I can’t believe we’re already at the end of 2022. I think most of us would agree that the past few years have been rough in many ways and 2022 was not a complete reprieve. In many ways, it challenged me more than 2020 and 2021, although those years were the height of the pandemic and brought us and so many others so much heartache and struggle. But 2022 also brought us many changes and joys, most importantly Brooks, that looking back, it’ll always be one of the best years of my life. Right now, we’re at the end of a series of very large life changes that we made to set up our family and future but man, were they hard to live through and I’m still adjusting. We’re playing the long game and made moves to work towards the dreams we’ve been holding for a long time. The hope is that when I go to write these yearly reflections for 2023 and 2024, all the changes and transitions we lived through this year will have been worth it because we will be so much closer to achieving the dreams we have and creating the life we’ve envisioned. I’m a big believer in creating the life you want and going after it, and I realized somewhere in the craziness of it all, we were not going after that life we wanted in the way we needed to. But working to get there is hard. That’s why everyone isn’t out there crushing their dreams and many of us are sitting still envisioning them. I think this year really taught me that — that in order to make big goals a reality and shape your life in a bigger direction, you have to work and sacrifice and struggle. I always thought opportunities would present themselves if I kept at it or that it would feel right when we were heading towards achieving those life goals. But actually, I found that just working and wishing isn’t enough. You have to actively go after them and make hard decisions, like leaving friends and a life and structure you loved behind, or for some people, making a terrifying decision to quit a steady career or uproot your family. I found that you second guess yourself every step (or at least I do) and there’s no indication you’re in the right direction. But looking back, there never was. When I went after the job of being an editor in chief at a major women’s magazine, I was young and didn’t know the path. I often felt like I should give up, it would never happen, I was wasting my time, making no money, getting passed over, and going nowhere. I often wanted to quit and sometimes did, but I found my way back and it never dawned on me that I was on the right path. I never felt like I was on my way. Even when I got here, it took me a couple years before I was like, wow, I did it. That crooked path that was full of doubt and second guessing turned out to be the right path. It’s different than I imagined in many ways, but I got here and it was with lots of blood, sweat and tears as they say. So I guess my point here is that I’m believing that 2023 was a bold year of change, where we set ourselves up hopefully to go after the really big dreams we’ve been talking about for a long time but haven’t started to really go after. I knew it was time. Now or never. So maybe if you’re feeling that way, make 2024 your year of change and going after it. As you’ll see from my 2023 New Year’s resolutions, we laid the foundation in 2022, and now we have a lot of work to get done in 2023. It’s going to be a lot, but I’m committed to going after it this year, and I’m done with the doubts or the maybes. I’m deciding that this year, we have no choice but to achieve these goals. Now I need you to help me and hold me accountable, mkay?
My 2023 New Year’s Resolutions are lofty and ambitious, but I’m committed to having a big life and therefore, they must be achieved. While I don’t love resolutions, I think goals are important. If you don’t set them each month and year, how can you make sure you’re on track to achieve what you want and make your dreams a reality? Success is really in your every day actions and habits, and that’s why I like to set big goals at the start of the year and then break them down into smaller monthly goals to help me get there. I like sharing them here to help me organize my priorities and hold myself accountable, and I love when you share your goals and dreams and plans with me too. It’s like we’re in this together and are working hard together. It makes it feel less lonely, more doable, more manageable. I hope you feel that way too?
Here are my 2023 New Year’s resolutions. And see here for my 2022 resolutions and 2021 resolutions and 2019.
Finish Inside of House: I don’t know that you’re ever really finished with a house, but I want it to feel more like we live here and our settled by this time next year. In fact, I’d love to host for the holidays. There will still be things we’ll be doing in years to come like remodeling the master and maybe kitchen updates and eventually wallpapering everything I can, but I want to get the rooms furnished so all useable and really start to put in the finishing touches that’ll make it feel like a home. And we are also hoping to tackle our first real big reno type project on the home and build a bathroom and bedroom int the basement that’s basically like an in-laws suite. I’d love for that to get done in 2023, so fingers crossed. Then we have the outside to tackle, but I think that may be more of a late 2023, early 2024 project…
Organize and Purge: I want to purge purge purge and then organize everything to make our lives more seamless. This list includes: kitchen, kids’ closets, toys in playroom, attic and basement storage, primary closets, pantry, laundry room, mud room, nursery, etc. I just want it to be easy to find things and put things away and to get rid of any clutter we don’t need. I really believe that clean, organized surroundings are key for a clean, productive, anxiety-free mind (or at least that’s true in my case).
Outline Book and Proposal: This has been on my list for way too long, so you may not be surprised to see it in my 2023 New Year’s resolutions. This is going to be the year that I pick an idea and get a proposal together.
