This year I set a goal to journal every day in the hope I can write one of these 2024 year-in-review notes for my site. I didn’t get to it every single day but I did it enough that I can look back and remember the year that was!

There was a lot that happened this year so I’ve tried to pull out some threads/themes that particularly stood out or came up over and over again. Most of my focus throughout the year is on my kids, but I don’t like to share much about them (for their privacy) so this a just review of my stuff.

This was the most active year I’ve had in a long time.

I don’t think I’ve moved this much since I was in my early 20s. I’m pretty proud of how consistent I was with exercise as a whole. I found rebounding, started reformer pilates, and got back in to running.

Unfortunately, there were also numerous setbacks due to injury. It turns out I can’t do the all-or-nothing thing that I did when I was younger, I just break my body. But I feel like I’ve learned A LOT about how to improve strength where I need it, pacing myself and injury prevention this year. I’m excited to take the knowledge in to 2025 and have the best year for fitness yet.

Buying the family a piano was the right call

We’ve all loved having this in the house. Andy and I are already back playing at the level we were when we left high school, after a 20 year break! It’s a pretty cool little brain-break from coding work as well.

I got in to reading books again

It had also been a long time since I’d been regularly reading fiction books. I LOVED books when I was younger, before social media was a thing. I never regret choosing to read a story over watching YouTube or some other internet thing. Hoping to increase the number of books I read in 2025.

The highlight of the year was our big USA trip

There was months of preparations pulling this trip together: Anaheim (Disneyland), Seattle and LA. But it went so amazingly well I’m feeling much more open to further overseas holidays. Honestly compared to that, Bali will feel like a walk in the park.

I tried really hard to make connections and form relationships at our School

I’ve never been great at making new friends. I’m pretty shy and find meeting new people awkward and hard. But I made a conscious effort to push past the discomfort and really try to get to know the other parents of my kids’ class. I’ve met some great people and attending sports and other events is way more fun now that I have people to chat and laugh with.

I made some progress with my mood cycles

For years now I’ve struggled with a cycle where I move between feeling super freaking great (and productive), and then back to super apathetic and not giving a shit about anything. It is honestly reminiscent of Bipolar Disorder (which many family members have) except like a mild version where I wouldn’t call the highs mania and the lows depression, but like a step on the way to either of those states.

I’ve been trying to solve the puzzle of which lifestyle factors trigger (or speed up) the “spiral down”, as it’s harder to tell if it is alcohol, hormones, illness, going to bed late, diet, or dopamine chasing (screens) use that then creates more of the same until I feel worse and worse.

I’ve gone through multiple experiments on myself, cutting various activities out, and whenever I stuck to low-in-added-sugar food I would feel a lot better. I didn’t want to believe this was it though, because I freaking love chocolate and sweets. Especially sugary baked goods, oh my God. But after a low that was so bad I could tell my whole family was effected by it, I decided to change what I eat for good. I didn’t even let loose at Christmas 😭 but it’s been about 8 weeks on an even-(good)-keel which is the longest I’ve gone without a dip since I had my kids. The pavlova just ain’t worth it.

Faves

TV

It’s a tie between The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and English Teacher.

Book

Fiction: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Non-Fiction: Areté

Game

Pikmin 4

Podcast

Shameless