I guess this is Part II of the last post. So much happened in 2013 (as with all of us).
The kids.
My true Blessings.
Mr 12 had a great sporting year. Cricket, football, cricket. Every Aussie boy’s dream year. His football team made the finals but lost. They weren’t given much hope at the start of the season, so that was a tremendous effort. He took his first wicket in the final innings of the final day of cricket…FINALLY!! Luckily we were all there to see it. He had a fab year at school too. Last year of Primary school (Yr7) was full of major achievements – most involved his witty comebacks, leaving his teachers in stitches most of the day. We look forward to the next 5 years of high school….slaptick comedy and all!
Mr 10 met all his educational, social and community goals for 2013. If you get a chance, have a read of a Special School kid’s report card. It may force you to petition for an increase in pay for Spekky teachers. He really came alive and his humorous personality is shining through. He loves swimming and riding his bike. He’s nearly off the training wheels but not quite aware of road rules. I changed how we give him medication and it has paid off. Trust a Mother’s Intuition! So after having the same gorgeous teacher the last 3 years, he moves onto a different teacher but with some old classmates so hopefully the transition won’t be too difficult.
The one millstone was my own health that I mentioned in the last post. I needed to lose 5kgs by the end of the year. Came close but…..
Next week I chat to a personal trainer who I’ve admired for many years. She’s a mum and she’ll understand what I need and what I’m willing to do considering the work I put in with the family. I’m seriously over ambitious PTs who don’t take an individual’s needs into account. I used to be able to get into shape easily, but since about the age of 42, I’ve noticed a significant change in how my body reacts to stress. It now does the opposite – thanks for nothing! Look forward to updates on exercise during the year as well….or not, because you know, things may change haha!!
Another millstone was memory keeping (nothing to do with my memory….just recording it…sheesh!) I used to scrapbook… a LOT! I did work for a magazine here in Australia for a stint but one day realised I didn’t enjoy it or the “industry” surrounding it. I stopped taking photos of anything! I found it a chore to take the camera out.
When Mr 12 had to do an Autobiography Album (birth to now) in Term 4, I thought it would be easy.
And it was, until we got to the last couple of years. Very few memories recorded or photographed. We both agreed it was a horrible thing. We both agreed to do something about it and so one a month from now on, we’ll be sitting down to record the best bits from the previous month. He even wants to do an album just for Mr 10 so one day he can show people what his boyhood was like, in case he still can’t speak. Makes you want to cry, right?
And that’s why I threw caution to the wind and bought the camera for my birthday.
Do you have a way of making peace with the year before launching into new year resolutions or goals? In the past most of my methods involved girlfriends and copious amounts of alcohol….in the past!
Next post I’ll share a great little creative project by Jennifer Lee that helped me recognise all the good stuff that happened so I can clear the decks for more good stuff in 2014.
And I’ll reveal my One Little Word…..and maybe some other projects I’ve embarked on to keep me on track and motivated (and away from the liquor cabinet).
Stay bright and fresh!
xx Giovanna
Giovanna Scott artist 
Have you seen the Becky Higgins Project Life stuff. http://beckyhiggins.com/about-project-life/ I saw it at Spotlight. Not cheap but I love the idea that you just slot in paper, photos, journalling and that’s it. Seriously considering it since my digital family scrapbook has only reached 2009 as of this moment lol
I really enjoyed this post. Good for you losing your weight before Christmas. I lost about 6kg before Christmas and put 2 back on – but it’s gone again already. I need to keep moving though. I’ve downloaded an app called the 7 minute workout. I’ll see how that goes. Crazy isn’t it? I am ex-PT (not that you can tell by looking at me) and I just can’t motivate myself to exercise these days.
Good job to your boys. You have one going into high school as well. Is he looking forward to it? My girl certainly isn’t.
Thanks for following and checking in on my blog. Much appreciated you know. Hope I don’t bore you too much. Been meaning to ask if you want to be part of my Fellow Blogger series? Just let me know if you do.
Have a great night. 🙂
Hi Suz, thanks for dropping in. Yes we’re doing PL but making our own cards. We have stacks of paper! I was contemplating digi-PL but there’s something more real about paper and conversation at a table. I need to keep the lines of communication open with my teenage son. This is a good regular task we’ve committed to. Sounds like an interesting app – let me know how it goes! My son is looking forward to high school and all that goes with it. He’s also a little anxious about the amount of work. Good thing his Mum is a high school teacher (wink wink).
I’ve been thinking about your series too. It’s been great fun following everyone. Maybe February?
Xx Gi
Ha ha… haven’t started the app yet. Does downloading it count as exercise?
I was going to finish up the series at the end of January but I’ll make an exception and run your specially in Feb if you like. I’ll make a note on my planner to contact you 😉
lol at the stacks of paper. You should see the paper racks that I can’t part with. So did you buy the basics of the PL stuff?
Yep, just the album and inserts. Yep, downloading counts haha! Drop me a line for sure. I have some respite the next couple of weeks so should be fine!
Okay, I’ll look into that. It sounds like a perfect plan for me to catch up on my books. Or start from now and then fill in the gap later.
Enjoy your respite. Rest and recharge 🙂
I stopped taking photos too and when I look back at months where I hadn’t taken many and it makes me sad too. I started PL at the beginning of 2013 and I still had weeks where I barely took a photo, but I’m getting better and back into it more. Even hubby is offering to take photos, even if it is just with the phone! But it’s something and I’m slowly getting back into documenting. Yes, the industry can suck the life out of you, but when I look back over my albums, I just love them and I can’t imagine not scrapping. 🙂
Totally agree Beth. It’s almost like taking a sabbatical, moving away from it to recharge. There was a time I could never imagine either of us being photo-less, but here we are! Hope you find your scrap mojo again Beth xx
Hey Beth,
Sorry, you went into my spam folder – fancy that!!! Haha.
I hope we both get into the habit again. Today, I found a USB with photos from 03 and 04. Made me a little teary.
Will I see some PL layouts on your blog soon? I’ll share mine if you show us yours LOL.
xx Gi