Twenty Wishes For 2017

With 2016 well and truly done and dusted, I’m looking forward to 2017 and all it has to offer! We went away with friends for New Years Eve so I’m a little late with publishing my goals and plans for the year but here are my twenty wishes for twenty seventeen.

 

My Five Family Wishes

1. That my son continues to develop into a happy, confident and settled child. Nothing fazes him at the moment, he’ll happily play with anyone and rarely cries (unless he’s in the car). I hope that’s because of the way we’ve raised him and I really hope it continues.
2. That my brother comes back to the UK. He moved to Australia to be with his girlfriend but they’re planning on returning to live here in the Summer. We’ve not seen him since May which means he’s not seen his nephew since he was two weeks old. I can’t wait for him to move back here as Facetime is great but not QUITE the same.
3. That my husband continues to grow as an awesome Dad. Watching him become and develop as a father has been one of my favourite parts of parenthood. It’s also incredibly attractive. We need to work a bit on our relationship now we’re coming out of the baby blur but his parenting skills are bang on point. They truly adore each other. Love ’em.
4. That they’re happy and have great work/life balance. From my sister to my parents, they’re all entering new phases of their lives and I hope they get everything they want to achieve.
5. That we continue to be close. I’m ridiculously close to my family, both immediate and extended, and I really enjoy having those relationships with my cousins, aunties, uncles etc. I want my children to grow up in the same environment.

My Five Personal Wishes

1. To take back some ME time. Whilst I love being Mummy, this year I want to get back to feeling a bit more like me. I need to find that balance and take the time out of parenting and work to get a little me time as I know I’ll be a better parent for it. I want to get back to reading books and get in a girls night out every once in a while!
2. To lose the baby weight. Prior to getting married (and way before having a baby!) I lost three stone. Having struggled with my weight for years, I finally felt like I was on track but having a baby has put almost all of that back on. I need to find my willpower and get back to eating proper meals, stepping away from the treats and going to the gym. Once I’m in the zone, I know it will come off easily… I just need to find the zone!
3. To re-find my self-confidence. Having a baby really bashed my self-confidence in a way I never could have imagined! Part of that is how I look and feel about myself, part of it is to do with returning to work and the other part is… everything else! It’s beginning to really impact on my relationships with others and my general mood so this is one of my key priorities for the year.
4. Take the time to enjoy my baby. People say ‘they grow up so fast’ but in the last month, he seems to have leapt forwards at a huge rate. It feels like it won’t be long at all until he’s off to school (he started nursery this week – sob!!) so this year I want to make an effort to stop and take it all in rather than racing around.
5. To get work sorted. I love my job but going back part-time means there are a few major changes coming up in the workplace. Hopefully that means that I get to move into the side that I prefer (the benefit of doing two roles combined into one), I’m looking forward to it all being sorted and settling back into a routine with a job I enjoy.

My Five Blog Wishes

1. To post regularly. This time last year, I had my blog but had only posted twice. In the last few months, I’ve tried to post regularly at least 2-3 times a week. It’s my aim to keep this up this year!
2. To put myself out there a bit more in terms of working with brands and PR companies. I’ve done a small amount of work this year but felt that my blog wasn’t established enough. I feel like I’m starting to get to a level where I’m happier that the content represents me and what I do so I just need to find the confidence to put myself out there and see if they want to work together. The worst they can say is no, right?
3. To grow my following on social media. I’d never used Twitter before this year and barely used Instagram yet I’ve become a little addicted to both of late! My numbers are small (600+ on Twitter and 400+ on Instagram) but for me that’s still a great start. By the end of this year I’d like to have my social following up to at least 2500 across both channels.
4. To continue to grow my blogging friends. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some great people so far through blogging. Most of these have started via twitter and have progressed to nightly chats about all things parenting, facebook support groups and just general cheerleading. I thought it was bull when people said that before but blogging really has helped me find a whole new community.
5. To do more scheduling. I’m so seat of pants, it’s hysterical. I’d really like to be a better better planned this year so that I can spend the time promoting my posts instead of always being on the back foot.

 

My Five Hopes & Wishes For The Year

1. To find direction. 2016 has been all about change what with Brexit (the term makes me shudder!) and Trump. I’d like to understand where that’s actually going to take us rather than just lots of speculation and media hype.
2. To find peace. Becoming a parent has made me increasingly concerned about the level of upset in the world. I’m no hippy but can I put in a request for world peace please? (And less frizzy hair whilst I’m at it…)
3. To be as good as 2016. Last year was incredible for us as a family. I’m not sure how 2017 can top it but I hope it will be at least as good.
4. To bring lots of opportunities for me, my family and my friends, especially when it comes to their hopes and wishes!
5. To bring all of you guys a great year. Thanks for reading x

I’m Nominating…

Thanks to Kimberley at Me, My Life and the Tardis for the nomination. I’m nominating these great bloggers below…

Deborah at Country Heart and Home

Katie at Living Life Our Way

Laura at Five Little Doves

Kirsty at Winnettes

Karina at Mums The Nerd

Kerry at Lived With Love

Siobhan at The Baby Boat Diaries

Maria at Mummy To Logan

Lisa at Lisa Cowan

Ayse at arepops