Grow…

 
I have been doing a lot of pondering and thinking and jotting notes and research and more pondering lately. January and the New Year always seems to bring out the strive to something more in me. This year there are so many changes afoot personally and professionally with our family. I clicked on to Ali Edwards blog where she had a couple of projects that she does yearly that intrigued me. One is the One Little Word project . This got me thinking (yes more thinking!) what word do I think would suit me to work towards this year? What can apply to all aspects of our lives? I decided on Grow. Grow’s definition is …

I have mulled over it for a week or so, and the more I go back to it I think it fits perfectly for 2012.

    There is the physical aspects of literally growing bigger – both myself with the birth of B3 rapidly coming closer, The boys as they continue on as they are constantly growing and changing and learning, Daz who has decided to try and get fitter and healthier this year.

   The mental aspects for all four of us – me with striving to find new directions with my photography, challenging myself to be better in areas that I feel needs improvement and practice.

                                                             - For Daz with the new direction work has taken and the new challenges he faces in learning his new job and undertaking a series of courses to get a good grasp of his chosen field.
                                                              - For Caden who is entering year 2 this year and continuing on his schooling journey. Also to see what sports or challenges he will pursue throughout 2012

                                                               -For Tyler who starts Kindergarten this year and opens up a whole new world that he is so ready for.

For me photographically I am still trying to decide what direction I want to grow in and develop further. The two that jump to the front of my mind is Light – learn to use it, how to manipulate it, how to love it.

Specialise – I want my business to go in a certain direction this year and am in the process of setting goals to achieve this. There is so much to learn and develop that I am going to take the time to really get it clear in my head. I love it. I love the shooting, editing, the printing and producing. And that helps so much. I  think that if I didn't love it then the drive to grow would not be there.

 

For me/us personally and as a family this year are so many changes coming. I often wonder how much this new little person is going to change our lives. I know the impact having a newborn can have but I love the fact that the four of us are so eagerly anticipating B3’s arrival. The boys are so excited and are really looking forward to being big brothers. I often have people say oh you need to get so much organised than you are now to deal with three children. I think that honestly our lives work and B3 is going to slip in really well.  Daz will be travelling a bit this year with work so there is a new challenge in itself – me and the kids! I hope that we have a much healthier year this year. The last couple of years have been so tough and honestly there feels like there is a change in the air for us.

SO as part of my choosing a word to live by / be inspired by / be challenged by/  this year I am going to attempt a project 52.  I started with all good intentions last year a project 365 but I hit a lull in June and then barely picked up my camera much at all from July to October (thank you so much morning/noon and night sickness). I figure if I can aim for once a week and relatively on theme from a list of weekly challenges then I am going to be happy.  Oh I am sure that there will be a series of smaller photographic projects that I will undertake  - like the 30 days of b3, and his/her monthly photos, the sewing projects I have set myself – creating the boys quilts each to give them by the time B3 arrives. B3’s quilt, burp cloths and various other projects that may or may not happen :)

Oh and blogging. I desperately got behind last year –I think biting of more than I could chew. So I am breaking into smaller pieces and goals I have a desk calendar this year and hope to be develop into better habits of recording things on it as it sits right under my nose.

Cleaning my house. I have slowly gone insane this year with the lack or room and immense amounts of clutter that have littered our home. It has been so easy to become complacent  and think “oh I will do it later” and then when you look up later that you realise that you have 5 baskets of washing sitting waiting to be folded or the dishes from last night’s dinner are still sitting in the sink waiting to be stacked in the dishwasher. So far – this first week of January I  have been trying to be vigilant about getting on top of the washing and the cleaning. so far. I feel a small measure of success. I have had a week of a clean kitchen and finally getting on top of the mountain and mountain of washing.

 

And because a post without a photo is useless I want to share one of my boy. He is growing up so fast before our very eyes. No long a little boy, but a 7 year old that is really developing in to a charismatic, cheerful, cheeky boy that loves life.

And one of my growing belly…