January 21, 2014

2014 New Year’s Resolutions

So the other day, my boss asked me, “Crystal, have you always been this way?” I get asked this a lot so I had to clarify what part of “ME” she was talking about. She was referring to my goal to VBAC my second baby and my goal to run 50 5Ks in one year. Oh, “Goal-oriented. Yeah, I guess I have always been goal-oriented,” That was one of the many things Dad drilled into my head; he wanted us to write down our goals and to keep them. I’m sure he was suggesting goals more like “becoming president of the United States” than whether or not I could push a baby out of my vajajay, but nevertheless the true meaning behind his advice, the concept stuck and I have always made goals and written them down.

Every year, I make a specific and general set of New Year’s Resolutions. I like to keep them nearby and if nothing else, I like to look back on them to see where I was in my life at that time. I like the concept of a fresh start.

I even invented the July 1 milestone “ReNew Year Resolutions” — where people review and tweak their resolutions — but it still has yet to catch on.

In fact, I just reviewed my list from last year and I didn’t accomplish any of my goals that I had written down — not a damn one. But, I can look back and see what was important to me at the beginning of 2013 and, like always, some will roll over to this year.

Here are this year’s TOP 10 Resolutions and Goals:

#1 Don’t be pregnant.
I have been pregnant at some point or another in the last 3 years, so 2014 is dubbed the year I am not making babies. All bets are off in 2015. Just kidding…maybe…I don’t know yet.

#2 But seriously, the theme for this year is “Plan Ahead.”
This is something moms are generally good at, but I am not. I don’t think about tomorrow’s lunch until tomorrow or what I need washed until the very last moment. This year will be different; I’m taking charge of tomorrow, and I have the giant dry erase board and color coordinating markers to prove it. So if I don’t accomplish anything else this year, I will at least have planned ahead for all the un-accomplishment.

#3 Let’s get in shape.
Lame and boring and predictable, but I think that with my super mommy powers combined (and if I can manage #1 and #2), then I can probably find a way to exercise regularly with my already packed schedule. I’m kind of cheating with this one because I already started that 50 5Ks in one year back in September and I love challenges and telling people my goals so that other people can hold me accountable. So all I want to add to the existing goal is exercising more throughout the week and doing some weights. I’ve got some pounds to shed. Pre-college weight would be nice.

#4 Eat Healthier.
This kind of goes hand-in-hand with getting in shape, but seriously, if I can’t keep my kids and myself healthy, then all the other stuff doesn’t matter. We are going to try all kinds of stuff this year and are gonna put all the pizza, fries and sodas on hold.

#5 Write more.
I have so many blog posts I’m already behind on — hell, this one is four weeks late. But I want to get better and faster at writing. I’ll be fixing this by writing an every other week (AKA bi-weekly) column over at DumbWhiteHusband.com, writing some at BubbleLife.com and here on this blog. I also have a children’s story idea that I want to get illustrated and written down, which has been on my list for a few New Years.

#6 Budgeting better.
Who couldn’t use a better budget? I plan on making Suzy Orman and Dave Ramsey proud this year and will try to not be financial distracted with shiny objects. (This is a rollover from 2013.)

#7 Adventure time.
Last year there were a lot of crafty things on my list, like learning to knit and making stockings for the kids (none of which happened), but I just don’t have time for that anymore. It was a hard decision to come to but I want to spend my craft time with my kids outside and helping them make stuff. I’m sure I’ll find a project or two for mommy painting time, but generally, I need less crap and more baby adventure time.

#8 Christmas Tree.
Buy a full-size Christmas tree. December budgets suck big time and I’m always faced with the “do I have the money this month for a full-size tree on top of all the presents?” Well, this year I’m going to find/make/fabricate a legit, big Christmas tree. This is mainly because the 3-ft. tree can’t hold all of the ornaments anymore. Maybe it will even be a ridiculous color just for the fun of it.

#9 Less Crap.
This is kind of a carry-over from #6. I need less shiny objects in my life and I need to learn to live with less, except for the full-size Christmas tree. In fact, my husband and I are trying not to buy anything for ourselves for the first six months of 2014. Again, this could probably build on top of the planning ahead theme.

#10 Church it up.
I’m a horrible Christian mommy. While we say our prayers and read the Bible, everybody could use some extra Hosanna, so this year we are going to find a church so that my children will understand who Jesus is, go visit with other God-loving children and be able to tell the difference from the Savior of sinners and Santa Claus, the holiday stealer. (This is a carry-over from an embarrassing amount of years.)

Is anybody else as goal-oriented as me? Hopefully, if I can plan ahead, then I can reach some of the other resolutions. We will see. Right now, I have to go plan out how to work spaghetti squash into my diet this week.

Peace, Love & Unicorns,

Crystal