In no particular order, my 2019 goals...
Declutter - We seem to have so much STUFF in our house and the piles of things just seem to be getting bigger! I really need to spend some time getting rid of the crap that isn't needed - like the old magazines, or plastic tat that the kids hoard. I swear the cuddly toys are breeding because they seem to popping up everywhere!
Get rid of old clothes - Following on from the decluttering, I want to reduce the amount of clothing in our wardrobes! Mine is choc-full of stuff and if I'm honest I probably only wear 20% of it. If I haven't worn it in the last 6 months, it will be going on ebay or going to the charity shop!
Eat more new food - Most families are probably the same but we have a list of tried and tested meals that we eat most weeks. I'm not the best cook so if I find something that is easy and most importantly, the kids eat, we have it alot! This year I want to try new recipes and attempt to get Erin eating a more varied diet including lots of the all important veggies.
Be more active - It's so easy to hop in the car sometimes but this year I want to get more active, whether that's more walking or taking time out for myself and going swimming. It's important for the children too, plus the fresh air always wears them out!
Blog More - My blog is just a hobby but I admit I struggle to find the time to write sometimes. Life is busy with two children! I love looking back on it through and seeing all the lovely things we got up to so I will be making more time to write about our adventures.
Give the blog a makeover - I've had my blog since 2015 and it hasn't really changed all that much. However since then Erin has come along and these days it's not just Elliot I'm entertaining! I want to create a brand new cover pic that incorporates both children and just tidy it all up a bit.
Make healthier choices - I've recently rejoined Weight Watchers and I'd like to lose a few stone this year but I think it's important to keep the whole family healthy too. I'm going to try and cook from scratch as much as I can and have lots more fruit and veg! (And try and stay off the giant bags of maltesers....!)
Explore our local area - We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place, Dorset really does have some stunning scenery. I've lived here all my life but there are still places I've never been to or places where we have only scratched the surface.
See the world - This isn't the easiest with two little ones in tow and school term dates to consider but we have been lucky enough to visit Majorca and Florida twice in the last few years. I do want to visit some new places this year and in April we are all going to Iceland for a short break and I'm so excited about this!
Shop Wisely - This year I need to get better at food shopping and meal planning! I'm really bad at popping into tesco to get a few bits and then needing to go back again the following day to get what I forgot to pick up. I want to do a meal plan for each week and then a dedicated weekly shop to get everything, and not in dribs and drabs. Hopefully this will save us money and save me time too!
Read more - I love reading but the only time I read books is on holiday! I used to read before bedtime to relax me so I think I will start doing this again.
More theatre trips - I love watching shows and would love to see a few more this year. Les Miserables is coming to Southampton so we are going to get tickets for this hopefully, it's my favourite musical!
Go camping - Before we had children we used to camping a couple times a year and it was always fun. I can imagine camping with children is a very different experience but it's something we want to do. We don't even need to travel far as there are lots of campsites in Dorset but I think the kids would have a brilliant time!
Ditch the dummy - Erin loves her "nummy" but I think it's time we got rid of it soon, I hate the dribble it makes her produce!! Think we might just have to go cold turkey but any tips welcomed ;)
Go to more Andy & The Odd Socks shows - Andy and his band are still faves in our house (phew!) and we'd love to go along to a few more shows this year. Elliot's best friend has recently got into them too and we've love to take them along with us, I think they would love it! So Andy, if you're reading, a Dorset show would be fab thanks ;)
Make more use of our National Trust passes - We love our NT pass and have some firm favourite locations that we frequent a lot but this year we are going to visit some places a little further a field. One place I would love to visit is Stourhead in Wiltshire so this is top of the list!
Save Money - I'm a bit rubbish at saving money so I am going to look at some budget plans online to get me started. Blogger Emma Drew has some fantastic resources on her blog so this is going to be my first point of research!
Brighten up the house - Our house is rented so we are a bit restricted in terms of decorating (I hate our lounge, the colours are so dark!) but I want to put up more pictures and maybe change the ones we have up already. We have a big space above our fireplace that is really bare so I'm thinking about a big mirror, or framed picture. Just something to brighten it up! The kid's bedroom also needs sorting too. Last year we put in more storage but we've run out of space for books so I need to get more storage shelves!
See more of my friends - It would be really good to have a few more nights out with friends this year. Usually our catch ups are based around child friendly days out and activities but I think we deserve a few more mum nights out to let our hair down!
So there we go, 19 goals for 2019! What goals have you made this year?
