We are 1 week into 2012, so I thought I would blog about my New Years Resolutions & Re-cap how I did in 2011.
Yes, I am "one of those" people who does New Years Resolutions.
I don't know why I do them because I FAIL at some of them every year.
But I will still continue to make resolutions & "attempt" to keep them.
Last year, I called my list 11 hopes for 2011.
Here is how I did:
1. Go to Bed Earlier.
Sigh. I have this resolution EVERY YEAR. And, every year, I pretty much fail.
I did *slightly* better this year, so I am giving myself a D instead of an F.
2. Continue Meal Planning each week.
I give myself an A- with this. I was really good about Meal Planning for the week on Sundays & having a plan of what our meals are for the week. As a working mom, meal planning has simplified my life so much!
3. Eat Breakfast.
I give myself a B+ for eating breakfast. I stock up on Luna bars & keep a few boxes in my classroom & every morning I have a Luna Bar for breakfast somewhere between 1st & 3rd period. Ha!
4. Read 1 book a month.
I read 10 books this year (rather than the 12 I had as a goal) so, I give myself a B- on this.
I love reading, but I don't make time for it. Boo!
5. Date night with Kevin once a month.
Yeah...that didn't happen. I give us a C- on date nights. We had a ton of weddings, but that doesn't count as "date" night
6. Figure out a good cleaning schedule.
Yeah....not so much. We clean our house on the weekends because we are both too tired to do it during the week. I still need to figure out a daily schedule so that I am not spending my weekends & Sunday nights cleaning my house. I give myself a C on the cleaning schedule.
7. Stay on top of Laundry.
FAIL. FAIL. FAIL.
8. Host an Official Neighborhood Party
We wanted to host a wine tasting night with our neighbors this year, but we never got a date on the calendar, so I am rolling this over to 2012. I did invite all our neighbors to Claire's Cowgirl Party & most came, but that wasn't an official court party. We also hosted a pizza/mexican train game night at our house which was fun, but I still want to do a wine tasting party! I give us a C+ on this.
9. Eat more Vegetables.
I give myself a B- on this. Because of our garden, I at WAY more veggies than I normally do!
10. Plant a Garden & Grow our own Vegetables.
Totally giving myself an A on this. Our garden was AWESOME this year, especially being first time gardeners. I was so proud of our garden & it will be hard to top it this year. We grew so much. For sure a highlight of the year!
11. Potty train Claire.
We did the 3 day method with Claire in February & it worked great! More like 4 days, but still great. She has been diaper free since February & pull up (at night) free since March! Woo-hoo! I give us an A for sure.
So now, onto my goals for 2012.
1. Read 1 book a month. This goal is on here yet again. I LOVE reading, I just haven't made the time to do it on a consistent basis. I already have 4 books waiting for me to read...The Hunger Games Series & The Help. I am going to start reading this weekend!
2. Go on a date with Kevin once a month, no kids. So that we can reconnect & spend time together without distractions! I want to be intentional with this every month!! Even if we don't "go out" we can have date nights at home after the girls are in bed.
3. Try not to hit snooze 5 times when my alarm goes off. (This one is for Kevin). I am a REALLY heavy sleeper. And, I don't like waking up in the morning. So, it hit snooze on my alarm. A lot. It is a big pet peeve of Kevin's, so I am REALLY going to try and work on this. Old habits are hard to break.....
4. I am going to Simplify. We have so much "stuff". I am going to clean out our clothes, the girls toys and our closets every 3-4 months and donate stuff we don't need to those who DO need it. Less is MORE!
5. Keep my car clean. Kevin just detailed the inside of my car & spent 3 hours cleaning it. It looks AMAZING. It is so nice having a clean car. I want to keep it like this. Wish me luck!
6. Drink more water. I have been known to just drink coffee, diet coke & wine for several days in a row....with NO water. So NOT healthy. I am already off to a good start this year drinking lots of water. Hope I can keep it up the WHOLE year.
