Looking Forward and Some 2018 Goals

My 2018 goals post is a bit late, but I am starting 2018 with a rather different mindset. This time last year there was a huge deadline looming in our lives – Emilia’s birth in July, so it characterised our house and work priorities, but this year we don’t have that same pressure. And indeed, now that we know how all-consuming babies are, I think we probably have a slightly more realistic outlook, so I don’t want to give myself any strict targets or deadlines like I have done in past years.

The only deadline which we have this year is the start of April, when I will be going back to work. Luckily I work mostly from home, but I will need to figure out childcare and how to do trips down to the office in London while potentially still breastfeeding! Since I have had very little luck with getting anything while using a breastpump I am anticipating this is going to be tough, and it may mean we stop breastfeeding sooner than I would like, but we will see. Really, this is my main goal for the year – figuring out how to balance my work life (my part-time job as well as my freelance work) with being a mum. As prepared as you can try to be, motherhood so far has taught me that it won’t make a lot of difference, you just have to go with the flow.

Our house is still a work in progress, yet so many things are almost done. I don’t want to start anything new this year, but I want to finish all the rooms we have started! Which might seem easy, since it’s only a couple of full weekends on each room required, but finding that time while also having family time isn’t easy. I am going to write a list and come back and update this post as things are done, to give me some accountability but also to prompt me to blog about things once they’re done! And in fact since I drafted this we have checked two things off in the nursery already, because little miss will be going in her own room soon, sob! A reveal post should be forthcoming soon – the first we have finished since our bedroom over a year ago.

Bathroom

• Make built-in cupboard and finish cladding on that side of the room and finish painting (done Sep)
• Finishing tiling, re-seal and re-grout the shower and sink (done Oct)

Nursery

• Make and put up blackout blind (done months ago!)
• Carpet (done in Jan)
• Paint wall mural (done in Feb)

Our Bedroom

• Add shelves where chimney used to be and re-paint

Home Office

• Fill and paint built-in shelves
• Add cupboard doors
• Add lighting
• Re-paint
• Carpet
• Re-upholster Queen Anne chair
• Pictures and accessories etc

Landing

• Paint (done Oct)
• Carpet (done Oct)
• Add curtain over patio doors

Kitchen

• Paint doors (done Sep)
• Fix under cabinet lighting (done Aug)
• Add mantel over range (done May)
• Add shutters to front window
• Shelves on back wall
• Lay flooring (done Jul)
• Add skirting boards (done Sep)

Okay, wow. It’s more than I thought when I write it down! But it all needs doing so I am leaving it here as a reminder of our 2018 goals. If we finish all this by the end of the year I will be absolutely delighted as three quarters of our home will be complete – just the new porch, utility room, playroom and living room to go. Yikes. 2019 is going to be busy too!

So my 2018 goals are aiming to learn how to balance the wonder of motherhood with the necessity of work, and to continue making our house a home. Easy! Come and follow me on Instagram where you’ll hear from me a lot more frequently and see progress as it happens (if it happens). And you can read my September update here.