2016 Intentions

It’s hard to believe it is 2016. All week long at work we’ve been pretending it is 1774 and we are colonists preparing for the Revolution so I haven’t had many opportunities to write it down yet. I don’t really do “resolutions.” Life sometimes throws the unexpected at you and it’s hard to anticipate how you’ll handle something you didn’t know what coming on January 1st. I do have some intentions. That is, things I intend to make a conscious effort to try to do throughout the year.

I intend to focus my energy on a healthy, happy baby girl. This is pretty obvious but probably the most important thing on our minds right now and I can’t even begin to count the number of reviews we’ve read on baby care products, articles on baby safety or development, infant play, etc.  Lots of time is spent preparing for this little lady and I know she will be our biggest focus this year. My intention is to enjoy every minute of that.

I intend to focus more energy on my husband. I do focus on him now and enjoy doing small things for him to make life easier or leaving a sweet note to let him know I was thinking of him, that I love him, or how grateful I am for him. But, I know with the changes coming to our household he will be stressed. I’ll be home with Baby during maternity leave, which leaves him to be the main provider for our family. 

I intend to re-commit to Beachbody and my fitness. I’ve always really enjoyed fitness and Beachbody was really my salvation when my schedule changed and I needed something that was a good fit but more flexible. I was right at my peak with it when I found out I was pregnant and have been doing less and less with each passing week. Fitness is important to me and I really want to get back into a routine.

I intend to focus more on myself…in a completely selfish way. Throughout the past year, I really feel like I have lost so much of the parts of myself and my day-to-day life that made me happy. I am happy with my marriage and with Baby Girl but not always with myself. Things I enjoy doing for me have had to be pushed aside as I had more commitments at home and more commitments at work. I had to let go of a lot of extra things I did just for fun to make time for the new meetings and programs that are now mandated at work and I really intend to find time to squeeze back in more things I enjoy for ME. 

I intend to say “no” more. I actually started with this intention upon finding out I was pregnant and am starting to feel more comfortable with it. I intend to say “no” when I’ve been at work for ten hours already and am asked to do just one more thing. I intend to say “no” when I’m voluntold to do something on a Saturday. I intend to say “no” when I’m pressured to do anything that takes time away from my family beyond what is necessary.

I intend to take a big vacation, or at least several smaller ones, with my husband this year. We haven’t done a big trip since our honeymoon (three and a half years ago!) and that makes me so sad. His down time from work is winter and mine is summer so those three months I have off from teaching are his busiest time. But this year, we are going somewhere!

I intend to stress less. I feel like such a ball of anxiety lately. There is always more to be done than there is time to do it. Yet, I always get it done somehow at the expense of something else. The world will not end if last week’s vocabulary test doesn’t get sent home in this week’s signed papers or if I don’t ever remember to return those booties in the trunk of my car to Zappos. Yet, I get major anxiety over those type things. I bought a shelf for Baby Girl’s nursery and didn’t like it. When I realized I missed the return deadline, I was literally in tears. Restoration Hardware does NOT have a flexible return policy, FYI. Corey put it all in perspective when he said it was a beautiful shelf and was there not anywhere else we could possibly use it. Well there was, and I had literally stressed about the waste of money for two days. As if the we would foreclose on our home because I didn’t get it to the post office in time. 

I intend to spend more time with family. I want more wine dates with my mom and lunch dates with my dad and chances to bring my grandmother her favorite extra crispy fried chicken from KFC to her assisted living. Why are these things so hard to squeeze in when I love doing them?

I intend to read more. Over the summer, I had gotten back into a routine of reading at night before bed or while I took a bubble bath in the evenings. I love this. I read all day long but not adult books. I want to read books written for adults, not third graders, and not books about how to teach third graders! Some on my list are these: Maternity Leave, Dear Carolina, and The Last Anniversary.

Overall, I just intend to be more purposeful with my time. What are your 2016 intentions?