Belated New Years Resolutions, er, To-Do List

I've never been one to seriously make New Year's Resolutions. I guess I'm just too idealistic, or maybe realistic, or maybe pessimistic, I don't know.

But that doesn't mean I don't have desires or goals for myself. I just keep them running in my mind throughout the year and don't mentally put them off till January 1. Instead, I put them off till the morning. Or the evening. Or Monday. Or Saturday.

Oh well.

Most things I want to be done yesterday, but that's just not how things fly around here, and I'm learning to accept that and give myself and my family grace. So, I'm giving myself aaaallll year to get these done. Some of them are actual plans, some are goals, some are in-my-wildest-dreams-but-maybe-sometime-this-life.

So without further ado...

* finish reading all the books in my stack!
* get regular pedicures in the spring and summer (not like every 2 weeks, mind you, more like every 5-6)
* organize the closet in our study
* organize Riley's side of the master closet (haha, some of these goals are for HIM!)
* organize the garage
* teach Julia how to read
* go on a 5 day trip with Riley for our 4th anniversary in May (I'm thinking the beach!)
* help Julia learn how to stay dry at night
* improve the consistency of our daily/weekly routine
* make meal plans every week, with one new dish each time.
* throw lots of parties: Superbowl, Purim, Julia's B-day, Riley's B-day, Josiah's B-day, End-of-Summer Cookout, maybe a baby shower?
* go on a date with Riley twice a month
* have a playdate at least every other week
* have time out of the house alone, not running errands, by myself or with a friend, once a week (same for Riley)
* take the kids to the park and storytime more often
* maintain a clean home more often (here's my ideal plan: every weekday I do 4 things-- a load of laundry, a weekly chore (vacuum upstairs, steam mop, wood floors and play room, kitchen, bathrooms), dishes, and picking up clutter. It sounds so simple but it's not.
* exercise I'm not going to throw that in there just because everybody else does. Because I really don't feel like it. I've convinced myself that I get enough just keeping up with 2 toddlers all day. But, I'll probably join the Y right outside our neighborhood anyway, because they have a special going on right now.
* get the 1599 pictures off my phone and saved into our computer.
* blog more often
* visit Riley's sister and family in Midland
* visit my mom and family in Novice
* have a consistent bible reading/prayer time
* dance more
* sing better
* finish our taxes by february 1.
* (maybe) get pregnant later this year --ok, ok, that's totally not a goal, especially now that the last several months of baby fever finally broke, but I'd be okay with it.
* do something about our broken stairs
* decorate the outside of our house for Christmas
* plant an organic food garden
* start a vermicompost
* learn how to sew
* sell/give a bunch of stuff
* learn how to crochet something really good, besides my usual blankets and scarves
* go to bed and hour and a half earlier and wake up before the kids so I can get a few things done
* spend less time on the computer and more time with my kids
* make some new family traditions
* learn my way around our Mac
* convince Riley to get Josiah's hair cut
* plant a holly bush and flowers in our front bed in the spring
* hang my living room curtains (that have been sitting under the end table for several months now)
* update the kids' baby books
* stay within our food budget
* get free laser hair removal so I can stop shaving my legs (one can dream right?)
* do the 40 Days of Christmas again (or maybe just 12 or 25)
* take the kids to see their great-grandparents more often
* go to the Mom Heart Conference in February
* learn how to play violin? (still thinking about this one)
* get Julia swim lessons this summer
* take the kids to Sea World this summer
* visit my friend Dollface in Austin
* grow my hair out a few more inches
* finally hang pictures in my house
* have people over for dinner more often (at least once a month... who's next?)
* make a big extra house payment to start our 5-years-early payoff plan
* get a massage or 12.
* do more homemade gifts vs storebought
* eat at some local restaurants that serve real, healthy food

Woah, that's a lot! Can't wait to look back at the end of the year to see how I did! Alright well, I guess I better get started on the laundry. {sigh}