So, let's begin! I have 4 categories this year. And I just taught myself how to make these page jumps, so I'm super excited. You can skip around, instead of having to read all the way down, if you'd like.
PERSONAL | WORK | HOUSE | FINANCIAL
PERSONAL
1. Healthy weight. Off certain meds.
At my "annual exam" a few weeks ago, my midwife asked me what my plans were, "you know, for a family." I smiled and said that these days that was definitely more of a topic of discussion and thought at our house. She also smiled and said that I really really needed to have a baby in the next year or so, since the risks go up and fertility goes down when you are over 35. (I'll be 32 in March.) By the time I have my pre-conception visit/exam, wean my body off of certain medications and switch others, that's another 3 to 4 months and not everyone gets pregnant their first month of trying. She was concerned about the timeline. I was more concerned with my weight, and she was realistic. She asked me if I thought I could lose X pounds in a year and I didn't think so. She didn't think so either (she was nice about it!) and suggested more like 20 pounds to start. Her point was that there are risks for everyone, but she'd rather see me get pregnant overweight and younger, versus older and thinner. I'm not happy--I didn't want to be a fat pregnant person, with the risks and general discomfort, but I did a lot of this to myself, so I can't be mad at anyone.
So back on track with WW (counting those points) and weekly weigh ins. And more Pilates--I forgot how much I love doing this--I rediscovered a DVD after Christmas and was sore for 3 days after a 20 minute workout!
2. Relax! Slow down!
I don't relax enough. I'm always on the go. Even when I come home from work, I do tons of chores. I need to ask C for help more--he doesn't just pitch in because he doesn't know what I need help with...because I don't ask! I also need to literally slow down--I just got a $259 speeding ticket a week ago. I know I procrastinate horribly and lose track of time--if I planned things better, I wouldn't be in a rush.
3. Have fun
That goes along with #2, but I need to do more of this. Nothing crazy, but things for me, things with C, and things with friends.
4. Read more
Yes, I work in publishing and hardly read. I find this is not uncommon in the industry. When you read all day (even email and reports) and a lot of that reading is ABOUT books, you don't always want to come home and crack open a book! The owners of my company gave everyone $100 as a Christmas present, so I took that to my local bookstore (my previous job, actually) and spent it. Here's what I got:
- Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
- The False Friend, by Myla Goldberg
- In Country, by Bobbie Ann Mason
- In Search of the Rose Notes, by Emily Arsenault
- What to Expect Before You're Expecting (hey, forewarned is forearmed!)
Of course I have a ton of other books half finished or waiting to be read, but most of them were non-fiction. I wanted something to grab me and take me away, like books used to. I miss that.
5. Pray more.
6. Have more of a focus, or point, on this blog.
1. Dial it down a notch.
This was mentioned in my review, but I have a tendency of getting REALLY aggravated about something and the blowing up. It's because I have a passion and ownership for my work and want to do well. While that in itself isn't bad, it's more of how I express it. It's not professional, and actually the owner who oversees my department was hesitant to sign off on my promotion. Both she and my boss are right--I just need to calm down a bit and not take things so much to heart.
2. Get in EARLY instead of on time or barely on time.
My boss still drives me up.the.wall., so the more time I put in without him there, the less time I have to spend with him. :) Hooray for flex time. He doesn't stroll in until 8:30/8:45 and works til 5:30 or 6, so if I can get in by 7:30, I can leave at 4/4:30 and all will be well. Getting in early also allows me to start my day slowly, going through email, putting things on my to-do list, wake up, haha.
3. Keep my inbox (email), desk, and folders clean.
On Friday, I spent a good chunk of my afternoon cleaning off my disgusting desk, going through my drawers, throwing out things, reorganizing, etc. I also archived almost all of my email (the IT department should be happy to see that I'm not near the top of their offenders list now), sorted other emails into new folders. The goal is to keep very little in my inbox. Either delete it or move it. I've also started using the tasks area of Outlook instead of writing down a to-do list (that can be forgotten to be added to). All I need to do now is organize my paper files (most of which I don't use anymore) and the files on my computer. I organized our departments shared drive's folders in the spring, but my own stuff got neglected. I usually do an OK job with that, but I think some things could be renamed, moved, etc.
4. Get away from my desk more, including my half hour lunch.
At a WW meeting, I learned that people who move every hour, even if it's lame like walking 10 feet to a water cooler, have better blood sugar levels? metabolic rates? (crap, I forgot what it is) than those people who don't do any extra moving during the day. I think it would do wonders for my mental health as well, not to be chained to my desk in my dungeon.
1. Mantel for our "library."
We don't have one, the previous owners never put one in, even though they custom-built this house. It's not that bad looking, but the room feels...off balance. Where to buy one though, is turning out to be the challenge. We don't feel comfortable buying one online, so this might be something to hire a carpenter or someone who specializes in millwork.
2. Kitchen floors redone.
They are wood, which is lovely, but badly scratched in some places and worn out in many. Seriously, it looks as though someone might have ice skated across the floor in one spot! Thankfully the rest of the wood floors in the house are FINE.
3. Rest of the upstairs painted.
Two regular sized bedrooms, a little closet of a room, and two full baths. Shouldn't take that long or be too expensive. I plan on using the lady I used last year.
4. All carpet ripped out and replaced with wood.
I haaaaate carpet. HATE IT. Not only is it bad for our allergies, but who knows really how clean it is? We didn't put it down. I had it cleaned before we moved in, but ugh, who knows what is lurking in those pads and...I'll stop there. The only rooms with carpet that we use right now are our bedroom and the TV room. All of the other bedrooms have it as well, but I'd rather get it up and out before we have kids since, well, I've never had to clean human bodily fluids out of carpet and I don't know know to. I grew up in a house entirely made out of wood. (I'm not sure if this will actually be accomplished in 2012, but it's nice to dream.)
5. New doors for the two bedrooms upstairs.
6. Buy some more furniture.
End tables for TV room, possibly new nightstands, a new mattress (yes, already, we don't like ours anymore and it didn't hold up that well). Outside chairs too.
7. Power wash house, back deck, and front porch.
Not a huge thing, but it needs to be done.
8. Hang some more things on the walls.
Still feeling a bit empty, sometimes. I'm not one to run out and buy something just to have it, though. It has to feel right, so I don't mind waiting. We've talked about blowing up and framing pictures from our honeymoon, but I don't know about big color pictures.
1. Get back on track with saving at least one of C's checks.
2. Split up our savings account into different accounts.
3. Change some accounts to have both of our names on them (leftovers from before we were married).
4. Buy life insurance
Our financial guy gave us a worksheet to help figure out how much money we'd need. This is hard, since you have to try to assign a dollar value on what your lifestyle and family size would be when one of us died. The morbidity part doesn't freak me out, it's just so hard to say "this is how much money C would need if I died" or vice versa. I have no idea! The worksheets are just so he can figure out which policies to show us, but still, it's hard to figure out a dollar amount.
5. Stick to a budget!
I'm going to TRY to post monthly about my progress. It's great to have goals, but not if you don't DO them!
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