Well, happy, happy new year! I took a little unintentional holiday break from the blog and internet over the past two weeks, and I have to admit to you: it was blissful. The end of the year was madness as I pushed through tons of work deadlines, holiday commitments and errands, and juggled a sick baby who had ear infections, a bad cold, and was cutting her first four teeth — yikes! To say that I needed this holiday break would be the understatement of the year. We traveled to see family and celebrated Jane’s first Christmas, we took on a big house project and painted our living room (which I can’t wait to share!), and we closed out the break with a really fun New Year’s Day brunch party (and an unfortunate New Year’s Day hangover). I even got to relax a bit and read a book, a whole book!Now that the holidays are over and the year is starting fresh, I’m easing back into the real world of internet and work and writing, but I’ll be honest: it’s been difficult getting motivated this week. I’m normally an overzealously motivated New Year-New You type of person. The fresh start of the calendar year has, in the past, been charged with long lists of goals and resolutions. I get so excited about cracking into the first page of a new notebook and a fresh planner, ready to get to work filling them up with plans and ideas. This year I have felt entirely different about the change of the calendar year, and instead of being so very forward looking, I’ve felt an urge to be a bit more reflective instead.

2017 was a crazy year. Crazy. If you’ve turned on the news in the last 12 months, crazy actually doesn’t even begin to describe the madness. Personally though, it was also a crazy good year for me too, full of so many positive changes. I had a baby! Jane turned our lives upside down in the best way possible. I had no idea how much motherhood would change me, and it’s been an amazing, joy-filled, wild (and yes, sometimes quite exhausting) ride this first year.

I also left my corporate marketing career in the spring to jump into this blog as my full-time job. After 8-years of blogging in the fringe hours, it was a huge accomplishment (and terrifying decision) to make that leap. There are still lots of scary days where being your own boss is downright hard, and there are lots of exhausting days where my little tiny co-worker Jane doesn’t exactly cooperate with my plans, and yes I still work late into those fringe hours on nights and weekends. But I’m so happy that the circumstances aligned to help me push towards this move. I have so much pride and gratitude that I’m able to be at home with Jane right now while also working at a job that I love. 2017 also brought some pretty big challenges too! Just before the end of the year I completed probably the biggest professional project of my life. It took an incredible amount of energy, organization, and drive to get it completed. I can’t wait to share more details about it this year (keeping secrets is the hardest!!).

In my reflective-mode this week, I’ve been thinking about past resolutions. At the very beginning of 2017, I made one important New Year’s resolution: to work towards a new normal. It was all I could really ask of myself when I was 9 months pregnant as the calendar flipped to a fresh year. With so much change, both personally and professionally, it was a simple idea that helped guide me to what ended up being the best year ever. It’s funny to think that the one time I let up a bit on the aggressive resolutions was actually the year I accomplished the most. I think that starting the year off with a little bit of self-kindness and forgiveness allowed me relax, and welcome all of the changes with open arms. The truth is, no day is normal around here, but I have finally found some rhythm after this year of new-motherhood and first-time self-employment, and that feels really good. So, in that spirit, I think I’m going to skip the resolutions this year. Instead, I’m going to focus on just doing the best I can each day, and fingers-crossed 2018 will be another crazy good year. Happy New Year friends!