Wednesday, January 2, 2013

twenty-thirteen.

Christmas Eve walk

happy new year!  
i'm so very excited for a new year.  not that 2012 wasn't great, but december was, and always is, a crazy month and i'm happy for the calm that january brings.  

i didn't make any goals for 2012.  with a brand new baby my only goal was really to live in the present and enjoy those sweet baby moments before she grew up and i missed it all.  i'd like to think i did a pretty good job of that.  not a perfect job, but pretty good.  i soaked up a lot of baby-ness, rocked that baby through far too many naps just because i could, ignored the dust to stack piles of blocks for her to knock down, and ate many a sandwich for dinner because i chose a trip to the swing set over cooking something.  not always the best decisions, but ones i wouldn't take back. 2012 was good to us and i look at her now and wonder how it's possible for someone to grow so much in one short year.  

there's a lot of things that i want to get done in 2013 but i wanted this year to focus on one thing:  taking care of myself & my family.  i want to eat healthy, exercise, let go of the things that don't matter, and focus on our family.  i would say that in general we're pretty good about all of this, but we could be much better.  

eat better.

+ create a list of easy, healthy go-to meals.  i have this started but it's pretty short, which means we all get sick of spinach pie.  
+  eat less grains, especially processed ones.  this means finding alternatives to sandwiches and only cooking meals with pasta once or twice a month.
+ drink more water.
+  find better snack options for avery.  annie's cheddar bunnies should be a once in a while treat.
+  eat salad every day.  i need more fruits and vegetables. we all do.  

exercise. 

+ figure out something to do in the winter.  when it's nice i walk all the time, which works really well for me, avery, and the dogs.  but it's been so cold lately that i really can't take avery out for an hour in the stroller.  if this means joining a gym for a bit then i should do it.  
+  when it's nice.  walk.  

de-clutter my life. 

+  schedule all yearly doctor appointments in january.  did this on the 2nd and they're all scheduled for this month.  now i only have to dread them for 3 weeks.   
+  de-clutter.  i need to get rid of the remainder of the baby stuff.  there's no reason for a pack-n-play in our room or a jumparoo in the office. and i also have so many things i need to craigslist, sell, or donate:  old furniture, books i will never read again, clothes, sheets for beds we no longer own, christmas decorations that were gifted and that i will never use.

show love.

+  charlie.  do something that charlie loves (and i hate) once a month.  this can be skiing or eating chipotle.  i should also stop complaining about stupid, little things.  i share my life with a great guy & i should show him that i appreciate him more.
+  avery.  create fun activities at home & be present when we're together and i'm not working.
+  east coast friends and family.  i miss all of these people & think about them a lot.  send snail mail, make more phone calls, write fatty emails.       

have fun.

+  take avery somewhere fun and new at least once a week.  i'm thinking free ideas like barnes and noble reading groups the wow museum but i'd also like to get her to the pool, and the zoo, and the butterfly pavilion a few times.  i'm off on mondays so i'm trying to use that day to do some fun things we don't get to do during the rest of the week.
+  book a family vacation in january.  between 15 visits from friends and family, a trip back to maryland, and sick days in 2012 it was easy to use up more than all of my time off, but it's important for us to plan some time for our family, too.  time for just our family is so, so important for all of us.   
+  do a house-project a month.  this isn't huge but i want to paint our night stands (bright blue was never a good choice), turn the office into a office/playroom, and make a few little things here and there.  doing these things is fun and it always makes me happy to see the little changes around our house.
+  do an actual family activity once a month.  i think january is the butterfly pavilion.




1 comment:

Sara McCarty said...

Great goals. This year I'm doing what you did last year...no goals, just live in the moment, enjoy it and try to keep everyone alive!