Where to begin? 2015 has been another busy, eventful year. It has been filled with happiness, but has also given me much cause to reflect.
A harsh winter
The beginning of the year saw record breaking snowfall in Boston. We had over nine feet, and it often felt like there would be no end to the digging and clearing and fighting. No end to the cold.
But, there was nothing else to do but embrace it, and we had a lot of fun!
The best summer
The summer more than made up for the winter, and the kids declared it the best ever. I have to say, I agree. We wrote a bucket list at the beginning of summer vacation and we had an amazing time ticking things off. Why have we never done this before? I cannot recommend it highly enough.
We went to Salem and Cape Cod; visited Maine and New Hampshire. We went to the beach and the pool; had picnics and ate a lot of ice cream. We went camping and bought a canoe!
It really was a summer full of memory making and I am already looking forward to next year…
Sibling relationships
I began taking part in the Siblings project in January, and I have loved seeing how the children have changed over the year. They are growing up so fast.
The photographs that I take each month very quickly became my favourites, once I accepted that the best photos were actually the outtakes :) It was wonderful to look back over the year in my December post; a year of change, new friends, new activities and new experiences. The dynamic between the three continues to evolve, and it is a privilege to watch.
A time for reflection
This has been a year of highs and lows; and one of introspection on my part. I have found the focus of my blog shift as events have given me pause.
A need to create a simpler life for my family has been at the fore front of my mind, and as we move into 2016 I expect this to influence much, including my blog. This will in turn require a personal shift; in confidence, aspiration and direction.
Creativity
The Prompt continues to be a favourite part of my week. This year has seen a strong shift towards writing poetry. Whether it’s any good or not, I absolutely love writing it, and I hope to build on what I have written this year. These are three of my favourites.
What the critics said
So, there you have it. Fifteen of my favourite posts from the past year.
But, no review of a year in blogging would be complete without listing my most read posts of the year… Interestingly, all of my five top viewed posts were written in 2014. This is a result of Pinterest. I love Pinterest!
Although, I’m not sure what it says about the content I wrote this year…
1. Coming in at number one is How to tell the truth about Santa and keep the magic alive, up three places from last year. After some strategic pinning at the end of November, I had a mini-viral pin on my hands, and this post has now been pinned nearly 4,000 times and viewed almost 14,000. Sometimes you just get the timing right!
2. Next up is my Skylanders Portal of Power Cake Tutorial, moving up one place from last year. My Floating island is catching up though, and will soon be joined by a Minecraft axe, so perhaps next year will see a different cake in the Top 5!
3. I’m still slightly embarrassed that my one and only rant Welcome to Sticker Club is still one of my most viewed posts (it was number one on this list last year…). But, it does tell me that it struck a chord :)
4. A new entry into the top five this year is my tutorial for making Skylanders Marshmallow Pops.
5. And lastly, falling three places, are my Lego Head Marshmallow Pops.
That was a bit like a Chart countdown!
My top five posts, actually written in 2015 (!) were…
1. On friendship and saying goodbye
2. 5 lessons I learned by stepping away from my blog
3. The truth about Blizzard 2015
4. The Prompt: Change
5. The Prompt: Confidence
So, there we have it, 2015 in review. A year that saw a lot of snow and a lot of sun. A year of fun times, but some sad times too. A year of change, for the children and for me. A year that has gone far too fast!
I look forward to 2016 with hope and a great sense of anticipation. I am optimistic, no positive, that it is going to be a good year.
I hope you will join me for the journey.
Sharing this post with What I’m Writing.
![50 Books 2013: Update [4]](https://mumturnedmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/50-Books-20131-1024x512.jpg)
Your blog goes from strength to strength and I always love your prompt posts even if I don’t read them all. I hope 2016 doesn’t have the same harsh winter for you, I must say I feel it is our turn for a little snow but no sign yet with the warmest December on record.
Thank you Fiona, that’s very kind. I hope our winter isn’t quite so bad too… So far, so good, but there is plenty of time yet!
