It’s that time of year again: Christmas is over, the new year is almost upon us and it’s time to start thinking about the year ahead.

I’ve written before about why I’m not a fan of new year resolutions, so this year I thought I’d write a bucket list instead as I do think it’s a good idea to focus the mind and think about the things you’d like to achieve in order to actually achieve them.

My 2017 bucket list

It’s not lengthy – with a new baby due in a few weeks there’s no point in being anything other than realistic – and it’s not grand either. In fact it contains just five things.

My 2017 bucket list

1. To feel better. At eight months pregnant I feel like I’ve spent the best part of the last year veering from one malaise to another – tiredness to sickness to exhaustion to nausea again. I keep waiting to feel ‘better’, like I did in my previous pregnancies, but it just hasn’t happened. Once the new baby arrives I’d really like to feel like my old self again, although what with the breastfeeding and the broken nights and becoming a mum of three this might be wishful thinking…

2. To be ‘just’ a mum. At the end of January I’ll be going on maternity leave for a precious 12 weeks. No more juggling work with the kids, no more getting up or staying up until silly o’clock to meet a deadline and hopefully a lot less stress. I can’t wait to be ‘just’ a mum for a few months.

3. To get a better work/life balance. I’m not entirely sure how this is going to be achieved, given I’m a stay-and-work-at-home-mum who usually works 40+ hours a week around the school and nursery runs, clubs and extracurricular activities etcetera. And there’s going to be a new baby on the scene too. I just know it needs to happen. Somehow. Lottery win perhaps?

4. Get a proper camera and learn how to use it. I’d like to do this not just from a personal point of view, but from a blogging point of view too. So far all of our family pictures have been taken on camera phones of varying quality, and ditto the majority of images on the blog. But I’m getting increasingly frustrated with them – especially when it’s dark. Our trip to LaplandUK is a perfect example of when you just don’t have the right tools for the job – the pictures are awful and could have been so much better (see Laura at Five Little Doves who did a sterling job). I know what I want to achieve image-wise, I just can’t do it with the camera I’ve got.

5. Start pitching Crummy Mummy to brands. I’m lucky enough to earn an income from my blog, but I have never approached a company or pitched an idea to a brand – all the earnings I have generated so far have been from brands and companies approaching me. I’ve got plenty of ideas but am so busy with my freelance work I never find the time to do anything about it. But if I did find the time I could earn more from the blog and then I wouldn’t need to take on so much freelance work. Which is a no-brainer.

What’s on your bucket list for 2017? Do you have any grand plans or are yours quite simple too? I’d love to know!

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You Baby Me Mummy