It’s hard to believe another year has passed and we’ve officially entered the year of 2020.
Years seem to be flying by, even more so now that we have a child, witnessing her grow and change right before our eyes is something that is truly amazing. This past year our daughter has developed into a joyful, sassy and smart little girl. She’s certainly developed her own little personality and we couldn’t be more in love with her. The year of 2019 brought me the opportunity to blog for Anna’s and dip my toe into the work world again but at a slower more creative pace than my previous career path. We traveled, filled our house with family, friends and a whole bunch of plants and finally got our basement renovations finished.
Now that all our major house projects are complete we’ve decided to move and start all over again! Our new year will be full of lots of change but I have great faith that this is the right path for our family. With my husband’s job transfer moving us further East we will miss our family here in town and the connections we have made during our four years in Kingsville. But we will have family and friends close by in our new location, and I’m hoping we can settle down on a larger piece of property, something that we can build and create to be something we’ll love for years to come. I’m sad I won’t be able to continue working at Anna’s but I feel incredibly grateful for this experience and for meeting all the wonderful people that make Anna’s such a special place.
A year can be filled with highs and lows, and while there are things we would rather forget about, I think it’s always good practice to sit down and really reflect back on the previous year. We forget about all the things we experience in one year, and it’s fun to slow down with our loved ones to acknowledge all the events and experiences that filled our hearts, minds and hours. For most of us, we use the beginning of the new year to set new goals and resolutions. In the past, I wasn’t a fan of New Year’s resolutions but I’ve really looked forward to setting them and trying to achieve them these past few years. I think the key to setting goals, any time of the year, is to set realistic ones. I’m not saying you can’t set big, life-changing goals, but we need to start small and take it one step at a time. We all know how it feels to get off on the right foot the first month then have our enthusiasm and energy sort of fizzle out. So let’s set smaller goals to work towards those larger ones!
One of the big goals I set for 2019 was to live a cleaner, less toxic and less wasteful lifestyle. I started off small and changed my cleaning products first. I’m so happy with how I’ve been progressing over the past year with this goal, slowly ridding our home of chemicals and using products that are safe for our whole family. Now that we have a little one I’m especially conscious of what I’m bringing into our home and I love that Anna’s supports this type of lifestyle with their ever-expanding selection of natural cleaning and wellness products. They also offer products like these reusable scrubbers (available in a few different sizes) that can replace those disposable scrub pads. Being less wasteful and eliminating plastic as best as I can was another resolution I had in 2019. Products like these washable/reusable dish covers are perfect for helping you achieve this goal by allowing you to reduce or eliminate the use of plastic wrap. Another great way that Anna’s is helping all of us reduce plastic is with their handy reusable shopping bags, keep yours in your car so you don’t get caught having to pay for plastic bags!
Being less wasteful is an ongoing goal of mine and will be added to my resolutions for 2020. I’ve found that taking things slowly has allowed me to really figure out routines and methods that work for our family. Making a big lifestyle change can be a shock and sometimes your whole family may not be on board right away, so start small and slow.
Social media is a big part of my life, like most of us, it’s my way of keeping up to date with what close (and not so close) friends and family are up to. In recent years, Instagram specifically, has allowed me to promote my own personal blog, meet new people and even make some money. With Instagram quickly becoming a top marketing resource for companies to promote their products and services, it’s become quite the challenge trying to keep up with all the rules and algorithms that have been set for us users. In the last few months, I’ve made a decision to cut back on my social media activity and be more present and intentional when I do decide to post. One of the big reasons for this change was my daughter. I didn’t want her growing up with the memory of me being on my phone all the time. Again this is a goal that is still on the list for 2020 and I think it’s one that should be on all our lists. Be present with your family and friends who are right in front of you, give them your undivided attention because there’s nothing more annoying than having a conversation with the back of a phone or with someone who has no clue what you were just talking about.
Journaling is something I started doing last year but haven’t kept up with it. I love that it forces you to slow down and reflect on your surroundings, your feelings and all the things you should be grateful for. I think sitting down quietly for five minutes every day is so beneficial, but unless we make a point to do it we can easily brush it off or forget about it completely. Our days aren’t always bright and wonderful and journaling helps us deal with our emotions in a healthy way. When I was journaling on a daily basis I was doing it first thing in the morning, focusing on all the blessings in my life and looking at things in a positive light was such a great way to start my day! If you can’t find time in the morning, do your journalling at night just before you go to bed, such a great way to clear your mind at the end of the day. I’ve decided to add journaling to my 2020 resolutions again and I’ve started my goal off right, with a brand new notebook that I love, a pen I love to write with and placing my journal in a spot where I’ll see it so that it’s a visual reminder to sit down and write!
Never be afraid to set goals, big and small. We all need something to work towards and if at first, you don’t succeed, try again! Don’t let past failures bring you down because you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
Remember to slow down, be present and take time to reflect. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year, make 2020 the best year yet!
