So today is my birthday!!! On April 11 of 2016 I turned 31 and around that time I created a post about the things I’d like to do before my next birthday. This list consisted of a wide range of goals including trips with the family, school goals, and friends goals. You can find that post here.  Back in July, I posted my first update at a quarter of the way through the year and in October I posted my progress at the halfway point.  January marked the 3 quarters point. Now here we are a full year later.  

Time to make my final update.

1. Make 5 recipes from Pinterest – Over the holidays I made pumpkin bread which was delicious!! I also tried this chocolate braid which was delicious and so so simple!!  We later tried some energy balls, a taco casserole and muffins!! So this one is checked off the list!!

2. Go to the zoo at least 3 times – We went to the zoo four times since I made my list. This one was checked off early on and we are already planning our next trip to the zoo now that it is finally warming up! You can read my tips for zoo trips here.

3. Go on a real vacation – This one didn't happen, but we are OK with that. We had wanted to take a family vacation in the fall. However, with all of the medical expenses from Hailey’s diagnosis (hypothyrodism) not to mention her constant doctor’s appointments it just wasn't in the cards. We can renew this goal for the next year.

4. Read 2 inspiring books – I read Eat That Frog which I talked about in this earlier post. As I said in a previous update, I attended the online Mom Conference last year and was utterly inspired.  So many good presentations.  My favorite was the presentation by Ramona Zabriskie.  Based on this I picked up her book Wife for Life and I devoured it.  The insights she brings to the relationships between men and women can transform your relationships no matter how good they are into even better ones.  I even picked up tips for interacting with my son! Bonus!!  Since then I read a few other books so this one is done!

The Mom Conference was free, but can now be purchased for $97.  Not only do you get access to all of the presentations of the conference, but you also get a ton of freebies.  Ramona included one of her courses in the package which alone is worth $50.  Definitely go check it out!! You can find my review of the conference here!

5. Rent or sell my house – The house is currently on the market and we have had numerous showings.  This is slow going. We were actually getting a decent number of showings in the fall and then the holidays hit.  We were able to get back into the swing of showings after the holidays.  Hails outgrew here bassinet and so now we have both kids in one small bedroom.  It’s functioning, but extremely tight.  I really want to get baby girl her own room as soon as we can.  Here’s hoping we can make a sale soon.

6. Move to new home – See #5 above.

7. Get back in shape after baby – I did it!  I am at 120-122 lbs depending on the day so I am right back where I was pre-pregnancy.  While I don’t have a 6 pack back, I feel good in my clothes which is amazing! Plus the abs are getting there.

8. Perform in 2 dance productions – It’s funny how our priorities change.  After Tyler, I was so gung ho about getting back to performing.  This time, not so much.  I am still dancing and teaching, but I’m in no rush to perform myself. This didn't happen but not for lack of opportunity, it’s just not really a goal anymore at the moment.

9. Finish writing my book – The book is done! Now it's on to editing and pictures and all the other technical stuff....

10. Start creating vertical images for blog – This was done as of my last update! Yay!!!

11. Do 3 DIY projects from Pinterest – This one was also done as of last update! We made a bunch of crafts this year inspired by pinterest finds.  Not all have made it to the blog and not all were successes, but we have tried a bunch.  I am compiling the best toddler crafts we have created and will be putting them into a book soon!

12. Declutter – We did really well with this one. We organized Tyler’s room, the living room, the downstairs closet, and did a lot of work in the basement. I think decluttering is kind of an ongoing thing especially with kids, but I think we accomplished a lot this year.

13. Plan a T and mommy date at least once a month after Hailey is born – Having a newborn that breastfeeds made this difficult. In general, this was our plan. On Friday nights I drop T off at dance and then bring the baby to my mother in law.  She watches Hails while I go back to the dance school to teach my class.  T sticks around for my class and then we have a little snack date after class and before we go get Hailey.  It’s not a big date once a month, but its a little date every single week.  He seems to enjoy the one on one time!  Recently, we actually got to have a few one on one trips together which was awesome!

14. Complete 27 credits of grad school – This was done as of last update too!! I finished my 2 winter classes and got B’s in both, yayay!! I am currently enrolled in one class and I took and passed my comprehensive exam.  In the summer semester I will take my last class and give a seminar talk and then I will be a Math Master!!

15. Have consistent date nights with the hubs – As I said, this is super hard for us because I work days and my husband works nights. We did really well throughout the year and consistently had 2 dates a month. Can't wait to keep this one up!

16. Complete cookbook for my nonprofit – Before I had Hailey, I presented the idea of doing a cookbook to my board. I had explained that with a newborn I would not be able to take the lead on this project. However, a cookbook would be a lot easier than organizing and holding photo shoots for the calendar. My board however was not able to make this happen.

17. Have a couples game night – We had another game night on New Years Eve where we played Disney Pictopia. It was super fun although T wanted to play so bad but isn’t really old enough yet.  Since then I have modified the rules so that we can play one on one together and he loves it.

18. Plan and have a girls brunch – This didn't happen… Everyone has super busy schedules and everyone is popping out babies… While I had the chance to have some one on one dates with the girls a group outing didn't happen. Hopefully, a group brunch or wine night will happen soon!

19. Participate in 2-3 charity walks – We just completed the diabetes walk on October 9. That one is close to my heart. The kids and I also participated in Relay for Life this past weekend,so that means this is completed!

20. Run a donation drive – This didn’t happen per se. I didn't run a donation drive myself, but we did participate in one. I'm going to take that as a win because the ultimate goal of helping others happened!

So I originally had 20 goals. One I just no longer felt compelled to achieve which left me with 19.  A few were out of my control and a few weren't accomplished. But a whole 13 we knocked out of the park. I think that's amazing for a busy mom with 2 kids and life getting in the way. It's like that saying, reach for the moon and you'll always end up among the stars. Something like that.

Anyway, it's my birthday and it's time to go celebrate!!

Did you like this series of goals and quarterly updates?  Should I do this again for ,y next birthday, the big 33?  Let me know in the comments.

Cheers,

Emily

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