home and life has begun.

2. Buy only things that spark joy in me: I'm not a big shopper, but I am bad for buying mediocre things that just end up cluttering my home further and then even worse, being donated a few months later. I want to be more selective and thoughtful in the items I choose to spend our money on and bring into our home. If I don't love it in the store, how can I expect to love it once it's in my home?

3. Make a smoothie everyday: Usually, this is when I vow to clean up my diet, eat more healthy, eat less take-out, etc. And while I hope to do all those things, they are too vague in the grand scheme of goals. But smoothies every day? THAT is something I can do. When Jim and I got our vitamix a few months back, we were making 1-2 smoothies a day and felt so much better in a short amount of time. My stomach was digesting fruits and veggies so much easier than if I were to try eating them (I have a history of Ulcerative Colitis and IBS). I lost the last bit of baby-weight (which has since crept back on), and we were making better choices in the rest of our diet because I believe that when you eat healthier foods, you crave more healthy foods. We still make a lot of smoothies, but not consistently. Sully also loves smoothies, so this goal is really a no-brainer: everyone eats better and everyone feels better.

{mommy and baby smoothies}

4. Take 10-15 minutes to cleanup the kitchen every night: I can't stand coming down to a messy kitchen in the mornings. And it doesn't help that we live in a home with an open floor plan so the mess in the kitchen just seems to take over the whole main floor. In the evenings, once supper is done and Sully is finally in bed, tidying up the kitchen just seems too exhausting. Jim recently told me he feels the same way when he comes home from work, that walking into the home when the kitchen is a mess is a bit deflating. So, we have agreed to work on this. I will do my best to have the kitchen tidied for when he comes home, if he will help me in the evenings with it. Apparently, happy kitchen = happy life!

{this makes me happy}

5. Get outside more: I find it so hard in the winter months to bundle up the baby and go for a walk. In the summer and fall, I tried to get outside every day, even if it was for a quick 10-15 minutes. I'm embarrassed to admit that we almost never go outside anymore unless you count from the car into the store. I know fresh air is a vital part of life and it's not fair to Sully to be cooped up. My goal is to get outside for a walk at least 3 times a week, weather permitting.

6. Read 20 books: You can read about my bookish goals for 2015 here. This means I have to choose reading over other things such as mindless scrolling through instagram, perusing Facebook, pinning things on Pinterest, etc. I used to always read before bed, even if it was just a few pages, but lately my phone is the last thing I read before turning out the light.

and lastly…

7. Run one 5K and one 10K this year: I used to quite enjoy running, although I'm not sure you could have ever called me a "runner", despite how much I wanted to be one. But, I've ran a few races, including a 10K, in the past few years, and I want this year to be the year I start running again. I love the atmosphere of running in a race and I loved that feeling of accomplishing something as exhilarating as running 10K.

{the only race I ran last year - the edMUDton 5K obstacle race - 6 months postpartum}

Do you make resolutions or goals for the new year? 

What is something your hoping to accomplish in 2015?