Turning 30 - My Plans for the Future

Turning the big 30 and starting my thirties in lockdown wasn't quite what I had planned, and in reality I was a bit sad that I wouldn't get to celebrate with friends and family. But actually the time to reconnect as a family, the down time where all stopped rushing around and just spent time being, laughing and being in each others companies was probably exactly what I needed!

As a family we always seem to be on the go! Work, school runs, football club, swimming club, galas, parties and everything in between. It's usually a case of one in one out when it comes to being at home and me and my husband rarely sit down together before about 9/9.30pm. So when lockdown came and I got past the complete panic tailspin it sent me into I started to actually appreciate the fact we had been forced to slow down.

Seeing the devastation, sadness and destruction going on around us gave me a real sense of being extremely grateful for everything we had, each other and our health. It made me slow down and give myself time to stop worrying about the day to day grind and actually take a bit of time for myself, to think about the things I would like to achieve now I have turned 30. It gave me the headspace to really think about what was important, who was important and how I could be pushing myself much more than I currently do!

So here are my plans for the future, they might not happen this week, month or even year! But they are plans I hope to achieve at some point in the future and I think its good to have a list to work towards, we are going to do a family one too so keep an eye out for that too!

Lose Weight

A common one for sure I know but I have gone back and forth faffing around with Slimming World for a number of years now and this year I really want to try and get in it for the long (and hopefully) last haul! When I have joined before its actually gone well, I have lost weigh and the plan is so flexible it can fit around busy days (especially now they have the ready meal range now too!). But I have always found an excuse to quit... too busy, too expensive, too inconvenient but the reality is I just didn't have the willpower to stick it out!

This time though I am doing it for myself AND my family. We could all benefit from eating a healthier more balanced diet and with James swimming so much I know this would really benefit him too. I have told myself no excuses this time, it won't happen overnight but this is a life change not a diet plan. I have ordered a journal and in the front I am going to write all my reasons for losing weight so they are right in front of my every time I open it.

Train to become a swimming teacher

Now this one is actually a pretty big deal for me and it is something I have had niggling in the back of my mind for quite some time. I love swimming, even as a kid I raced through my swim lesson levels even competing my life skills etc and that love has never really gone. When we go on holiday we swim pretty much every day and when it looked like James was following in my footsteps I was so excited. In fact James whizzed past any of our expectations, joining a competitive swimming club a few years ago now just before he turned 8! 

I have loved watching him grow, learn and become stronger in the pool over the years and as I sit poolside I can't help but wish I was right there poolside, cheering the kids on, helping them learn and grow too. When I got the chance to teach a small group of kids from my sons class during school swim lessons this year, it only confirmed just how much I would love to be teaching swimming as a job and so I am hoping this might be possible for me in the future. 

I have done my research and have found out the routes and courses I need to take to make that dream a reality so now its just waiting for the virus to go and everything start opening back up so I can apply. 

Walk an Alpaca

Alpaca's have to be one of my favourite animals and when I heard that there are places offering you the chance to walk these adorable animals I literally squealed a little (ok a lot!). But it's something we have just never seem to got around to doing, despite our best efforts. It has always been a case of the places being booked up or the weather being rubbish or just generally not having the time to fit it all in. 

Then when we thought we had it all planned out to go for my 30th birthday in April, the virus hit closing everyone down. However I am not deterred and I am determined that this year I will be walking a fluffy alpaca and I will get the selfie to prove it too. 

Find time for me... regularly

Finding time for myself is something I rarely do, in fact on the rare occasion I take some time for myself or spend money on something for me I feel riddled with guilt which seems stupid right? I guess once you become a parent the list of things the kids need and want seems endless and so spending money on myself or taking some time out of our busy schedule for me just feels selfish. 

However being forced to stop and slow down during lockdown has made me realise taking time out for me, to relax and to treat myself well is vital for my own wellbeing. I have made a promise to myself that one night a week I will find time to shave my legs, put on a face mask and chill on the sofa. That one every 2 months I will book myself in for a hair cut and maybe once every 3 months or so I will book myself in for a pamper, maybe a massage or nail treatment. 

Most importantly I am going to make time to go out and see friends rather than just cancelling plans because I am utterly exhausted, simply because I know once I am out I will be fine. Me and my husband have also promised ourselves a regular date night every 6-8 weeks so that we can connect and spend time together separate from all the daily madness and busyness of life. 

Watch the sunset or sunrise from the beach

There is no denying that watching the sunrise or sunset is a beautiful spectacle if you catch it on a good clear day. I often catch glimpses of them through the trees or over the rooftops and wish I could be sat on a beach somewhere on a warm summer evening watching the sunset over the sea. 

However we always seem to miss the right time to be able to pull up somewhere quiet and just... watch. We are either far too early and the kids get too restless waiting, far too late and miss it or the sky is just too cloudy. But this summer I am determined to get organised and watch a beautiful sunset from the beach! 

Go abroad

Believe it or not I, nor we as a family have every left the UK. We have enjoyed some absolutely amazing holidays right here in the UK and really cant fault them. From Lincolnshire to Cornwall, Pembrokeshire to Dawlish we have had the pleasure of gorgeous beaches, stunning holiday homes, caravans and tents and of course that amazing Great British holiday feeling. 

And we will of course continue to enjoy holidays right here in the UK, there are still so many places we want to see and explore. However I would also love to go abroad some day too, if nothing else just to experience it and I know the kids would love to go on a plane too. I'm not sure where we would go though, any recommendations? 

Buy our first home

This one is definitely one of the more "long term" goals but it is definitely up there with one of the most important and most wanted. Buying our first family home would be amazing and is something we are currently working on saving for, it's just getting that deposit saved up so we can get on the ladder. 

We currently rent and whilst we couldn't ask for a nicer landlady who makes us feel like this is our home, there is always that thing in the back of your mind reminding you it isn't. Reminding you that every rent payment you make is paying someone else's mortgage and it could be your own. I would love a home to call my own, somewhere I can transform into the family home of our dreams and hopefully in the next few years we will be in a place to do just that.

Has lockdown made you revaluate how you spend your time or made you think of anything you would love to do, try or achieve in the future? I would love to hear about them in the comments below.

xXx