Fab round up Sara, I’m loving these posts. Reading the beginning I remember feeling for you that the snow went on and on and on… You’re certainly finishing the year on a high note. Here’s hoping 2016 brings you lots of lovely things my dear xxx
Thank you Renee, it did feel as if the snow would never end, but then we had such a fabulous summer! Wishing you good things for 2016 too xx
Great round-up, Sara, and it’s good to be reminded about the range of stuff you’ve done this year. Hopefully the winter will be a bit kinder this year. Here’s to 2016!
Thank you Tim, it was good to remind myself too :) Wishing you fabulous things for 2016 x
I love this round up, and gosh looking at your winter photos it did remind me just how much snow you had and it seems to be endless! Still, I love your round up and your countdown – and I was one of those who pinned and love your post about how to break how to tell the truth about Santa. It is a fabulous post!
Hope you had a lovely Christmas and happy new year
xx
We had a lot of snow! Thank you Tracey, and I hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas too x
A lovely reminder of 2015 Sara. I so enjoy The Prompt, it gets my brain working and my writing muscles fired up, I hope to continue sharing with you in 2016! Happy New Year to you all!
I hope to continue to see you there, love the pieces you share. Happy New Year to you too x
Happy new year! What a great round up of everything you’ve done – I’ve not visited your blog before (I’m here through the ‘what I’m writing linky’) but will be a regular from now on. x
Thank you! It’s amazing to look back and realise just how much you’ve done!
A great round-up! I love your photos and so glad you’re going to be writing more poetry. It’s definitely good for the soul! Wishing you all the best for 2016. :-)
Thank you Teika, poetry really helps me process and it’s been particularly useful over the last few months x
A great round-up (confession: I didn’t read every post! But I loved stars), and more poetry seems to be a bit of a theme this year – a few people (me included) have mentioned wanting to do/share more of this. Hope your year has started well so far!
Thank you Rachael, and I’d have been surprised if anyone read all the posts :) But, I’m so glad that you liked Stars, that’s really is one of my favourites. It’s funny, I would never have expected to find myself writing poetry, and yet, I love it x
What a lovely roundup and, as your usual, your post looks delicious – you have such an eye for design! (And I would have said ‘gorgeous’ instead of delicious but all the cake references made me think of it in those terms.) It looks like such a wonderful year even though I know there were tough times and sadness too. Lovely photos of your kids – hasn’t your eldest been on a growth spurt this year! It sounds like they have such great relationships. Thanks for linking to #whatImWriting and I look forward to reading more of your blog this year (and linking to #the prompt when I can!) xx
Ah, thank you so much Maddy! My eldest really has grown, I can’t get my chin on his head anymore without stretching… how is that possible?!
This is such an inviting round-up! I really enjoyed it. Love the chart countdown!
Thank you Nicole :)
I think your siblings project is the greatest! It really is a privilege to watch their relationships evolve and mature. My favorite part of having 5 kids has been watching how they interact with each other and how it changes over time.
It really is a privilege, isn’t it? I’m so glad that I started taking part in Siblings, it’s been wonderful watching them grow over the year x
Such a great selection of posts! I was thinking of you over Christmas as we weren’t very far away – we actually flew into Boston, but were staying near Woodstock, NY. What was intended as a relaxing 10 days ended up being pretty hectic… And so warm! Hard to believe that you could still be in store for a harsh winter after such warm weather over Christmas, but I know Jan/Feb tend to be when the real chill sets in… Looking forward to reading more of your posts this year xx
Ah, relaxing breaks often end up being rather hectic! The weather was bizarre, but it’s certainly getting colder now…
Lovely round-up Sara and so lovely to look back over another year. I’m not surprised that your post about how to tell the truth about Santa is the all-time favourite – it’s one of my favourites from your blog too and one that I have pinned ready for when the magic starts to disappear here too. Looking forward to reading more of your blog this year and am hoping to join in with #ThePrompt a little more regularly too! :-)
Thank you Louise, and it would be wonderful to have you join in The Prompt from time to time :)
This is great summary of your year, which sounded action packed! I look forward to trying to join in with the prompt as much as i can this year.
It was another busy year! It would be wonderful to see you on The Prompt, whenever you’re able xx