"I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years"
I remember singing this Tim McGraw song in high school and thinking that 30 was so old. Funny that it is already here and it really doesn't feel that old. It feels right.
The anticipation of turning 30 was overshadowed by the anticipation I felt about having a baby, but turning 30 is kind of a big deal. Last year when I turned 29 I freaked out just a little bit feeling like my days as a 20-something-year-old were numbered. I made a list of 30 things I wanted to accomplish before I turned 30. This week I revisited that list. I really only accomplished 7 of the 30 things on my list, but at least I did those. A lot of the goals had to do with daily/weekly habits, that despite my best efforts, did not happen.
Here is what I did do:
- go to Switzerland
- teach step aerobics
- make cute new pillows for bedroom
- move out of townhome
- read 12 good books
- make a blog book for 2010-2011 of Motherhood Unleashed
- have a baby girl (that was a big one, and the main reason why so many of the other goals didn't happen)
Here are a few that were kind of accomplished:
- save up for a new car (we started saving, then got a new car interest free...but we will be paying for it for the next 5 years)
- read at least one book to the boys a day (we are pretty good about this, but I know we missed days here and there, though I am sure we made up for it plenty other days)
- make 72 hour backpacks for each family member (thanks to Cathy we now have one 72 hour backpack to share between the whole family)
- try one new recipe a week (I don't think I have tried 52 new recipes, but I bet the number is close to 30 which is still an accomplishment, especially for someone who was pregnant for 9 months)
I had such high expectations of last year and I am happy with what I was able to do, but I hate seeing a list I had such high hopes for and knowing I accomplished less than half. My goals for this next year are going to be much less ambitious. I know what I need to focus on and right now if I can get the basics under my belt, I think I will feel pretty accomplished. So instead of 30 lofty goals that will leave me feeling overwhelmed, here is what I hope to focus my efforts on in this new "era" of my life:
- create order, routine, and consistent consequences in the home
- love reading the scriptures again
- have meaningful prayer
- spend time and build individual relationships with each member of my family
- take care of physical self and build confidence (ie. exercise, get ready each day, don't eat junk)
- find time to serve those outside my family
Those are my 6 super vague goals. I know specific goals are how things get accomplished, but for this year I am going to try to focus on the principles more than the checklist and see if it leaves me feeling like less of a failure.
I have had such a good life and I am truly happy with where I am right now at 30. I am so blessed to have the family I do and I wouldn't want to be spending my days any other way. I am excited about being 30 and know I will look back on these years as the best of my life. I just need to keep telling myself that when things feel too crazy (which they often do).
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years"
I remember singing this Tim McGraw song in high school and thinking that 30 was so old. Funny that it is already here and it really doesn't feel that old. It feels right.
The anticipation of turning 30 was overshadowed by the anticipation I felt about having a baby, but turning 30 is kind of a big deal. Last year when I turned 29 I freaked out just a little bit feeling like my days as a 20-something-year-old were numbered. I made a list of 30 things I wanted to accomplish before I turned 30. This week I revisited that list. I really only accomplished 7 of the 30 things on my list, but at least I did those. A lot of the goals had to do with daily/weekly habits, that despite my best efforts, did not happen.
Here is what I did do:
- go to Switzerland
- teach step aerobics
- make cute new pillows for bedroom
- move out of townhome
- read 12 good books
- make a blog book for 2010-2011 of Motherhood Unleashed
- have a baby girl (that was a big one, and the main reason why so many of the other goals didn't happen)
Here are a few that were kind of accomplished:
- save up for a new car (we started saving, then got a new car interest free...but we will be paying for it for the next 5 years)
- read at least one book to the boys a day (we are pretty good about this, but I know we missed days here and there, though I am sure we made up for it plenty other days)
- make 72 hour backpacks for each family member (thanks to Cathy we now have one 72 hour backpack to share between the whole family)
- try one new recipe a week (I don't think I have tried 52 new recipes, but I bet the number is close to 30 which is still an accomplishment, especially for someone who was pregnant for 9 months)
I had such high expectations of last year and I am happy with what I was able to do, but I hate seeing a list I had such high hopes for and knowing I accomplished less than half. My goals for this next year are going to be much less ambitious. I know what I need to focus on and right now if I can get the basics under my belt, I think I will feel pretty accomplished. So instead of 30 lofty goals that will leave me feeling overwhelmed, here is what I hope to focus my efforts on in this new "era" of my life:
- create order, routine, and consistent consequences in the home
- love reading the scriptures again
- have meaningful prayer
- spend time and build individual relationships with each member of my family
- take care of physical self and build confidence (ie. exercise, get ready each day, don't eat junk)
- find time to serve those outside my family
Those are my 6 super vague goals. I know specific goals are how things get accomplished, but for this year I am going to try to focus on the principles more than the checklist and see if it leaves me feeling like less of a failure.
I have had such a good life and I am truly happy with where I am right now at 30. I am so blessed to have the family I do and I wouldn't want to be spending my days any other way. I am excited about being 30 and know I will look back on these years as the best of my life. I just need to keep telling myself that when things feel too crazy (which they often do).
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