Starting Fresh

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I know this won’t even come close to being the most read post of 2019 and with some honesty, I will admit that I’m probably writing this more for me than for you. I’m not doing all the keyword research and SEO things, but writing from my heart because that’s what this is all really about anyways. I love to write things down and think that it’s so important to reflect and change and make big goals as we move forward in life.

It’s cathartic and a part of me.

So here we are, starting fresh in 2019.

And while there is definitely a sense of newness with a fresh clean slate that washes over us all, I think it’s first important to point out that every day really is an opportunity to start fresh. Every day we wake up and are in control of changing something we didn’t like from yesterday or working harder to achieve a goal or be a calmer mom. That opportunity is always up for grabs, no need to wait until January 1st. Just sayin’.

But this week really is an awesome time to reflect in a really big way and take note of not only what we want to work towards in 2019, but what we learned from 2018 and taking those lessons with us. I encourage you all to take a second away from the busy everyday mom chaos and just focus on that – even if it’s just for 5 minutes. Know that there are so many things to still learn, but take note of how strong and amazing you are during the journey.

I said that 2018’s word of the year for myself was “adventure” and as I’ve mentioned before, I think the word hit me in a completely different way than I had anticipated. But here we are, all together as a family now at my parented while Chris is looking for a new job and getting ready to move to Ohio and it truly is an adventure. We knew that we wanted to leave the city and be closer to family though, so Chris and I chose the less-walked path and made a huge leap of faith to reach that goal and I have to give us a huge pat on the back for that.

We’ve taken the kids to do all the Pittsburgh things like local parks, the zoo, farms, and so much more and I’m planning on getting my driver’s license by February.

The first few months though, before Chris got here, we SO rough. You’ve probably wondered why I haven’t posted as much on Instagram or shared my regular daily stories. It’s because I literally had no energy to do those things. Blake experienced major sleep regression and was up seriously 7-10 times a night. It was brutal. I became zombie-ish trying to get through each day. So of course, work suffered, I wasn’t the hands-on mom that I normally am, and I reached for wine way too much in the evenings.

On top of that, we had some ongoing issues with Branden that really needed looking into. I have a full post coming up later this week about our journey with him, but in November, our boy was diagnosed with ADHD combined type, and we have been working with him at home, school, with doctors and therapists – basically the end of 2018 was a whole lot of doctors appointments. I actually wrote an article for Romper about what it’s like to be the mom always getting the phone calls from school that explains things a little bit better. Basically, before Christmas break, I made sure that his teachers and guidance counselor went home with amazing presents – if you know what I’m saying. He’s thriving now though, thank goodness.

I also pushed through some fitness barriers with my running, which was a huge win for me. Running is my therapy and even though I love my HIIT training that I do indoors now that it’s colder, it just doesn’t compare to what running does for me both physically and mentally. Running has truly helped clear my mind through all the hard stuff this year.

And last but not least, being in limbo with where we are living, etc has made me realize just how strong our family is and how thankful we are for all the support we’ve had along the way. The back and forth hasn’t been easy, but we rally together over and over (thank goodness for FaceTime, right?) and push through the hard times. That’s what family is all about. And we’re so excited about the next chapter in this adventure story.

Overall, 2018 taught me that I am capable.

There were so many days when I would finally get Blake to bed, be ushering Branden upstairs to brush his teeth where I stopped and thought to myself, “holy shit! How the heck did I even accomplish everything I did today?” There were also many days where I gave up, missed a deadline, didn’t have the energy to workout or smile. But I learned that I’m capable of doing anything that I put my mind to. Challenging seasons in your life have a way of humbling you, boiling things down to the basics, and bringing out who you really are.

Want more tips for setting goals and intentions? I’ve got some great options!

In 2019, I want to continue being fearless.

In fact, I want to take even more risks. I’m excited to move to a new place, but to be completely honest, we don’t really know anyone there besides my sister and her family and one of my best friends from college. I’m looking forward to getting the kids enrolled in sports, joining a local moms group and book club and make new memories. Professionally, I’m ready for Blake to start preschool so that I can work a little bit more and push myself outside my comfort zone with pitching for new publications and approaching new brands that I love. I also know that I have a book inside me and I’m hoping to finally carve out some time this year to submit query letters to publishers and agents. Dream big in 2019, mamas!

What are you looking forward to in 2019?

XOXO,

Allison