What went right in 2011? - SYL. Week# 1

Like many others, I joining in with Debra Dane over at Home Life Simplified and her Simplify Your Life 52 week challenge. click on the button to visit and check it out.

Here's what she has to say about the challenge for Week 1.

At this time of year most people are focused on what they want to change, where they feel they failed or did not meet their expectations or previous “resolutions”.

We will start in the same tone as my blog and this challenge – positivity! 

What you focus on will grow and as much as you are here for change I can bet money that you had some successes and blessings in 2011.

For me, 2011 was an interesting year.  There were a few things that made me 'stuck' but I also had things which made me happy. Some examples are my family, coffee with friends, coffee (it's my adult or just plain old me time), helping children in Girl Child's class and our long awaited holiday to New Zealand. I think perhaps I wrote most of these things down when I linked up with Maxabella in her Grateful for. I felt at peace, when I got enough sleep and when life was stable and when I had enough me time to replenish myself.  Taking me time helped me related better to other and most importantly to my family.

I ended up spending a lot of the year having semi regular coffee dates with other Mums from school.  One who was already a friend but a few others became friends.  That was lovely and some of us managed to catch up for dinner twice during the year.  That is not something I would have really done previously.  I also pushed out of my comfort zone by going to some Nutrimetics demonstrations and actually learning how to apply makeup.  I managed to catch up with Leanne from Deep Fried Fruit a few times for lunch and it was great to talk blog stuff as most of my IRL friends don't know that I blog.  I raised about $1200 for the Leukemia Foundation by shaving my head.  But before I did that I was brave and had multicoloured hair for a few weeks and then a Mohawk for a few more before I shaved it off as well.  I had the Mohawk done at Girl Child's school assembly which I am very proud of because I tend to like to be in the background.  It's a little hard to do with multicoloured hair!  Best of all I wrote 50,000 words of a novel in November for NaNoWriMo.  That was very impressive.

Boy Child started High school (Year 7) in a school which we felt would meet his needs better than the local high school.  I was very relieved that it did meet his needs and he blossomed academically and received a Faculty Award for Year 7 for English.  He managed to catch the bus and cope much better than we thought he would with public transport, a new school and making new friends.

Girl Child made friends and her reading ability was recognised on at least two occasions. With her dance and gross motor activities she has grown in terms of strength and flexibility. She is maturing and that has been very noticeable socially as she has been invited to play dates and had friends accompany her to the pool.

We had a lot more contact with the extended family on both sides and lots of contact with my family during school holidays and for family occasions.  My children seem to be building a positive relationship with the other children in the extended family which is lovely to see.

So it seems that 2011 was more positive than I expected.  I am very grateful for that.