Why I’m Skipping New Year’s Resolutions & Starting the Wander Everyday Project

The holidays are the fast lane. Parties, kids activities, church events, family time...

Then every January, we’re told to reset. To reflect.

New goals. New habits. New versions of ourselves. There's something about the turning of the calendar page that feels hopeful and new, made for ambitious goals and heartfelt intentions. And yet, I once saw a statistic that said most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions by the second Friday in January. 14 days at most. Yikes.

So this year, like I've done in the past few years, I’m opting out.

Not because I don’t care about growth - but because I care deeply about how we grow. And because when I look back at the last year, what stands out most isn’t what was or was not accomplished… it’s how fast it all went.

Somehow, the holidays came and went. A whole season passed in a blink. The days were full, but when I pause long enough to reflect, I find myself craving more. All the festivities and cheer just didn't feel...enough. And if I'm honest, I feel that way about the entire year. It was a full and beautiful 365 days, no doubt, but I almost feel sad letting it go, wishing that there was more.

More time. More presence. More moments that actually linger.

Why I Wait Until February...And Why I'm Not This Year

I don’t make resolutions in January. Instead, I reflect.

January, for me, is a month of noticing - noticing what worked, what felt rushed, what I wish I had more of. It’s a soft landing after a full year, not a sprint into the next one.

And as I reflect on the last year, one thing is painfully clear: I want more intentional, quality time with my family. I'm a stay-at-home mom that spends nearly 24/7 with my kids with a self-employed husband who works from home and yet if there's one thing I want more of in the next year, it's us.

Not just togetherness in the same space, but intentional, unrushed time - especially outdoors.

Because the outdoors has a way of slowing us down whether we ask it to or not.

Before the year even ended, I already knew it didn't feel whole. It felt hurried and incomplete. It felt like we did so much, yet so little...all at the same time. (Every mom is raising their hands right now and echoing an "Amen, Sister!" I know you feel it too.) Although I usually reflect throughout this month, I don't need to think this one through and wait until February to set my mind on the year ahead. I'm starting today.

The One Intention I Keep Coming Back To

Most resolutions that fail do so because the well-meaning people who set them don't make them attainable, measurable, and don't formulate a plan to support their vision. From my years as a business owner, I know that saying "I want more (fill in the blank)" isn't enough.

What I want is simple: More intentional time with my family. And that is certainly not a measurable metric. By any standard, I spend an enormous amount of time with my husband and kiddos, but when a year flying by doesn't leave me feeling satisfied, I know I need to set an intention that is specific and can be tracked.

So this is the intention I'm setting: No less than 10 minutes of outdoor time with my family, every single day. No less than 10 minutes during which I have no agenda, no distractions, no phone - 10 little unobstructed minutes of savoring these fleeting moments with my littles.

Not a packed schedule of epic adventures. Not perfectly planned hikes. Not waiting for the right weather or reason. Just consistent, intentional time outside that I too get to enjoy.

Fresh air. Movement. Wonder. Connection.

And instead of calling it a resolution, I’m calling it a commitment. So that at the end of the year, I can pause and reflect and know that - if nothing else - I created a space for intentional time, even if just for a few minutes, to be with my family in our favorite place.

The Wander Everyday Project

This isn’t about checking boxes or doing it “right.” This isn't about a "half to" but I desperate soul "need to." It’s about choosing to step outside - again and again - and letting that choice shape our days. But here's the kicker for us mamas. The Wander Everyday Project requires ditching the need to capture a cute pic, create a fabulous learning activity, multitask like a mad woman, or do one of the other trillion things we do in a day during those sacred few minutes. Leave your phone inside. Snacks, laundry, dinner, emails, and organization can wait. Just savor these 10 blissful minutes with your littles in the fresh air.

Because daily outdoor time does something subtle but powerful:

• It anchors us when life feels rushed

• It creates space for real conversation

• It gives children room to move, notice, and wonder

• It helps memories take root through shared experience

And most importantly, it’s something we can actually sustain. The goal isn't a grand outdoor adventure - although I will plan plenty of those. It's as simple as sitting under the stars at the end of the day to say our bedtime prayers, moving a snack to the picnic table on the patio, or bringing the whole gang outside on crisp mornings to take care of the chickens.

Why Daily Outdoor Time Matters More To Me Than Big Goals

Kids don’t remember resolutions. It doesn't matter to them if we hiked our favorite trail again and again or checked off all the bucket list 14ers.

They remember routines. They remember consistency. They remember companionship.

Outdoor time doesn’t demand productivity - it invites presence. And presence is what so many of us, myself included, are longing for after a year that flew by too quickly.

This year, instead of asking “What do I want to achieve?” I’m asking “How do I want our days to feel?”

Slower. More grounded. More alive. More intentional.

A Tool to Help Us Stay Intentional

Because I know how quickly good intentions can slip away, even with measurable goals and a solid plan, I’m creating something simple to support this rhythm:

A Monthly Nature Journal & Outdoor Activity Tracker designed for families.

Not a rigid planner. Not another thing to keep up with. Just a gentle framework to:

• Track daily outdoor time

• Notice seasonal changes

• Reflect together at the end of each month

• Collect small moments that might otherwise be forgotten

  
  

It’s something you can keep on the counter, flip through with your kids, and return to month after month, year after year. It's the perfect companion to the Everyday Outdoors Project.

I’ll be sharing more about it soon - and inviting you to join me in this dedication to step outside, one ordinary day at a time. The Wander Everyday Project: A simple commitment to daily outdoor time with your family.

An Invitation for the Year Ahead

If the last year flew by for you too… If you’re craving slower days and deeper connection… If you want something more meaningful than a resolution that fizzles out by mid-January…

Join me in choosing daily outdoor time. Just 10, uninterrupted, unhurried minutes every single day for the next year (although if we make it that far, I know we won't be able to stop...not that we want to!)

No pressure. No perfection. Just presence.

Because a year shaped by small, consistent moments outside can quietly become something beautiful that leaves the next year feeling whole, intentional, and meaningful.

What's one way you can spend 10 intentional minutes outside with your family this week? #wandereverydayproject