Happy first Monday of the new year- the Mondayest of Mondays, right? 😉 Are you ready and in the groove? Slowly moving in that direction? I tried to get things organized yesterday to set us up for success this week and did a fair job.

I combed through our calendar for the week. It’s a full one! I cleaned up our common spaces and set up the homeschool room. I made a pot of soup for lunches for the week and helped David sous vide a bunch of chicken for easy protein for his lunches. It’s hard to get him enough protein, so we’re hoping this grab and go method will help with that.

New Year Goals: 2025 Edition

And now we’re here- the first Monday of a new year! Before things get rolling I wanted to take some time to mentally set my intentions for 2025. I’ve spent time reflecting on all we experienced in 2024 and am ready to put some 2025 goals into action.

Actually, I don’t know what to call these things anymore. Resolutions? Goals? Since I don’t have any concrete commitments like walk X number of miles, I don’t feel like those terms are appropriate. Hopes? That sounds too wishy washy and lacking commitment. Perhaps I’ll stick with intentions– things I intend to accomplish that might not be as measurable as a SMART goal, but directions I’m committed to and excited to walk in. For ease, let’s break them into categories: Family, Financial, Health, Personal.

Family Intentions for 2025

I don’t consistently commit to a word for each year, but if I did, 2025 would be the year for family. The years simply fly by too quickly for me to have my focus elsewhere and it fills me with peace and joy knowing that I’m committing myself first to my family and if other things don’t get done because of it, that’s a-ok.

• Find a home church. We started this one yesterday by trying a church and their respective youth groups. Looking forward to church hopping and narrowing in on what feels like the best fit for us.
• Find a good balance of activities and free time. The girls had no activities in the summer and fall due to moving and we might have overcorrected this spring, as they are signed up for a lot! By fall, I’d like to settle into a nice balance.
• Continue with family game nights and movie nights. I’m grateful these are things we all still enjoy and I’ll prioritize them as long as I can.
• Plug into our new community. Say yes to gatherings. Invite people over. Explore our new town.
• Plan a fun family trip. Where to exactly is still in discussion but we are considering taking the family to Europe for the first time! I’m excited and slightly overwhelmed at the prospect.

Financial Intentions for 2025

David and I had our annual State of the Family meeting on Friday. We both were really looking forward to it since we had so much to comb through after such a whirlwind of a year and it was invigorating. A few takeaways: We are debt free including our home. Our rental cabins are solid, but we’d like to look at ways we can further elevate the guest experience this year. My blog had one of it’s best years ever. Some things we plan to focus on in 2025:

• Tidy up our bank accounts. Moving had us also transferring to a new bank. We kept our old accounts open for several months to ensure a smooth transition and that an autopayment somewhere didn’t mess us up, but now it’s time to consolidate and close the old ones so nothing falls through the cracks.
• Keep up to date with categorizing expenses so we can better track. This falls mostly on David’s shoulders but I’d like to learn how to do QuickBooks at a basic level.
• Find a local organization to support. In our old community, we loved supporting Discovery Place and Feed NC, but would like to find new organizations to support that do good in our local community.

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Health Intentions for 2025

I’m so grateful to be starting our year feeling healthy. We have a solid base set for health through eating mostly whole foods, exercising regularly, being dedicated to sleep, and getting outside as much as we can. My current CGM experience is encouraging, showing my that I have my blood sugar largely under control. Still, there’s plenty I want to aim for in the health category since it’s one of my favorite interests!

• Learn about Homeopathic remedies. At my knowledgeable neighbor’s recommendation, I purchased this homeopathic kit and now I’m hoping I can talk her into taking the time to teach me all about.
• Grow some of our own food. I am cautiously excited about beginning my garden! I’ve never gotten to have a large space to try and grow food and look forward to the opportunity, knowing I should keep my expectations in check for my first year.
• Go on more hikes. This should be easy because we are fortunate enough to have trails walkable from our house, but we also are surrounded in the greater area by some incredible hiking opportunities and I look forward to taking advantage of them. Maybe I’ll even do a few with my weighted vest that I’ve been wearing for morning sniffaris.
• Share more blog posts about my health interests and experiments. Whether it’s a gadget or a product or a strategy, I often like to play around with health trends and there are several on my radar like red light therapy, Lifewave patches, blue light blockers, peptide therapies, saunas, etc. I look forward to sharing my experiences with the ones I try out!

Personal Intentions for 2025

• Grow in my faith. Through finding a church but also by reading, questioning, and diving into topics on my own and through trusted friends.
• Less time on my phone. How is this a constant goal of mine? Ha. I do feel like I’m making progress, though. Things that are helping: using my real camera, refocusing on more blogging and less social media, printing off recipes I am making versus using my phone, keeping a book with me.
• Expand my friendships. Both the friends I’ve been able to stay in touch with as well as putting myself out there enough to create new friendships. I tend to stay happily busy in my own world and sometimes let efficiency of my days take priority over saying yes to a walk or a hangout.
• Learn a new skill. Last year I learned how to embroider (on a basic level, but still). This year I’d love to learn more about canning food, growing a garden, and possibly taking care of chickens(!).
• Make our house a home. It’s not a natural talent for me, as I fret about putting a nail hole in the wall or choosing a curtain color that “isn’t right,” but I want to push through that uncertainty and embrace making our house a warm, inviting space that feels like us.

Well, that was lengthy, but it feels energizing to focus in on some areas of growth to aim for! I hope to revisit this post in the coming months to motivate myself to stay on track and strive for these intentions. Do you have any goals or intentions for the coming year? I’d love to hear them if you’re up for sharing and have the opportunity to cheer you on! New year, fresh start; let’s make it a good one. <3