There aren’t too many years in my life that fly by but 2020 and 2021 definitely caught me by surprise in terms of how fast they happened. Is that what happens after you have kids?

I love looking back on the past year and in 2020 I started a tradition of celebrating my accomplishments and sharing some lessons instead of just reviewing what goals I was able to check off a list. So here is my 2021 year in review!

Top 10 Accomplishments from 2021

1. Became the Marketing Director at Predictable Revenue in June
2. Moved our family back across the country from Port Alberni to our home in Ottawa
3. Learned how to hunt (basically on my own – I have a mentor but we only got together to hunt in person in the Spring)
4. We went camping in the skoolie with our family at Fitzroy Harbour (this is an accomplishment with twins!) and travelled up to our cottage twice
5. Celebrated the twin’s first birthday
6. Renovated the upstairs bathroom
7. Became preppers (in the sense that we have supplies for certain kinds of emergencies)
8. Learned much more about standard investing and how to invest in cryptocurrencies
9. Paid off all our debt
10. Went hiking with the babes on Vancouver Island and around Ottawa

We said goodbye to my grandmother this summer and I’m so grateful that she got to meet our babes twice. That meant the world to me and I’ll always remember her holding them this year.

Top 5 Lessons from 2021

1. Flexed my resilient skills (yet again) after being laid off while on maternity leave and found an amazing company to land at after my mat leave was over. They are so supportive and live their corporate values. I’ve learned what red flags to look for now in companies that don’t support mothers and how to ensure a company truly supports work/life harmony.
2. Learned how to write a business plan for a new business we are in the process of setting up (still looking for the right piece of land)
3. When tackled with a potential health threat for our son Ryland (a tick bit him in October), I’ve learned about what resources are available regarding Lyme disease in Ottawa, Ontario and feel confident that we proactively treated him to ensure it didn’t take hold in his body.
4. I’m learning how to heal my body when faced with high liver enzymes consistently over the course of a year.
5. My nervous system needs deep healing and it can’t be fixed by just morning meditation and Epsom salt baths. Taking the steps I need to continue my healing journey over the past two years.

Top 5 Blog Posts from 2021

I love checking out my Google Analytics to see which posts resonate the most with people. So here are my top 5 read blog posts in 2021.

1. Essential Oils for Feminine Energy (This was last year’s top post too!)
2. DIY Laundry Detergent (Second top post for 2 year’s in a row)
3. Breastfeeding/Bottle Feeding/Diaper Changing Cart
4. Top 10 Reasons for Living in Port Alberni
5. Favourite Port Alberni Restaurants

While Port Alberni wasn’t a long time home for us, we did love our time out there and tried to not let a bad experience with a company leave a bad taste in our mouth for the city.

It feels so good to look back on this past year and celebrate the good, and cherish the lessons despite the craziness that is going on in the world around us.