Hello 2018



Happy New Year! Can you believe another year has come and gone so quickly?

Every Year whether it be right before the Year ends or just as a new one is beginning many of us go into "resolution mode". We have the best intentions making vision boards and making lists of all the things we would like to change or do. For many of us including myself  a few weeks or months into the New Year I find many of these resolutions "fall flat" and don't come to fruition the way we expected them to. Are we setting too high expectations for ourselves? 

I'm not saying that we shouldn't shoot for the stars, but we live in a society where everything seems picture perfect, when in all reality it often times isn't. Are we setting ourselves up for failure trying to keep up with the Jones's? But nothing happens overnight so why do we expect to see changes or goals met immediately. These things take time and planning. Even setting the "resolutions" is part of the planning. It takes dedication and time to see these things come to fruition, after all, Rome wasn't built in a day.

I want to start 2018 out Right, but where do I begin? Besides listing all the things I would like to accomplish or change, I also need to have a plan of action. That isn't going to get done with a Champagne hangover and little sleep. I most certainly will be setting some goals, but I'm also going to come up with a plan of action for each goal. Since that takes time it's probably going to take me the entire month of January to roughly figure out where to begin. 

In the meantime I thought of some of the goals I had in mind for 2018.

Mommy Dearest The Blog: I started blogging again in November of 2017, I jumped in head first as I find I do with many things. (something I need to work on in the future). I joined support groups on social media and watched as my readers and followers grew. I was thrilled. But I also started to feel like I was drowning and couldn't keep my head above the water. Maybe Starting a blog and trying to network like a mad woman a month before one of the busiest months of the year wasn't the best idea. I didn't have any type of plan or goal. I just wanted to write and share my stories. I soon realized that blogging every day wasn't going to be possible with all the other things going on in our lives. So here is where my first goal for 2018 comes in. I am committing myself to 1 new blog post per week. By the end of 2018 I should have 52 blog posts. If time permits and I am able to do more than 1 per week, great, if not I won't feel guilty about it because I have set my small goal of 1 per week. I know that I can only stretch myself so far before I break, and I don't want to get to that point. So I'm starting out small.

My Marriage: Sadly as in all marriages sometimes it gets put in the backseat of life, other things come up and finding that balance is difficult. I hate to admit it but my Marriage could definitely use some TLC. I know that I need to dedicate more time to us. I want to make it a point for my hubby and I to try and have a "Date Night" once a week. Even if that means watching a TV show together snuggled on the couch. Time without the kids around. We need to be able to reconnect and unwind together. Something that doesn't happen very often around here. We have so many struggles with our lives that we don't want to add a failing marriage on top of that. Family time is great, but sometime you just need some one on one time. 

Family Time: We used to dedicate one day a week to Family Day. We would do something together as a family, whether it be swimming, skating, a walk in the park, watching a movie or playing a board game. Sometimes our lives get stuck in such a tail spin that we lose that. I miss having that family time, filled with laughs and smiles and making memories. We live in a world that at work and play we are usually glued to some sort of piece of technology. As much as technology can connect us to those far away, it can disconnect us from those closest to us. 

Research: My oldest son has High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Anxiety, and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) Combined Type. (We know he gets the ADHD from me as I was tested in November 2017). My husband and I were both so ignorant to all of these things prior to having a diagnosis in the household. We needed to open our minds and hearts and learn. We are by no means experts and we are still learning new things each day. But I want to finish reading the books I bought when we first got the diagnosis, I want to read all the bookmarked and saved Articles I have yet to make time to read. I want what's best for my kids and if learning as much as I can will help that (which I know it will) I'm going to continue to research and reach out.

Me Time: I need to really remember to take some time to myself. This past year I found myself in a craze. I was rage angry at the simplest things. I honestly thought I was losing my mind. I ended up going to see my family Doctor as I was certain something was wrong. It turns out that there was so much going on in my life, stress, etc and I wasn't handling it well which in turn gave me severe situational anxiety. Often times mother's (and father's) are so busy taking care of the kids, household etc that they forget to take care of themselves. I'm going to have to make sure that I take care of myself. If I'm falling apart at the seams, it's not going to help my family move forward and help each other. Whether it be a coffee with my best friend, a Manicure, an evening window shopping, or getting lost in a book, I'm going to do Something for me. 

