I love the new year. I don’t much like dull, drizzly January, but I do like the new year. It’s time to reflect on the year gone by and to set some intentions for the next 12 months. Here is last year’s blog for comparison.

Blogging. Last year I aimed to write 65 blogs and I managed 67! This year I’d like to average one every 5 days, which is 73. I also had 13k views in 2024, and I’d like to at least match that this year.

Sleeping. I need to get better at going to sleep earlier. The trouble is, I’m naturally a night owl. Evening comes and I have energy and my mind works well. But this way of being just doesn’t work when you live with small humans who like to be up far earlier than I want to be! I don’t want to end up burnt out again, so I’m going to try and shift my day so that it starts about 90 minutes earlier. That means I need to be asleep, not heading to bed, by 11pm.

Reading Challenge. This will be the 5th year I’ve participated in a reading challenge. Last year I read 60 books, most of them children’s. Over the year, I obviously read far more than that, but I never count books I’ve read before. I’d be up to about 400 if I counted every time I read Dear Chocosaur, Princess Poppy or The Great Cheese Robbery! So, I’m going to aim for 1 a week again, and if I manage to read more than 52 new books, that will be a bonus.

Sermons. The trouble with sermons is that sometimes things happen in the world, which make a sermon prepared in advance inappropriate and out of touch. But, I do think that the truth of the Gospel is timeless. So, with that in mind, I’m going to be drafting sermons further in advance (some before I go back to work, shhhh), and then edit and polish them the week I’m going to be preaching.

Exercise. I’m about to embark upon a 90 day programme with my old Sweaty Mama instructor. It’s a big investment in me, and I’m hoping it will help me get into good habits which will improve my fitness. I don’t know exactly what exercise will look like once the programme is complete, but I’m committed to making it a regular and permanent part of my lifestyle going forward.

Family time. Nathan and I have both been really good at prioritising 5-7 every day for family time. Occasionally is slips when emergencies come up or when the day just runs away with itself. I’d like to carry on with this commitment, but I’m also aware that as Sophia starts school in September (!), timings may vary as she starts an extracurricular activity or two. So daily family time is still essential, but it might look a bit different towards the end of the year.

Christmas. I’ve just had a really nice Christmas. Much as I missed the buzz of leading a church community through the Christmas season, December 2024 was much less fraught and far more peaceful. I’m determined that December 2025 will be more like this. I’m not planning to do less in church, but I am going to have everything to do with Christmas prepared further in advance. I don’t think we set a good example if our children barely see us and we do nothing but growl at our spouses our the festive season. I am absolutely determined not to be as stressed or as busy at Christmas time as I was in 2023. It doesn’t honour God, church or the people we live with. I will do better by starting prep earlier.

Boundaries. As you may have seen, I ended up in a bit of a mess towards the end of my pregnancy. My mental health fell off a cliff. Much as i think this can be linked to pregnancy hormones, it didn’t happen in isolation and my inability to hold firm to my boundaries was part of the problem. I’m good at keeping boundaries for Sophia and Aidan, and even Nathan. I am not so good at sticking up for myself. But again, what example do I set if I just crumble when people push at my boundaries? So, in 2025, I’m resolved to communicate my boundaries clearly and to be kind but firm in sticking to them.

Bible. I’ve started reading and blogging my way through the Bible. I’m about to finish Leviticus, so it would be great to get to Revelation by the end of the year (although I know this is ambitious!).

So, with all that in mind, I’m closing this blog with a prayer.

Heavenly Father, for bringing me through 2024, I think you. For mistakes made, I ask you to forgive me and help me to learn from them. I look to you in the year to come. In the highs and the lows, help me to be singing your praise on 31st December 2025. Amen.

Cover photo: TimHill on Pixabay