Happy New Year! Did you wear a fancy outfit and drink cocktails? Did you make it to midnight? Did you have dinner guests and laughingly agree with them that 9:15 was a perfectly appropriate time to end a NYE celebration?

I did one of the above. I’m sure that cliffhanger is killing you.

I’m still working on my One Little Word post, but I thought I’d pop in with my goals for the year. I went with pretty simple ones that reflect what’s most important to me in this season of life: a happy home and making time for a couple of things I enjoy but sometimes don’t make a priority due to the demands of raising a toddler.

And here they are:

Complete one craft project a month Notice I didn’t say how many I’ll start each month (wink). I’m usually pretty good about completing crafts I’ve started, but I find that I do best when I have a due date of sorts (i.e., finishing a Halloween costume before Halloween, finishing Christmas stockings before Christmas, you’ve probably caught on by now or maybe already understood the concept of due dates). I’m hoping this goal will create the same kind of accountability.

Participate in the Goodreads 2018 Reading Challenge I set a very, very lofty goal of reading 52 books this year, but that’s partially due to the specifics of my reading goals. Each month, I plan to read one work of nonfiction, one work of contemporary fiction, and one “home-related book” (that’s my catchall phrase for cookbooks, books about home decor, and parenting books, all of which I tend to flip through and read bits and pieces from rather than cover to cover). Every three months, I plan to read one work of literary merit, one book of essays, one mystery, and one YA novel. I’m hoping that gives me some leeway for reading what I’m in the mood to read. Also, if we aren’t friends on Goodreads yet, let’s please change that.

Create and maintain a home yoga practice This is the one I’m most apprehensive about but also the one I know will make the biggest difference in my daily life. I used to go to yoga at least three times a week, then almost every day when I was pregnant, then to mom and baby yoga twice a week. It’s not realistic for me to get to the yoga studio that often these days, and I’ve missed it so much, especially the stretching and mindfulness aspects. I’m hoping I can make this happen.

Purchase next to zero clothing items I’m almost certain I’ll need shorts that fit when the weather warms up, and I kept denying that last summer, which was not helpful and left me frustrated on a daily basis. But other than that, I really don’t need clothing. Plus, I want back the time I spend shopping online, trying on clothing, returning what didn’t fit, and constantly reevaluating my wardrobe. What I have works.

Be in bed by 9 pm Maybe just to read but at least in bed

(and the closely related)

Get up at 6 am Given the toddler’s usual sleeping schedule, this would give me an hour before he’s up. I’m hoping to get yoga in during this time and maybe a devotional and some reading.

I think I’ll check in on my goals quarterly, maybe more often if I need the accountability. What about you? What are you hoping for in 2018?