I'm not much of a "resolutions" kind of gal. Honestly, any one person that starts off the New Year saying they resolve to do something is setting themselves up for failure (IMHO).
I do, however, consider myself to be goal oriented. So to me, broad long-term goals are a bit more attainable. And lets face it, since I've had children I've given up every possible vice that I could possible resolve to do away with for New Years, Lent, or any other Pagan or Religious Holiday that the internets celebrate.
Now, back to the whole thing about my goals.
For 2010 (and beyond) I have several goals in mind to work on little by little and build up over the foreseeable future. Without further adieu here they are:
1) Continue with my fitness.
I love working out. I also love the fact that people don't believe that I've given birth to two gigantic baby boys from my very petite and in-shape frame. So, my ongoing goal is to just continue what I've been doing, because I'm obviously doing something right!
2) Continue to play tennis 2-3 times per week.
Tennis allows me to maintain my sanity. I can't really explain it in any other way, except for if I have a terrible day I can go out on the tennis court for a few hours and forget about life for a bit.
3) Continue to run 3-5 miles twice a week.
Alright, so I've been slacking on this for the last few weeks... mostly because I've been so busy since the beginning of December. I do enjoy running, and overall it's great for my tennis game and cardiovascular health.
4) Continue be a Better Mother.
I kind of got deep in the trenches last year of dysfunctional motherhood due to PMDD. Since the symptoms are now under control, I'm able to be the mother that I always dreamed of being (well, aside from the fact that I do have to work). But, what's most important is my children and being the best mother that I can in order to mold and shape them to be outstanding members of society in our future. So, whatever it takes to be the best mother I can be if definitely worth the effort.
5) Continue to Hide Vegetables in ALL of the family meals.
Oddly, I think my husband is worse about eating vegetables and fruits then my own children. But, it seems that if I am able to hide as much healthy stuff in yummy food the better off we all are. Oh, and also continue with a nightly family dinner because that's the stuff that keeps families happy and together. I can't even DREAM of not eating dinner all together at the table with a nice home-cooked meal. Apparently we are a minority.
6) Transform this House!
Ever since we moved in to our home, my big goal was to little by little transform this place in to a haven that reflects our style and personality. Trouble is, we don't have the money to throw away to do every single darn thing at once like most normal people on this planet. I've come pretty far this year with the master bedroom (which is near complete), I'll have to work on Trevor's room soon since he'll start transitioning to a "big boy" bed, and the living room is going to be my big hot button real soon. Kitchen, I'll get to you this year as well! Just you wait and see!
7) Save More Money.
Only a foolish family doesn't save money for a rainy day, or save money to buy a bigger family home within their budget one day. We've gone through periods of time where we save like mad because of a specific goal in mind (i.e. buying my new car this past spring and putting 25% down), but we need to continue to save just because. Of course, we've hit a few speed bumps this year with decreased salaries and decreased bonuses and if we didn't live a modest lifestyle I suppose that could have spelled big trouble for us. All in all, we are great and we are SO lucky to have jobs, paychecks, and a nice home to live in. But hey, let's face it- cash is king, and the more cash we have the better off we will be.
8) Be a Better Wife.
It's not that I'm a horrible spouse. Honestly. I'm sure if you asked my husband he would definitely vouch for me! But, along with the being a better mother comes being a better wife. I kind of put my family through hell for a while with this whole PMDD thing, so my goal is to just continue to be the best I can be all around. Because if Momma is happy, everyone is happy.
9) Be a Better Friend.
I'm a busy person, and I know that other people are busy, too yet they still make time to go out of their way to call me or stop by. I need to be better about this too. I think this goes along with my transformation out of the PMDD hole that I was in for a while there, and for some of you out there I have already gone out of my way to apologize for being a crappy friend previously.
10) Give back to the Community.
I'm all about volunteerism, and I think that the best way to be a little less selfish is to volunteer yourself for a good cause. I volunteered a lot when I was growing up, and even logged in over 1,000 hours of service at Mission Hospital Medical Center as a Junior Volunteer while in High School. While I perhaps don't have as much time to go to those lengths currently, I do feel that it is important for me to make time to help those people out in the community that need help. Stay tuned for my plans... I have a feeling that they will be life changing for me!
11) Get more Readers, Traffic, Facebook Fans, etc.!
I took way way way way WAY too long of a hiatus from updating this site, and basically lost all of my readers that I previously had. I've obviously transitioned from something completely different than I used to be (which is pretty OK in my book), but I guess I'm looking for ways to expand my audience, provide resources to people, and have some fun! I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be a BIG year for me and I can't wait!
2010... I'm looking forward to you! Sure, I'll be turning 30 in this new decade, but in a way I guess that starts a whole different phase in my life. I have so much to be thankful for, so much to be proud of, and so much to keep reaching for. The sky is the limit, and my life is just barely beginning!