Sunday 4 January 2015

New Year's Intentions

As you can probably tell from the date of my New Year's post, I am chasing my tail a bit at the moment. We've had so much going on, I just don't seem to be able to catch up with myself. We had a lovely Advent and Christmas, and in 8 hours the new term begins and we are back to the real world, so I'd better get my head in gear!

I've just had a look at last year's intentions, and boy, were they ambitious! To be fair, I knew they were at the time, hence labelling them "aspirations," and I knew I wouldn't be able to achieve them all. What did I achieve? Well, I did give birth, and what a birth! It was glorious and empowering and fast, all on my own in the bungalow bathroom. We met darling Bob (not his real name), and he changed our lives in all sorts of interesting ways! A happier little chap I have never met, and he has more character than you can shake a stick at. He's very outgoing and adventurous in the day time, but at night he will only sleep curled up in the crook of my arm. He's snuggled against me right now. I've breastfed him whenever he wanted for his whole life, carried him close to my body, kept him safe and mostly well. I'll count that as an achievement.


I did manage to get two small pieces published, although since we left the bungalow there has been no more time for me to write. The boys are pretty full on, and the house is nowhere near sorted. C'est la vie, the boys come first. One day soon they will both leave home and I will have plenty of time to do things other than sail pirate ships, hunt for dragons, and read stories for hours on end. More's the pity.

I did not learn to use Matilda the sewing machine, although I have a project that I am keen to get underway with at the moment (no spoilers). I didn't learn to use my drop spindle either. I did knit down my stash a bit, but really I have had so little time for crafting that it hasn't made much of a dent. Having the stash in storage for a few months didn't help either! But I have plans, so here are this year's intentions:

1. Finish all of my Works In Progress on Ravelry. There are only a few, and some are quite big, so there will be no shame in casting on smaller, easier projects to go alongside them.

2. Join in this reading challenge. It's leaning towards fiction, and I have a lot of non-fiction on my "to read" list, but it's a good starting point. I find myself surfing the internet at night after the boys are asleep. If I leave them Bob wakes up, but I have a head torch and this time would be better spent reading, or...


3. ...knitting socks, which is going on the list again. I think I might start with something for Sausages, with an afterthought heel so I can just knit plain rounds in the dark.

4. Continue to knit down the stash and buy only natural fibres. There are a few jumpers and blankets on the horizon I feel!

5. Be self aware and practice effective self-care, and to rope Husband in on this one as well. For a start, knitting or reading for my wind down in the evening would be better for me than surfing the internet.

6. Make some friends in our new area. I'm not good at this, but I have met some lovely people in the last couple of months. It's awkward, and I'm shy, but I must do it!

7. Get back to blogging about things other than knitting and reading. The yarn along keeps me ticking along, but I have more to say.

8. Start training to be a La Leche Leader. I want to be the person you can ring at 3 a.m. when you're having a meltdown. I have had such great help with feeding my boys, which has often seemed impossible, and I'd love to support other mothers to meet their own breastfeeding goals.

9. Get back to good meal planning based around a local veg box and less supermarket shopping. Our food bills are huge at the moment. We still don't have a functioning oven, and too often I am scrambling to make something at the last minute because I haven't got the slow cooker on at the beginning of the day. At least I have cracked baking our bread in the slow cooker!


10. Get back to preparing early for Christmas. This is the first year I have been organising gifts in December, and it sucked. In 2015 I want to hand make and collect gifts throughout the year, and be finished by the end of November. I have already bookmarked a few patterns and ideas.

There we go, a more modest selection than last year. I guess I didn't know that Bob would be such a limpet, that we would move and be homeless for two months, and how this would affect us as a family. We've started a whole new life here by the sea, and the next few months are all about finding our stride.

What are your major New Year's resolutions? Can you give me any advice about mine? I'd love to hear it, so long as it's polite!

Wishing you all a great year to come

E




3 comments:

  1. Wow, I love all those resolutions - they would all fit with me perfectly. I think I will just adopt your list and see how I go with that. I was the same this year with Christmas, so that is a great resolution for 2015. And I love that reading list idea.

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  2. And look at that little sweetie! Aren't they just the biggest blessings ever!

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