Jan 1 11
by cara
at 3:47 PM
  • Pin It

CLEAN in 2011

Last year’s one little word came easily to me: CHANGE.

2010 was indeed a year of change…

The Littlest Apple got a feeding tube: first an NG tube (awful), then a g-button (better).

The Littlest Apple started a new preschool (awesome)

The Littlest Apple moved from his crib to a big kid bed.

The Picky Apple changed jobs and now works from home.  (awesome)

We experienced another pregnancy loss and decided we’re finished trying to have children…biologically.  (More on that later)

I started planning for my dream business (an art studio for kids), a major change from my previous career as an attorney.

I discovered that I’m allergic to everything and started getting weekly allergy shots.

I rediscovered my faith, joined a church, started attending regularly and joined a small group.

LOTS of CHANGE!

Change was most definitely an accurate word for 2010, but it wasn’t particularly goal-oriented.  It was a prediction about the kind of year I knew was barreling toward me.

It’s hard to find a word that encompasses all of my goals and resolutions for 2011, but this year’s word is….

CLEAN!!

A clean house (creating and maintaining a cleaning routine, decluttering, creating a toxin free, allergy friendly house).

Clean(er) eating.

Clean living.

Clean emotions (less worrying, less anger).

CLEAN!!

I do have several other goals and priorities this year related to parenting, marriage, and blogging, but trying to incorporate CLEAN into each of my goals didn’t quite work (I’ll admit that even “Clean emotions” is a bit of a stretch….).

What’s your word of the year for 2011?  What will you be focusing on this year?

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
10 Comments
  1. I think clean is a great word to have…mine would probably realate to clean just like yours.

    I am sorry the door at the moment was closed on biological childern but I think it is a great thing to look into other ways.. cant wait to here about that.

  2. Kate permalink

    I love “clean”! If I were to pick a word, it would be “purpose”. I need to quit doing things that have no purpose and focus on the things that do. I should purposefully keep my house in order, or at least if not in perfect order, in better order…I should choose to eat things that serve a healthy purpose for my body and for my family…and I should make all the time I’m blessed to have with family (and friends) *quality* and purposeful time. Best wishes to you and yours!!!

  3. charlotte permalink

    Purpose Life seems to be passing me by and my children are growing to fast and I want to yell “STOP I have so much to teach you” and yet I am running in a million different directions and teaching nothing. Being clean would also be nice :)!

  4. Janice permalink

    I think my word of the year would have to be ‘acceptance’. Acceptance of my son’s health issues (gastroparesis and a possible removal of his kidney – he is only 2). Acceptance of my extended family (my MIL and I don’t exactly see eye-to-eye on almost everything). Acceptance of the fact that I am not getting any younger and if I want to be a healthy example for my son, I need to do something about it now.

  5. Cleaning is my resolution too! (http://infantbibliophile.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-goalsresolutions.html). I’ve never done new year’s resolutions before, but my house being in constant disarray really wears on me. I can just imagine how much happier I’d be if I were more content with my surroundings. So I am going to try hard to change my ways this year. Since I just had a new baby last month, I’m not sure how successful I will be, but I’m determined. Good luck!

  6. I don’t think I could come up with a more appropriate, needed word for this year than the one you chose. So, “clean” it is!

    I began the first of many decluttering and cleaning projects on Saturday by breaking down all of the Christmas decorations, packing it all up neatly in Rubbermaid Roughneck totes, and labeling those for storage in the garage. My goal for the coming week or so is to finish organizing the garage and start tackling the closet in our middle bedroom that we use as a home office.

    We’ve been in the “new” house for nearly 10 months already and still have photos & art that hasn’t been hung. We only just barely got the guest bedroom pulled together in time for holiday company. So, my big push for the Winter is to finish getting things unpacked, settled in, organized, or disposed of.

    Aside from that, we’re also dedicated to making lasting changes for our health. I’ve slipped nearly 20 lbs up the scale in the past year and that’s just got to go!

  7. Jackie Koll permalink

    My theme word for 2011 is “Simplify”. Last year it was “Declutter”. I worked all year to go through every closet, box, basket, tote, corner, and cupboard to declutter everything we owned. I did it – and it felt great. So this year, I’m trying to simplify every area in our life – from our home by re-evaluating everything again and cleaning out more, to our family time, my own time with God, everything. Trying to remove the things that take up clutter in our little “world”. I love your word too though- some days I wish I could pick my house up, dump it all out on the front lawn, clean my empty house from top to bottom, one corner at a time, and than only bring certain things in at and get rid of the rest!!

  8. Leslie permalink

    Have been following your blog for a few months now. I was turned onto it by a friend of mine whom I believe is a friend of yours! Anyway, I love this blog because I find I can identify with so many of your posts…because they seem so similar to my own life’s journey. (Plus that Taco Soup is REALLY yummy!)

    Anyway, my word for 2011 would be “stability.” As in, creating and maintaining a sense of stability in our lives. 2010 was also a year of change for us, and I am looking forward to a year of minimal change while we continue to adjust to 2010’s changes. My focus for the year is to keep our household stable through organization and de-cluttering, keeping us on a consistent routine (my children are 2 and 5 months.), and making time with my spouse more of a priority. That is one aspect of our lives that we have neglected, which has led to a little bit of upheaval in our relationship. I want to “stabilize” that upheaval, which in turn will add to the stability in our children’s lives.

  9. Sylrayj permalink

    *hugs* Wishing you a splash of sunshine, right when you need it.

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. Can I Get a Do-Over? | The Picky Apple

Leave a Reply

Note: XHTML is allowed. Your email address will never be published.

Subscribe to this comment feed via RSS

Blog Widget by LinkWithin