New Year Goals for 2016

I have been thinking about writing  this post for several days. It is really hard not to get reflective when one year ends and a new one begins.  I do have a few goals for this year, but I have been debating on posting them.  I just  looked at the goals I posted from the last several years.  A few I actually accomplished, a few I definitely did not. 

While it is good to put your goals out there, it also makes you feel let down when you do not accomplish them  

In 2012, I resolved to finally organize my closet, save more money with coupons, update my link buttons, update my blog look, and have more giveaways. 

I did save a lot of money in coupons that year.  Stores were still doubling, and coupons were plentiful. I also updated my blog links like here on my party theme page, and linky party page.  I do know that the linky party page needs a serious update, and many of those parties are no longer running. 

In 2013 I was ambitious and had 13 goals for the year.  Goals like post more often, schedule more, learn social media and clean/organize my craft room.  

I did accomplish a few of those goals. I shared a few of my favorite parties that year, Despicable Me/Minions, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Our Art Themed Slumber Party. I began to understand social media more, but I failed at organizing the craft room. 

I also had big plans in 2014.  I finally updated my blog design which was a 2013 goal.  I had hoped to write an E-book.  I do have four books planned, but I have not gotten past outline form. (maybe this year!)  I started my second blog Surviving the Crazy Life.  I was a contributor on two other blogs, and a writer on Examiner. It started to be hard to keep up because all three of my kids started having different health issues around the same time. We also had a lot of obligations. My oldest daughter started her Senior year, my son was on the Robotics team, and my youngest had two dance classes, extra rehearsals, and scouts. 

That brings us to 2015.   I had received some news in the summer of 2014, so I knew my 2015 was going to bring some big changes.  Because of that, I scaled back on my goals knowing they would be hard to keep. I think this was the only year that I met most of my goals, and it happened without me even trying.  My organization goal did not happen, but that is no surprise.  I am not even going to put it on my list for 2016, because I know there are more important things that I plan to work on. Plus where we are living should be temporary, and we hope to be making another move in a few months. My goal to lose weight actually happened. A few years ago I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Thyroid Disease . It caused me to gain a lot of weight, and not matter what I did, it was very hard to loose.  This year because of stress, and my thyroid changing, I lost the weight without even trying.  I stopped taking one of my medications, and I immediately lost 10-15. Over the summer/fall, I lost 20 more. I am back at my ideal weight which I am happy about, but I could do without the  extra stress.   I am following my goal of spending a lot less, basically because I have no choice.  I just do not have extra spending money to spend right now.  I am hoping that changes in 2016.  I started working as a sub in the fall, and I should be pretty busy the rest of the school year which will help.  I did not reach my goal of cooking more. Now that I am working, that will probably not happen.  I am tired at the end of the work day, especially when working with elementary kids.  They have A LOT of energy.  I usually save the nice meals for the weekends, when I have more time.  During the week it is a lot of food from the freezer, or a rotisserie chicken from the store.   2015 was exciting toward the end of the year when my post Snow Owl Ornaments went viral. I had the highest numbers I had ever seen in my years of blogging.  

Now that we are a week into 2016, I think I finally know what I what goals I want to set for this year. A lot of it has to do with the blog.  I think the changes are very doable, and will be a lot of fun for everyone.. 

Party of the Month - I have been talking this over with my daughter Kara, because she will probably help me with a lot of the ideas.  I am getting back to more party themes. I kind of dropped the ball a bit in 2015, because we were too busy and not in the mood to party.   Each month there will be a new party theme, and most of the recipes and crafts during the month will be for that theme.  There will be other posts as well, but this will help bring me more focus, and my Party Theme  page will grow with more great ideas.  In the month of January, we have chosen CANDY as the theme.  We both love candy so we are both excited to  come up with some new posts.  She would like to go the Candyland route, I would like Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,  it might end up being a hybrid of both.   There are some really big movies coming out in 2016, that have also made the party list later in the year.

Posting More - Because of everything going on in my real life last year, I did not post as nearly as I wanted to.  Now that i am working outside the home, it has been a little easier to set a schedule. It will also help having the party theme each month to help generate new ideas.  

Posting more frequently on Surviving the Crazy Life.  At the end of March, I took a hiatus from my 2nd blog.  Not really on purpose, just that life got too crazy.  My life is still crazy, but I am going to take the time to post again. 

Viral Posts -  You can never predict when or what will go viral.  I made my Snow Owl Ornaments and they went viral 2 years later when two big websites picked them up, and then MSN. I am really hoping to have a couple go viral again this year.  

Do you have any goals for the new year?  Have you already broken them a week into January.  I do a lot of one step forward, one step back, but as long as you are moving in the right direction, it is all good!