The year was 2016, and Bryan and I had just moved into our “forever home.” We had two very young boys, a new house to maintain, and full-time jobs. Honestly, it was overwhelming.
To make matters worse, our neighbors were kind of like Stepford wives (in the nicest way possible!). They all seemed to have their shit together; their houses were always presentable, their children were in matching outfits, and they welcomed us to the neighborhood with “new neighbor brunch” and pies from the local farm. It was a bit surreal, to be honest.
In many ways, Bryan and I felt like we were “playing house.” So four months after moving in, it was New Year’s. We aren’t big on New Year’s Resolutions, but we decided that over the next year we were going to “become adults.”
We worked hard to put systems in place to keep the house somewhat presentable and prevent the frantic clean-up before company came over. We got serious about meal planning and cut back on takeout.
We made small, incremental changes and weren’t afraid to pivot if something wasn’t working. The year was so successful for us, and really made a difference in reducing the chaos and feeling like we weren’t just in a chronic cycle of “fake it ’til you make it.”
At the end of the year, we decided to make it an annual thing and focus on one thing each year.