Finding Joy
Earlier this month, we lost my nephew in a car accident. My “word/phrase of the year” for 2024 is inspired by him. He was the best at making people laugh and looking for the good in everyone around him. So, I am going to strive for finding joy everywhere I look this year.
I am overdue for posting about my Girls Trip in December, and all of the fun and excitement of the holidays was overshadowed by the cold/flu bug that went through our house…and then we escaped for the first week of the year for some fun with the kids. As with last year (well, the last two years if I’m honest), I’ve been trying to live in the moment more and take things as they come as much as possible. I have also picked up a bit more actual work, and this blog is the thing that has fallen through the cracks a bit.
That said, along with my commitment to finding joy throughout this year, I want to circle back and share my experiences and advice with you all more as well.
Previous “Word of the Year” posts:
- Carpe Diem, 2023
- Team Juggling Normal: Word of the Year, 2022
- Kindness, 2022
- Team Juggling Normal: Theme Words for 2021
- Thrive, 2021
- None of us are perfect, 2020
- New Year’s Mom Goals, 2020
When I started this blog project, I wanted to share the ways that I have juggled life with kids, during the time when my husband was traveling pretty much all the time. While he is home now, and our kids are no longer littles, the Active Parenting years are so much fun – and I still have life and kid adventures to share. This last year, we survived a few rounds of cold/flu/respiratory illness, a trip to the dentist to repair a tooth that broke in half, travel for fun and baseball and events of all kinds, and more.
Each year, it seems our life gets busier. It has taken me all month to recover from the mess of Christmas, and I’m finally cleaning up the house (everywhere) today ahead of the cleaning lady coming tomorrow. Part of finding joy in everything is also trying not to stress when the house is messy, or we are gone for work or activities six days out of seven.
Taking the time to enjoy the little things – this is my goal. I want to be less of the grumpy mom that my kids accuse me of being, and more of the fun mom who plays card games and catch.
So, I challenge each of you to get out and strive for finding joy in the everyday things. This is going to be a great year – get out and enjoy life and have fun with your kids!