This year is starting off a little…unbalanced. In some areas of my life, I’m so busy that I barely have time to breathe, making progress in other areas a little slow. This would be why things I had planned to have done the first week of the year are still undone, but why I’ve put in a gazillion hours at work, have seven books read already this year, and have the landscaping guy scheduled to start work on the front yard in a couple weeks.
I thought I had my word for the year chosen, but then had to admit that I was forcing it. It didn’t fit where or how I needed this year to go. So I let that one go.
Where exactly do I want this year to go? I’ll talk more about that in the Goals 2021 post I’m working on (and hope to have done before the end of the month). I know it’s common for people to use choosing a word for the year to replace the traditional resolutions/goal-setting for the year, but I enjoy both. The word to guide my year overall. The goals to help me organize and plan.
We have a big year coming up. Big changes. So I needed to choose a word that would help me guide our family through these changes, plan well, stay focused, but not become worn out or overwhelmed.
To help me stay balanced.
Balance. My word for 2021.
Working from home, it’s easy to let work encroach on family time or let family demands distract me from important work projects. This year, it’s imperative that I stay balanced. To that end, I’ve planned small getaways, self-care blocks in my day, and a plan to cozy up our home office.
While that’s all well and good, I have some deadlines for work and other big events that can’t be moved. So, balance can’t translate into just relax more. To provide the necessary support I need to get the hard stuff done, too, I’ll be using a large (adorable) project calendar, completing weekly self-assessments, and *gasp* delegating tasks.
I can’t delude myself into thinking this year isn’t going to be a lot of hard work because it is. It just is. But I can be aware. I can be balanced.
And then next year? I think my word will be vacation.
I have been looking for a way to start this blog. For months. I wanted somewhere to share writing that didn’t quite fit in with the content on my other blogs. What kind of writing? I don’t know exactly. Not the next Great American Novel, but just thoughts. Ideas. Occasionally maybe even a suggestion. But there’s where I would start feeling presumptuous. Why would anyone want to read my thoughts or ideas? And why would anyone want to take my advice (when I sometimes don’t even take my advice)?
I did write a welcome post on here once. It was full of the grand plans for our new holding company, the ultimate goals we have been working so hard on. I even sent it to a friend for feedback – and then promptly, without waiting for feedback, deleted it. Again, that thought of “Why would anyone want to read this?” made the decision for me. Just in case I looked stupid.
So I’ve come to accept that no one may read this blog. If you want yummy food, cute drinks, and amazing book recommendations, you really should check out A Day in the Lifestyle. And if you are looking for short day trip spots to visit, pop over to Two Blondes in the Heartland. Both are badly in need of updated posts, but there’s lots of fun ideas on both of those. But here, you’re just going to get me. Having provided you with two acceptable alternatives, I no longer feel guilty if you choose to stick around.
Unfortunately, coming to that conclusion (and accepting that this may suck) wasn’t really a good springboard for a first post.
Thanks to the calendar for coming through in the clutch.
Every year, on or around New Year’s Eve, I encourage our family to join me in listing our 25 biggest accomplishments of the year. When the kids were little, they always participated. As they have grown, they have since participated less and less, but I’m hoping they’ll come back to the tradition as adults. Dan, of course, is always an eager participant (just one of the many reasons I love him).
Some years I have shared this list on blogs now defunct. Other years, I have written it on notebook paper and shoved it in a box in the closet. This year, I need a first post on a new blog, so I guess I’m sharing it. I honestly have no idea what I’m about to write, but here goes. These are not listed in order of importance, so please do not assign value to the numbers.
3 – Dan and I became licensed foster parents in January. Most of the work we put into this was done in 2019, but it became official in 2020. Unfortunately, due to a representative of Lutheran Services of Iowa insisting that COVID-19 was “just like the flu” and taking minimal precautions to protect the foster and bio families she worked with, we ended up in a position where we could only continue our work with the foster system by putting our own family at risk. For that reason, we chose not to renew our license, but we are proud of the work we did! The bio mom of the foster kiddo we had for a few months still contacts us on a regular basis, invites us to family functions, participates in video chats, and, most importantly, asks us for advice as she works hard to continue a positive lifestyle for her and her son. Our goal in becoming foster parents was to be a positive influence, and in that regard, we succeeded.
