2017,  Family

The 2017 Wrap Up

What an amazing, huge, emotionally charged, crazy year!   How does one really evaluate a year that has been so big in so many ways!!!  If I was to link a song to this year, I think I would probably choose Myley Cyrus’s ‘Wrecking Ball’ song!  2017 came in like a wrecking ball!

At the start of 2017, I had a lot of ideas for how I wanted the year to play out – things I wanted to do personally, and a number of things I wanted to achieve for our family.  I knew it was going to be a little challenging to do it all, but I think I realised by March – achieving my goals for this year was going to be more than a little tricky.

My mums husband, our step father, was diagnosed with MND (motor neurone Disease) in the April of 2016.   My mum was his loving and incredibly faithful carer who patiently looked after him till the day he died (June 2017) – fourteen months post his diagnosis.   The first half of this year was all about helping mum where ever possible, and the second part of this year has been about helping and looking after mum as she gets used to her new life without her husband.   I must say that I am so thankful that she also has a group of friends and her ukulele group.   This has really helped her this year.

This year was a big homeschooling year for our family.   Our second year with the Faith school of DE.   We have a wonderful teacher who lives about half an hour away and she comes and helps ‘Mr 6’ on a Thursday morning for an hour.  We have seen his progress jump ahead, so while I am not yet ready to jump in to next years work,    I think 2018 will be a good school year.    The girls are doing well.  Miss 11 finished primary school this year, so in 2018, I am officially a middle aged mum of three high school girls and a little man who will be in year 2.   I’m trying not to think about the middle aged part though.

Now I must say that there were high lights throughout the year.   Going back to church being one of them.   Extended family catch ups, and meeting new friends were another.

We had two weeks away on the Gold Coast this year, which we thoroughly needed and loved.   The first week we stayed at the Alpha Sovereign in Surfers Paradise, and the second place was the Sandy Point Beach Resort, Labrodor, which was fabulous. While staying at the Sandy point beach resort, Hubby took the kids out on a boat for a few hours, and I stayed back with Miss 15 who gets motion sickness.    I would have loved to have gone on the boat, but I didn’t feel comfortable leaving Miss 15 alone.   I also didn’t want to be the driver of the boat, so hubby couldn’t stay back with Miss 15.  We also hired stand up paddle boards and the kids thoroughly enjoyed mucking around in the water together.   It was a lot of fun.    It was what we all needed – a chance completely unplug. And unplug we did!!

For a while this year, I felt quite displaced in life.  I knew what I was meant to do regarding homeschooling etc, but I felt disconnected.   My life is busy being a mum and I work hard trying to be all things to each area of my life.  It’s overwhelming sometimes! It’s also opposite of my ultimate plan.   My goal for life is to live simply, calmly, connected, mindfully, and intentionally.  The holidays have been good to reset my lifestyle, my thoughts, my over activated adrenal glands, and to get back to that place of contentment.   I am trying to teach myself that it is possible to keep calm and at peace ~ despite the raging storm outside. The raging storm are our expectations, commitments, life pressures and sometimes people, who cause us unnecessary grief. Basically anything causing us anxiety.  Going to back to church this year has certainly helped Mumma to calm the farm and keep perspective.    Let’s just say that looking up rather than outward helps us in so many ways.

So here we are at the end of 2017.  Can you believe it?  LOL

To finish, I thought I would do a little word association questionnaire to finish up.

Favourite:

Christmas Present –   The 101 Conversation Starters for Families (Gary Chapman and Ramon Presson), and my cordless earphones from the Reject shop!!

Movie –  Wonder Woman

Song – So Will I, by Young and Free

Tv Show – When Calls the Heart, and The Flash

Book – The Insanity of God, by Nik Ripken.

Author – Gretchen Rubin

Superhero – The Flash, Wonder Woman

Restaurant – Vapianos (Surfers Paradise)

Boardgame – The Game of Life

Quote –  “…In its original Latin form, sacrifice means to make sacred or to make holy. I wholeheartedly believe that when we are fully engaged in parenting, regardless of how imperfect, vulnerable, and messy it is, we are creating something sacred.” ― Brené Brown

Also,

The Prayer of St Francis of Assisi

“Lord, make ma na instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned.
It is in dying that one is raised into eternal life.

Bible verse –  Philippians 4:6   “Do not worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done”.

Home made dinner –  Big Salad with chicken

Dessert – Vapianos white chocolate cheesecake with a caramel sauce and smashed violet crumble on top.

Podcast – Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Here we are at the end of another year. We are about to embark on a brand new year.  It is rather exciting to think about what a brand new year might bring? In a few days it is going to be 2018 – I wonder how long it will take me to get used to writing an 8 instead of a 7?   I am hoping the craziness of this year doesn’t  continue into the new year.   Bring on 2018 without the crazy!!!

How are you spending the last couple of days of 2017?    Do you have a word or a plan for the new year?

Happy New Year!

 

 

 

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