HEALTHY- how's that going for you?

Keeping up with my HEALTHY resolutions-
I WILL
Healthy Body
sleep 8 hours a night- going to bed earlier, not up to 8 hours a night, though. Trying not to turn on the tv in the bedroom at night. So far, so good with that.
give up soda- started Sonoma Diet Wave 1 this week, so no soda since Saturday
drink more water- drinking more- having some at breakfast since no juice this 10 days
eat 5 fruits and veggies a day- right now all veggies, since I am on wave 1 for Sonoma- no fruit until next Tuesday.
walk the dog 5x a week- FAIL FAIL FAIL- temperatures not cooperating, either.
take three classes a week (yoga, etc.)- yoga is a go, nothing else yet
stretch with Alyssa 2x a week- FAIL FAIL

Healthy Mind
read 50 books in a year- I’ve read My Nest isn’t Empty, The One that I want, Organized Simplicity, and MiniShopaholic since the year started
complete 2 photography projects- haven’t picked projects yet
meditate (work up to 10 minutes at a time)- haven’t worked on this yet
create a monthly review scrapbook layout- will do it the first week of the following month
visit a museum once a month- tried to go in DC, but it wasn’t open
complete the scrapbooking classes I sign up for- Darci Dowdle, I am sorry. I am planning on getting pictures printed, etc. this weekend for her class.
complete NaNoWriMo in January- I’m WAAAAAY behind, but I want to keep writing

Healthy Finances
complete Dave Ramsey class-hasn’t started yet
feel in control- not yet
monthly meeting with Mark- planned one for this week

Healthy Marriage
date night once a month with Mark (and the financial meeting doesn't count)- not yet, making plans

Healthy Home
organized cleaning plan- my only plan so far is my group cleaning on the weekend, but that has helped
completing projects in a timely manner (I will try and make a list of projects for each month)- haven’t made my full list yet
In January, my one goal is to finish reupholstering the chair I started in the fall- bought stapes for the staple gun this week

Healthy Spirit
daily devotional time and more prayer-retreat was good, but still need it to be a daily habit.
I WILL TRY AND UPDATE MY PROGRESS SEMI WEEKLY> GOING FOR WEEKLY, BUT MIGHT NOT HAPPEN

Since this is the last week of the month, I have a lot to do this week!!

Trying Not to Feel Behind

I am behind in my word count for NaNoWriMo. I plan to write extra tomorrow night, Friday night and I should have extra time to make up some on the weekend. I am trying very hard not to start beating up on myself for this, but I am starting to lose sight of some other goals while working on the book.
I am going to take Gretchen Rubin's advice (she of The Happiness Project) and make myself a score sheet of sorts, with places to actually mark off each aspect of my resolutions and how well I am performing them. I think it will help to keep me focused on my goals, and much like crossing things off of a list, it will give me a sense of accomplishment.
I am all for a report card. It is the nerdy good student in me.
So excited about the 50 books in a year, too. I have finished one, and I am about halfway through 3 others at this point. I love books. I went to the library to pick up a book on organization (a favorite reading topic) I had reserved this afternoon, and I came home with 3 novels, too. How am I supposed to write with all of this reading to do? Although, it is nice to have some free hobbies, because I am trying to get my finances in order, and ever since I made that mental promise, stuff has been happening. (car needs a fuel pump, kid needs glasses, church retreat is this month, etc.)
I have to figure out how to make a list of my 50 books to put on the side bar of my blog. More to do and figure out- I don't know how anyone is ever bored!- there is way more to learn and do than I have time for.
On my way to read a bit before bed. I am hoping for extra sleep tonight.

Daily December Album

The following are the pages of my December Daily album. I uploaded them mainly for my friend Susan, who also created a daily December album in Georgia. Enjoy the pages if you haven't seen it before. I have done this album in 2008 and 2009. I really like looking back on them, and even though it is a bit of a pain, I love having them done. This year, however, I am going to set it up in the summer, so it isn't quite so crazy in December. (I say this every year, but I really think I am going to get it done this year.)

My Family

This is my beautiful family. My siblings and their families. All together at Christmas, which is fantastic. I am almost finished with my December Daily album- have to wait on a few photos to print at Walmart (used some from the iPhone- that's a first) and then I think I can finish it in about an hour. Hopefully there will be photos soon.

