Word for 2014

Egads!  My last post was September!  Well, that's what happens with a little Sprout undertow.  He's getting so big, and nearly 8 months old!

I've read so many great posts from bloggers who have chosen a word or phrase as their motto for 2014.  The Conductor and I did this last year and really liked it.  We found that it was so much more realistic to choose a mindset rather than a (typically) unattainable goal.  Last year mine was "Organize" and I did a ton of organizing and developing good routines for our household.   The Conductor's was "Waste Not Want Not" and with that in mind, and with me organizing much more, we were able to make better use of space and better use of our resources.  

This year, his word is "Learning" because he wants to make an effort to learn new skills, especially ones that will allow us to be more self-sufficient.  

Here he is teaching himself computer programming.  Wow!

My mantra for 2014 is "Plan Ahead".  Working full time with an 8-month old at home seriously limits my time and energy and I've found myself slacking off on the chores, cooking healthy meals, and my hobbies just from lack of planning.  And I've wasted so much precious free time just from having no plan, or from not having supplies on hand or a schedule set.  

And I need to get into the habit of planning ahead because my time and energy will be even MORE limited before too long...

Yep.  I am expecting AGAIN.  Number 2 is actually due on the Sprout's 1st Birthday in May!  Couldn't've planned that better if I tried!  

Talk about needing to plan ahead!