2013 - A shiny New Year

I'm always excited by a New Year. After the excess of Christmas, both in terms of food and new possessions, the New Year means a new diary, a blank page and a fresh start.

I'm in a very different place than I expected to be this time last year - a stay at home Mum. Although my redundancy took place a couple of months ago, the children stayed in part-time childcare until we went on holiday, and then with the holiday and Christmas it hasn't really had time to sink in. Harry starts at a new, local pre-school in January for three afternoons a week, then he will start school in September. We are keeping Mia out of childcare for the time being. She is on the waiting list to start at Harry's nursery when she is 2 in May but, assuming that I am not working, I will probably keep her at home with me for a little longer.

I am really looking forward to the opportunity to spend some extra time with Mia, especially now that she is past the baby stage. It will also be good for her to have me to herself for a bit, as I feel that she is often pushed aside by Harry's insistence to be heard, leading to her becoming stroppy and frustrated. I'm also determined to make the most of Harry's last few months before he starts school, it's a precious time which I don't want to waste.

We've been doing some decorating over the last few days, and emptying out rooms is always a good opportunity to take stock of your possessions. I'm pretty good about taking things off to the charity shop, but there is plenty in the house that doesn't need to be here and could benefit others. I also need to reorganise a bit and make sure that the children have the age appropriate toys in their rooms - there are lots of Harry's old toys that Mia would love to play with now but that have been buried amongst all the other things.

I'm also intending to concentrate on myself a bit over the next year. I started the Day Zero Project and I have a list of things that I want to do over the next couple of years. I've been making preparations - just before Christmas a new Hobbycraft opened literally around the corner, and armed with a 25% voucher I spent most of my Christmas money in advance on things that I needed. I've already completed 8% of the list, and it would be great if I could complete 50% by the end of the year.

I'd like to wish all my readers a Happy New Year, I appreciate each and every one of you and may 2013 be a fantastic year for you, full of everything that makes you happy.