Happy New Year

Well, the New Year has arrived, and while it still looks very much like the old year around here, since I haven't taken down any Christmas decorations, I am welcoming it.

Alex and I started our National Novel Writing Month this evening, and I just finished my daily word count. A novel of 50,000 words is the goal at the end of the month. For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo is actually in November, but any mom with kids knows that is not a good month to start a project that big. Our thought was that not much was going on in January, but boy does it sneak up on you. I figure no month would be good, so I am on my way. It is feeling like young adult fiction right now, and I am pretty happy with that. We'll see how it is going at the end of the month.

I am trying desperately to finish my Daily December album, so this post will be short. I am working on posting frequently to the blog, so some may be shorter than others. Tomorrow, I will try and have photos of my Daily December, or my newly un-decorated and cleaned house, or something. I am working on my NEW laptop (a Christmas gift from loving husband) and I have no photo software installed on it, so I cannot put my own photos in my blog posts currently without a lot of effort.

One Little Word- Healthy

For the past few years Ali Edwards has sponsored a movement called One Little Word. There is even a Big Picture Class for it this year. I have participated for the past four years. This year my word is HEALTHY. I am creating 6 categories for this word.
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Finances, Healthy Home, Healthy Spirit and Healthy Marriage. After being sort of out of things most of the fall due to my back issues, I really want to concentrate on getting and staying healthy. I have many ideas about how to do this, and since this is my blog, I am going to outline most of them here so that I can always find it!
Healthy Body
goals- sleep 8 hours a night, give up soda, drink more water, eat 5 fruits and veggies a day, walk the dog 5x a week, take three classes a week (yoga, etc.)and stretch with Alyssa 2x a week
Healthy Mind
goals- read 50 books in a year, complete 2 photography projects, meditate (work up to 10 minutes at a time), create a monthly review scrapbook layout, visit a museum once a month, and complete the scrapbooking classes I sign up for, complete NaNoWriMo in January
Healthy Finances
goals- complete Dave Ramsey class, feel in control, monthly meeting with Mark
Healthy Marriage
goals- date night once a month with Mark (and the financial meeting doesn't count)
Healthy Home
goals- organized cleaning plan, completing projects in a timely manner (I will try and make a list of projects for each month) In January, my one goal is to finish reupholstering the chair I started in the fall.
Healthy Spirit
goals- daily devotional time and more prayer
This is a lot, but I really do want to make some changes. I know that practice makes me better at most things, so blogging and taking pictures and scrapbooking are all things I want to make more time for. Not sure where that time is coming from since I want to go to bed earlier, but I am hoping being more organized will help with that.

New Year's- the Ultimate Start Over

We have arrived at one of my favorite parts of the year- the cusp of a new one. While I can take any moment and make it a time of beginning so that I can make lists of things to do or improve (moving, school starting, summer starting, etc.), this is the one the whole world joins me in. It is almost overwhelming, how many things I want to do and change.

First, there is the One Little Word challenge by Ali Edwards. I will post more on that in the next couple of days- my word is ready to roll, but all of the details are not.

Then, there are project goals I want to accomplish. I am not a crazy project every week girl, but there are many things I want to finish, or start and finish, and using the blog to document them might help me stay a little bit accountable. (to myself and the other 3 people who occasionally pop by to read this.)

Alex wants to read 50 books in a year, and I think that sounds admirable and probably doable. I probably have 50 books in the house that I haven't read that I wanted to at some point. I also have a shiny new Kindle just waiting to hold books for me. :)

I have multi-dimensional resolutions- ever the optimist about changing at the beginning of the year. I am still working with pen and paper to get everything all clear in my head, but one of the goals is to publish here frequently in 2011. At least to show all of my projects and photos and such.

Of course, there are the overachievers- Susan pointed me to one tonight- a stay at home mom and scrapbooker who manages daily posts to her blog with photos, a book a week, a project a week, posting on the Weekly Gratitude blog, and serving on design teams for scrapbooking. Who are we kidding?? I am really glad the internet was not around when my kids were little- I would have felt like quite the slacker.

Nevertheless, I am quite busy right now thinking of how much better I could be by the end of 2011. Some of my thoughts are for the long term, some are until I solve a problem or complete a project, but the thoughts, they are legion. When I have a clearer plan formulated, I will be back here (maybe tomorrow or the 1st) to lay it all out there and have something to look back on.

Do you have any resolutions? one little word? let me know...