Happy New Year!!!!!

Happy New Year from Wining Wife®! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that you’re ready for all the things that 2018 will bring. I’m looking forward to writing more about life as I know it in the coming year.  Here’s a quick recap of where I’m at.

• We added baby 4 to our family in May. I wound up with preeclampsia; luckily they caught it early enough to where it never became severe – and I was far enough along to where we could induce and Miss Ladybug is super-healthy and the happiest little gal. 
• We also sent our oldest off to college. He’s loving it there. I had a harder time adjusting than I’d thought I would. I wrote about it for Raising World Children.  In addition to a 19 year old and an 8 month old, we have a 4 year old and a 2 year old. It gets pretty wild up in here! (What better reason to try new wines is there?)
• Last year, I lost over 60 pounds and 22.5″ after starting to run again as part of a great running club.  I’ve signed up for a 12k in March and a half marathon in October, and I’m really looking forward to those races. I’m aiming to do a race each month.  I’m also thinking about adding hot yoga and boxing to my workout routine. 
• I suffered from postpartum depression hitting pretty hard again at the end of the year – I’m glad I was running as it helps out a lot with the depression and anxiety. I also started using a team of planners, which is helping me to feel on top of everything that needs to get done. 
• I started writing for a couple startups I’m really excited about. 
• During NaNoWriMo, I completed just over 33,000 words of a novel, Dances With Crazy, that I’m hoping to finish over the next month.
• I took a break from my handmade business so I had time to let go of  some things as I adjusted to being a mom of four, with a newborn and one who flew the nest. 

My word of the year for 2017 was “reclaim.” I wanted to take a moment and start to re-gather myself after having 3 kids in 4 years. I think I’ve done a good job toward that goal with starting to run again and working with Wining Husband to get our personal library set up and start making personal changes to our house we bought in 2016.  I also signed up for some beauty box subscriptions, and so I was able to rebuild the makeup wardrobe that my 4 year old destroyed when she was being a curious 2 1/2 year old. 

My word of the year for 2018 is “conquer.” This is the year I will conquer my fears. I will conquer my goals. I will be the best me I can be and really forge ahead. 

What are you looking forward to in 2018? Have you chosen a word of the year?