Well, Happy New Year everyone! Doesn't it feel nice to have 2016 behind us? I hope it does. I actually wrote this on the 30th because we are currently out of town celebrating. Fingers crossed the new year transition went off without a hitch, otherwise this post might seem really out of place.
ANYWAY, HAPPY NEW YEAR! As always, I will take the first blog post of the year to do a little reflecting and looking forward. Let's get to it, shall we? First, for the review:
My resolutions for 2016 were as follows:
1. Exercise at least three times per week: Well well well... this shows that I had NO MEMORY of what was even on this freaking list. Did I actually think this might happen? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? Now, I will at least point out that I did start parking sorta far away from my building (like 3/4 a mile) in order to get some exercise, so I did add a 1.5 mile round trip walk each day, but I would be pushing it to call that "exercising". I mean, sure, it helps but I don't think it get to the heart of the item. I am going to give myself a fail on this one.
2. Lose Weight - Interesting how last years goals and this years goals might look really similar. I actually specified on this one that anything less than what i weighed last year at this time was a win, and technically I am around 2-4 pounds down, so it's a pass? I am not where I want to be, but I guess I will accept it and be happy that over the year I have not managed to GAIN weight.
3. Publish three papers in academic journals - Okay, not that I need to EXPLAIN things to you all, but this was set before I knew about my job change. And that job change, along with Corrine's job change, sort of changed this goal. I am happy (THRILLED!) to report we had one article published, and I have another under review. I will consider this a win, given that I had no idea at the time my work life would be altered so drastically (in a good way).
4. Help in Henry's classroom - Well well well, I actually forgot this one was on here as well, but I am also going to give myself a pass here! It helps that his teacher is Boo, so I am extremely comfortable in her classroom, but I volunteer regularly, and it's great!
5. Read the first Harry Potter to Henry - Huge Pass! And he loved it! Dreams do come true!
So in the end, I give myself 4/5. That's not too bad, considering it looked like I might crash and burn after reading item #1!
Now, on to my new resolutions!
1. Blog better: I am not going to say blog more, because while I want to increase the number of blog posts, I would actually settle for just writing one or two good posts a month. I can post pictures or do updates, but one of the reasons I have always loved this space is that it helps me clear my head. I still love it when I use it for that, but it happens so rarely now. I would like to try to get back to that place.
2. UGH with the weight again: I do not know how many years in a row my weight has been on this list, but it is here again. I do better with a specific goal, so I am going to say lose 15 pounds within 6 months and keep it off at the end of the year.
3. Be mindful of my time at home: With my new job, I have a lot on my plate. And more often than I would like, my work life is taking away too much of my time with Nick and Henry. Sometimes it's because I literally need to be working on things, and that's hard to avoid, but sometimes it's because I am not turning off the part of my brain that is focusing on work. I am home, but in my head, I have not left the office. I want to do better with this, and focus on my family when we are together.
4. Make it a priority to read what Henry reads - I have been trying to do this, but I am putting it on the list to hold myself accountable. Henry has fallen in love with reading this year, and it absolutely warms my heart. He is reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and wants me to read it too. He keeps wanting to talk about stuff, but doesn't want to spoil it for me. I am on book three, and moving slower than I should. He is on book 7. I need to make our joint reading a priority now or he will stop asking me in the future.
5. Impact the world around us: We are lucky enough to be in a stable place, financially. With that, we have increased our charitable giving, which I am happy about. But with the recent election, it has settled on my heart to consider if I am doing enough in other ways. I don't know what I want to do to make a difference, but something more than just money. I don't know exactly what I mean by this, but hopefully I will have an answer by the end of the year.
And as a final update, by book reading total is not officially on the list, but the goal for the year is staying the same as this time at 25. I ended up in the mid 30s for 2016. Not too shabby:)
And that's it! Bring it on, 2017!
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