7. Figure out a Laundry System. Seriously. I am THE worst at laundry. I don't like doing it, I don't like folding it, I don't like putting it away. This needs to change. I am sick of the laundry pile & have got to get it figured out. Any suggestions are welcome :)
8. Host a wine tasting party for our neighbors. I really wanted to do this last year, but we never got around to it, so I want to make it a priority this year! It needs to happen!
9. No more piles! I am Queen of piles. It drives Kevin crazy & drives me crazy also. In our bedroom, I like to "pile" my clothes on a dresser or chair. I have "piles" in closets. I have "piles" in the laundry room. Just say NO to piles!
10. Set boundaries. I am a people pleaser. It is SO hard for me to say "No" to things because I am such a people pleaser. But, I have been learning that it is okay to say No and it is good to have boundaries. I have been working on this the last few months & it has been so freeing. However, I still have a lot of work to do in this area.
Now, onto my word of 2012 that I want to focus on.
NURTURE.
Nurture can be a verb or a noun:verb
1.to feed and protect: to nurture one's offspring.
2. to support and encourage, as during the period of training or development
3. to bring up; train; educate.
noun
4. rearing, upbringing, training, education, or the like.
5. development: the nurture of young artists.
6. something that nourishes; nourishment; food.
I want to nurture my family, my friendships & myself.
My Girls:
Next week I am registering Claire for her Preschool (starting in the Fall) and in a few weeks I will be registering Kate for Kindergarten!!!! (Be still my heart). I feel like this is a crucial year for me to be nurturing my girls as they both head off to their respective schools in the Fall. I want them to know that they are loved, respected, smart, worthy & confident, especially as they walk into those schools.
My husband:
This year Kevin and I will be celebrating 10 years of Marriage! But there are still areas of our marriage that need to be nurtured. I need to work harder about nurturing him (& listening to him). I want to be a better wife. I am pretty lucky & don't want to take him (or our marriage) for granted even though I do sometimes.
My Relationships:
I want to nurture my friendships that I have had for years or even for a few months.
This past year, there were 2 friendships from various stages of my life that I felt had slipped for whatever reason (nothing bad, just grew apart) Those friendships were on my heart & I we were able to reconnect late 2011. It was SO good for my soul. I want to continue to nurture those relationships & other ones in 2012. I am so thankful for all the friendships/people that God has put in my life and want to make sure they stay solid.
My Relationship with God:
I don't know about you, but so often I put God on the back burner. I pray daily, but digging into HIS word, the Bible has become more of a chore for me. That is NOT OKAY. I need nurture my relationship with God and that not only includes prayer, but spending time in His Word. I need to become more disciplined in my time with HIM.
Myself:
I need to nurture myself. This has to do with Goal #10 of setting boundaries.
I want to focus on things that nurture me & my family and cut out the things that don't. Like, junk food, wasted time, clutter, etc. I want to focus on the things that do nurture....drinking lots of water, being creative, reading. I want to nurture those around me who don't have what they need....handing out Blessing Bags to homeless & continued work with Project 320 & NILMDTS.
So, there you have it. My 2012 Goals & Word of the Year.
What about you?
Do you have any Resolutions or Goals or Words you will focusing on in 2012?
I love visiting your blog...you make me laugh:-) So about the laundry thing, I read on another blog the sweetest thing: "That pile of laundry will always be there, but my girls won't." After reading that I didn't do laundry for a week! LOL! Anyways, I've found that doing at least one load a day is nice that way you don't have to spend the whole weekend doing laundry.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I hope you don't mind I'm stealing your "10 on 10" idea. It's brillant...but every month I forget and then remember a week or two later! HA!
Great resolutions. I see a few on there that I need to work on as well (snooze for one!). I love your word this year and how you're applying it to different aspects of your life. I can't wait to see what all you have in store for 2012.
