Bring on the New Year!!!!

There are years that ask questions and years that answer

Zora Neale Hurston

Taken from the book Simple Abundance - A daybook of comfort and joy- Sarah Ban Breathnach

How are you all feeling.  I am still trying to recover from the overindulgence which is Christmas.  It's a beautiful time of year but it takes days to recover from the excess of it all, food, wine, preparations, busyness, gift buying, gift wrapping, excited and highly sugared kids that won't go to bed etc etc.  I am sure you all know the drill so glad its all over with, done and dusted for another year.  It's actually super quiet around here as hubbie and the kids are off camping for a couple of days so I decided to brave the gym this morning after not having been for over a week.  It' disappointing how much fitness you loose just in a few days of not exercising, not fair really!!

Okay so enough complaining. It's that time of year again, yes the ending of the old and the beginning of the new. I have to confess I secretly love begining a new year. I know you can wipe your slate clean and start over any day of the year but for me there is something really special and signifcant about the new year.

Maybe its a new date 2011, maybe its a new diary and a new calender or maybe is just the chance to release what was maybe an ordinary year and affirm something new for the coming year.  Whatever it is, to me it's magical. 

The quote at the top of the page really sang out to me because I have spent the year asking questions especially to my life coach or anyone that would listen really and although I have had trickles of insight I am still not convinced.  However I am confident that the year to come will finally be the year of answers. Or perhaps I am just now all questioned out and prepared to sit back and allow the answers to come that have always been there.  So with that said I am doing what I can do whilst I wait for these magical answers and getting organised, really organised.  I am armed and ready.

I have purchased my new matching calender and diary (don't gasp I am still a paper girl no digital organising for me).   I am determined and ready.  I have also been thinking about my new word for 2011.  If you don't know the theory behind "One Little Word" for each year you can find out about it at Ali Edwards Blog.

So my new calender is perfect with really large spaces for writing all the events in, more for my hubbie so he can see what's happening and when as I mainly work off my diary.  However the calender is a central way to communicate to everyone in the house what is happening and when.

Here is my new diary, how cute is it, it has to be bright and colourful for me.  I purchased this at Doncaster Shoppingtown before Christmas it was from one of the stalls in the middle of the aisles that has calenders and diaries etc.  It wasn't cheap but I don't care, it is perfect for me it opens and sits nicely opened flat and has a week to a page, which is what I love.  I have to see my whole week at once.

The only other thing that I must introduce consistently which I dabbled in last year but failed miserably was the great advice from my life coach  (who is fabulous by the way and you can check out his blog in the link.) Is to have a set routine for each week and an agenda or list for each day.  I have to be honest I struggle with routine in my day.  Being my own boss with no one to answer too other than my customers and my husband and kids it is easy to get sidetracked and disorganised.  However this year I am really going to give it a good go and although it will take a lot to set routines in concrete in the long run it will be worthwhile as then I can slowly get the kids into their routines as well.  It all feels a little out of control at the moment.    

I am taking these few days to get super organised and make a head start of things for next year.  I know once the kids are back the next few weeks will be virtually impossible to work on any planning and organising, so I am taking the time to do it now.

I am also getting back to photo journalling a page a week. More about that to come in another post as this one is already too long.

So I hope you take the time to prepare to bring in a fabulous and wonderful 2011.  I know I am.

Anna xx