Being Mum

My Birthday Bucket List

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Every year I write a list of things I want to achieve before my next birthday, I call it THE BIRTHDAY BUCKET LIST.

So often we roll from birthday to birthday without setting time aside to intentionally pursue personal goals. I don’t mean professional achievements or parenting milestones, I’m talking intimate triumphs that make you do a happy dance when you start to plan them.

I have found the Birthday Bucket List to be a really useful way to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone. Now that I’m a mother I think it’s going to be an important part of my self care.

So here it is, my Birthday Bucket List aged 29.

  1. Complete 6 Sewing Projects – sewing is one of the things that makes me happiest, sadly I have zero natural ability and become easily frustrated, two unfortunate truths which don not a happy marriage make. This year I really want to make an effort with my hobby
  2. Adjust my lifestyle to be greener – For a long time I’ve been feeling a nagging sense of guilt every time I empty the bin, this year I want to find as many ways as possible to cause less damage to our lovely Earth. 
  3. Go vegetarian – it’s crunch time! I’ve been threatening this for years! Number 3 and number 4 both feel very relevant to our Montessori lives.
  4. Spend only on ‘essentials’ for one monthCoffee is not an essential. Wine is.
  5.  Spend 21 consecutive days looking after my skin – its embarrassing that at 29 I can barely hold down a 3 Step Skin Routine. Really embarrassing! 
  6. Return to a place that meant a lot to me – I’m lucky enough to have happy memories all over the world, this year I’d like to return to a place that I haven’t been to in a long time and rekindle some of that joy, like a middle-aged fling with a childhood sweetheart.
  7. Complete a Personal Fitness Challenge – pre-baby I worked out all the time and had the abs to prove it. Post baby? I can hardly lift a dumbbell!
  8. Read around Ireland – 
  9. Have a make over – never once in my life have I tried a new look! I’ve never dyed my hair or had my make up done. Tis criminal!
  10. Do a dance class – oh dear, its been a long time since I was in a leotard!
  11. Visit the MuseumAlfie is one and has never been in a museum, mortifying! Fixing this asap! 
  12. Research and visit Newgrange – I’ve been fascinated with Newgrange and Ireland’s ancient history for a long time but I’ve never found the time to sink my teeth into it, it’s like a knowledge itch I can’t scratch!

This year a lot of my goals revolve around finding time to care for myself and taking back some of passions I compromised for parenthood. (For how I manage this on a daily basis you can check my post The Mother Load – 3 Simple Ways To Avoid Mom Burnout)

I’m desperately trying to avoid the cliches of being a stay at home parent (nothing to discuss but my kids, wane, ragged appearance, drinking gin before dark) while avoiding the loathsome stereotypes of the Stepford Wife (selfish amounts of self care, veiny ‘gym fingers’, prosecco and crab meat al fresco at noon).

Fred makes a list of his own, some items we share, some we keep to ourselves!

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