While these are small goals for now, there will be more to come. These are only 5 of the major things that I want to focus on for 2018. There are so many obstacles in life, I want to show my kids that you can accomplish things if you put your mind to it. But I also want them to see that things aren't going to be handed to them, life is not easy. You are going to struggle, and fail at  some things, but that doesn't mean we give up, it just means we find another way to try until we succeed. 

In the end I want to be able to look back at 2018 and see some of the changes that we wanted to make. I want to see what we worked for, I want to look back at the Blog and see 52 posts for the year (or more), I want to see that we have a few more followers on Instagram, and Facebook. I want to see the progress we have made as a family.

Cheers to a New Year!

~Mommy Dearest

Comments

  1. There has to be a scientific reason why the years seem to be going by faster. I love the goals you have made, both personal and professional. I know you'll make it happen!

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  2. It is great that you are taking care of so many things this year, including family, kids and work. You are leaving room for me time too which is so important.

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  3. I try to be as real on social media as I can. It's definitely not always roses and people need to see the crazy side, too.

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  4. This year flew by. I am so looking forward to see what this new year will bring though! Amber N

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  5. Happy New Years. i still can't believe 207 is over and we are already in 2018. the time flew.

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  6. That's so true. I think it's important that we look at our resolutions and set ones that are attainable than to go with something that's impossible to achieve. These are lovely resolutions for the year ahead!

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  7. Me time is a high priority for me this year also. And in contrast to you starting ti blog again late in 2017 I stopped. I switched my career focus this year and as such the blog needed to change, I just needed a gentle push. Now it's a new domain and fresh start!

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  8. These are great goals! I agree that prioritizing time for oneself is always difficult especially for a mom - but I always feel like I do a better job in keeping our family running when I've had a little me time!

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  9. These are all great goals, and I love that you started "small" (one blog post a week, one family day a week, one date night a week) -- because in reality, even that one thing can make such a huge difference! Best of luck in 2018 :)

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  10. Resolutions need to be attainable or there is no point to it. Smaller goals along the way help too. I'm glad you put 'me;' time as a goal--it's the vet stress reliever.

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  11. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Sadly, myself and my marriage were both put on the back burner. I find now that the kids are getting older, it is getting harder to do it all.

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  12. As someone who has been married for 40 years, I can tell you marriages are going to have its ups and downs. However, recognizing that you need a booster shot is the first and major step! The second step is to DO something!

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  13. Happy new year! These are some great goals for 2018! I cannot wait to read more on your blog this year. And I love your weekly date night idea. we need that too!!

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  14. I can't believe it's the new year already! I'm just barely processing that and you have come up with great goals. good for you

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  15. It's almost unbelievable how fast this year went by... I'm glad it's not only me. Judging from almost everyone's comments we're all thinking the same thing. I hope you have an amazing 2018 and get some rest and relaxation!

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  16. I keep saying the same thing about those years zooming by much quicker as I get older. I'm not sure why it seems to feel so much quicker

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  17. We can all get wrapped up into the fast pace of life. I am going to take stock this year too of all we need to work on....I am watching my daughter snack and I know taking the time to give my kids healthy food needs to be tops on the list.

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  18. Happy New Year! I feel like 2017 went by so quickly, I'm not exactly prepared for 2018 but am excited to see what comes this year! - Jeanine

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  19. I think it is great that you are prioritizing what really matters in your life. Sometimes we tend to spread ourselves too thin and something always seems to lose out.

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  20. These are wonderful goals for the new year! I have bad anxiety as well as ADD too. This year, I'm hoping to improve my anxiety, concentration, and focus.

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  21. Making time for family and also making sure you get your goals are met is so important. I hope that you accomplish everything you want this year!

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  22. Yes to all of this! I need to schedule more nights with a babysitter so my husband and I can go out together! I also need to make me time a priority too. I've worked so much this year and honestly just feel a little burned out, I don't want to be at this point at the end of 2018!

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