Well, the holidays are wrapped up and I hope you all enjoyed your time as much as my family did. I’ve always been a big fan of Christmas time forever but it definitely became more special when my nieces and nephews came into the picture and even more so for me personally with my little one. It just brings a sense of magic back into the whole season. I love doing all the fun seasonal activities with the kids, shopping in toy stores again, visiting Santa Claus, listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, and most of all, decorating the house.
We enjoyed lots of quality family time visiting with both sides and gushed over babies, toddlers, and all the kids.
I even hosted my first Christmas dinner for our family and that was really nice to do as well. My husband and I spent late nights in kitchen chatting, meal prepping, and baking.
I remember when we got married and were buying our first house together. I walked through so many different houses and imagined starting a life with my husband and couldn’t wait to start our family. We got lucky and we were able to buy the one we really wanted. I told my husband it reminded me of a little castle and I had to have it. It was a little bigger than what I was looking for but I was sure I’d fill it with lots of children. My dream house then became a place I didn’t love so much because of the unexpected struggle to start my own family. I always felt like our house was cold and I felt lonely in it.
Fast forward, four years later and I was pregnant and gave birth to my first baby. This little tiny human filled this shell of a house and quickly gave it life, warmth, and happiness. He turned my dream house into my dream HOME.
It was so special for us to be have our little family invite our nieces, nephews, cousins, siblings, and parents over to celebrate Christmas. We loved the noise, messes, chaos, and love.
The magic of Christmas was in full effect.
Now, we turned the corner and it’s was time to get everything packed away and get back to our normalcy in our home so we can start off the New Year with a clean slate (literally).
2016 was beyond the best year of my life. I stepped into it pregnant and full of excitement. The first month, I ended up in the hospital for kidney stones but being pregnant, I had no idea what the pain was and if my baby was going to be okay. Thankfully, God was with us and my angel was all good.
The next month, there were two very significant deaths that shook our family but we also had a lot to look forward to as well.
I felt like the year was starting off unpredictable and vulnerable but we continued to keep our faith strong, spirits high, and moved forward because that was the only option.
In the middle of summer, my baby boy came into the world almost a month early and in the blink of an eye, my whole life changed. I changed with it.
I have been tested to every limit I had and overcame every change that came my way. I embraced my new life fully and I’ve learned to live through sleep deprivation, a heart so full you wonder how it doesn’t explode, and putting myself last.
I was just laughing with my parents last night telling them that I took my first bubble bath in five months. Something I used to do regularly. I know that now and probably forever, I’m the first one up in the morning and the last one to bed. I can’t tell you what my days are filled with but some how, every day is filled with tasks and care taking but I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything. I don’t even know what the heck I did with all my time before my nugget came into my life.
I wondered how 2018 could stand a chance to topping the past year I’ve had, but it will. It will be just as great because I get to experience all these new milestones, moments, and memories with my son. I can’t wait to continue to teach him, take him new places, show him new things. I pinch myself at the thought of having a wing man to do life with.
Everyone kind of mocks New Years resolutions and the cliche of people starting a new gym membership, a diet plan, or whatever their goal is. But, I think it’s great. It’s an opportunity for you to really think about what you can change in your life so that you can love the life you live more.
I like to get out of my comfort zone and try to better myself. My son, Pano became even more of a motivation to do that.
Since I’ve had him, I would say I’ve grown a lot as a women. I tolerate less stupidity and try to fill my time and my mind with things that can be beneficial for my family. I wasn’t the most domesticated person so I try all the time to service my family the best I can while I’m home. I was addicted to trash reading (celebrity stalking) and trash tv shows (the TV shows are my guilty pleasure so that’s not changing) but now I try to learn more.
I love setting goals, learning, and growing as a person. I’m very aware of my strengths and weaknesses. I try my best to use my strengths to help myself, my family, and others. And I try working on my weaknesses.
The year was huge for growth for me, for sure.
This year, my plan for the New Year is to set goals for myself and for my family. Blogging has been a good outlet for me, I’ve loved getting to know other parents and learning their ways and hearing back from others about what I’m blogging about. Since I’ve enjoyed this, I want to continue learning more about it and growing as a blogger. I also want to make it a goal for myself to use my personal time better and get in a healthy routine of finding time to work out because it’s so easy to just say, “I don’t have time”. And my biggest personal struggle is planning ahead so I’m going to try really hard to work on that. I’ve always lived minute to minute and a lot of my plans are made spur of the moment. Now, it’s not as easy to do that because of baby routine or scheduling sitters if needed. A lot of my friends make plans ahead of time and I agree to them, forget about them, etc. So, time to put my calendar to good use and keep my obligations and plans more scheduled and organized ahead of time. This will seriously be a struggle for me!!!! I’m not really your girl you ask, “Are you free on January 13th?”…I don’t know what I’m doing in an hour. Cross your fingers for me!
Set some goals for yourself for the new year, become the better you that you have wanted to be. Write them down, share them with your family, help each other work towards these changes, and hold each other accountable. I’d love to hear what everyone else New Years resolutions are.
With that said, I need to go do some home decluttering. Get some clothes out of the closets. Welcome the New Year with a fresh new start.
Oh! And another way to kick of the New Year with the right start is with some RED panties! I don’t know the back story but my mom has always said it brings good luck and told my girlfriends and I to do it, and so we all do, lol. Even sitting at home with my baby, I will be rockin’ my red panties!
My wish for your New Year is that it will be as happy as my 2017 has been. I wish you good health, happiness, love, wealth, more babies (lol) and everything else wonderful that life has to offer.
May you find joy in all of your journey,
Leanne, Spoiled Milk
