You can find my 2021 goals here, my 2021 mileage totals here, my 2020 goals here, my 2020 mileage totals here, my 2019 mileage totals in this post, and my 2019 goals in this post.
I set a lot of goals because they help me accomplish things. In the past I’ve set some unrealistic goals, but I’m getting better at pinpointing things that are both important to me and achievable. Having something to work towards motivates me to keep moving and not turn into a vegetable on the couch, even when it’s really tempting because I’m so dang tired all the time (thank you, narcolepsy).
Thoughts about how things went in 2021
We all had high hopes that 2021 would be a lot better than 2020. In some ways it was, in some ways it wasn’t. Vaccines became available and we were able to do more and meet in larger groups, though there seemed to be an ebb and flow with what we were and weren’t able to do.
Mileage/1000 Hours Outside
I changed up how I track my miles this year and didn’t focus on trying to achieve a certain number of miles.
Trail running with Max kept my mileage up and I completed just under 250 miles, as opposed to 300 miles in 2020. I didn’t do any biking this year, though I did kayak about 22 miles.
I tracked my outside hours, but quickly realized it wasn’t that practical to track the boys’ hours- they’re in and out of the house during the day and it’s hard to keep track of them. I knew I wouldn’t hit 1000 hours, but I feel that my 281 hours was pretty respectable, especially since I struggled to balance indoor working time with outside time.
Hiking
I didn’t do the 52 Hike Challenge this year and didn’t specifically track our hikes. Most of our hikes as a family were with friends rather than just us. Time was a factor. There’s always more things to do than I have time and energy for.
Running
I did a decent amount of running in 2021. Most of it was trail running, which I’ve found I enjoy more than road running. It’s just easier on my joints. I thought about doing a spring half marathon, but the hip issues I had because of Max chewing on my orthotic at the beginning of the year made running the first half of the year a painful experience. I ended up only running four races- two virtual, two in person.
Running in the heat didn’t bother me quite as much as it did last year (though I also didn’t do a lot of it because I had a busy summer) though my endurance and energy levels were definitely an issue. I talked to my doc about it in early 2020 and we tried some stuff, but I wasn’t impressed with the results (or lack thereof).
Business
I rebranded my leatherwork business in January, launched my Leatherwork 101 class and held two sessions of my course. I bought a large shipment of toolkits, which was a major learning experience (import tariffs, shipping fees, shipping times, etc). I advertised with two virtual homeschool conferences and attended another in person. I taught the leatherwork merit badge for a group of Scouts and a leatherworking class at our homeschool co-op and at our church YW camp. I made good progress on my business goals and am heading in the right direction.
I lost my mojo in August, September, and October, and it finally started coming back in November and December. As I caught up on more three months worth of posts in just a couple days (I make a few notes each night about what I did that day, but it takes time to add pictures and flesh out the details), I could actually see where I started feeling more creative and started making things again, which was pretty cool.
Thoughts About What I Want To Do in 2022
Yearly Mileage/Hours Outside
I don’t think I’ll track the kids’ outside hours, since like I mentioned, it can be difficult to stay on top of. I will continue to track mine though, as I do think it helps me be more intentional with the time I spend outside.
I hit 281 hours in 2021 and I’d like to improve on that number in 2022. I also want to get to the point where I can be more consistent with my trail running with Max.
Hiking
I didn’t track the number of hikes in 2021, though right off hand I’d say we averaged only one or two hikes a month. I’d like to improve on that number in 2022, so I think I will actually track them. This falls under being more intentional with the time we spend outside.
Races
I didn’t do any long races in 2021, but I’ve already signed up for the Richmond Ragnar Trail at the end of April with one of my brothers and one of my sisters. It’s three loops totaling 15.6 miles, which is more than I’ve run since my 50k in the spring of 2020, but I’m hoping my energy levels will be improved by then. I really want to improve my consistency and my endurance as well.
I don’t have any other races I’ve signed up for yet, though I will be looking specifically for trail runs as I enjoy them more right now.
Business
2021 saw a lot of growth in my leatherwork business and there will be a lot more in 2022.
1. I’m changing my course from opening a couple times a year to being open for registration year round, which will be better for my students.
2. I will attend two homeschool conventions this spring to advertise my company. One in South Carolina and the one that I attended this year in Cincinnati.
3. I’ll focus on the marketing aspect of my business more than I have: Pinterest, email marketing, SEO, etc. To that end, I’ll also add content to the blog on my Shopify site so that I can take advantage of search engine optimization to drive traffic to my site.
4. I’ll continue to design, make, and add products to my Etsy shop and my Shopify shop. I also want to expand my merch offerings: at least one t-shirt design and some more stickers.
