52 weeks to simplify your life

I was catching up on a few blogs this morning when I came accross Home Life Simplified.  Here there is a challenge just started up... 52 weeks to simplify your life. 

Now I don't think my life is particularly complicated, nor do I see myself as a negative person (anymore).  Scrapbooking has been a large part in helping me see the positives in my life and will always play a role in keeping me positive.  This challenge I think will compliment my crafting well and perhaps keep me on track when I am too busy or tired to do any scrapbooking.  It is up to Week 2, so I thought I might do Week 1 today and then in a day or so look at Week 2.  Then I will be up to date :-)

Week #1 Challenge: Create a list of everything that went “right” in 2011

I think 2011 was such a positive year for me and my family.  Darren and I seemed to be on the same page most of the year.  We had a few BIG barneys, but we seem to be able to talk through them better and listen to what the other person is saying a better too.  I think we both agree too that for a marriage to work both of us have to work at it and both of us need to make comprimises and sacrifices for the marriage and our relationship.  Not everyone agrees with me on this one... but Darren does so that's the main thing.  Towards the beginning of the year Darren was not a happy chappy.  He was not happy in his work place and felt he was being taken advantage of.  He would bring it home and it did not make for a happy homelife.  We eventually worked things out (after a massive argument) and he really did make a concious effort not to be unhappy at home, just because he was at work.  I am so proud of him for that, because I know how hard it is to do.  As the year went on his work finally signed him out (mature age apprenticeship) and he seemed to be much more content with work... at least he was being paid for what he was doing and had been doing for pretty much his entire apprenticeship.  This post is becoming rather long so I might just do the rest in point form

• The two boys enjoyed one day a week in daycare and this made my life just that little bit easier.  It gave me that little bit of time to get things done, relax and catch up on sleep from my late night shifts.
• Through daycare, kinder, speech and occupational therapy Evan has made AMAZING progress and is now ready to start school.  He is an exceptional little boy and I have completely embraced his diagnosis of Autism... there are so many things about Evan that make him special... Autism is a part of who he is and I certainly wouldn't want to change a thing about him.We finally updated Darrens tired old van to a lovely brand spanking new Holden Colorado.  Darren always says "good things come to those who wait"... drives me insane sometimes when he says this... but his right.  We have both been working hard, watching what we spend and saving when we can since we married... and now we are starting to see "the light at the end of the tunnel"... another one of Darrens favourite sayings.  But it's true... financially we really are getting to where we want to be...
• Royce is my cheeky little monkey who can make me smile when no one else can :-)  It's so hard to be angry with him (sometimes I have put on my angry mothers face when I'm pissing myself laughing on the inside) and impossible to stay angry with him for long.
• This last point leads me to probably my final point... otherwise I may be here all day.  Darren and I have been looking at what we want to do 'as a family'.  We both love the outdoors and the simple life and camping is something we both enjoy, although haven't done much of since we've been together.  But seeing some of this beautiful country of ours as a family really has become something we are both excited about... the boys are so excited too!!!  We're even looking at investing in either a camper trailer or campervan.  But for now the good ol' tent will do :-)  This friday will be our first family camping exhibition.  We're heading to Lake Colace, just for a night, for Evan's birthday.  We've already got our next date set too!  Happy, exciting times ahead!!!

Well I better stop now.  But overall, so many things went right in 2011... here's hoping 2012 is just as great :-)