Back and a little better than before

Over the last year I have worked a ton on myself, and I feel like i'm at a place where i'm ready to start sharing about it.  The first year of Jackson's life was all about him, and after a year I finally decided to claim a little of myself back.  I was in new mom survival mode that first year, where I was just trying to get from one day to the next.  I was setting unrealistic parenting expectations for myself because I didn't know any better, and so much of my identity was wrapped up in being his mom.  I would still define myself first as being "Jackson's Mom" but i'm working on adding some other labels back to the mix and it is doing wonderful things for my well-being.

Last year was all about positivity for me.  There is so much negativity in the world, on the grand scale and in small everyday encounters.  One of my first changes was to focus all my energy on being positive and surrounding myself with positivity.  I started with the people I surrounded myself with, the activities I partake in, and just my general out look on life.  I made conscious efforts to think differently about people and situations and really choose which environments I wanted to be in.  This led me to some really great people, and without trying I formed deep meaningful friendships that I haven't had in years.  I also became more involved with a running group on base and really committed to it and improving my physical health.  This was so crucial in giving me a purpose outside of the mommy role, and giving me a sense of belonging.  And then I just chose to be happy.  I chose not to let so many things bother me, to not talk badly about other people or things,  to accept situations and make the best of them.  I am for sure not perfect about any of that, of course I have days where everything is awful, but there are so many less awful days.  

So if last years word was positivity then this years word is goals.  It started slowly last summer, I created a "command center" for our family.  I wanted a calendar for us to stay organized and keep track of activities, I had also started meal planning and budgeting a ton.  So to pinterest I went and now our wall is covered in things that keep our family going, a calendar, a menu, our keys, but also a few quotes and our family goals.  I love having a place to look at everyday to remind me what i'm working towards, what the day to day will actually lead to and why each one is important.  Then a friend of mine started telling me about minimalism and how her family has slowly been working on living with less.  I had been trying to declutter the house but didn't have a whole lot of focus or knowledge about how to actually do it successfully, so hearing about a movement I could research and find support for was great.  Then the new year came and while i'm usually not a resolution person, this year I was all about getting some goals on paper and really working towards something.  Some of my goals included: reducing plastic use, spending more time outside as a family, and doing more yoga.  I also made a bunch of small goals in different areas, I have minimalist goals and relationship goals, moving goals, and financial goals.  All of these things will probably show up in other posts because a lot of them I am still working on! But I have made significant progress in a lot of areas, and it feels amazing.  

So here I am ready to talk about all sorts of things, adventures, food, parenting, marriage, goals and more.  And I appreciate you being along for the ride.