With my first maternity leave, I started off with a whole list of ideas in my head of the things that I wanted to get done. We had just moved into our house (seriously, we got the keys the day that B was born! Talk about a day to never forget!!) and the goal was to get unpacked and make the place eel like home (mission sort of accomplished). The house got unpacked but we didn't do too much to make the place feel personal. Now being on my second (and possibly last) mat leave I have a better understanding of how fast this year is going to fly by and how I want to maximize my time at home with my kids as well as the improvements not only in my home but in myself as well.
In my adult life I have never had hobbies. Travel has always been a passion but with the cost of it, we can't justify doing it near enough. One of my goals this year is to find some realistic hobbies that one can do while having young kids that won't break the bank.
GOALS:
Household improvements
- fix the fireplace (ugh... ugly brass)
- do something with the grout on the tile floors - can we say DISGUSTING??!?!
- create cute nursery for Taylor's room
- Make the back yard a bit of an oasis.... perhaps a living wall??
- Figure a way to optimize our storage spaces without looking like a bomb went off
- New front door?
- Tackle the garage.... when it gets warmer out!
- Add some colour into the front of the house
- Get steps going out the back door into the backyard
- fix the back gate
- Paint the side door... it's gold... seriously..... its gold.
Photography... It's always been something I have liked and I LOVE getting a great shot, but haven't put enough time and/or energy into pursuing it further. I have 2 excellent models with me all day every day... so now is the time!!
Trying something new --
- i.e. knitting
- keeping up this blog
- trying new recipes
- Finding ways to keep the family active... on a budget
- getting myself into better shape than I have ever been
- try... and sometimes fail at random pinterest projects
Meet some new folks and hopefully find some playmates for the kiddos.
Well the above are just a few of the goals (I'm sure many more will be added throughout the year), so I guess its one day at a time to achieve them from here.
On Friday, B made some "healthy" cookies made of just oatmeal, cinnamon and bananas. He liked them. I thought they tasted pretty plain though I did like the fact that they weren't full of processed sugar.
Here's baby TJ giving me the look like "GET THAT CAMERA OUTTA MY FACE MOM!!" haha
Here is little Miss P enjoying skating at a local outdoor rink. She did really well despite the freezing cold temperatures.
P and Grampy playing some hockey
B and J working in B's brand new big boy skates. He wasn't able to get up on them yet but sure enjoyed being out there anyway! In fact he threw a fit when it was time to go!!