Hello 2021
Monday Monday
Hello friends! Happy Monday! After doing a 2020 recap I thought it would be fun to follow-up with a post on all my big plans for 2021.
After surviving 2020 I think it is easy to romanticize what this year will be like. But honestly, I am just hoping for a quieter year…you know…no more global pandemics, unexpected earthquakes or crazy civil unrest. I may be setting my sights too high, but a girl can dream, right?!
The New Year
For those of you that don’t know, I am a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. That isn’t to say that I pick inspiring resolutions like, “Be more patient” (even though Dustin thinks I need to work on that one). I usually pick things that I can check off, like reading a specific book or going to a certain place.
So imagine my glee when I found that Miranda Anderson over at Live Free Creative did a whole planning series on her podcast during the month of November. She talked about planning your ideal year, quarter/seasons, week, and day. I loved all the episodes, but the one that really stuck out to me was planning your ideal year by making a Big Dreams List.
My Big Dreams for 2021
This is what Miranda had to say about making a Big Dreams List
“…we’re going to talk about vision casting or annual planning, big dreams, and letting your imagination run wild, in order to get started thinking about the type of life you want to live and the priorities you have…Some of your big dreams may include learning how to knit, taking your kids fishing on the weekends, visiting all of the national parks. There’s no right or wrong dream. There’s no right or wrong way to live your best life.”
Planning Your Ideal Year – Miranda Anderson
Below are some of my big dreams for 2021. As you read through them, you may notice that I haven’t put down anything overly exotic. Maybe I am just a dream killer at heart, but I wanted to put down stuff that would stretch me but still felt achievable. Maybe 2022 I will dare to dream bigger.
#1: Donate Breastmilk
Definitely, a random thing to put down on a “Big Dreams List” but this is one goal I wanted to make sure got done!
For those of you that don’t know, I had a baby girl last August. While I was very specific in my order, I ended up with a little bundle of joy with lots of food intolerances. Unfortunately, even after trying elimination diet after elimination diet I haven’t been able to pin down her food triggers. Cue underweight baby and lots of pumping. This resulted in my body thinking I had given birth to a set of hungry twins and a freezer full of milk my baby can’t eat.
I had a similar experience (though not nearly as extreme) with Madic and his dairy protein intolerance. Sadly, I never got around to donating that milk. I am bound and determined to not let this milk go to waste. Currently, I am one blood test away from becoming an approved donor for Mountain West Mother’s Milk Bank. I am excited to start this year off by helping other moms and their babies.
#2: Build a Capsule Wardrobe
I have wanted to do this for ages (like 10 years) but for one reason or another have never gotten around to it. But as of late my clothing situation has reached a new all-time low. My wardrobe is currently comprised of an eclectic collection of hand me downs and clothes that are either torn, stained (thank you Emma), or too big. My hope is to invest in some good quality clothes, that I love. Some brands I adore, but rarely buy from are: Title Nine, Prana, and Patagonia. Apparently, I want to walk around looking like I am about to go camping, strike a yoga pose or maybe do both at the same time. What are some clothing brands that you love?
#3: Stick to a Budget
I am actually a huge fan of budgeting, but 2020 was a train wreck. Do you want to know what the biggest issue was? Our grocery bill. I attribute this to two things: online ordering (using card vs. cash) and being pregnant during a pandemic. Was I the only one that ate my way through 2020?
#4: Weekly Date Night
This is actually a goal I set last year, but then COVID came along and squashed my dream. But I am proud to report that so far we have gone on a date every week in January. Woot woot! Here are some of the things we have done: Played Codenames Duet{aff. link}, went to At Home to look at home decor (we were supposed to go rock climbing but my back went out), worked on painting our headboard, and watched The Hunt for Red October.
Here are some of the things we would like to do this year:
- Snowshoeing + Pho
- Mountain Biking
- Movie Night
- Double Date
- Yoga Class
- Hike + Picnic
- Dinner + Campfire/Star Gazing
- Paddle Boarding
- Swimming
- Mini Golf
- Bowling
- Community Education Classes
- Take Out (once I can eat normal food again!)
- Rock Climbing
- Skiing/Snowboarding
What date night activities would you recommend adding to our list?
#5: 52 Hike Challenge
Earlier this month I wrote a post on family outdoor challenges for 2021 and now I want to do ALL the challenges. I figured this one would be easy since I have been doing a kid friendly hiking series. As of right now, though, we have only done one hike, Quail Loop Trail, so I have a lot of catching up to do.
Unfortunately, we are having an unseasonably warm winter here in Utah so the trails have been icy/muddy. This has been my main deterrent for getting out on the trails. With Emma strapped to the front of me I have been hesitant to brave the ice. I guess it’s time to invest in a good pair of crampons. If any of you have recommendations, I would love to hear them!
