New Year, New Look

So, I decided it was time for a blog makeover.  Not sure I am 100% satisfied with the result thus far especially because I think the new look has been heavily influenced by my latest project.  Here's a snag of that project:

See any resemblance?  Yup, I'll have to keep working on that.


Speaking of the new year I never did my usual end of year wrap up or resolutions for the new year...

2011 Wrap up:

• I have to say that 2011 kicked my ass.  It was tough year from start to finish.  It wasn't all bad, but it wasn't easy.  
• The weather played a surprisingly big role in the year.  From snow storms, to heat waves, to hurricanes, they were all memorable, but nothing I'd like to relive any time soon.  
• I listened to an awful lot of audio books.  18 out of the 67 books I have listed as "read" were actually "listened."  Reasons for that are 1) I started listening to audiobooks while I work out and 2) my new job included a new commute
• Starting a new job is really tough and really consuming, but finding a job where you are both treated with respect and like what you're doing is amazing.  I completely forgot what that felt like and I am so glad I got it back.  
• Several times over the course of the year I was reminded to be grateful for all that I have in my life.  Despite my petty complaints, I know I am a lucky person.
• And lastly, Zoe grew up so much this year.  She's not completely different and in many ways she's still and will always be my baby, but she's getting so mature.  It makes me proud and breaks my heart.

I have decided I am not making specific resolutions for 2012.  I am simply wishing for a quiet year where the scale is more tipped towards happiness for myself and those I care about. 

2011 Resolutions

I like to take my time making my resolutions. The end of the year is such a flurry of activity that there's not really time to think things through until the dust of the holidays begins to settle. But now I have had time to think and here's what I've come up with...

1. Save -- last year was not a great year financially. I had hoped to get on a budget and I still hope to do that, but mostly I want to save more money for the inevitable rainy days.

2. Smile and have fun -- it sounds silly maybe, but I've been thinking about how important it is to look for the positive rather than focus on the negative. And that life should be more fun than drudgery or negativity. It is easy to get bogged down in what you don't have or can't do or don't want to do, butI have a lot to smile about and enjoy and life is generally better when you're smiling, laughing and having fun. And now that I have my braces off, smiling is a lot more fun!

3. Stay on top of my email -- email is a huge part of both my work life and my personal life and in last year's storm of work I let it all get out of control. I lost track of emails for work, I didn't reply to friends in a timely way, I generally let my email turn into chaos both in my work and personal accounts. There's no need for that. I am going to read email as soon as I can and then deal with it as soon as I can. That means responding or filing or deleting as appropriate. This maybe my biggest challenge of the year, but I think it will be worth it if I can make some real progress.

4. Continue eating well -- after working really hard to lose almost 30 pounds last year this past month I really slipped back into my old, bad ways of eating and it is showing on the scale (and in my jeans). I worked too hard to go back so (like millions of others) I am back on the good eating wagon with every intention of staying there. I feel better and I look better when I'm eating better so there's really no reason not to.

5. Commit to my blog -- last year I was pitiful in the amount of postings. I need to up it's priority and think about setting aside specific times for it -- maybe even a schedule. I don't want to stop blogging, but I don't want to do it half-assed either. I think that even if I can only commit to once a week, that is better than blogging only when I remember as I did it last year. I'm working on this plan. (And not giving up yet Ms. Musings. Thank you for the encouragement!)

2010: The Year in Review

In January 2010 I made my usual list of resolutions. Let's see how the year stacked up to my goals.

Resolution #1
Make a budget. Stick to budget.

This one didn't work out so well. The bad economy lent a major hand in this one. Long story short, I'll have to try this one again.

Resolution #2
Blog more
Well, I'm 0 for 2 so far. I wanted to blog more, I really did, but I had the busiest year of work I have ever had. Any time I had away from work I also wanted away from the computer. I'm going to have to think about my blog in 2011.

Resolution #3
See more movies
Well, this one I did accomplish. I didn't get to the theater as much as I would have liked, but I did sign up for Netflix which includes streaming. My list of movies is pretty long, I think.

Resolution #4
Do some different stuff
This one I also accomplished and I'm really pleased about it too. I went ice skating a number of times, skiing a couple of times, took Zoe to a couple of new museums, went bike riding, took Pilates classes, and got an impractical car among the highlights.

Considering the year overall and that it was one of the most challenging work-wise, I think 50% is not a bad mark. Resolutions aren't supposed to be so easy otherwise why bother, right? So, I have hope to do a little better in 2011. Now it's time to start thinking about what my goals are going to be.

2010 Resolutions

OK, it's a new year, time for some new resolutions.

