Resolution or Bust…

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Start New, Begin again. Set Goals, Resolve; January 

I can hardly believe another year has come and gone. Usually, I would take this opportunity to pout about all the things that went wrong last year and make a list of all the things I will be doing better within the New Year:

1. Lose Weight
2. Be Kind
3. Read the Bible
4. Create Art
5. Enjoy every moment with my kids 

Etcetera…

But, it would seem that I am a terrible New Year’s Resolutions keeper. Really, I am a Resolutions breaker. 2016 was a hard year for me. I actually gained weight, dealt with a crazy postpartum “mommy rage” that made me as unkind to the people I love most (hubby and kiddos) as I have ever been or ever thought I could be in my life. I did not read the Bible and actually showed up to church less and spent more time doing what sounds more like bargaining with God than actually praying to Him. My efforts to create art can be summed up in a failed attempt to launch an Etsy business and, as for enjoying my kids, I am enjoying them being in bed while I pour a glass of wine.

If 2016 taught me anything, the saying “life is what happens when you are busy making other plans” was the lesson. So rather than set a bunch of new goals this year that may or may not come to pass, like join a gym or become a self-made “Momprenuer”, I am going to instead reflect on 2016 and be grateful for having the opportunity to start again. I am going to let go of the negative. And in not trying to sound vain, but actually show that I am rather grateful — that though 2016 was one of the toughest years of “adulting” for me yet, there is much to be thankful for.

My Top 5 Resolutions of 2016 that Made Themselves

1. Appreciated time with family. One of the first articles I wrote for this blog was about being the “Sandwich Generation”. I wrote that article after having spent my maternity leave and the first part of 2016 with my parents as my Dad recovered from a stroke.  I am happy to report that my Dad made a full recovery and we finally made time to do some of the “bucket list” things we have been meaning to do for years, like take a family 4-wheeling trip over Engineer Pass near Silverton, Colorado.

2. Got promoted at work. This year, I was promoted to an Assistant Division Engineer. Aside from the fact that the promotion alone is worth celebrating, I think having done it after having just had my third baby, after dealing with the stress of an illness in the family and while moving and buying a new house is pretty great. Yay! I could have been fired…

3. Fixed up the house and moved. In 2016, my husband and I packed up three kids, two dogs and a seven bedroom house and moved across town with no help. Except for the two of us and a trailer (and an inordinate amount of free babysitting from my mother-in-law). This involved a ton of landscaping, finishing, painting, tiling and other home improvement projects that we had six years to do but waited until the last minute… but, it is done and I am impressed with our resolve and ever grateful for the 25 minute reduction to my commute.

4. Created happy memories with the kids. Even if it feels like I dropped the ball on this one, looking back at my Facebook feed from 2016 reveals that we didn’t do terrible after all. We went camping several times, four wheeling, back to the farm to see Grandma and Grandpa, had play dates and birthday parties and passed milestones with lots of love and smiles.

5. Created HeART. I didn’t set out in 2016 with blogging in mind as my creative outlet, but by volunteering as a writer for the Colorado Springs Moms Blog, I did actually create in 2016. In fact, I have written 14 published posts this year and learned new software programs like WordPress and Canva, which I think is pretty cool. It goes to show you sometimes that good things can come from unexpected places.

 

How about you? Do you keep resolutions or break them? Tell us about them in the comments.

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Rachel, Senior Writer
Rachel is a native Coloradoan, though originally from the Western Slope. She followed her husband Chris to his hometown of Colorado Springs after having met in engineering school at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. Together they have four beautiful children, Tommy (2011), Tazzy (2014), Zach (2015) and Zinny (2018). Having a young and active family keeps Rachel on her toes trying to find ways to keep the ship sailing while still meeting all the demands of motherhood. Though Rachel loves her most important role as Mommy most, she also works full time outside the home as a Water Resources Engineer for the Colorado Division of Water Resources. This role helps keep her life centered, bouncing from detailed and complex discussions relating to Colorado Water Law with her husband ( a mechanical engineer) to daycare and preschool drop off and pick up schedules, while being constantly interrupted by the equally complex musings of her 4 year.