Alright, just in time for spring, my 2013 goals! You can tell one of the goals is not to be timely! )
You'll see that some of these are recycled from last year, either because I didn't do them or because I want to do better.
I guess, not surprisingly, the first few are pretty Wiggle Bug focused.
Each day I work on the first and now, as I'm about to enter week 31, keep holding my breathe that Wiggle waits until everything is nice and well developed to make an appearance.
Stress is a big one for me. I read that stress while pregnant increases the harm to baby - as if that isn't stressful to hear that! And then, there was a study out that says that if Wiggle is a girl, stress during that first year of life can lead to depression and other anxiety issues during puberty. No pressure Mama! Ack! Seriously, it's kind of stressful, ironically.
So, being less angry is a repeat from last year. I'm still pretty quick to anger or frustration. I'm sure some of it is stress, but anyway, I want to work on that. To be more accepting or, at least, be able to let things go easier.
I was doing great on the seven hours of sleep thing, but now I'm waking up more and more during the night. I'm glad I started on this one last year, because it would have been hard to start after I was pregnant, since I love being up both when it's dark and when it's early morning. There are a lot of studies that say the sleep is good for baby's development. And, of course, everyone tells me I need to enjoy it now! :)
I'm still trying to minimize my life. I'm so tired of all the crap we have. I had a bit of a break down today while we were trying to clean the Wiggle's room. Yes, that is right, we're nine weeks away from Baby Day and Wiggle's room is packed with boxes of crap. Part of it is that we have more windows, and thus fewer walls for bookshelves. And part of it is because we own too much crap.
So, I was - okay, let's face it AM - more than a little bit overwhelmed by all the work that still needs to be done and we're fast running out of room. I mean, really really fast running out of room. I think there are 8 more boxes in the room that need to be sorted just to get started. :( I don't want to have a ghetto, half-a$$ baby room.
On the topic of buying no wants in 2013. This is kind of a silly goal. Obviously the idea is to not add to all the crap causing the stress (see above). But we also have a lot of stuff that we do have to buy like cribs and changing tables and, you know, clothes. And then, we tried to get rid of a stuff in California that was old or worn out. So, for example, we had no couch only three chairs that always look messy and were too big.
So we bought a new couch, the first of many big ticket items, that we'll make the whole "no buying any wants in 2013" seem kind of silly at times. I know these goals posts are kind of picture light, so here is Beckerman, demonstrating his seal of approval.
And a close up of his face, because this is a priceless sleeping face...
Seriously, what cat sleeps with it's tongue out?
So, my old nemesis paper. I think we shredded 9 -10 bankers boxes of paper last year. We're doing pretty well, but would you believe, there are still more? I'm loving our new PO box though, because it means we are getting zero junk mail to deal with.
Straightening the house. I think this is more of a reminder than anything. And like I've mentioned before, my house is not clean - see stress and too much crap above - but I try to hit the high points. No dishes, living room picked up and floor swept of its copious amounts of kitty hair.
Really, when I say "I will buy a house in 2013" it should say we, but I wanted to keep with the pattern. And really, some of these goals aren't possible without Partner anyway - building a stressfree and healthy home for the Wiggle Bug? - kind of hard if Partner isn't on board. But back to the house. As you know, this goal is accomplished! Here is another random picture of the house...
this is the yard, where I want to plant a garden... some landscaping to do first, we think...
I'm still taking the prenatal yoga classes most weeks and am hoping to take part in the mom and baby classes later. The classes are at a great little yoga cooperative, held on the north shore. It makes for a long day since it adds nearly 2.5 hours with class and driving, but I think it is a good investment.
So, running a half marathon... that's right, I'd like to get back on the running train. I'm trying to be realistic - or, I hope I am - but still push myself. I don't think it's realistic or productive for my plans to breastfeed to say that I'm going to run a marathon this year. But I do think that I should be able to manage a 1/2 marathon before the year is out. I think the problem might be finding a course I can run because I really don't know if I'm up to road running....
I've actually been reading like crazy. Partner turned me on to the Reacher series by Lee Childs. Not for the squeamish or faint of heart, but I've always been a murder mystery fan. I'm working on book 4 now, Echo Burning. I also read the Hunger Games and have spent quite a bit of time reading and rereading my Pregnancy Week by Week. Finally, I finished And Furthermore by Dame Judi Dench. I'm a bit in love with As Time Goes By, a British comedy. I have to admit, however, that the book was a bit tedious at times. It was a bit of "I did this play and then I did this play." But she did have some fascinating tales to tell and it was amazing both to read about a career that has spanned over half a century and to read of all the amazing people she's worked with - or insights into other famous actors. Being American, I'd really had no idea how much stage time some people have had - for example, Gilderoy Lockhart from The Chamber of Secrets is quite a phenomenal Shakespearean actor.
On to the knitting!
Well, I think my goal for knitting is a bit ambitious, to be honest. I barely made 4,000 yards and I'm going to try for 5,000 while having a newborn. Of course, I do have two sweaters that are in progress, one of which is only missing sleeves. Of course, it's only been missing sleeves for 7 months, so that doesn't say much for my chances.
The OpArt blanket has been nearly my sole project this year and, sadly, I am still not done. I decided to take a break and was hoping for my first FO by this post. Unfortunately, pregnancy brain caused me to stall on a line of the pattern.
I'm knitting the Sweetie Pie Hat, with yarn sent by a wonderful friend as a "pregnant with baby" gift. I'm just finishing the hearts up now.
Next up will be a very special blanket for the Wiggle Bug. It will probably also take a bit of time. So, I may have to get back to dish clothes if I'm to meet the one project a month goal.
For the third year in a row, I'm going to try not to buy any new yarn. Sock Summit was my downfall in 2011 when I bought more than I knit that year. 2012 was going well until I hit Britain. And I'm perfectly okay with that because goals are to help me improve myself, not hard-and-fast laws to keep me from experiencing a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, I bought almost double the yardage I knit in 2012...
And the final goal of the year, is simple - to answer every blog post. I feel like such a dud when I don't reply to each blog post. But, instead of getting dragged down, I'm just starting over fresh. So, sorry if I didn't reply to your comments in 2012. I appreciate each of you for taking the time to write a note. And in 2013, I'll be a better blog friend and reply.
So that's all folks! 18 more goals for 2013. Let's see how it goes!
