Friday, January 01, 2010

Resolve

Happy New Year Everyone!

I thought I'd kick off the new year properly with some of my own resolutions. Honestly, they're the same goals I have pretty much year-round, but putting them in black and white helps make them real...and more likely to happen! So, in no particular order, here goes...

1. Get more sleep. Between late nights in the studio, losing track of time, and plain old insomnia, I've gotten really bad about staying up super late. Then the kiddos make sure I'm up before I want to be. This often means I'm lucky to get 5 hours of sleep a night. No good. Must. Get. More. Sleep! The new goal is to at least be in bed by 11:30pm nightly. If I'm asleep by midnight, I should get a minimum of 7 hours of zzzz's.

2. Finish more projects. I'm notorious for beginning a project. Then beginning a project. Then beginning another project. In knitting, I am the cast-on queen! But this isn't just specific to knitting. I want to wrap up some unfinished projects and get better about limiting the number of works-in-progress I have at any given time. It clutters the mind and I have more than my share of clutter up there! Time to simplify. To do this, I plan to spend most of January wrapping things up. Then I'll be more mindful of what I have going before starting new projects. I also think I'll use July as another wrap-up month.

3. Like just about everyone else, weight-loss and getting healthier also tops the list. I did so well between Baby #1 and Baby #2, but after Baby #2, things started going downhill. I couldn't exercise much during that pregnancy which led to too much weight-gain and getting out of the exercise habit...which only continued after she was born. She's now 3 1/2 and I *must* do something about it. My husband and friends at work plan to compete for 90 days to see who can get the most "ripped." I plan to join along at home by fixing healthier meals for the entire family and trying to figure out ways to incorporate exercise into my day. Not so easy in the middle of winter in South Dakota with two young children and no gyms with daycares close by. Looks like boring videos will be my best bet, though I'm not really looking forward to it. I just know from past experience (between the babies) that I have to be pretty strict with myself to see results. That means regimented meals and exercise 6 days a week with one free/rest day a week. So I must do what I must do. Wish me luck!

4. Get the house in order. Despite moving in 7 months ago, the house is still less than put-together. We still don't have dining room furniture (though we do have a table in the kitchen so we CAN sit together for a meal), there are still boxes only partially unpacked, and there are still systems in place that worked in the old house but don't quite work here. By this time next year, I want this house to be a well-oiled machine. Or, at least, much more functional than it is now.

5. Do more with my kids outside the house. Now that the girls are getting older, it's easier to find things they can both do and enjoy. It's time for some family field trips! I'd like to explore some of the local National Parks, visit Storybook Land, and maybe head to Minneapolis to the Mall of America and Underwater Adventures.

6. Finish the TKGA Masters Program Level One. I'm nearly done, it's just another of the many unfinished projects lurking around here.

7. Work on my book. I'll keep the details to myself, but it's been bouncing around in my head for about a year now and I have some notes and some writing, but the meat of it is still just in my head. I will say that it's knitting related, but the rest I'll keep to myself for now. I'd like to have the bulk of it done by fall so that I can start trying to get to the agent/publisher level.

8. There's one other item on this list, but it's information I can't quite share just yet. It's not knitting related. You'll surely hear more about this after this weekend.

What's on your list? Let me know if you have a resolution similar to one of mine. Would love a buddy on some of these! If you happen to be an agent that's looking for a knitting book to represent, even better. hehe.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

you have your list well in hand! wishing you a good beginning and ending of your resolutions! Evelyn

AuntieAnn said...

Now I'm all in suspense. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but like so many other people I am constantly aspiring to exercise more and eat less.

J said...

I suppose I can spill now. We needed to wait until family knew before I started blogging about it. ;) Mr. Yarnworks is slated to head to Afghanistan in May. So my final resolution is to survive 'til the end of the year! There's lots of prep to do, and lots I'd like to get done while he's gone. I just wish Miss Kate were in Kindergarten next year instead of just preschool again. Days to myself would help!

UnderMeOxter said...

Snap on resolutions 1. 3. and 5.
They're all related for me. If I got to bed earlier, I'd get up earlier & get out for a walk: thereby getting more exercise and more energy.

Best of luck for after May. My DH travels but only for a few days at a time and usually there's a few weeks between the trips. Even that little I find tough. I think you'll get into your own routine and cope just great.