I'm 35. It's 2018. What the Year Ahead Looks Like For Me.

Today, I turn 35 years old. THIRTY-FIVE. I didn't feel like I was old when I turned 34 last year, but for some reason, 35 just sounds SO much older. I remember being younger and thinking, "Man, people in their 30s are SO old." Then I turned 30, and to be honest, I didn't feel like it was that old. But 35? Something about it makes it seem a lot older.

Because I feel like I'm officially old now, and my birthday happens to fall close to the changing of one calendar year to the next, I decided that I really wanted to sit down this year and make a list of things that I'm going to accomplish. I don't like the whole concept of New Year's Resolutions. Instead, I like to think of it as my list of 2018/Year 35 goals.

My list is longer than usual, and it covers a variety of facets of my life, but health, self-care, and general happiness are what I would call the 3 main focus areas for me this year. I don't want to break them down into those 3 categories though, because I feel that they are all intertwined.

All of that being said, here is what the year ahead looks like for me!

Drink More Water.

I'm horrible at drinking enough water. Especially after having both girls, I went from drinking the requisite amount that a pregnant woman should, to surviving on Diet Coke and coffee, with the occasional glass of water. NOT HEALTHY. So I'm really trying to make an effort to drink more water this year, because it's SO good for my body, not to mention, my aging skin! Dan gave me two of these awesome fruit infuser water bottles, so I have a feeling that will make it so much easier.

Date Night Once A Month

Confession: Dan and I have been saying for YEARS that we are going to do date night once a month. And I'm in charge of planning it, which I don't mind at all. We've done things like go bowling, a movie, and even one time last year we took all the cushions off the couch, put them on the floor, and pretended like we were having a sleepover (we ordered pizza and rented a movie on demand). We don't usually do anything extravagant. My problem is that I'm not consistent with it. We said we want to do it once a month, but for the past few years, I've totally dropped the ball in doing it consistently. So this year, I am committing to making sure we do date night once a month. Whether we go out, or stay in, I'm making it happen.

Vacuum the Floors and Clean the Bathrooms Once a Week

I know, it sounds pretty bad that I don't already do it. I have the best of intentions, but after working all day during the week, and playing with the kids in the evenings and on the weekends, I keep giving the excuse that I'm too tired to do it. It's not that I don't clean at all, it's just sporadic. So this year, I'm writing it into my weekly schedule. I don't have to do them at the same time, but they WILL get done. Why those 2? I don't know. I think we do a decent job of keeping everything else picked up, so those are probably the areas that are most often used and least often cleaned.

Be Grateful Every Day

I am fairly certain this is on Dan's list of goals, and I totally stole it from him because I love the concept. Every day, I am going to find something to be grateful for. Maybe it will be the same thing 3 days in a row. Maybe it will be something different every day. Either way, I am practicing gratitude this year. Today, I am grateful for living another year (even if I feel old!).

Exercise 5 days A Week

Dan and I started doing this a few weeks ago in an attempt to both be more healthy. We are currently using an app that I downloaded ages ago, but hasn't gotten much use until recently. We both know that we need to be more active, and with the bitterly cold temperatures and two small kids, getting outside lately hasn't been much of an option. So we started doing yoga. The app we use is called Yoga Studio, and it has a whole slew of classes in different concentrations, skill levels, and durations. We've been doing yoga every night after the kids go to bed, and I want to make sure we continue doing so, because we can both already feel the difference!

Do One Small Thing For Myself Every Day

It won't always be something big. Maybe it will be putting on lipstick to feel pretty. Maybe it will be taking time out to color in the awesome coloring books that Dan gave me for Christmas. Maybe it will be taking a bath. But this year, no matter what is going on, I am going to find one small things to do for myself every single day. I think doing this is so important to help keep my sanity!

Visit My Sister and Her Family Once a Quarter

I love my sister and her family! They come to town a lot because both our family and her husband's family are here. But they live 2 hours away and don't get as many visitors. Annie LOVES seeing them. After they were here for Christmas, the next day I picked Annie up from daycare, and the first thing she said was "Molly?" (my sister). I had to tell her that they all had to go back to their house, but that we would see them soon. Then yesterday, out of the blue, as we turned on to our street after I picked the girls up at daycare, Annie again asked "Molly?" And then she asked for my niece and my brother in law (Molly'd daughter and husband) To which I had to tell her again that they were at their own house, but that we would go see them soon. I usually try to visit them with the girls for an overnight trip once in a while, but I am going to make it a point to do it at LEAST once every 3 months this year.

Last, but not least:

Use My Happiness Journal

I'm in this awesome Facebook moms group of women from all over the country (and a few from Canada and overseas too!) who all had babies around the same time that I had Eloise. They have been AMAZING. Some of us participated in a Secret Sister gift exchance this holiday season, and my Secret Sister gave me an awesome coffee mug and an Amazon gift card. With my gift card, I bought this book.

I'm a bit OCD in some aspects of my life, so having a journal which tells me to list things, and then gives me actions to take - well that's pretty much my perfect journal! I liked this one because it focuses on Positivity and Balance, and as a busy mom, I can't get enough of that in my life! I also like this because it's a weekly journal. I'll journal on Sundays or Mondays and then use the remainder of the week to implement the actions. I can't wait to see where it takes me this year!

What is on your list of goals or things you want to accomplish? I'd love to hear!

#NewYear #2018 #Goals #Health #Selfcare