My 19 for 2019

Gretchen Rubin's 19 for 2019 is one of my favorite frameworks for year-end reflection and New Year intention setting.

Last year I did an 18 for 2018 for the first time, and even though I didn't accomplish everything on my list, it was a great way to keep track of all the fun things I wanted to do over the course of the year.

Here's some of the items on my list for this year:

1. Sign up for the Wild Explorers Club 

 

I can already check this off this list! We're registered and looking forward to receiving our first adventure assignment any day now.

2. Run a half marathon

 

I'm thinking about this one.

3. Take a yoga class

I did a few yoga classes at the Y last year, but I really want to check out this yoga studio that's only a few blocks from my house. The first yoga studio in our city and owned by a Lynn native, this is a small business I'd love to be able to support.

4. Take the Bucket System Class from Rachel Rainbolt at Sage Parenting 

I'm a huge fan of Rachel's Sage Family podcast, and this online workshop seems like it would be a great asset to the homeschool culture we're working to build.

5. Take a trip to NYC with the kids

Moses has been begging to go to the Statue of Liberty for what seems like ages. Visiting the monument to Balto, the sled dog, is also on this New York City wish list. I think this spring we will finally make it happen. I've been reading up on traveling to New York City with kids (this article is my favorite resource so far), so if you have any recommendations for touring the Big Apple, send them my way.

6. Take the kids to the beach at least 10 times

I always end the summer feeling like we haven't taken full advantage of our proximity to the beach (the ocean is less than two miles from our house). Now that the kids are a little safer in the water, I really want to make this a priority this year.

7. Participate in the Hike 125 challenge

We participated in this local hiking challenge last year and logged 17 hikes at 10 different Trustees properties around Massachusetts including Crowninshield Island, Bird Park, and Appleton Farms. We totaled about 24 miles on the Trustees trails, and I'm hoping we can build on that this year.

8. Attend a homeschool conference

My dream would be to go to a Wild + Free conference although they always seem to be in the south and west of the country. Dear Wild + Free, come to New England, please?? Attending a Great Homeschool Convention with friends would also be a win for 2019.

9. Get an evaluation for a nagging physical therapy issue

Last year my nagging dental work was on the 18 for 2018, and I actually got it taken care of :) This year I'm trying a similar strategy on the  PT front.

10. Set up a Roth IRA

This is a carry over from last year's list. I did gather some good information, and I think I'm ready to actually pull the trigger on this one in 2019.

11. Go to a Rob Bell event

Hoping his Introduction to Joy tour makes it to Massachusetts this year.

12. Go to a Stan Tatkin event

Stan Tatkin is one of my favorite experts on the topic of relationships. I'd love to hear him in person sometime this year.

13. Take a class with Modern Mrs. Darcy

I love everything Anne Bogel does, and I recently discovered she offers inexpensive, informative online classes. I'm looking forward to trying one before 2019 runs out.

14. Buy fresh flowers weekly

This is such a simple way to bring joy into my life. I don't intend to get legalistic about it, but I am going to try to make sure I always have some fresh flowers in our home.

15. Update our will

As with #8, adding this nagging task to my 19 for 2019 definitely ups the likelihood that it will actually get accomplished.

16. Connect with friends weekly

Another simple way to bring more happiness into my life, I find that if I make a record of whether I'm actually doing this in my journal, then when I get to the end of the year I have a beautiful recollection of moments shared with friends to look back on.

17. Give a gift to our local librarians.

We basically work our librarians to the bone what with our dozens of check outs each week, many of which are on loan from other libraries and require extra work to catalog. Some of them seem to look forward to seeing our faces two and three times a week more than others, but they all definitely deserve a personal thank you from our family. I'm thinking a gift card to our favorite local coffee shop along with a personalized note during National Library Week should do the trick.

18. Get more information about fostering or adopting a dog.

I don't think 2019 will be the year we actually get a dog, but I think we're ready to enter the information gathering stage :)

19. Participate in the #150HoursOutside Project

After reading Balanced and Barefoot by Angela Hanscom last year, I've grown more convinced than ever of the importance of spending time outdoors. It's critical to physical, mental and emotional health and so often lacking in the lives of our kids. Connecting with this community is keeping me motivated to prioritize time in nature for me and my kids.