Non-resolutions

Happy New Year!

I don't really 'do' resolutions. I always make some, in my head, but rarely, if ever do they get stuck to. So this year I am just not going to bother. It's funny actually, as I have read quite a few blog posts lately also declaring they aren't doing resolutions. Is it the mummy force that is making a stand against resolutions?

That said, there are things that I would like to change this year. However they cannot be started in one day or indeed, fulfilled in one day. They are goals I want to achieve and things I want to achieve, but they take time and therefore, are not 'resolutions.' Here is my list of wishes and goals and things I would like to achieve in 2014:

1. Take our first family holiday as a four. You may know, we live away from my family so we often take trips to visit them for a few days, but since Charlie was born, we have not been away.When I say holiday, I don't mean anything exotic like Barbados for example. Just somewhere modest, that has entertainment and facilities for a 9 year old and somewhere that we can relax and chill out for a week. I have been looking at Hoseasons. Hubby and I used to go to one of their get away lodges every Easter and Summer and we even went to one for our honeymoon. You know the kind - hot tubs, forest settings, adults only etc. But clearly, life is different with an almost one year old! So we are looking for something a bit more family friendly. Reading that back it looks like I am digging for a free holiday! I certainly am not, in fact we have nearly chosen the site we are going to and I very nearly typed in my card details this morning to pay the deposit.

2. Plan, organise and host my baby's first birthday. Coincidentally Charlie turns one the year I turn thirty, in fact he is one the day after My birthday! Therefore I am planning a joint birthday for all our family and friends. I am planning to bring in a hog roast company as food and make it dead easy, but still provide nibbles etc. I am also planning to make my own invites. Now this is not something I take lightly! If you know me then you know I am not very arty or indeed creative. I have been saying for three years I will make my own Christmas cards (incidentally this is my third wish for 2014, see below) but never get round to it, so this will be a big thing for me, if I can pull it off successfully that is! I am planning a few presents for Charlie at the moment - one in particular is a memory bear that I am very excited about. If you haven't heard of these, they are soft toys, made out of old baby grows/sleep suits or even baby clothing so that you have a permanent record or reminder of their tiny days. I have chosen a Lion for Charlie from www.babyforgetmenots.co.uk.

3. Make my own Christmas cards! This may seem a little early, but I need to get organised. As I said above, arty stuff like this is not my forte, therefore I need some time to think about this and get it right. I have saved all our Christmas cards this year and intend to use bits of those cut up etc to make my cards.

4. Keep my house tidier/more organised. Since we moved our house has been a bomb site. We are now slowly learning to find places for our stuff, but it's taken a while for things to feel like they are in their right place. I also want to make my life at home easier; I don't want to come home after work and spend hours tidying or cleaning. I want to be able to spend that time with Charlie, time that's precious. So I am following the Organised Housewife and have even started using some of her tips and organisational ideas. Her tip about how to clean the oven is this weekend's task! I've been really fed up at home, don't get me wrong, it's never dirty, but there's always a coat that needs putting away or mail that needs filing etc. I want to enjoy our new house; I love it, it's our family home and I want to get more on top of the housework.

5. Keep up with my blog. I definitely neglected this last year, but I had had a baby. But also, I have read lots of blogs of women just having babies and still blogging on a regular basis. I think I juts became lazy.

6. Budget better! Our finances have definitely seen a decline since we started paying for childcare. I always knew this would be the case, but once you actually hit the reality it is very different! I used to just buy something if I wanted it. Now I have to think carefully about if we can afford it and how much we have until the end of the month. I need to keep more careful track of our money and what we spend it on, so that it's not going on junk.

7. Curb my enthusiasm for sour skittles. This started in pregnancy, I loved them and whilst it wasn't a craving, looking back I did eat them a lot! However it continued after having Charlie and even now writing this, I am thinking about which shop sells them near my work (they are hard to come by on the Isle of Man for some reason). However, I don't eat many other sweets or chocolate, so I am not going to be too hard on myself if I fancy a bag now and then. Just not two share size bags over one weekend!

And that's it, I think. These are the things I hope I can achieve and the wishes I have. If they don't come to fruition, then so be it. I certainly won't beat myself up about it.

Are yo writing resolutions?