ReplyDeleteI love your snooze resolution! I set my alarm early so that I can work out, then end up snoozing through the whole thing. Terrible. I actually have two alarms in my room (I set the back up one when I have to get up really early for business travel)and I am going to try setting both of them. The back up alarm is out of arm's reach, so I have to actually get out of bed to snooze it. Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you! I am so glad to know that I am the not the only one who has been known to go days on end without drinking water! More water is one of my goals this year too. Good luck!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Mel!
ReplyDeleteLoved reading your goals and your grades for your goals from 2011. You did pretty good I'd say!
Happy New year and good luck!
Oh, and get on those books, they are ALL great!!! :)
Advice for laundry, gather it all up and take it to the laundry mat. It's going to cost some money and it's going to not be fun. Get it all done at one time. Fold it there before you even take it home. As soon as you walk in the door with the clean laundry put it all away. After that do one load a day. Put it in the washer as soon as you wake up. Put it in the dryer as soon as you come home from work. Fold it while dinner cooks or you watch tv. Put it away before you go to bed. Most clothes don't really need to be washed separately. For the most part, underwear, t-shirts, etc can all be washed together. It is amazing how doing 1 load a day will help.
ReplyDeleteLoved your lists! Sorry no advice on the laundry front, I am a freak of nature that loves to do laundry. It's one of my favorite things to do....Do you still like me???
ReplyDeleteYour word for 2012 is so great. My word is "Be". Looking forward to seeing how your "nurture" unfolds in 2012 xx
Hi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI've been lurking for a while now - finally saying hi! Found your blog through Cookie Mondays and Rage Against the Minivan. I love reading your blog, it's such a breath of fresh air I love your photos and your joyful, down-to-earth, grateful for lives-worth-living way of writing. Kate and Claire are so beautiful and sound wonderful and your family looks great! A little about myself - I am 24 years old, working part-time as a youth worker (and volunteering on the side at community organisations), British and Tamil Indian Singaporean, I am trans-racially adopted and currently living back at home in Singapore with my parents, previously living in London. Your resolutions and goals are inspiring and we share many of the same - I especially like your "word for 2012". Happy 2012 to you and yours, may it be a wonderful year ahead :)
- Kate
I am a piler, too :( countertops are my worst problem area!
ReplyDeleteAs for laundry, I do a load a day. Jaina's stuff on Monday, Jayce's stuff on Tuesday, towels on Wednesday, kids' sheets on Thursday (sometimes couch blankets and random things make up a second load) my stuff on Friday. Then my husband does his clothes, the whites, and our bedsheets and towels sometime during the weekend.
you are amazing Mel- you continue to constantly inspire me
ReplyDeleteI am awful about laundry as well - and it's only my husband and I. I can't imagine it in a household of 4. I decided to start washing/drying laundry on Sunday and Weds since my TV nights are Monday and Thursday. Then I can sit and fold while I watch tv. Hope it works!
ReplyDeleteI can maybe offer you advice on three other items from your list
1 - The snooze button. If you have an IPhone there is an app called Sleep Cycle. You place the phone under your pillow and it tracks your sleep pattern then wakes you up at your lightest point of sleep (sleep phase)in a 30 minute window you provide. I just bought it, but a friend loves it and said you will wake up not feeling so tired.
2 - Drink more water. Have you tried La Croix? It is a carbonated flavored water. No artificial anything though. I found I didn't really miss the flavor of soda as much as the "fizz" of it and sparkling water has helped. I can't do other brands though because they use sweeteners and I don't like the flavor
3 Last, a cleaning routine. I work full time and even though I don't have kids I found myself never keeping up. I leave for work at 6am and don't get home until around 6pm. I deserve my weekends without a ton of cleaning. So I do a little bit on Sat morning but since I am a list maker I created a routine of quick chores (wipe down counters, vacuum one room, etc) to do each night, printed out the schedule and had it laminated. Now, I cross each item off with a dry erase marker and clean it at the end of the week to start the new week. It has worked well. Maybe the list thing gives me little victories each day. :)
Sorry for such a long response. Good luck in 2012!
