Here's the original post from last month if you'd like to see what it is exactly that I'm adjusting for betterment and convenience. I don't have an update for everything, but some of these bullet points are always in the back of my mind, so that's what I'll have comments for.
Things I'm not going to do:
Track books in a serious and/or competitive way (even if I'm just competing with myself).
I feel good about this. I've read a few books so far this year, but I've really just been enjoying podcasts. I have a list I'm chipping away at but, if it gets read, it gets read. Not having to race myself is nice.
Stop doing schoolwork at home. This is wonderful. It was like all I needed to do was give myself permission to not bring work home and not do any of it if I did, and it all balanced out. I found myself writing a plan one night that didn't take long, but I really think that's it. The weekends are a little different. I generally bring some papers home to grade because they have lots of tests on Fridays, but I don't mind grading while I drink coffee and watch the Today Show.
I also have a parent helper this semester and she's done some of the regular tasks that I normally bring home with me (sorting book orders, filing graded papers into portfolios, etc.) She's worth her weight in gold.
Giving up just these two things has relaxed me beyond belief. Thank goodness for our ability to just say no to ourselves, right?
Stuff I won't compromise on:
Pilates. Still going strong. If I showed my stack of finished Pilates calendars, you'd see how organized and type-A I really can be. If you join The Balanced Life Sisterhood, you too can have a printable calendar each month.
Walking the dogs. As long as I'm home before dark, I walk the dogs. Sometimes we do a lap in the morning before school. As the days get lighter this will be easier. Last spring, I invented this term for these walks and called it a "run round" because they dogs can run free all 'round the house. So our word for "walk" is "run-round". They react the same way as if I'd pick up the leash and head for the door.
Meal-planning. This is...going. I've had trouble lately because I've had no appetite for some reason (stress, most likely, with deployment upcoming), and thinking What do I want for dinner? is hard. I am still tracking just weekly trips to the grocery store and there's a certain freedom in knowing that I don't have to stop at the store after work for something because we have things to make. Even if "things" means pancakes and scrambled eggs. Because sometimes it's Thursday night and it's all you can muster. Scott has been getting home late and I usually make him something, or I make a giant pot of something on Monday and he eats it all week (chicken tortilla soup was an example of this). There's been many nights where I've had cereal/yogurt/fruit/ice cream for dinner. I am doing well with lunches though. I pack 5 lunches for him on Sunday and I pack mine each night while I'm making dinner (or what we'll call dinner) because I tend to take leftovers and just a giant assortment of somewhat healthy snacks.
New things I'm adding in:
Cardio. I've started going to spin classes on Saturdays and it's been lovely. I found an instructor who is actually good and makes spin fun. Her classes are always so full that I have to get there half an hour early. They bring in extra bikes! At some point, I'm going to start incorporating weeknight classes again and day classes in the summer, but it's really hard to do when I know I've had the dogs locked up all day. Me getting home at 7pm isn't really fair to them.
De-cluttering. I've been on a rampage. After reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I realized I do have a lot of stuff I don't need and I started filling another garbage bag. With clothes, I have no problem getting rid of things. Purses are where I've struggled. I got rid of a lot of few years ago and my issue is that each purse is tied to a memory. Even if I'll never use it again, I want to hold onto it. I'm working on this. My de-cluttering will come to a head as soon as the basement is officially finished and we can clear out all the boxes of stuff. I also have a plan to tackle the boxes of kitchen stuff that we have in the shed. It's not all necessary.
So if we're making New Year's Resolutions, these have been mine. I'll continue to follow-up...because accountability.
And to end on a humorous note. This is me.
