New year, new you...new year, same me?

I kind of don’t like the term "resolutions" and I think a few years back other people picked up on that same thing.  The term resolutions turned into "goals".  People started making "goals" sound more ambitious thank "resolutions".  It definitely seems like a trend in non-fiction literature/influencer culture etc...

I like to listen to the Behind the Scenes podcast with Jeremy and Audrey Roloff.  Some episodes are better than others.  One of their first episodes of the year was Jeremy discussion goals, resolutions, and rhythms.  This is a quote that I found really made sense to me and put everything into a framework that I hadn’t really thought about, "Resolutions are a commitment to a life change that does not have an end date. Goals are specific and include an end date. Rhythms are a regular and repeated pattern or mapped out habits that build the specific life we want. You need all three- resolutions, goals, and rhythms to see things work in your life."  He then went on to discuss how they all build on each other.  

Given all that, I'm not sure that I've settled on a terminology, or willingness to focus writing out a plan that is a roadmap for achieving the goal-resolution-rhythm plan, but there are a few things I'd like to accomplish this year.   

25 hikes in 2020

Given the nomadic life that we lead I feel like everywhere we’ve moved we have made it a priority to really explore the area that we are living; whether that’s local culture, nature, food, etc. We try to adventure where we are. Sometimes that's easier said than done/enjoyed.  This is also something we've grown into or had more time to breathe life into as parents and not dually employed outside the home.  I hope that as my life continues, I can live a life that is adventurous and I can set my nerves aside to really explore the communities I live in and pass that trait on to my boys. 

I think Mason and I would both say that we hope our boys can grow up living an active lifestyle and avoid struggles that we've both had with body image/weight.  We try to create an active lifestyle for the boys, whether it’s through sports, hiking, playing outside, swimming, etc. Therefore, one of my goals for this year is to do 25 hikes in 2020. I was inspired by a friend who posted at the end of 2019 her hike total.  

To date we've done 4/25 hikes.  

Read 50 books in 2020

Another goal of mine is to read 50 books this year.  The past couple of years I have set a lower goal and exceeded the goal, but I wanted to set something attainable and not feel like I was rushing through books or audiobooks "just to finish".  And I am a person that totally counts audiobooks as reading.  I got more into podcasts this past year, which also slowed some of my reading.  We shall see how the goal goes.  

To date I've finished 11/50 books. 

Marriage

Mason and I try to pour into our marriage as much as we can.  By that, I mean just spending time making sure we are connecting and not letting the stress/schedule or parenting and work make us feel like roommates.  Mason started listening to some of the same podcasts that I do, and this has been something for us to discuss.  We've also been adventuring together with the family, which has been an enjoyable way to enjoy nature as a family.  This year we are working on a weekly/monthly at this rate marriage journal in addition to writing notes to each other in our own notes journal.  I'm also trying to schedule a monthly date night as long as Mason isn’t traveling.  

Writing

I am also trying to be better about writing, whether it's through personal journaling, blogging on our family blog, or writing for the Omaha Moms Blog.  It’s pretty hilarious to go back and read some of my early blog posts (before kids, newly-married).  Some are pretty terrible, but I am hoping to blog on this blog 1-2 times a week in addition to my monthly blog post with the OMB. 

Other random ones
~Plan one-on-one dates with each boy, mainly Theo and Woodrow since Max and I have the school hours together.  

~Send one friend/family a little "I'm thinking of you" token each month.  12 total for the year. 

~Practice good planning/scheduling of activities and commitments when I can.

~Build deeper friendships/keep in touch with good friends who have moved. 

~Work through the anxiety/panic feeling I started having in the Fall of 2019. Whether this is through continuing medication or counseling, or both. 

~Continue my promise not to do any restrictive dieting, but to continue to build healthy eating/movement habits.  Right now this looks like balanced meals and working out 4 times a week.