#6: 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene
While I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself a yogi by any means, I do love me some yoga. Two of my favorite yoga channels are Doyogawithme.com and of course Yoga with Adriene. Now that Emma is sleeping through the night I am anxious to get back into my yoga practice. Are you a “Yoga with Adriene” lover or hater? I have mixed feelings. I personally prefer her earlier 30 day challenges (e.g. 2015) vs. her more recent ones. They seem to have less monologing and more spunk.
#7: Focus on Gratitude
Last year I got stuck in a “poor me” mentality and am determined to break out of it. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I could change and I decided that I would spend the year of 2021 learning about gratitude. I actually got this idea while reading The Happiness Project{aff. link}…so I guess you could say this is my happiness project. While I don’t know if it will actually make me grateful, it’s worth a shot.
#8: Make Family Photobooks
Okay, this is probably one of my bigger mom fails, but I haven’t made any baby books for my kids. Obviously, Emma is still a baby but given my current track record, she is well on her way to not having one either. At first, I felt like I needed to create one for each year of life (0-12 months, 1 year, 2 year, etc.) and that felt super overwhelming. Thankfully, my sister Valerie recommended I make a baby book for each kid and then just do a year in review for the whole family.
Now the hard part is deciding which photo book service to use. I have been toying with the idea of using Mixbook for the baby books and Chatbooks for our year in review books. What are your guy’s recommendations?
#9: Decorate Space
Another one of my failings has been our lack of home decor. Generally, the reason I don’t decorate is because of cost and Dustin. While I love the idea of having a homey space, it seems like home decor is overpriced. As for Dustin…well…he wants to participate in my decorating efforts, but the problem is I don’t like his style. Don’t worry I have told him this (apparently I need to work on kindness this year as well). So if you have any advice on affordable places to shop for cute home decor or how to deal with a husband who has a different sense of style please let me know!
#10: Invest in a Skincare Routine
As I have gotten older I realized I need to do a better job at taking care of my skin. One company I love is Beautycounter. I have used some of their products and they always leave my skin feeling amazing. I also love that they make all of their products free from harmful chemicals. While I will most likely end up buying one of their skincare regimens I am open to any and all suggestions you have for other products or companies I should try.
#11: Practice Hygge
While I probably enjoy winter more than most, it still isn’t my favorite season. I just hate how dark it gets this time of year. That is what I find most intriguing about hygge; the concept of filling your home with light during the dark winter months. Plus it gives me an excuse to buy more candles and leave Christmas lights up all year long.
Recently my good friend Ayse introduced me to Fontana Candles. They have lightly scented candles that are made from 100% natural beeswax and essential oils. That way you don’t have to worry about harmful toxins when you burn them. They have so many delicious scents that I had a hard time deciding which one to try first. I ended up ordering the Fresh Mint and Lime scent. If you are a fan of scented candles I would definitely recommend checking them out!
#12: 21 Adventures in 2021
Of all the adventure challenges I came across, this is the one I am the most excited about. I haven’t actually picked out specific adventures that I want to do this year, so I am curious to see what ends up making the list. Currently, the only adventure we have gone on is a sleigh ride. If you want to read more about that adventure you can find that post here: Bailey Sleigh Rides.
#13: Start a Book Club
When COVID hit some friends and I started a book club. We affectionately named it the #Stayhome Book Club. It has been so much fun that I decided to start a book club for my blog readers. I have picked out 12 outdoor parenting books for us to read this year. Here is the line up {aff. link}:
- January: There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Akeson McGurk
- February: Balanced and Barefoot by Angela Hanscom
- March: How to Raise a Wild Child by Scott Sampson
- April: Let Them Eat Dirt by B. Brett Finlay and Maria-Claire Arrieta
- May: The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs by Tristan Gooley
- June: The Nature Fix by Florence Williams
- July: Let Them Be Kids by Jessica Smartt
- August: Free to Learn by Peter O. Gray
- September: Home Grown by Ben Hewitt
- October: Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
- November: Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
- December: Grow Wild by Katy Bowman
If you are interested you can request to join the Facebook group here (it’s free). We meet every fourth Monday of the month at 7 pm MST.
#14: Travel
There are loads of places I want to go but at a minimum, I am hoping to take a girls’ trip, couples trip, and family trip. We will most likely stay local for the girls and couples trip, but for our family trip we will be going to the Oregon Coast.
Dustin’s family is having a reunion up there in July so we will be making the drive. We were lucky enough to go there for our 5th wedding anniversary so we are excited to go back with the kids.
Some other places I would love to go this year are:
- Mighty 5 National Park Roadtrip (Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion National Park)
- McCall, Idaho
- Ouray, Colorado
And of course we want to do LOTS of camping!
2021
Phew, well there you have it, my big plans for 2021. I will be sure to give you updates in future Monday Musings posts on how they are coming along. What about you? What are some of your big dreams for 2021? I would love to hear your thoughts!!
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