Happy New Year! I can't quite believe that 2017 went by in a flash. It was a strange old year, where I learnt a lot about myself. I found that I work best under pressure, like to be surrounded by people and really need to make more lists. They really do have a calming effect on me. My boys are growing bigger by the day and I am loving the little people they are turning into. (Well most of the time.)


As we move into 2018, I think it is good to set some goals.

First off, I am going to think of myself more. As a mother, it is really easy to put yourself last. Or at least that is what I have been doing. As my boys are getting more independent, I really need to start thinking about myself more. Starting dance lessons last year made me really happy and whilst I will never be on Strictly simple things like this can make a world of difference to me. So on a Sunday you will find me doing a Cha-cha-cha at the gym.

I need to blog smarter. Having a part time job means I have less free time. It hope that it doesn't mean that I will stop blogging. I love that unlike many 40 somethings, I have kept up to date with social media, can use twitter and even code a little. I need to get better at scheduling posts and remember to share evergreen content. I am going for a quality versus quantity approach, but as I am finding meal planning really helpful, you can expect to see me joining in with Meal Planning Mondays and Cook Blog Share most weeks. Whilst I am going to attempt some more healthy recipes in the New Year, I love baking so will be joining in with Bake of the week as much as I can.

I need to continue my decluttering journey. I say journey as it seems never ending! I have a whole room (well cupboard room) to go through. I need to sort through the baby toys and take some younger toys out of little man's room to see if he misses them. Things are slowly getting better and it is a case of keeping on top of everything.

Lastly, I want to improve my photography further. On my current to do list is to purchase some back drops from Capture by Lucy and a new tripod. When I look back at how far my photography has come on in the last year or so I am pretty pleased....

This was taken in October 2016:


And this was last month:


I still have some way to go, but I feel like I am making progress. Practice makes perfect I guess (and a few new gadgets will help me on my way!) Maybe one day I will get some good photos of the 5 of us together. Do you know how hard it is to get everyone looking in the same direction at once?

So what goals have you set for 2018?