2009.. the year of….

I know it is early for new years resolutions but as things finish up for the year – kinder, ballet, work – I find myself looking back over the year and wondering how we got to the end of it in once piece and also looking forward to the new year and wondering where it will take us and how exactly we will get there.

2008 was dubbed ‘The Year of Organisation’ in our house as I struggled with out first year of working a regular 7 days a week schedule into The Baldy Boy’s 8 day shift cycle (which includes two night shifts) and get everyone where they need to be on time and with clothes on. Added to that, I’ve had a strange need to organise and simplify the day to day goings on in our house – working with a tight food budget, keeping on top of the little things and trying not to go insane with three small children and a husband who works shifts.

It has been an up and down year. We’ve been organised in some ways and totally disorganised in other ways but I’ve learnt a lot a long the way and made some progress and surely that is the main thing yeah? So onwards and upwards to 2009…

A while back I began to ponder what our direction would be for 2009 both here on the blog and in general for our little pickle farm.

Would it be entirely too selfish to label 2009 ‘The Year For Me’?

I’m not thinking of it in a totally selfish way, I promise. I’ve just been reminded over and over again of late in a lot of little ways that if I am loosing it then it tends to have a rather nasty effect on everyone else I live with, and that life runs better for everyone when I am on top of things. When I get stressed and strung out everyone else seems to get stressed and strung out too. 2008 has been kind of a stressful year, full of good things, but not very full of balance.

I’m really feeling the need to find some balance. Balance between the time I spend doing things for our family, the time I spend doing things for others, the time I spend doing things to earn a little extra cash and the time I spend doing things for me. Balance between what I want, what I need, and what I can truly expect to achieve without going insane.

Actually I think the other members of my family could also do with a bit of balance as well.

As the girls move on to a new year at a new kinder and another year ballet (plus tap hopefully), hopefully we’ll find the right balance of social activities and being at home, of challenge and familiarity, to really build their confidence and help them grow.

As Muski gets older, he is becoming more and more his own person, stepping out of the shadow of his big sisters and more ready for some of his own things rather than simply following along to whatever the big girls are doing.

Another bonus of Muski growing up (my baby is not a baby any more!) is that he sleeps better, and he is less likely to be attached to my hip 24 hours a day giving me a little more time and space to find my own balance. I love my kids and my family, they are my world, but every now and then I crave a little adult interaction that doesn’t focus around which cloth nappy is the best or what swear word our preschoolers dazzled us with this week.

I’m sure the Baldy Boy needs some balance… even if he won’t admit it in public and would prefer if I didn’t blog about it!

We are still hoping to renovate in 2009 so that in itself is going to require one heck of a balancing act – especially when it comes to our marriage. Don’t tell me the stats for people getting divorced during renovations, I don’t want to know. The Baldy Boy and I have already stayed married through one renovation so that has to mean something right? It would also be nice to squeeze in a little balance time for just us adults too. You know every once in a while do something together that doesn’t involve the children or the house.

Among all of that is the fine art of trying to balance the budget. It seems to easy to spend money looking for balance but I am hoping that we can find ways to give each of us what we need without breaking the bank.

So perhaps 2009 shall be labelled ‘The Year of Balance’.

2009 The Year of Balance… I like it.