Happy New year beauties! Here’s to a wonderful 2016 for us all.  I hope you all had fun ringing in the new year last night.  I was sat in my PJs watching Luther and the fireworks from my window while sipping on prosecco and eating sticky toffee pudding, so rock and roll!

I can’t really complain about the way things went in 2015, yes it wasn’t perfect and in many aspects not as great as we would have hoped.  We were faced with some tough decision-making, hardship and many lows, however always one looking for the silver lining I can safely say the positives outweigh the negatives.  

Like always I like to look back on the year gone by as it allows me to focus on the positives and helps me put the right step forward in creating an awesome 365 days.  To go forward, it’s always best to see where you have been and I’ve been reflecting on some of the key areas in my life in 2015. 

Being a Mama

Since turning 1 in October, Aiden has come on in leaps and bounds, such a clever happy little boy who is just a delight.  I’m so thankful to have him in my life.  As he reaches each new milestone, it’s a strong reminder how fast the time is passing and how important it is to create memories to cherish.  Last year we celebrated his arrival in our lives with his christening and then a first birthday party, both such special days.

Fourteen months on I still consider myself a new mum, each day brings up a new challenge and it’s an incredible journey and I still feel like such an amateur.  I’ve come to realise that I may not be the perfect mum, but I’m Aiden’s mum and there is no greater feeling.  Every decision I make is centred around him with his best interests in mind.  My confidence as a mum is growing as he grows and each new day feels like a new adventure.

Family life

All new parents will know that having a baby completely changes the dynamics of your house and relationship.  On the days when Alfie is home we tend to tag team looking after AJ to get things done, meaning that we spend less time together.  We have enjoyed some lovely family days out though such as our first family trip to the beach, a mini-break in Wales, my mums wedding, topped off with a big family Christmas.  

A lot of changes happened for us this year including a house move which I was pretty emotional about because our house in Oxford is where we brought our baby boy home.  I’ve definitely become more sentimental since having a baby!  We also bought a new family car, which we adore and makes carting Aiden’s things easier.  

Health & Well-being

The past 12 months haven’t been my healthiest, other things have prioritised eating well such as our house move and busier times.  During periods of unhealthy feasting, I always manage to balance these out with a few days of eating nourishing foods and then finding a balance again.  I’m actually really proud of my attitude to food these days because a few years ago I would have freaked out if I’d been unhealthy for too long. I’ve now found my version of healthy – it’s not everyone’s bag but it works for me!

Fitness

My relationship with fitness was rough in the latter half of 2015.  After quitting the gym, I found a new love of running and ran my 5K Race for Life that I really enjoyed.  Since moving down south, I’ve fallen into a workout funk that I’m hoping to get on top of in 2016.  These days I’m very much about doing what I can when I can, rather than forcing myself to workout which takes the fun out of it for me.  Having a break from working out is just as good as a workout itself and I like to remind myself of this from time to time.  

Skipping workouts may not seem like the typical attitude of a healthy living blogger, but I think knowing what’s best for your body is part of being healthy. If you don’t agree, that’s fine, but this is my version of healthy after all! 

Self-care & Personal Development 

Likewise with my fitness and healthy eating, sometimes my self-care practices have taken a back seat and I feel that I haven’t prioritised it as much as I would have liked to in 2015.  Life gets in the way, but at least, I now appreciate the importance of self-care and love and the amazing impact that it can have on my approach to life and how it makes me feel – definitely an epiphany moment at the start of 2015 for me and will be a key focus this year too. 

Editing the way that I view things and reviewing specific processes in my life has also helped me become a more relaxed person. I’m known to be a bit OCD and a bit of a stress-head at the best of times and creating a more minimalistic space and getting rid of our crap has been a God-send in creating a calming space to live in and has done wonders for my health and wellbeing. 

Blogging & Biz

I can’t stress enough how much I love what I do.  It was a big risk totally changing career paths from something that I had invested in so heavily to blog full-time and freelance, but I’m so glad that I did. I’m always amazed by the opportunities that the universe brings my way and I will always be eternally grateful to you all for your love and support.  

2015 has been quite an epic year for the blog and I couldn’t be more overwhelmed by it all.  We underwent a massive revamp, launched a monthly newsletter and my first ever e-guide!  I’ve worked with some wonderful brands over the last 12-months and been honoured to be a part of some brilliant campaigns. Excitingly, my freelance work and recipes have been featured in some amazing online publications and in print too.  I’m really hoping to build on this year’s successes and have some awesome plans for the blog and a couple of changes that I’m excited to introduce very soon. 

Well, I hope you’ve all had a wonderful festive season and I hope that you’re all ready for a kick-ass new year! I’ll be returning next week to my usual blogging schedule after a much-needed hiatus over the Christmas period, so I will see you then! 

What have been your highlights over the past year?  Do you feel that you would do anything differently in 2016?