Resolutions Revisited

Dear Em,
Can you believe the first six months of 2012 have already flown by? Sometimes I feel like we need a moment to stop & catch our breath. With the first half of the year over, I've been thinking about the goals I set for myself this year. Remember this post where I talked about six goals I had for 2012? Sometimes it's hard to follow through with the resolutions I've set the whole year through. The best way I know to stay on track is to periodically go back to the goals I've set & check in with how I'm doing. I thought the six month point was as good a time as any to do just that...

1) Work on being healthy: I lost 8 pounds this winter. I did most of it on the treadmill & by cutting down portion sizes (I know I said I don't like dieting, but I hit a plateau with exercise & it had to be done). I don't know that I spent a whole lot more time outdoors this winter, but we did bundle up more often & head to the park (having a mild winter made it a little easier). Living a healthier lifestyle helped me to fit into a bridesmaid dress (as well as much of my clothing that had previously felt a little tight), & finish a 5k while pushing you in the stroller at my best time ever. Looking ahead, we signed up for the Warrior Dash in September & I'm hoping that will motivate me to keep in shape. The past few moths have gotten busy & I haven't been as good about planning time for fitness. I have to continue to work on this.

2) Take time for me: This one has been more of a struggle for me. There are times I do well with this & there are times things are too busy & time for myself is pushed to the side. I'll continue to work on it, but I think this may always be something I struggle with.

3) Read 2 books a month: This is another one that I wish I had done better with. I started off really well with this. I read while I ran on the treadmill (& was so proud of my multi-tasking me-time). Then April & May came with a whirlwind of things to do & I got off track. I think I've read 9 books. Not too bad, but I'm hoping to do better in the summer sun.

4) Making time for friends: This one I'm really excited about, because we've had so much fun reconnecting with some of our friends this year. We've planned a once a month Thursday Night Dinner with some of my college friends (which I posted about here, here, here, & here), have had fun movie/dinner nights at out house, and a couple game nights. It's been so fun to see the new milestones some of our friends have reached this year & to be more a part of it all. Our guest room has been used more this year than any other year, & I'm loving it. I especially love that you've been able to get to know some of the people we hold so dear in our hearts as well. 

5) Home Projects: Originally we were planning to get many of these projects done in February & March. When I found out my company would be laying off 60% of it's employees, we put most of our projects on hold until I found out I still had a job. This past month & a half has been a whirlwind of home improving activities.

  - Replace the curtains in the living room/dining room: This actually grew to replacing the curtains in the family room, guest room, & living room/dining room. They're not all up, but I'm hoping they will be by the end of July.

  - Paint front door & shutters: We haven't done this yet. Your daddy was actually excited about this one until he realized I wanted to do it ourselves. Now he doesn't think it's necessary. Sigh, hopefully we'll get this done in the fall.

  - Replace the pebble front walkway: After talking to our handyman about this for months, the project should finally be finished today. I'm so excited. I may roll all over the new paver stone walkway in happiness when I get home from work.

  - Put a curtain up over the office closet: Done!

  - Organize the basement storage areas: Yeah, so we'll be putting this off until 2013. It's hard to try to do this now that we've added so many things to the mess (i.e. a highchair & crib). We'll be donating a lot to family & we're waiting to clean it out until then.

  - Design a bedroom for a little girl & move you into the larger bedroom: You moved last week into your new room! There's a couple things we're waiting to get delivered & then your room will be completely finished (& I'll do a blog reveal).

- There were a few things I added to the mix. We added a little garden around our mailbox, refinished the deck in the back, designed & decorated a new guest room, & replaced the last few old light fixtures in our house. We'll be replacing the door handles upstairs, & we'll repainting a couple rooms & doors.

6) Milestones for us to work on together.

  - Say goodbye to the highchair & hello to the booster seat: Done in January.

  - Potty training: Done in April.

  - Moving you into your new bedroom, saying goodbye to the crib, & saying hello to a big girl bed: Done last week.

OMG, I can't believe how much you've changed & grown in six short months!

Wow, it's been a busy six months. It was actually nice to look back at this list, because I didn't realize how much we accomplished together until I did. Don't get me wrong, I've still got  lot to work on. Finding a balance for me time is going to be an on going process. Convincing your daddy that the family room we painted three years ago needs to be repainted is going to be an ongoing process. Overall, I'm happy with the goals I set for this year & where we've taken them.

I can't wait to see where the next six months takes us. Sigh, I can't wait to see our paver stone walkway at the end of today.

I love you so,

Mommy