Hello, 2017!  Cue the resolutions, right? When kids come into the picture, they become the priority in life and everything else takes a back seat. This past year has been a wild ride and our two littles are definitely in the drivers seat. Days run into each other and weekends don’t feel like much of a break. So Andy and I have been talking a little bit about how we can be better at juggling these challenging years. Things to work on that will allow us to connect with each other a little more while keeping our family happy and healthy.

Here’s to being easy on ourselves, embracing these goals with an open mind and holding each other accountable. Yes, Andy… Remind me of this when I start to lose focus and get all crazy! {insert wink face here}

GIVE OURSELVES PERMISSION TO DO NOTHING
We tend to squeeze a lot into our days, especially on the weekends because it feels like our only free time together. It’s a never ending battle of trying to get stuff done while we have the time, and putting our ‘to-do’ list aside to keep the kids on a good eat, sleep, play schedule but feeling stressed in return because we didn’t get “anything” accomplished. I also have this unnecessary feeling of pressure to plan all of the best, most fun activities for our little family to experience. But the truth of the matter is, sometimes a little downtime is more important to keep us all happy and our kids are not going to grow up thinking they lived a less adventurous life because of it.

STOP BEING SO BUSY
When did being so busy become the norm? And thinking we need to tell everybody how busy we are all the time. Guilty! But we’re all busy. Do we think if we don’t say it out loud that it will appear our life is boring? I am notorious for always being on the go, and thinking we need to be all the time. This year we are going to be more intentional about our time with the kids, each other, and the things that make us happy. Maybe if we stop emphasizing on everything we have going on, we might actually start to feel less busy. What do you think? I’m no psychologist, but it’s worth a try.

BE BETTER ABOUT BEDTIME
This will be tricky considering Andy has class two nights a week until after 9pm, and bedtime alone is  b r u t a l.  We are really bad at sticking to a consistent routine when it comes to going to bed, especially with Thomas. Because after a long, exhausting day, who wants to tackle a three year old into their pajamas {literally}, chase them around the house with their toothbrush and then play the “my tummy is hungry” game. For everyones sake, we’re setting a bedtime and sticking to it!

MAKE A SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK
I’m a planner. I know, shocker. There’s at least three calendars around our house, each one color coded and detailed with different events. But, we aren’t so great about touching base at the beginning of the week about what’s ahead. It’s really more about dedicating time to talk about it so the information doesn’t go in one ear and out the other. It’s not uncommon for me to get upset when Andy comes home late because of a meeting I had “no” idea about, even though he told me three times the day before. The struggle is real and I’m determined to be on the same page this year so I don’t get all freaked out when the kitchen timer goes off and he’s not home. I’m kidding…I don’t really set a timer. But I have an internal clock that starts to get real antsy when he’s not home.

DATE NIGHT
Andy, did you hear me? DATE. NIGHT. We don’t get out just the two of us nearly enough. Last month we had a really fun night away for his company holiday party and it was so great for our attention to just be on each other {and cocktails, my attention was clearly on cocktails as well}. We seriously contemplated not even going to the party and staying in our room for the night because the peace and quiet felt so good. So once a month, mom and dad are going out! This photo was taken at my cousins wedding this summer. I love it so much because it reminds me how good it is to have a kidless night out. Especially when I can get this guy on the dance floor! Photo credit: Jonathan and Kaye

What are you some of your goals for the year? I’d love to hear them! xo, KM