My 2014 resolution post.
1. Be more present.
Big fat fail. I did so well for a couple of months. I had Facebook blocked at work, I wasn't checking it on my phone when Millie was around. It felt great. And then somehow my computer started letting me access Facebook again and it came in and took over again. This morning I noticed Millie was acting out. I realized I just wasn't giving her my full attention. This needs to change. I am so tired of being a slave to the phone. I am tired of going out to dinner with friends, or having people over and people are on their phones the whole time. What is wrong with us!? That's it. I am deleting the Facebook app from my phone.
Mostly successful. I haven't been able to get into the workout groove I was in last summer. Last summer at this time I was just a few weeks away from my 1/2 marathon. I did get very into yoga during the winter. Then sickness after sickness hit. And depression hit. I started running - and I hurt my back. Now I am struggling because of Seth's work schedule. He leaves so early that I can't workout before him. Yadda yadda yadda. It's not for lack of desire but it hasn't been working out quite as well. Tomorrow morning I will run. Gotta get back into it a bit more right now. I have to take Millie with me more often. She loves it.
3. Simplify
Success! I went through my entire house - room by room - cabinet by cabinet - closet by closet- and de-clutterred. We had a giant yard sale in May and made over $1k. However, as you all know, it's hard to keep it up. Especially with kids. It's a constant battle to get rid of things and put away clothes that no longer fit. I have to go through her stuff every 2-3 months. It's pretty incredible what we accumulate. We still have a ways to go. I have a bin of stuff I need to sell online. I need to stay organized and need to stop buying things I don't need. I definitely consider this resolution a win.
4. Budget
HA! Fail again. While I do feel like I am finally starting to take control of my spending, I still haven't made and stuck to a budget. Nope. It's completely overwhelming to me. I realize I make it sound like I am thousands of dollars in debt. I'm not. But I do consistently overspend. A few weeks ago I made a goal to not spent $1 for a week. And I didn't. It was pretty amazing. You know how it is...you stop by the grocery store because you need milk and end up dropping $50 on groceries you didn't really need. You run and pick up lunch because you don't want the frozen food you brought. It was actually really great to reel things in. I want to start implementing that week of no spending once a month. I have made progress. I closed my Loft card and my Banana Republic card. I'm paying of my AMEX. I'll get there. Still need to work on this though. How hilarious is this picture? I had to include it.
5. Being Critical
Actually, while I don't think I was doing too well on this a month or two ago, I do think I am doing much better now. This is always a battle. I think just being conscious of this is important. It's so easy to think critically about others and yourself. A couple months ago a coworker forwarded all of the women in my office a quiz that was supposed to determine your confidence level. I took it and the results were "low confidence". I was shocked. I have usually had a pretty decent amount of confidence but during that time I was feeling pretty down. This bothered me a lot. The thing I have learned is that you have to fake it. You have to fake confidence to eventually gain it.
6. Blog
I have blogged a lot more this year. July I failed my "blog twice a month" goal. It's ok though, overall I am writing much more. I am hoping this "not so creative" blog today will help inspire more blogging.
7. New Hobbies
Does one new hobby count? I have a garden! It's true. I do. Seth would love to tell you all that I suck at gardening (I kind of do) but we have a garden. Tomatoes, cucumbers, kale, arugula, carrots, peas are all doing well. I'm not great at maintaining it. Yet I am happy that I have a garden at all. Ok I think baking bread is next. Fall is the perfect time for that. Done. I'm on it!
8. Hair
I haven't cut my hair. It's the longest it's ever been. I am extremely proud of myself. And I don't have the desire to cut it. I want to hang in there at least another year.
9. Plan ahead
Hmmmmm, well, I haven't been tested too much with this yet. September - December is where life gets crazy. I have already started thinking of gifts for Christmas. A couple are hand-made items and I plan on starting those in September. Also, for Millie I think Santa may be bringing her a dollhouse. Handmade from Seth and I. That will take some serious time. Gotta get going. I feel good about this overall.
10. Enjoy the ride
I am now. Right now life feels pretty good. Life was not so good for a few months earlier this year. But things are heading in that right direction.
Overall I think I'm doing ok. I really need to refocus on a few things but I feel good about life in general. So that's something.
