Someone shared these 10 questions in an email I read this week and I loved them so much that I wanted to answer them for myself and thought I’d share here on the blog!
What are the standout moments from 2023?
Danny’s birth in April was absolutely the highlight of the year. What a precious little boy he is. My mom generously kept our other kids for two nights after Danny’s birth giving us lots of special quiet time with him that I’ll always treasure.
After his birth, some of my favorite memories in 2023 are from all the family time we had around my sister Julia’s wedding in June, our trip to Galveston in the fall, and fun times with Pablo’s family during both of their visits.
My rougher than usual 3rd trimester at the beginning of the year and my neurologist appointments and MRIs in the fall were also memorable, although in an I’m-glad-that’s-over sort of way.
What would you do differently?
While there are many things I would do differently because I’m far from perfect, the two that immediately come to mind are spending more one-on-one time with my kids and wasting less time on my phone.
Who did you have the most meaningful interactions with?
Well, the easy answer is Pablo and the kids. But besides them, my sister Hannah and I continued our tradition of trying to talk on the phone once a month (in addition to keeping up in other ways on a much more regular basis) and those long conversations – whenever we could make them happen – were always very meaningful and encouraging to me.
This was also the third year that I continued meeting monthly via Zoom and checking in weekly with my blog girls, three internet friends who’ve encouraged me, inspired me, and kept me accountable as we’ve all grown our respective blogs. I really don’t know if I would’ve stuck with it and seen the progress that I have if it hadn’t been for them.
Where did you spend most of your time?
At home. (No surprise there.) So thankful that I get to spend my days at home with my kids.
What is something you’re really proud of?
I’m really proud of how I’ve stuck with my blog and seen a lot of growth this year despite taking a couple months off when Danny was born.
I’m also proud that I took a whole month off of social media. I kept making excuses for why I couldn’t do it but I finally just did it and it was so good for me (and I read 10 books that month!) I’m taking this January completely off of social media again.
Which books, shows, podcasts, movies, and music will stay with you?
I read 25 books this year. A couple standouts include:
- Raising Emotionally Strong Boys by David Thomas – I felt that this was a helpful read for parenting boys and will be looking back at some of my notes.
- These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner – This historical fiction had me hooked from the beginning and I thought it would be one of my all time favorites until the author made me very angry by killing off someone three quarters of the way through, ha! But it’s still worth a mention anyway.
- Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar – Jill Duggar’s memoir was unflinchingly honest but lacked the bitter edge that I sort of expected. I thought it was really interesting and I stayed up late to finish it. I loved that she ended it on a hopeful note.
- The Flirtation Experiment by Phylicia Masonheimer and Lisa Jacobson – This marriage book was practical and I found myself chuckling at how I related to the authors in several of the chapters. I found it similar in some ways to Cherished, another helpful marriage book I read this year, but I preferred these ladies’ writing styles.
- The Time-Saving Mom by Crystal Paine – My first read of 2023 The Time-Saving Mom was practical and helpful to me especially in the area setting priorities and I plan to at least partially re-read it this year.
A song that meant a lot to me and that I will remember when I look back at this year is The Goodness of Jesus by City Alight.
What is the biggest lesson you learned?
That good health is not guaranteed – and to not take it for granted. Also, that I’m really bad at opening up to people, even the people closest to me, and I need to learn to be vulnerable.
What era are you in?
This question makes me laugh a little bit. I guess you could say that I’ve been in my “mom of littles” era for awhile now, but with Caleb turning 10 this coming year I know that things will be changing soon as I learn to parent my big kids and my babies at the same time.
What are you willing to change to get closer to the life you really want?
I’m taking a complete break from social media for the first month of the year (and likely will take another month off later on) because I’ve often let the allure of the scroll distract me from what’s more important – my family, my time in God’s Word, and my to-do list and goals.
What is your wildest dream for 2024?
I don’t know that I have any particularly wild dreams, but I do have some goals!
Family: To spend time outdoors with the kids every day if possible. To read to them daily. To develop deeper relationships with the kids by caring more about what they care about (here’s to playing more LEGOs this year!)
Marriage: To spend two nights away together at some point.
Work: To continue to grow my blog and be brave enough to try new things. (I’m setting some specific, measurable goals for the blog but I won’t get into all of those here!)
Self: To prioritize sleep (earlier bedtimes) and exercise (daily walks). To spend time daily in God’s Word (preferably before the kids are up.) To read at least 25 books again.
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