1. Make a budget. Stick to budget. This is the big one for the year. The big one and the hard one. It is sad, but true that we have no household budget and it is past due that we get one together. We certainly need to save more and make better spending decisions. Oh and there's that little thing called college tuition looming out there... My goal is to have the initial budget created by end of first quarter and start sticking to it by end of third. I know it shouldn't take this long, but I feel like I need to time to get it right.
2. Blog more. The last few months have been really busy ones for me and I've really let my blogging slip. I have not been good about keeping up with writing or reading the blogs I follow and I miss it -- both the writing and the keeping up with my blogging friends. I have a goal of a minimum of writing 2 posts and 2 blog reading sessions per week. That's not huge, but at least it gets me back into the habit of blogging regularly.
3. See more movies. I love movies and I hardly saw any this year. (Kids' movies don't count.) I am going to start keeping a list of movies seen on my blog similar to the list of books read. This will be both movies rented and movies seen in the theater. I prefer to go to the theater, but its just not always easy. I've already put together a short list of movies I want to rent and I made a very good jump start over Christmas week when I saw 3 movies in the theater and rented one.
   
4. Do some different stuff. Is that vague enough for you? OK, here's what I mean...For my birthday my mother is giving me a trip to a museum in Pennsylvania (not sure which one) and it got me thinking about how I never go to art museums anymore. I can't even remember the last time. I can't believe I haven't taken Zoe, my aspiring artist, to the Met or the MOMA. I've been wanting to go skiing for 2 years and haven't been yet. I love ice skating, there is a rink 15 minutes from me and I've only been twice in the last year. That kind of thing. It is time to shake things up a bit and be open to new adventures.

See you in 12 months for the wrap up report.

2009 Resolution Round-up

Here are my resolutions from last year and a report on how they worked out:

1. Read another 50 books.

Check. And that will be an ongoing goal.

2. Stay on top of my inbox.

I was doing really well with this until November and then things just fell apart. I hope to get back on track and it is more of a habit now so that is a good thing.

3. Cook.

Believe it or not, I did it. I think I am most proud of this. I have been cooking a lot and looking up recipes and all kinds of things I never thought I'd do. And while I can't say I really love cooking, it is good to be able to make what I want to eat and to know what I am eating.

4. Try doing more sports and outdoor activities.

Never made it skiing this year, but we did go ice skating. Also we got Chief who has brought a lot more walks and trips to the beach and park into my life. I did OK on this, but I'm just never going to be a kayak-er or anything like that.

5. Get rid of the clutter.

I'm getting there, but it could be better.

Overall I think I did pretty well this year. In addition to these goals, I lost 20lbs and am finally, FINALLY at my pre-pregnancy weight. And I have managed to keep it off and it feels like a real permanent change. It is a very good feeling.

OK now I have to get to work on my 2010 resolutions...

2009 Resolutions

OK I have been giving this some thought and I think I have arrived at my final list of resolutions for 2009. In no particular order:

1. Read another 50 books. I am proud of myself for getting through that many books last year. The goal definitely kept me reading more and watching TV less. I want to continue that. Included with that goal is that I want to read more of the books I already own. Not sure if I will track that, but maybe I should.

2. Stay on top of my inbox. I tend to let my email inboxes get ridiculously long and crowded -- especially my work email. This year I am determined to be more diligent about deleting or filing emails as necessary because half the time when I look back at emails I can't even remember why I kept most of the them.

3. Cook. No, not cook more, because I don't really count microwaving or heating something up in the toaster oven as cooking. I want everyone in my house to eat healthier meals. I try to buy good food, but we also tend to go out a lot. So, my goal is to cook one dinner per week. I've cooked 2 dinners so far in January. Nothing glamorous, but they were hot and they got eaten. Also I have a great source of inspiration because Becky, knowing of my secret intentions for this year, gave me a fantastic cook book for Christmas. I haven't gotten past putting post-it notes on the recipes I want to try because I think I am a little intimidated, but I am looking forward to giving some of these recipes a shot.

4. Try doing more sports and outdoor activities. I'd like to really get in skiing and ice skating this winter. In the spring I want to go hiking and take some tennis lessons. Not sure yet about summer and fall since those tend to be my most active times anyway, but I will think of something to do. Maybe more of the same. Whatever it is, I want to do more of it.

5. Get rid of the clutter. My house isn't severely cluttered, but we've been living here almost 6 years and stuff builds up in all the hidden places like the closets and the cabinets. When I set up my home office and had to move a bunch of stuff around I realized how much clutter had build up. Main goals are the kitchen cabinets and the upstairs hall in the alcove that has the desk. Not sure anyone has a clear idea of the full inventory of those areas, but they are not being put to their best use right now.

So, I'll check back in 12 months and let you know how it goes...