What I'm Keeping from 2022

not an extensive list

I do realize I am what some would consider “late” to the game for a 2022 reflection post. I think I’ll do one anyways.

What I’m Keeping:

Relearning how to listen to my body. I spent all of my twenties becoming well attuned to listening to my body. I had 4 babies in 4 years, the last two being twins. I nursed them all for at least a year. I practiced hard work and discipline in my fitness and wellness routine with all of them, but I think my hormones were fried after the twins. I had several signs of adrenal fatigue in their first year, and I think when I stopped nursing them at 15 months, my hormones were on the fritz. I have spent the last few years trying to convince my body to work like it is still in its twenties when in reality it is 33. I decided I was going to listen to my body in the present, and not the mold I wanted it to fit from my past. I cut back on running and stopped obsessing over my pace. I went from 6-7 days of fitness/week to anywhere from 4-6. I started to fall in love with walking - which used to feel like the less efficient, therefore less worthy, form of cardio. In general, I learned to be kinder to my body and I’m going to keep doing that.

Cutting back on social media. I began deleting the Instagram app a couple years ago for breaks. I loved it. I also noticed that I often came back more sensitive to it. I also had an epiphany when my daughter drew a picture of me at school one day. It was a simple drawing of me and I was saying “God”, as in I was talking about God a lot. I found it endearing but also instantly found myself thinking how she could have just as easily drawn a photo of me holding my phone. A few weeks later, my oldest turned 9 and I could not stop thinking about how he is halfway to adulthood. I felt personally convicted to cut out the distraction of social media. After figuring out how to download all my content from Instagram, I deleted my profile last week and I’m not looking back.

Cooking Together. From June - October, our entire main level was under renovation, mainly for a kitchen renovation. In the past, I had tried to include the kids in cooking somewhat successfully. During renovation, it was not possible to really include them, so I knew once the kitchen was done, it was a priority that they were a big part of preparing meals and cleaning up. Several of our Christmas gifts centered around the kitchen (this pasta maker for Jason, this cook book and knife set for Isla). Between holiday baking, excitement over the new kitchen, and using the new gifts, being in the kitchen together is something we definitely plan on doing more of.

Manna Meals. While we lived in the messy middle of the kitchen being a construction zone, we squeezed all our pantry items, a toaster oven, an instant pot, and a cutting board into our laundry room. We grilled as much as possible and scraped meals together. We would scrub the dishes in the laundry room sink and dry them on top of the washing machine. It was utterly exhausting to meal plan. Every time a meal came together, I would rejoice inside that we had one less meal to prepare without a kitchen. We began to refer to these as “manna meals” - they were just enough to get by, and the gratitude was very real for something so fundamental.

Becoming an Activities Family. Since becoming a mom, I’ve often thought to myself, “how did my parents do it?” They took us to church activities, softball, volleyball, basketball, and music lessons. I have noticed this season of life approaching and I have been nervous as it got closer. We have done some activities here and there, but as fall 2022 approached we really had a lot on the agenda: Charles made swim team and has piano lessons; Isla is in ballet and has cello lessons; Amelia is in ballet, and Dean did a sports camp. It made for full weeknights and several full weekends as well. And honestly, I would not trade it for anything. I love seeing each of them challenged and growing in all these skills. To say I am a hard core dance mom would be accurate.

Skiing as a Family. Two years ago, I read “There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather”. For me, it was a huge perspective shift after having lived but not thrived through three Minnesota winters. Jason and I agreed we wanted to really embrace winter. Step one: get a hot tub. That was an easy yes, and to be fair I would highly recommend it. We also decided we were going to take up skiing as a family. We spent a small fortune on used gear at Play it Again Sports, and we were able to get Epic Passes with a military discount. Afton Resort is within an hour of us, so that’s been our go to place. Is it a lot of work to get 4 kids ski gear on, walk to the hill, and help them learn to ski? Yes. But there are already so many good moments and memories where Jason and I share a knowing look that says I am so glad we are doing this. I am convinced it might be one of the best things we give our kids - the ability to ski. As they get older, we can take them all over the country to other Epic resorts, and I just can’t wait.

Thrifting. Inflation hasn’t touched Costco’s hot lunch cafeteria, and if you do it right, it isn’t too bad when you thrift or shop for antiques. It’s also become a lot of fun to slowly hunt for little treasures rather than quickly buy up big box items that I end up donating a couple years later.

Crocheting. I learned over ten years ago how to crochet, but never really had the grit to stick with being bad at it until I was kind of good at it. It is fascinating how becoming a mother has taught me to press through the grit. Charles, Isla, and I took up crocheting this summer and it has been such a sweet bonding experience. It’s also my new favorite evening activity to unwind.

“Too”. When I say “I love you” to Dean, he looks at me and says “too.”

I love the idea of carrying these experiences into 2023 with us. What are you keeping from 2022?