If you’re a keen reader of parenting blogs, you may have seen lots of bloggers writing 18 things for 2018 blog posts. It’s taken me this long to jump on the bandwagon, so please indulge me on this one.

I was tagged by Cassie from Lily’s Little Learners to come up with 18 things for 2018 and I’m tagging Karen from That Lancashire Lass and Liz from Expression and Confession. I wonder what their goals and plans are for 2018?

The 18 things for 2018 thing is a goal setting / wish list kind of thing. I’m not really a goal setter, nor am I much of a creator of wish lists, but here are 18 things I’d like to do/see/achieve/eat/drink/remember forever from this coming year.

18 things for 2018

One. 
Let’s start off with my blog shall we? I hereby promise to try to write more interesting content. In 2018 I hope you will read and enjoy more recipes, more craft blog posts, more travel, more interesting days out and more things to do kind of blog posts.

There will be a few reviews, some sponsored posts (they keep the bank happy) and hopefully some surprises for you and for me along the way. But definitely more food and more crafts, because I like writing about them and if this blog isn’t at least keeping me happy, then it’s no use nor ornament to anyone else.

Two.
Spend more time with Ben. He’s 7 now, he’s still happy to hang out with me, so this year I’m going to squeeze every drop of enjoyment out of spending time with him. We have a few Mother and Son trips booked and plans to bake, craft and build lots of LEGO together. He’s ace and full of love for life, who wouldn’t want to hang out with that?

Three.
Walk the dog more. We got the dog to keep me company and encourage me out of my office and down by the river throwing balls. But she grew and grew and grew much bigger and stronger than she was meant to and I struggled to walk this big strong dog. But I love being out with her, she doesn’t so much run, but she bounces and prances along and she has me in stitches. This year I plan to walk her more often, weather and my pain levels permitting.

Four.
This year my work/life balance needs to be significantly improved. I want to take an afternoon off a week and do something nice with a friend. I want to not be hunched over the laptop or glued to my iPad working all the time. It can be miserable and I don’t want to be miserable. I want to drink coffee with another adult and laugh about something, anything.

Five.
I want to lose a bit of weight. I say this every year but no significant progress is made. Each year I maybe drop a couple of pounds and keep them off across the year, which is the right kind of direction, but not a big enough change for my liking. I’ll never be skinny, but if I could be a bit more comfortable in my skin that would suit me.

Six.
Following on from five, I’d like to start doing some regular exercise again. I’m not sure what, swimming or Pilates would be my preference, but we shall see.

Seven.
I’d like to be healthier this year. 2017 was a pretty poorly year for me. I spent most of it snuffling into tissues, battling chest infections and sore throats. It was mostly the kind of low-level stuff which makes you miserable but isn’t bad enough to warrant taking to your bed for a few days. Let coughs, colds and nasty bugs be gone, more health and vitality please!

Eight.
One thing I’m very keen on looking at is how we can reduce our plastic usage in the home. We’ve always been keen recyclers, but our local council are very limited on the kinds of plastic they can recycle and honestly I’d rather use less of the stuff across the board to begin with. This is going to take some thought and planning, so leave it with me and lets see how I do.

Nine.
This year I want to be a better friend. Last year I was under the weather and antisocial. I was also grieving hard about my Dad. The only way I could deal with all of that was to hide myself away. My social life really suffered and I said no or made excuses for so many things. This year I want to say yes a bit more and be there for my friends.

Ten.
In 2016 we had our first foreign holiday as a family. We went to Majorca for a week and we had a lovely, lovely holiday. Although we have a few UK breaks lined up, I’d like to jet off somewhere warm with the boys for a week. I’m not sure when or where, but I think we deserve a sunshine break this year.

Eleven.
This year I’d like to properly get the hang of Pinterest. I love it, I’d spend an hour a day looking at pretty things on there if I could, but I want to figure out how I can use it to properly promote my blog.

Twelve.
Be tidier and more organised. I’m fed up of working in a slightly chaotic office space, with boxes and press releases everywhere and a stack of filing waiting for me. I want to be on it and organised this year. Or I need a PA to do it for me. CV’s to the usual address please, can pay in biscuits.

Thirteen.
I’d like to learn a new craft this year. I’m especially interested in something like screen printing, lino print, string art or something like that. I’d like to do a bit more sewing (current sewing level: sewing buttons back on cardigans) and maybe learn how to use a sewing machine, even at a basic level. I have three machines in the house, so some idea of how to use them might be helpful!

Fourteen.
Ah photography. I keep flirting with it and then running away scared. I’ve got a bit of an idea about what I’m doing, but not enough for me to effectively put it into practice. I need to bite the bullet and just do it properly.

Fifteen.
It might be nice to spend some time with my husband. We never go on date nights or spend much time together as a couple. Two self employed people with a child and a dog is a recipe for being too busy. It’s time he took me out for a slap up meal dammit!

Sixteen.
Read more. I used to read and read and read. These days I’ve more or less stopped reading. It’s purely down to time really, but if I’m on holiday or on a break, I’d like to try and read a book or two this year. How hard can that be?

Seventeen.
Declutter. Like my office, my house has a tendency to fill with clutter. It’s time to put a stop to that and it’s time to have a sort out, a chuck out and a good clear down. Will 2018 be the year I stop shouting about all the stuff dumped on the stairs? (I doubt it).

Eighteen.
Stop. I’d like to just stop working so hard and running around like a mad thing trying to keep on top of life and just enjoy it a bit more. Enjoy the people I love and spend time with them doing things which will make memories. I’d like to stop, just for a bit each day or week and just be. That would be nice.

How do you think I’ll get on with my 18 things for 2018? I have high hopes for some and more realistic (low) expectations for others. We’ll see…