Try something new in 2020

2019. What a year.

The last twelve months of this decade have thrown up more than a few challenges in The Neu Dad household.

So much so, in fact, that it’s been 130 days since I last posted on here – aside from the occasional link to the latest episode of my radio show, of course.

It’s been a while

My last actual blog post was on 2 August, just a couple of days after the most unbelievably scorching hot day in July.

Remember that?? When it was about 40C outside? Yeah, a long time ago.

It’s not been all bad, of course. We’ve had plenty of amazing experiences this year.

But it’s certainly been up and down….there was the appendicitis back in April, but then I started presenting a radio show on Riverside Radio not long after that which has been great fun.

Then there was a job change for me in June, followed by a nursery change for Marley. And I’ve basically been consumed by work ever since!

So I’ve been making it my priority to end the decade by spending a bit of time with the family.

We’ve been doing all sorts of things, from going out for lunch to taking Marley to tennis lessons, cinema trips, soft play centres and other things that we just haven’t found time for while work’s been destroying me.

Some of these things we’ve done before, but others we’ve been trying for the first time. One thing that’s become increasingly apparent to me as life flies past at 1,000mph is just how important it is to try new things. Not just for Marley but for all of us. It’s so easy to get caught in the rut of the same old routine and I’m definitely guilty of that.

So I’ve been giving it a bit of thought lately, and I’ve decided I am going to make more of an effort as we enter a new decade.

Try something new (or neu?) in 2020

In 2020, I’m going to make sure we try something new (neu…?) EVERY single week.

That doesn’t necessarily mean something life-changing and utterly incredible. I mean that’d be great, but I’m being realistic.

It could be something Marley hasn’t done before, his first football match perhaps, or playing a new sport or trying a musical instrument.

Or it might be something new for me, like using a personal trainer, or trying stand-up comedy, or making something or perhaps travelling somewhere new.

And during those really busy weeks where time is tight, I still want to make sure that we at least do something different. Playing a new game at home, or reading a new book, or just taking the time to learn something new.

I just want to make sure we are doing a new thing at least once a week.

It’s also going to be a great way of making sure I’m writing more regularly too. So I will be telling you all about every single new thing we try right here, as well as sharing it across my social media.

Your suggestions…

I have some ideas already, but I need your help with some suggestions. So if there’s something new you think we should try in 2020, please get in touch! You can email me at [email protected] with your suggestions.

It could be anything – an experience, a product, a place, something local to SW London, something further afield – anything. I would love to hear from you.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I look forward to sharing many more experiences with you in 2020!