Thoughts for 2012

I have a bunch of Christmas posts I should be working on, but honestly, this is what is on my mind, so I'm posting it.

2011 was a pretty awesome year for us. Lots of changes. I can't believe when I look back at the pics from January of last year, that it was only a year ago. Cailin was a baby just turning one. Cory got a new job and moved out to CA without us, leaving us to pack while he found a house. We moved to CA (a place I never thought I'd live).  My big girls turned 3 and 5.  Cory turned 30. We went to a couple of really great weddings.  The girls got some pretty serious haircuts.  Breanne started kindergarten.  Janey started preschool.  Janey then got shingles.  I had a super awesome birthday that I somehow didn't blog about.  We made some really cute costumes for Halloween,  We had our very own thanksgiving for the first time ever.  And Christmas was awesome.  :)  Really, minus a couple minor things, it really was a great year.  I'm so glad all this went so, so well, when there seemed like so much potential for craziness.

So after things went really well with our move and everything else, I started to get complacent.  I began sewing more and more, and spending less time interacting with my children.  I mean, I'm still around, and I listen to them play together and run interference all the time, but I don't get down and play with them very much.  I started thinking that going to pick up Breanne from school counted as some sort of outing with my kids.  I spent more time online than I should, just checking Facebook and Pinterest.  I feel like even though I'm kind of trying to get my life in order and do fun things with my kids, I'm just constantly frustrated by my lack of organization and energy.

I've been thinking lately that something really needs to change.

So.  As this past year came to a close, I actually spent a pretty good deal of time thinking about what I want to change and accomplish in the new year. I'm not usually a resolutions kind of person, but this year, I just feel drawn to the idea of having specific goals that I'd like to work on. I've gotten pretty lazy in my own way (no seriously, just because I sew a lot does not mean I'm productive. Promise.) and I'd like to move past that and really feel like I'm doing my best, instead of just coasting through the days. I feel like my children are growing up before my eyes, and I'm missing it. I'm not saying that I'm totally changing my ways, I still want to sew and have some time just for me that way, but I need to pay more attention to what is happening all around me, not just here on the computer or on my sewing machines. So, with all that in mind, here are a few of my goals for this year. I figure if I post them online for all of you all to see, I will hold myself more accountable to them. The fact that I'm actually outlining them in my head is probably enough, honestly, but since this is so heavy on my mind, I figured I'd share them here, too. This blog is titled "I'm Thinking," after all.

1.  Plan at least one activity with my kids each day.  Can be art related, time at the park or children's museum/Happy Hollow, a trip to the mall or store (that is exciting to them), inviting a friend over, or just time playing with them.  Just something done with all my attention on them.

2. Get my kids outside more. We have (mostly) great weather here--it's in the 60's all this week. We live in a long circle (court? cul-de-sac?) with very little traffic. Our neighborhood is generally very safe. I need to take advantage of that and let the kids out to ride bikes and play, and I need to take care of our yard.

3. Be better about reading the scriptures, both on my own, and with my family.

4. Read the lesson material for sunday school and Relief Society before church, and take my manuals with me to church.

5. Cook for my family at least 3 dinners a week. Cory is a great cook, and will help pitch in on the nights when I don't make something, and we seem to always need to eat leftovers at least a couple times a week, so I think 3 nights of cooking a week is a pretty solid plan.

6. Get my paper situation under control. Since we moved here, I've wanted to reorganize our filing system, and I just haven't gotten around to it. That needs to happen, and soon. It's making me crazy. 

7. Get my craft stuff all organized. Patterns filed, fabrics reorganized, ribbons and flowers put away in a manner that would make it easy to access them. I'm so tired of my craft spaces being such a mess--there are so many great organization ideas out there, I just need to take the time to implement a few of them. 

8. Complete the Couch-to-5K program in the next two months (it's a 9 week program). I've been feeling so sluggish lately (especially around 3-4:00 in the afternoon--I can barely stay awake, seriously), and I just need to do something to get some energy back. I also hope to start walking to pick up Breanne from school at least once a week (it's only 1/2 mile to the school, so 1 mile round trip. It's the uphill with a double stroller bit that always stops me from doing this). Anything to get a little more exercise into my day (without, you know, having to head to the gym or something). And then, once I complete the program, continue exercising 3-5 times a week. I'll decide at that point what kind of exercise I want to do. Perhaps a kick-boxing class? 

So there it is.  My list of goals for the new year.  I'm ready for some change.  How about you?