Our entrance into 2012 provides me with an opportunity to reflect on the past year and set some goals for myself for the upcoming year.
Number 1 on my list of things to do is to take care of me. Last year I became a mommy, and with that came the responsibility to care for my son. Being a stay-at-home mom seemed to have made it more difficult to take care of me. Without a job to go to every day, there didn't seem to be much reason to wake up early, shower, have my teeth brushed by lunchtime, or even change out of sweatpants. Going to the gym was also difficult, because with a breastfed baby, I was always afraid he'd get hungry while at the gym daycare, and I hated to drive to the gym just to work out for 10 minutes before they called me to pick up my screaming baby. Then in the evenings when my husband was home, I felt that I needed to be at home with my family so we could actually spend some time together.
This year, I am promising to myself AND my family that I will take care of them by taking care of me. I will adopt a healthier lifestyle through diet and exercise, and I will put effort into myself each and every day.
That is the biggest goal.
Another goal that I have is to learn to quilt. I really want to quilt and have a few quilts around our house. I also think quilted handbags or totes would be great gifts come Christmastime, but I need to get started making them now, because apparently they take a while. Mostly, I want all my Christmas gifts this upcoming year to be hand-made. Granted, I will always buy my husband and my son their Hess trucks, and I already bought my grandma's gifts (she found a plate and mug she wanted), but the rest of them I will strive to make myself.
Another goal? Spend less money. I've been lucky to be a stay-at-home mommy so far, but it comes with a cost. When I get restless, we go shopping. I typically don't buy much, but even those $10 purchases can really add up. So I will set a goal to finish projects and use what I have around the house before I just go start buying more. I've found some tutorials for tank dresses and I think I can make them buying only elastic and elastic thread... I have so much fabric around the house! Also, I was going to use my Christmas money to buy a new sewing machine, but I think I fixed my old one thanks to some help from the internet. Now that money will go toward new clothing when goal number one starts showing rewards in the form of a smaller me!!!
I set a goal for our family this year, too: Donate 212 things in 2012. We have bins of clothes stored in our basement from 2010 when we cleaned out our dressers and closet to make room for my maternity wardrobe. Once we go through the bins, I estimate we'll be able to donate about 100 pieces of clothing BEFORE FEBRUARY.
I have two more goals for 2012:
1) Make Landon a quilt for his birthday using clothing he wore in his first year of life (he'll get the quilt for his second birthday, or Christmas.)
2) Clean every day. I just started putting away our Christmas gift wrap today... It'll take a while before the basement is back to normal, but a little effort spent on the house everyday will make for a comfier home and a happier hubby.
What are your goals for 2012?
