Tomorrow we will welcome 2013! Here is the wrap up of my year long Happiness Project, inspired by Gretchen Rubin. Stay tuned to my New Year’s plan that will be posted on January 1st. I was inspired to go for another year of monthly goals after reading Happier At Home.
Review of 2012 Goals
January: Health
(learn about Gluten Free diets, start taking wheat grass shots, dry brushing, smoothies and hot water with lemon in the morning)
Follow-up: addicted to wheat grass and dry brushing. Smoothies and hot tea were more of a winter thing but now that fall is back again, I have started to drink tea again. I have learned to cook with less gluten but by no means am I completely gluten free or do I want to be.
February: Romance
(focus on my marriage, making time for each other, schedule date nights and make dave feel appreciated!)
Follow-up: Every other week date nights has been unreaslitic with our work and family schedules, but we have done really good on every other week lunch dates! We have also been making a lot of time for each other on the weekends, saying no more often and putting our family first.
March: Aim Higher (work)
(revise my current programs, develop outlines for my new programs, work with Pure Heart Studios on new blog format)
Follow-Up: March was a great month for work. I had almost 100 student letters written to me that I “promised” to answer and I have! I revised my current programs, didn’t get an outline for my new program yet and have launched a new program on my blog. I continue to aim higher in work. I am still in search of a literary agent. I queried about eight agents recently (December) and am envisioning signing a contract in 2013.
April: Parenthood
(being present, a role model, say no less (lighten up), write my 10 commandments)
Follow-Up: I had an excellent month focusing on parenthood. We went without tv on most days and because I was so focused on the kids, it didn’t make a difference that I didn’t have the break on those days. I was able to talk to friends on the phone during nap time more and less while my girls were awake. I used a technique I read in The Happiness Project and I feel like it’s a part of my daily language now! Instead of saying No, I say Yes. For example “Yes, you can have another cookie, tomorrow.” Instead of contstantly nagging! We went to church on Daughter’s Day and I gave the girls little gifts. I also try to plan outings with one girl at a time or as I call them, “dates”.
May: Me, Me, Me
(focus on myself, more time for creative outlets, take time to learn new things!)
Follow-up: This portion sounds so self-centered while at the same time, it is really hard for me to find time for myself and let it be all about me, me, me! This month I got a hair cut. I painted my nails several times. I started yoga (again) and have been 4 weeks in a row now! I also signed up for a photoshop class (oh, how I love digital scrapbooking). I found that a mini-bucket list really inspired my creative juices! I wanted to go to sleep earlier and I didn’t accomplish that one. That’s the beauty of these monthly goals, I can refocus on this in the months to come!
June: Mid-Year Health
(focus on these healthy tasks: buy a dark glass bottle for my olive oil, (benefits here.), replace a few of my condiments with products that don’t contain high fructose corn syrup, buy alternatives to using so many ziplock bags, make my own seasonings, organize my pantry and get rid of any expired items)
Follow-Up: I did it! I made a lot of progress this month thanks to my weekly bucket lists. I also made a bucket list for my LIFE here!!!
July: Religion
(sign up for the second class at our church to become a member, complete the workbook, schedule a meeting with a member at the church to learn about joining a small group.)
Follow-Up: I signed up for the second class but didn’t end up taking it because I don’t think it’s needed now that I have talked with other members. I did meet with a church member and am now a member of a women’s group called Mops (Mothers of Preschoolers).
August: Composting
(purchase a compost system and get started)
Follow-Up: This was a funny one to look back on. I ordered the wrong compost bin and it was too big! So I did some research, talked with my hubby about what would work for him and came up with a system that would work for our family. I tried for one week and I had more fruit flies than you can imagine. It was disgusting and the way I viewed composting changed drastically. The good news is that Dave and I have decided to start a vegetable garden next spring for the girls and I to tend to. I am super happy about this development and am at peace with giving up on the composting!
September: Homeschooling
(You can read about my decision to homeschool my three year old for preschool here.)
Follow-Up: My time spent with my big kid has been super special. I planned the entire month out. Being organized was helpful. So far I am enjoying it! It is a lot of work but I am seeing that the rewards are truly worth it.
October: Working From Home
(I work out of the home and it’s not easy while raising two children.)
Follow-Up: The timer made me anxious so I only used that a few times. I found a few areas of work that I could actually delegate to others who could be paid and help me in trades I pretend I know what I am doing (Thank you, Meg and Maggie) I also have been making more realistic lists for the DAY tasks and everything else goes in my notebook. Out of sight, out of mind works well for me.
November: Make Time for Pleasure Reading
(Figure out times through out the day that I can read again)
Follow-Up: I found that first thing in the morning, when Dave is downstairs drinking coffee and reading to our big kid, the baby still sleeping, I can squeeze in a good 15 minutes of reading. It’s not much but it adds up. I get about 30 minutes in before bed if I don’t fall asleep. I was happy with my progress in reading this month. Especially since I read Happier At Home and have new ideas for my happiness project for next year!
December: Refocus on Tough Areas
1. Working from home is getting better because I leave one morning a week to work and because I am really sticking to my daily lists. I am being more realistic about what I can accomplish, which isn’t always a lot in one day.
2. Yoga-after trying two different time slots this year and two different facilities, I found that the early morning at my gym works for me in being consistent. I no longer try to go at night or to a center that is about 15 minutes from my house. Consistency comes to me when there is some level of convenience involved.