Remember back in 2008 when my goals included running marathons and training for races? I feel old just looking at that post.
So here are my 2018 goals. I'm looking forward to having kids in school ALL DAY in August!!!! Now that deserves some celebration. 19 years of having littles at home. The end of an era. I've loved it, and I'm excited for the next stage of doing more hikes.
I've learned a few things from my travels this year. So my new goals for the new year are going to incorporate some of those. Its really fun to be in different countries and see how other people live.
1. Amsterdam--They literally have to go several blocks to the dumpster (except it isn't even a dumpster). They use little waste and separate everything. We do already recycle a lot of things. But I'm going to REMEMBER my reusable grocery bags this year! Yes I will! Also, I want to consume less stuff overall.
2. Paris--Eat the good butter. My sisters and I were talking about the amazing French butter and Angela said she's been "looking for a good butter" lol. The things moms discuss. But really, once you try it you'll understand. French dairy products are tops. In France they use fewer ingredients but everything is a good quality. I want to cook more with better ingredients and learn more really fabulous recipes. They eat slow and it isn't rushed but food is really great there. I want more of that slow, good food in my life.
3. Italy--Beauty! I'm going to continue to make my home and my surroundings (including my yard) a better reflection of what we love and the styles we enjoy and fit our personalities. Positano and the Amalfi coast was incredibly beautiful. The dirt in some of those towns was hauled in and terraced before trucks existed, so that just sounds really hard. But the payout was pure gorgeousness. I want to make better use of the land and spaces we have. This will probably include a huge kitchen remodel. Which is intimidating to me. (another post)
4. England--Humor. Its fun to go from one country to another and immediately feel a different vibe from the people there. We think the Brits are really funny people. I read in a John Gottman book about using comic relief or “repair attempts” to defuse intense conversations. I'm going to try to be better about that. If you watch This Is Us, Randall and Beth are super good at this. Love this article here about this concept and how healthy relationships use humor.
https://www.gottman.com/blog/h-is-for-humor/
5. Spain--LIVE IT UP. Yes. This is a real goal. Sometimes I have to remind myself to have fun. But specifically this one is to have fun with my husband and plan more really fun dates. In the past, date nights were complicated by lack of funds, lack of babysitters, etc. But still we managed some really fun times. Those things are not really an issue now and we are just kinda lazy! We like our sushi and movies. But we need to get creative. In Spain, people go out and they stay up late. It was fun to be a part of that, it was a good time! It wasn't uncommon for the restaurants to START seating people for dinner at 10pm. I really want to take the kids to Spain soon.
And to round it all out, I've been loving the no sugar goals from last year. It was so great to do that all summer and most of the fall. I lost some weight and feel so much better when I am doing it. So while I enjoy some good sweets during the holidays and travel, I really like that for a way of life.
