Although I rarely make New Year’s resolutions (too lazy/ tired at the end of December), I do like to look back on the year that just ended and think about what I learned. Here is my list of 16 things I learned in 2016, in no particular order:

1) I love podcasts and audiobooks. I am very much a person who learns by reading and writing, so it took me awhile to train my brain to learn by listening. Not only is that a valuable skill, but podcasts and audiobooks have made my commute and daily household chores much more enjoyable! My favorite podcasts changes weekly (currently it is Pantsuit Politics) and my favorite audiobook I “read” in 2016 was probably “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society” by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer.

2) Dairy/ soy allergies are surprisingly common and quite difficult to manage. Early last year we found out Little P had a dairy/ soy allergy which he thankfully outgrew. We also learned that these allergies are very common and difficult (i.e., expensive) to manage. I wrote about our experience here.

3) We spend too much money. About midway through 2016, I realized the balance in our personal checking account continued to dip every, single month. While that wasn’t entirely unexpected (we pay for almost all our expenses out of that account but only one of our incomes ever reloads it), it was definitely a wake-up call that we need to be more conscientious about our spending and consider making some bigger changes in 2017.

4) Your house can be perfectly functional and beautiful yet not feel like your home. Mr. Peas and I bought a new house when we moved to Iowa in 2015. Our house is quite gorgeous and has more than enough space for us, yet for some reason, it’s never felt like our home. Part of that is our fault – our lives have been crazy since we moved and we’ve invested very little time and energy into decorating, plus it takes time to adjust to anything new. But we’ve also realized through this process that maybe we want something different, and we’re working through being OK with that (since it’ll be a royal pain to sell a house and move with 2 young kids and pets while pregnant ha).

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5) Parenting solo is really hard. For big chunks of 2016, I was flying solo at home with my kids. Mr. Peas ran an event out of state and was gone for weeks/ months at a time. It was really hard, especially working full time and living in a new place.

6) Coparenting is surprisingly hard. Parenting solo is really hard, but I also learned that co-parenting is surprisingly difficult. One of the benefits of flying solo is that it forced me to the best, most efficient parent I could be. When Mr. Peas came home from a trip, I’d morph into this lazy and hypercritical version of myself. We spent a lot of time in 2016 thinking about how we can better parent together, and while we’ve come a long way it’s something we have to continually work at.

7) Parenting is hard period. I know this is probably obvious to anybody who has spent even one day as a parent, but 2016 was the year the simple fact that parenting is a really freaking hard job hit me over the head like a ton of bricks. At many points last year I felt like I was completely and utterly failing at the most important job I’ve ever had.

8) I want more than 2 kids. Even after all my struggles with parenting during 2016, I ended the year knowing clearly and unequivocally I wanted more than 2 kids, which is good because we’re expecting Baby #3 in June.

9) You can buy an early detection gender test on Amazon that is apparently 99% accurate. For some reason, I am extremely anxious to know whether Baby #3 was a boy or a girl (2 boys & 1 girl just seems so different than 3 boys!). I impulsively bought one of these tests when they were on sale on Black Friday. I’ve read mixed reviews about accuracy and plan to blog about my experience after my anatomy ultrasound in February confirms or denies my results. But seriously is there anything you CANNOT buy on Amazon these days?

10) I fell back in love with reading. I was a voracious reader growing up. I powered through any and every girly series I could find (side note – has anyone listened to the hilarious Babysitter’s Club Club podcast? It brings back so many fond memories). I’ve read off and on since graduating high school but really committed to reading more in 2016. I set a goal of 1 book per week or 52 books for the year, which unfortunately I fell a little short of (thank you 1st trimester). But I really did fall back in love with reading, which is one of my proudest accomplishments from 2016.

11) I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I have worked full time most of my adult life, including through college. I am good at my current job. It pays well, and I mostly enjoy it. But ugh I still feel like I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I’m hoping to carve out more time and space to think through this question in 2017.

12) Meals with toddlers are not peaceful. I really enjoy a lot of aspects of meal preparation (planning, cooking, and even cleaning), especially when I have the time and energy to do them (so consistently on Sunday mornings, never on Tuesday nights, and occasionally the rest of the week). Sitting down and eating meals together is also something Mr. Peas and I have really tried to prioritize as a core family value. But wow meals with toddlers are not peaceful, at least not at my house. If I can get both kids to sit down at the same time, say the blessing, take a few bites, and stay at the table for more than 5-10 minutes, I consider it a raging success. I can’t figure out if this is completely normal and just a phase we have to get through, or something that I really should focus on improving over the next year (or if I should just stop trying to eat together).

13) The LuLaRoe Amelia dress is my new favorite. I picked up an Amelia dress at the first (and surprisingly only) LuLaRoe party I’ve been invited to, and I’m in love. As a bonus, I can still easily wear it at 16 weeks pregnant (and showing earlier than normal given it’s pregnancy #3) and hope to wear it throughout the 2nd trimester.

14) I’m a wannabe minimalist. I just read this hilarious article on ScaryMommy and it totally resonated with me. I am fascinated by everything minimalism from the KonMari method to capsule wardrobes. I read several books, blog posts, and articles about minimalism last year (and am in the middle of this book and this book), but um I’m not super great at it. I aspire to be better but ultimately I also like stuff and get bored easily. One of my 2017 goals is to find an effective and sustainable way to un-clutter my life. I may never be a minimalist but I also know I have too much clutter in my life.

15) I miss cloth diapering. I cloth diapered Big P almost exclusively (probably 75% of the time when we were at home). Since we moved about 18 months ago, we’ve never gotten into a good cloth diapering routine. And I miss it. With a toddler still in diapers and a baby on the way, cloth diapering is definitely a 2017 goal.

16) I need to prioritize exercise. Exercising has not been a priority for me in awhile. It needs to be now (please tell me I’m not the only person who has gasped when they spied their naked derriere in the mirror). Enough said.

On that note, please share … what did you learn in 2016?