It's been one heck of a year! I spent pretty much all of 2016 on maternity leave and was fortunate enough to have an amazing and memorable one. We got to do a lot of travelling as a family and Mía was on 11 plane rides and visited three countries before she turned one. We got to spend a lot of quality time with family and friends, but more importantly we got to grow and connect as our own little family of three... plus Lily of course!
It wasn't all fun and games though... the year started off with me feeling quite overwhelmed and alone. Mía was around 3 months old and I was only starting to feel slightly more like my old self again. I made the decision to sign up for as many mommy and baby activities that I could schedule in a week to get me out of the house at least once a day. Otherwise I would have stayed cooped up inside our condo for days on end and gotten lost in all of the emotions (and hormones) that come with being a newbie in motherhood. After a month of getting out and about feeling comfortable in my new role as mommy, I realized how much I had missed blogging and being creative. I'm so happy I made the decision to do something for me during a time when every ounce of my body (quite literally) was there for someone else. It's so easy to forget about ourselves, because it it's easier to focus on someone else than looking in the mirror and honing in on our on reflection.
I don't normally set New Year resolutions because, you've guessed it, I never follow through with them. This year I decided to make minor goals across all areas of my life and to not put an immense amount of pressure on myself like I normally do. I'm going to make an effort to enjoy the journey to meeting those goals and in the process learn more about myself and learn to be OK with bumps along the way.
Family
I want to be more patient and present with my family. The hubby and I both work full time and we are struggling to make the time we spent together with Mía quality time instead of doing errands, cleaning (which we need to do more of...ugh), meal prepping, laundry... the list goes on and on. Certainly the Work/Life Balance is hard to attain and I'm starting to wonder if it is attainable at all... insert a future blog post here. We are fortunate enough to have immediate family in the same city but I have come to realize in recent months that we don't carve out enough time to spend with them other than the odd family dinners every few months. Definitely some thing I am trying to be mindful of going forward.
A clean and tidy home is always on my dream list... it just never happens. It is a constant struggle and battle for us! I guess I can always lean on the saying, "I would rather a happy baby than a tidy house"... In that case, I have one happy kid!
Friends
I miss my friends! I miss the days when we would host a dinner party or go out to dinner with a few of our friends every few weeks. Since we had Mía we have barely had anyone over anymore for a nice dinner. Mainly because the dinner would have to start at 4:30pm so we would be done and on time for bath time and the bedtime routine. Also, worth mentioning that our home is typically a disaster zone with toys, clothes, boxes, and you name it just everywhere so the thought of dealing with all of that and then cooking cooking is just too taunting for my mom brain to compute. so in 2017, I want to make an effort to make the effort and get back to connecting with the lovely people in our lives. Surely I can handle a few dinner parties this year....right?
Self Care
I started a Bullet Journal to help keep me organized and accountable and I'm loving it. It has also made me realize how much I miss putting pen to paper and getting creative.
I am terrible for saying I want to do something and never following through, I don't hold myself accountable enough. I am tired of always being the one to say "Oh, I wish I had done that" and so far I have crossed off garland making and brush calligraphy off my list. This Year I want to just do things if I have interest in them, sign up for the classes that have always caught my interest. I have lots of classes and workshops scheduled already and I'm so excited about it!
I have been striving to make it to the gym three times a week and to meal prep clean meals at least once a week and so far its been working out OK. I have given myself a cheat day (or two) once a week to stay sane but it is truly a challenge for me. I LOVE FOOD. It's something I am always trying to work on, but baby steps in the right direction is a start!
Blogging
My goal this year is to press publish. Guys, I have so many drafts of blog posts that I just can't seem to let go. I honestly don't know what it is, but I need to keep reading the front page of my Bullet Journal... "Strive for Progress not Perfection"... I think I just need to press publish more often and be OK with it. I also really want to get back into doing style and outfit posts because that was where my blogging world started.
I'm excited for what 2017 will hold for me and I'm even more excited to share everything with you guys. I wanted to take a moment and sincerely Thank those of you who have been with me from the beginning and who are always messaging me with words of encouragement when I needed it or helpful advice when I was struggling to find my way. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! Oh and keep those questions coming on Instagram Direct Messaging, I love being able to help out and answer anything I can!
xo
Thanh
Photos: Amy Lee Studio
Dress: Forever21 (old)
Candle: Foxhound Collection
Journal: Leuchtturm1917 Medium Journal