Make more 1:1 time with Andrew: I really want to commit to more time investing in our relationship outside the kids and making time to connect sans kids and Yellowstone. To that end, I want to make weekly date nights a thing that actually happens. I have a friend who commutes home with her husband once a week and they stop for dinner, which I think is brilliant because then you’re not coming home and getting distracted, you have the childcare in place, and it makes the commute a little less sucky. And I’d love to plan a couple trips or overnights to sprinkle throughout the year for our anniversary and birthdays.
Get into a better work/life/kids routine: We’re just trying to survive each day right now, and I really need more structure. I want to work towards a set up that allows for that and it’s one of my top 2023 New Year’s resolutions. As part of that, I want to get up before the kids during the week so I have more time in the day to get things done and having some time to myself in the morning before the kids and dog and husband need me is so nice when I do it. I haven’t been doing it consistently lately because Brooks is a wild card these days with his sleep, but I always find I’m a better mom when I can get some things done before the kids wake up and if I can squeeze in a workout, shower and some emails or Instagram posts it really helps my day run much smoother and gives me more time. Plus, I need to get more stuff done, especially because I”m also going to try to go to bed earlier: I’ve been staying up too late and not getting enough sleep, and the result is that I can’t get up before the kids in the morning and I’m cranky. I’m going to stop the mindless scrolling and stressing and really try to go to bed after the kids each day.
Grow Closetful of Clothes into a real business: Closetful of Clothes, which includes my website, newsletter, Instagram and TikTok, is a business. But I really want to see it grow and flourish this year. I want to treat it like the real business it is and can be rather than just a side hobby that I spend all the free time and hours (that I don’t have) working on. I see so much potential. It will require time and organization. I need to create an edit calendar, batch content in advance, create a stronger strategy around my social accounts and site, work on SEO and invest in site updates. But I know it’s worth it and I’m going to carve time into my schedule to post more regularly and with more thought and plan.
Spend more time focused on my family: I tend to get distracted when I”m with the kids with the things we need to order or buy or do. Or with work and DMs and whatnot. I really want to focus more on the kids when I’m with them and make sure they know they’re more important than my phone. I also want to schedule in 1:1 time with each kid each week so I don’t feel distant from them in the hustle and bustle of it all. They are my greatest joys and why I do it all, and I fear I often lose sight of that in everything I have going on and am only half checked in. I also want to really celebrate and enjoy this little family of mine when the kids are young. And you’ll probably be surprised to see this as part of my 2023 New Year’s resolutions, and I know my husband is having a heart attack although this resolution is well known to him, but I feel deep in my heart our family is not complete and I”d like to work on growing it in 2023. I feel overwhelmed by three and wish I was younger and had more time to grow us, but the fact is, time is not your friend when trying to conceive and I don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to add one more to our brood. I don’t know how we’ll handle it, but I have an ability to make things work and I believe if you build it, we’ll figure out the way to make it all happen. I actually wasn’t even going to put this on here. It feels so vulnerable, but I”m starting to feel like if you put things out into the universe, you’ll have a better chance of getting them and since we’ve been reproductively challenged in the past, I’ll need all your wishes and the universe’s frequency to help on this one.
Manage my anxiety: This has been something I’ve needed to do forever, and I really want to work on it this year. Stay tuned for more on this.
Investment in items I love and will keep forever: From my closet to my home to the kids’ toys, I really don’t want anymore junk or five minute pick-me-up buys. I want to be more careful about what I order on Prime, more thoughtful about adding to my closet, and more strategic about what we buy for the home and ourselves. I’d rather have only a few splurge-worthy buys for the house than finish each room with stuff I’m eh on and same with my closet. I hope to share more of this here. This isn’t to say that I’ll stop sharing sale finds and other things I’m eyeing, because I’m a shopper at heart and love the thrill of the hunt, but I also want to be more intentional. I’ve started to really learn when the cheap fill-in or dupe isn’t going to cut it and where it’s worth it to save in both our home and my wardrobe and I hope to share more of that here.
Invest in more experiences as a family: I want to create memories with my little people and that includes making fun memories we can all enjoy (especially since playing isn’t my strong suit). This can be a trip to the beach or a new town to explore and have lunch or a Santa brunch or a hike. I love being active and doing things, so this makes sense. I’d also like to squeeze in some fun family vacations, both to favorite spots and new spots we can discover together.
Stop sweating the small stuff: This is one of my top 2023 New Year’s resolutions because I really think it’ll help me be a better mom and wife and a happier person. A spill, crayon on the new wallpaper, a ruined outfit. I admit I am a perfectionist and anxious person and I like everything looking pretty and perfect, so this is hard for me. But I’m a mom of young kids, so it’s something I need to work on. I really don’t want to yell at my kids for spilling or feel upset if they make a mistake, and so I know I need to let go a bit and just focus on the things that really matter – that they’re safe, kind and good citizens of the world.
I think that’s a good list for my 2023 New Year’s resolutions. As you can see there’s a real mix here, but really I want the focus for this year to be family, home, and growing Closetful of Clothes, with some hopes for better balance and organization along the way 🙂
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