I find this post interesting because the other 364 days a year, your blog focuses on all the awesome things you DO. It is good to see what you do NOT do. Good perspective.
ReplyDeleteI *almost* picked nurture! Instead I picked Connection because I feel like I want to spend more time connecting with my family and friends. A lot of them default to reading my blog and feel like they know what's going on.
Here is my post:
http://jonandlaura.blogspot.com/2011/12/totally-doing-this-backward.html
I wish I was one of your neighbors.
ReplyDeleteGet ready, when you read the Hunger Games or the Help you aren't going to be able to sleep until you finish them! :-) THEY ARE SO GOOD! :-)
ReplyDeleteLove your nurture resolution! And good for keeping it real about the other stuff- I always think you're perfect but I guess we all have things to work on! My husband is a major snooze button offender too :)
ReplyDeleteI might "borrow" your word! Nurture-it's perfect for me this year, too. I'm so on board with you with the laundry and snooze button, too!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the water thing. Well, lots of things, but especially the water one.
ReplyDeleteI've resolved to drink a glass of water before having coffee in the mornings...or anytime I want coffee. :)
So far, it's working!
Best of luck with your goals. You can do it!
Your such an inspiration. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBlanca
I'm totally one of "those people" too who loves making resolutions. These are awesome! We have so much in common. Your list (both of them) really encouraged me. We're at similar points in our lives and I can relate to what you are saying. I've written my resolutions and they are scheduled to post on Monday. I didn't think to include simplify. That's a big issue in my life--clothes, toys, stuff! Also, I have issues with piles. It kind of drives my husband crazy, too :)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Add to list:
ReplyDeletePlaydate with the Hagens. Soon. Email me. Next week maybe?
Okay wait! I had to come back with some suggestions on the laundry thing.
ReplyDeleteSuggestion #1 - fold it during FNL. Tell yourself you can not watch a FNL unless you are folding.
#2 - get the kids involved in putting it away. N&A fold all their own laundry and put it away (except pairing and folding socks). This has been huge. I fold Jon's laundry but he puts his away.
#3 - do one load a day and make it count. We only have the following categories:
* Darks (Jon and I combine)
* Whites (Jon and I combine)
* Alex
* Nate
* Towels
* Sheets
If we find ourselves with a dirty tablecloth or dirty towels, we just do a whole load.
#4 - if you don't want to do one load a day, then you need to pick one day a week when you get the laundry train going. We stack up every laundry basket and just keep everything running all day. We have to do this after most trips anyway.
If you do want to do one load a day, I recommend putting it in as soon as you get home from work and then drying it as soon as the buzzer goes. Otherwise I forget!
You inspired me!!!
ReplyDeleteBOUNDARIES!!! Yes indeed, this is so important as it allows us the freedom and time to achieve our other goals!
ReplyDeleteSo many of these hit home with me! For cleaning, I recommend getting a house cleaner, if only for once a month, it was the BEST thing I ever did :) I am also a huge piler and also love to read! The Help was incredible. Best book I read this year, and I am about to start the Hunger Games as well. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeletegreat word!
ReplyDeleteclean car? HAHAHA!
laundry? Kevin (mine) would probably die of laughter if I was giving anybody laundy "advice", but I find that I *must* do one load in the morning, and one load at night (wash, dry, fold, put away) in order to maintain the mountain. and by that i mean, the dirty basket is still full, just not so overflowing that i can't open the laundry room door. three loads a day would probably be ideal. good luck!!!
i love your goals. i love that you do a little report card after each year.
ReplyDeleteyour word for this year is great! i couldn't quite come up with a word this year so i chose a phrase that i found in the parking lot when i was in ca at blog sugar: show up for life. its going to be my guide this year!
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ReplyDelete