Scouts BSA
Sunshine is in Scouts BSA, currently at star rank. We had wanted her to earn her Eagle by the time she turns 16, which won’t happen at this point, though hopefully by the end of the summer-ish. She’s behind on her Eagle-required merit badges, so we’re focusing on those right now. I’m still registered as a merit badge counselor and am helping the troops (we have a boys troop and a girls troop) as the health form coordinator. At some point I might take a larger role, but I don’t have the time right now. I do go on as many campouts as possible, since they are usually looking for a trained female leader so the girls can attend.
Health
In 2021, I continued to struggle to stay low carb. I feel a lot better when I eat low carb, but it is a challenge when there’s so much that’s food-oriented around the holidays and other events, and I have a terrible sweet tooth.
I’ve tried a variety of supplements and other things and have a fairly good routine going. LCM amino acids in the AM, don’t sleep in, eat as close to keto as possible (the higher fat content makes it much easier than just low carb), judicious use of low doses of caffeine as needed, Plexus supplements, 7+ hours of sleep, Frankincense essential oil sublingually (not topically like I used to), a weighted blanket, regular moderate exercise, and glycine (another amino acid) before bed. I added two more amino acids (theanine and tyrosine) towards the end of the year, though I haven’t been taking them long enough to know for sure if they’re making a positive difference. I also use the Biomat and an infrared light to help with energy and the blahs. I’m much more functional than I used to be, though there’s still room for improvement, especially with my diet and my sleep schedule (I routinely stay up later than I should).
From a mental health perspective, I really struggled this year. The meds I was on helped me not feel so stressed out about everything, but it also made my anxiety a lot worse. And they didn’t help with the burnout I suffered in the fall. I struggled to be motivated enough to do the things I needed to to make my business advance the way it needs to. My executive function was definitely dysfunctional.
I’ll see my doc again at the beginning of February, and I have a list of things I’ll be asking her about. I want to see an endocrinologist to see if we can’t figure out my energy issues and why I still can’t lose weight. I want to get evaluated for ADHD. I want to see a podiatrist to find out why the big toe/ball of my foot area has been bothering me. It’s currently overshadowed by the more recent injury to the side of my foot, but I still want it checked out. I want to get my tonsils out. I keep getting tonsil stones and they’re really annoying. I want to get my blood tested to see if I have the markers for celiac disease, which is something I’ve never gotten around to doing. Hopefully I’ll get answers on most of these items and be able to move forward in appropriate directions with each.
Family
In 2021, we still struggled to use the Come, Follow Me curriculum to its fullest. We’re still in survival mode, just as we have been for years. Limited time, low energy levels, stressed out parents, high energy children, irregular schedules; they’re still combining to make it difficult to get everything done that we want to and to establish consistent habits. Consistency is the key here- we really, really struggle to be consistent. It’s very much a work in progress. After doing more reading about executive function, I feel like this is another executive function issue for me. I struggle to manage my time and easily feel overwhelmed if there’s too much going on at one time
River turned 8 last year and earlier in the year we started reading the Book of Mormon (well, I read it to him) with the goal of finishing it before he turns 8. We didn’t quite manage it (and switched to listening to it on the Church app because it was quicker), though we finished within a couple weeks of his baptism. After we finished, we started listening to it again as part of the boys’ bedtime routine. At least we’re managing to be consistent with this.
Church is in person and we all attend as usual, even Ocean, who is doing pretty well with it. We’re pretty sure he has ADHD (we’ll get him evaluated this year) but I’ve done some reading and have a better idea of how to support him and his neuro-diverse brain. It’s a learning process for all of us. Awareness has actually gone a long way towards being more tolerant of his differences. He’s not trying to be loud and thoughtless, his brain is just wired differently.
I’ve been YW President in our ward for more than two and a half years now. It has been the most challenging calling I’ve had to date (and all of mine have been challenging in one way or another) and the only one that I’ve thought (repeatedly) about asking to be released from. Zoom meetings, masks, social distancing, etc have not made a challenging calling any easier. But I’ve learned a lot, and hopefully had a positive impact on the YW.
When I got the calling it was 7 or 8 months before the youth program in the church went through some drastic changes. At the time, I had the feeling that I was there to help with the transition, just as I was called as the first RS president to get things up and running when the ward was formed. Of course, just a couple months after the big change everything went into lockdown, which has made the transition so much more challenging and drawn out. We had a new bishop called this summer and we’ve discussed my calling a couple times and I should be released in 2022, though the exact timing has yet to be decided. I won’t miss all the meetings: ward council (twice a month), ward youth council, YW presidency, class presidency, monthly meetings with the bishop, the odd meeting with a stake YW presidency member…. So.many.meetings.
Max has settled down a lot, though she still likes to steal things and chew on them and seems determined to kill herself by eating something she shouldn’t. It’s fun to see her personality and how it meshes with our family.
We started taking karate classes in May 2021 and within a month or so committed to earning our black belts. That will take about 3 years, so we should have our black belts by summer 2024. This has proven to be a really good family activity as we spend time together driving to and from classes and practicing together, both in and out of class. We earned our yellow, orange and green belts in 2021 and should be able to advance 6 more ranks in 2022.
