Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a list maker. Indeed life seems to fall in a hole when I let myself get disorganised. For many other reasons too but at least I can cling to some semblance of control if I have something to tick off. It's something I need to start doing more of in 2017. Which kind of brings me around to the whole idea of resolutions. If there's any time of the year to be making a list – and checking it twice (hopefully now that song is stuck in your head) – it's New Year's Day.
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I like the whole idea of breaking it down. When I do write a list, when say, my house is a mess, I might write: tidy table, put away folding, sweep floor, mop floor, rather than just: tidy house. It makes it easier for me to break it down into smaller goals. And then even if you don't get around to dusting the skirting boards, at least the clean clothes are back in the cupboard.
So, 2017, let's break you down. Month by month.
January
Get to the beach. This is happening as I've booked the house. Walk along the beach. Read books. Enjoy drink o'clock but don't keep drinking all night. Barbecue lots. Make more interesting salads. Let the kids relax. Swim with them often. Tuck them in every night.
February
Find a way to make the kids excited about going back to school. A new year ahead and it will be exciting. Sort out the school uniforms well ahead of time. Why do kids grow so much in the summer time. Get organised at home too. When back to school and work collide everyone can be in a rut and being on top of it makes it easier.
March
Summer's barely over and already winter sport looms. Brumbies first home game is March 4. Raiders March 11. Make sure I'm fit for my own hockey. There's nothing like grading day to make you realise the off season should have ended months ago, not the week before your first game.
April
A good random month to devote to cooking. Serve at least three recipes I've never cooked before a week. Get organised and write meal plans. Indeed a goal for the whole year is to cut down on food wastage and grocery bills. Find vegetables I can plant for the winter. Invite people over for dinner.
May
Will my babies really be 16 and 14? Plan a month of celebration. The festival of birthdays. Make some really cool Women's Weekly cakes. Don't be too busy and resort to the Cheesecake Shop. Make time to show how much I love them with flour and butter and sugar.
June
Get out in nature. I love the cold. Love seasons. Love change. Find some walks I haven't been on and scrunch through leaves and on early morning frost. Get in a really long walk once a week. A couple of hours at least. Invest in a cool beanie.
July
Escape to somewhere warm. Even if it's just the loungeroom with a blanket and a hot chocolate. And a good book. Think about my reading habits and hope they've improved from 2016. A book before bed is a much better idea than Facebook. If I'm looking for connection find it on a page and not in a feed
August
Find time to be alone. Don't feel guilty about it. Or feel sad because I am alone. I want to be able to appreciate my own company. Take long baths and long walks. But soak up every moment I have with the kids.
September
Spring clean the house. See previous mention of skirting board. It's been too long since the old girl has had a thorough cleanse. Move the fridge. Do the oven. Behind the washing machine. Wipe ingrained fingerprints off walls. Hopefully by now the kids have cleaned under their beds. I mentioned that in December.
October
Go to bed by 10pm every night. Light a candle. Read for 30 minutes. Change my sheets more often. Sort out my bedroom so it's not such a mess. Keep it neat and tidy and minimal. Sleep in occasionally.
November
Make sure I have my finances sorted. Leading into Christmas feel in control of my money. Have a bit tucked away. But don't be afraid to spend on the things that matter. Better yet find cheaper ways to make the things that matter even better. Remind myself to be proud I earn a living.
December
Be grateful that another year has gone and perhaps I have done some of these things. Find peace in moments with friends and family, peace in those moments alone. Be happy that I've spent a year sleeping well, eating good food, making new friends. Be happy that my skirting boards are clean and my children are glorious and that another year has passed and I got through it.
