I decided this year not to make any resolutions, last year I did and I didn’t achieve any of them, mainly because life got in the way. Imp was diagnosed with Perthes and that led to lots of things changing. Now I am not working formally and I am able to fit in all his appointments , and look after the new puppy but find it more difficult to settle to work. There is always a distraction, a level of candy crush here, a few pages of a book there, and oh is it time for lunch?
If there is one thing I want to improve it is getting down to business. I tend to try and exercise in the morning, spending the rest of the day sitting down writing is not going to keep me fit. After exercise I have to look after the house, three kids, two dogs take their toll! Then the new pup seems to be rather time consuming so after he has been worn out I can finally get some writing done. I also want to aim to learn the piano – yes still! Finding ten minutes per day to practice a couple of pieces and go through the limited scales I know seems to be difficult.
Then there are the appointments to fit in and the study. I am beginning to think that my desire to get a second degree may have to be abandoned as I want to prioritise the writing, by the time I sit down to write I can’t really do both at the moment. Whilst it would be a shame to do this I think that it would be even more of a shame if I failed to complete my writing because I kept putting it off.
I am aiming to write for at least 2-3 hours per day, maybe more some days and when I can at the weekend, this can be difficult because weekends are family time but increasingly the children are off out doing things and so I can write while I wait! Each week I look ahead to see what appointments I need to attend for school, what I need to get done for the house and then I can slot in the writing around that.
I seriously considered a part time teaching job, the regular income would be great and would allow me to maintain continuity on my CV but with the puppy, different holidays compared to my own kids and the desire to write I have decided to wait until this time next Year. This year is a big one. Imp will have more surgery, this will be confirmed in February. Hpops and Pixie have big school transitions. Pops moved to secondary school and Pixie to the juniors and so the next two terms will provide a lot of lasts as we say goodbye to KS1.
We welcomed a new puppy into the home and so for the next few months I am prime trainer so he is sure to be a disaster. He can start going for walks in the next couple of weeks so that should mean that mornings become more structured and free. It is odd as the family seems to be in flux at the moment, a time of change but at the same time I seem to be OK with it. New schools, animals and routines would normally send me into a spin but at the moment I have embraced it. I am still hoping the writing takes flight as for the first time in a couple of years I am not bringing home a regular salary to contribute to the family but instead relying on monthly royalties. Better get on with the novel!
In kids news Pixie, nearly 7 (the day after Christmas she worked out how long it was until her birthday!)lost her first tooth. She has been waiting for ages and never have I seen a child so determined to lose a tooth. She discovered it was officially wobbly on the 26th December, constant wriggling, demand for apples and so on and the tooth fairy had been by the 28th! No tears or tantrums just a determination to have the tooth gone!
So in some ways new year, definitely and to some extent a new me, not because of resolutions but because that is where life is taking me. I am hoping that it will bring good things for our family and for all of you. The thing I have learnt over the last couple of years is this, plan things, take opportunities but at the same time be flexible, things change and it is not always possible to do what you want, when you want but sometimes, just sometimes it works out for the best.