4 – Made homemade pickles! We even canned them ourselves! Honestly the best pickles I’ve ever had.
5 – Started a small in-home bakery. This has been so much fun. I’ve had to take it down a notch after kind of wearing myself out doing too much, but I have met so many wonderful people! I’ve also learned I’m actually pretty good in the kitchen. Really looking forward to continuing this in the new year.
6 – Tried seaweed in a recipe. And actually ate it. It sucked. So bad. But I ate it, so it counts.
7 – That amazing Chiefs win over the Texans on January 12? Yeah, that was all me. They were still losing by 24 points when I said to Dan, “You know what will help? Pie. I’m making pie.” And we all know how that turned out. Apparently, I make magic chocolate pie. So basically, this should say “Led the Kansas City Chiefs to a Superbowl victory.” I think my ring got lost in the mail.
8 – Grew tomatoes. I think we harvested four or five, so for our first year, I think we did okay.
9 – Stayed home. Wore a mask. Did our part to protect other people (not just ourselves).
10 – Got a rabbit. Lived with rabbit. Still tolerating rabbit. This rabbit is not the nicest rabbit I’ve ever met. Despite our best efforts and the loads of advice we have sought, the rabbit does not like us. Any of us. Which was quite devastating to Bizi, our big animal lover. There was one week where she ate paint (I know, I know – we didn’t know she was going to chew full a$$ holes in the wall…) and didn’t feel good. She was nice that week. But she’s still here and we are still responsible, kind, loving pet owners, so that’s most definitely an accomplishment.
11 – Had a family paint fight. I’ve wanted to do this for awhile and we certainly had the time this year.
12 – Watched almost every true crime show I can find on Hulu.
13 – Climbed snowy rocks in Pipestone National Park. Fell, but did not die.
14 – As I’m looking through the pictures of this year, trying to remember everything I want to include, let’s go back to #3. Not only did we become licensed foster parents, but we had a two-year-old for three months. A two-year-old. We took him ice skating, we encouraged him to eat his vegetables, we read him bedtime stories. We gave baths and changed diapers and played peek-a-boo. We bought a car seat and little boy clothes and bath toys. We watched Sesame Street and played with blocks. We had a toddler. In this house. And we all survived. I feel like that earns a separate mention.
15 – Did not buy these pajamas. As much as I want them, I did not buy them. I feel like I’m not adequately conveying the amount of self control this took, but believe me, it made the list for a reason. I. Love. These. Pajamas.
16 – Made this Valentine’s Day Coke Cake. Was it really an accomplishment? Any other year, I’d say no. But this year, the bar is set much lower.
17 – Introduced my husband to amazing things like watching The Outsiders, making homemade divinity, perusing the seemingly unlimited amounts of pop at Pops 66, and enjoying the benefits of face masks.
18 – Tried 20 new varieties of tea from The Tea Smith, one of my favorite places on earth.
19 – Watched my third baby graduate high school. This kids-growing-into-adults thing is for the birds, I tell ya.
20 – Made myself lose five pounds before buying a new printer. I wish you could hear how hard I’m laughing at this right now. Whatever. I lost the five pounds and have a sweet new printer (that I can’t figure out half the time).
21 – Took an unplanned, last minute, completely impromptu and totally socially distant road trip to Oklahoma City. And had a blast. Would highly recommend.
22 – Beat the pants off my family in Friends Monopoly.
23 – Voted! I don’t know how I ended up putting flowers and sh*t all over this picture, but I guess I did. Who knows.
24 – Made enough food to feed an army. These pics are a small portion of what we’ve eaten in just the last month. The rest of the year was no different. I acknowledge I have a problem and we’re just going to have to accept that.
25 – Survived. Retained my sense of hope, faith in humanity (for the most part), and belief in the future.
These accomplishments are a small snapshot of our year. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you. As always, I encourage everyone to look back and reflect on their accomplishments this year. It was quite a year… You deserve a pat on the back for making it through.
