Happy New Year! How is it 2023? These years are flying by aren’t they. It only feels like yesterday I found out I was pregnant and now I have a 2 year old, how did that even happen? I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Ours was a bit strange, we sadly lost our pup Milo just before Christmas, and everything feels a bit empty without him. I’m not sure how you get over something like that and how it becomes normal not to have a shadow following you around 24/7. Christmas was busy and Arthur distracted us with his excitement, especially as he had his second Birthday 3 days before Christmas. If you could only see my house now…
I’m someone that thrives off of making goals, I always have done. Although they’ve changed a lot over the years, I still like to make my New Year’s Resolutions, and 10 years later I still like to share them with the world to hold myself accountable. I’ve been reading through my old New Year’s Resolutions and I can’t believe the things that used to matter to me that don’t even cross my mind. I don’t think I’ve had “lose weight” for at least 5 years now, it’s just not important is it?
My main goal is to get back into writing on here, I miss it so much, I can’t even tell you why I stopped writing here, I suppose life got in the way? Having a toddler is hard. But I want to take time for me and my hobbies again instead of doom scrolling through Facebook achieving nothing and regretting it once the day is over. I’ve set myself a goal to write on here once a week. I’d also like to focus on my other blog This Bristol Mum but let’s not do too much at once.
I’d like to take more time for self-care, whether that’s putting a face mask on (I have one on whilst writing this), painting my nails (I gave myself a manicure and pedicure yesterday) or having a bath (yet to have a 2023 bath!). I’d like to read the huge pile of magazines dating back to 2020 next to my bed and start the cross stitch and embroidery kits I bought in the peak of lockdown. I’d like to take myself on a spa day or shopping, treat myself to some time to be Ami and not Mum.
I would like to finally start planning our wedding again, and our Honeymoon. We have been engaged since May 2015, almost 8 years and have got nowhere with the wedding planning. We were going to be getting married in 2020 but I don’t even need to go into that one do I? 2020 says it all. We’re also planning a trip to visit family across the pond so are thinking of combining the two but it all depends on finances.
A personal one – We would like to get pregnant, hopefully. We suffered a miscarriage last year, I’m still struggling with it and we haven’t been lucky enough to fall pregnant again since. I feel like there’s so much more I want to say here but I’m not quite ready. But I’m hoping this is our year and who knows, we could even end the year with a baby? Although I do think we’re slightly mad, as I said earlier, toddlers are HARD. We’ve really struggled with parenting, and being parents, it’s definitely not something we’ve breezed through but it can’t have been that hard for us to want to do it all over again. There’s so much stigma around keeping things a secret when trying/early pregnancy “in case something happens” but that makes no sense to me now, something did happen, and I needed those people.
I set myself a goal to sort out my finances and 4 days in I’ve already done so much. I’m good at saving when possible but I’m so bad with savings accounts/ISAs/investments. Today I opened a new 2 year fixed rate ISA and transferred the money across from my current 0.5% ISA. I opened a 4.5% savings account with Lloyds and invested more into Premium Bonds (I recommend these to everyone, every £1 is a chance of winning up to £1 million). I even bought Arthur some bonds with his Christmas money and closed two bank accounts that weren’t being used. Sticking with finances, one of my long long term goals has been to take my blog/social media part time. I have specific earnings goals to make that possible and I feel like this year will be that year…
I would like to learn a new skill, or improve one I already have. At one point I could speak French and play guitar. I’ve enquired about French lessons so many times and gone no further with it, maybe I’ll do that, or pick up a guitar again, or something completely different I’ve never even considered. Maybe netball? Who knows.
I have one other goal that I’ve set myself that I’m not going to talk about until I’m reflecting on it at the end of the year. So here’s to that one – it’s a biggie…
I could sit here and write goal after goal but I need to be realistic. This year is a year to focus on me and looking after myself both physically and emotionally. I want to enjoy the moments with my family but stop pressuring myself to do so much. A moment snuggling on the sofa under a blanket is still a moment, life doesn’t have to be so fast paced and busy all the time. I want to stop worrying about the things I have absolutely no control over and stop trying to please everyone. Instead use that energy being present for the people that have always been there and building some new relationships. It’s all so much easier said than done I know but we can try right? Here’s to 2023. Happy New Year.
What are your New Year’s Resolutions for 2023? I’d love to hear them.
Ami x
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