What a Slacker......

What HAPPENED to me?!

I started this blog in 2009, to track my goals for the New Year, and to hold myself publically (although NO ONE would ever check this blog) accountable for the things I said I was going to do an achieve. And although I would say 2009 was pretty successful, at least in terms of checking in and putting some focus into my goals, what happened to 2010???

Well, not much.

I did buy a house, though! And I have a what-used-to-be active house blog that I have been documenting our progress on. But that's another blog that's been floating around in cyber space, where I question if it's even worth putting the effort into. But then I come back with a resounding "YES!!!" Because even if no one reads it, I actually do copy and paste these posts into a PDF that I convert into book-format. I did that with my family blog sometime early last year, and it was pretty awesome seeing my work-- my thoughts, my experiences, my pictures of my family-- all in a hardback book. (In case you're wondering, I used Lulu, which was great. If you use them, be sure to search for coupons before you check-out).

Now, let's talk about 2011.......

My 2011 Resolutions

This year, instead of creating resolutions, I told myself I would create "Themes" -- themes upon which my actions would be based. The themes were (not in order of importance, because it seems very callous to list "Sexy" first before "Family," but that's just the order that I began thinking of them:

• Sexy
• Thrifty
• Family
• Knowledge
• Nourishment
• Thoughtfulness

Sexy

I chose Sexy because, well, I had begun to let myself go. At least, that is how I was feeling. Things as basic as dressing had (and really, still IS) nonchalant, like it's not important how I look. I still have very little clothes, and I have not made it a point to shop because of budget issues, and also, because I am attempting to lose some weight before investing in some things. But, I mean, taking some pride in one's appearance is very important, and I had begun to slip. Even now, in the beginning of February, I haven't made my appearance very important, but I've begun to work it.

Thrifty

We just bought a house a couple months ago, so our expenses have gone up a lot. I knew that when you buy a house there are additional expenses that are not just a part of your increase in fixed expenses like mortgage; I also knew that other expenses would go up, like decorating costs. But damn, this much???!! I keep track of everything I spend money on, and our "Household" expenses have gone from nearly NIL to $300-$400 a month-- paint, curtain rods, this....that.... All those expenses that you knew you'd need to invest in once you're in, but had no idea what the real cost would be once you were in. It's been a lot. But, I know some of those will drop off a bit once we are done getting the house together.

Family

I didn't have any particular goals in mind about family, but just wanted to spend more quality time together. Since June 2010 we've either been selling or buying or renovating or cleaning or decorating some sort of real estate. LOL. And that's hard to do with kids, because a lot of the time you're shuffling your kids aside to get it done. This past weekend, however, I decided that househouse and paining and such can wait-- I took the boys to the acquarium, and into Chinatown, and just enjoyed spending the day with them. It was challenging getting them on the train and all, but overall, it was a pretty successful weekend and day! THAT is what I want! More of those fun day-trips, and not just me and the boys, but me and hubby, as well (he works on the weekends, so it's hard to get him involved).

Knowledge

I want to learn some new things this year. What--not sure. Whether it be some personal classes, like a hobby, or some classes geared towards improving my career (e.g. some classes towards a certification of such), not sure. I was leaning towards learning how to cook. I suck at it.

Nourishment

This ties in with learning to cook. I want to provide healthy, nourishing meals to my family, instead of pulling out frozen pizzzas because I have failed to plan and have failed to learn to provide something healthy. Nourishment also falls in line with getting to sleep on time. I am nocturnal. I could stay up all night, if you'd let me (and if I didn't have to get up with 2 kids in the morning!!). But I know that staying up and then getting up early to tend to kids is going to take it toll on me, even if I feel I can "do" it and feel "fine." Sleep is important. Lack of it is tied to increased plaque in the brain (Alzheimers????). Anyhow, I don't want to jeapordize my health. Sooooo......getting to bed at a decent time must take precedence.

Thoughtfulness

When I thought of this theme, I was thinking of volunteering my time. Not sure how. But something to do to help others, or some organization. I also wanted to get my oldest son involved, any way that small kids can. I was thinking about Habitat for Humanity. I've never done volunteer work before. But I imagine it must feel pretty rewarding, depending on what you're dong and if it falls in line with your beliefs and interests.

What I Need, Though......

You know what I need, though? Something more concrete. These themes are great and all.......However, without somethings concrete and measurable, I'm afraid that I would just slip back into my normal 2010 laziness. Even with more concrete goals in 2010, I was a slacker. Just imagine the slacking if I tell myself that themes are the theme of 2011, and that I'm just going to "go with the flow" and "try to stick to the theme." Um--no. Not gonna work.

So, I'm going to take a day or so, and really think about the specific goals within each of these themes, so that I have something measurable to speak on and how myself accountable to.

Otherwise, I'm wasting my time. And that's not being thrifty :)