Resolution Update

Hello all and happy Labor Day weekend!

I figured since it is raining and I have nothing else to do, I'd update my blog. I have tons of stuff going on, but I'm going to focus on updating you on my progress as it pertains to my Top 5 Resolutions. So you don't have to read my last blog entry, here they are:

5. Set aside 4 hours a week for "me time" outside of all my other responsibilities.
4. Watch no more than 2 hours of TV daily and spend no more than 2 hours online daily (homework excluded).
3. Spend more quality time with my children every day.
2. Be more patient with my kids and my husband, and, well, everyone else too.
1. Lose 50 pounds by December 31, 2008.

#5 Well, "me time" is lacking, but only slightly so. I've starting reading for pleasure again and have been regularly going to the gym and doing me things there.

#4 I've done very well with this one, though I'm not quite down to 2 hours of TV. I do spend considerably less time online. I've discovered how destructive the internet can be, so I've cut my online time by about 75%.

#3 This could ALWAYS use more work, but I do make time to play with Katie and Liam.

#2 Patience remains the worst of my virtues. Something always seems to be pushing me to go faster. I have managed to reduce my snippiness. Other events in my life are forcing me to be patient. So I am learning.

#1 A-ha! When I wrote the Resolution entry of my blog I weighed 197 pounds. At my last weigh-in, I weighed 158 pounds. According to my math, that is 39 pounds down. It looks like this resolution in practically in the bag. I've been working out at the YMCA about 3-4 times a week, taking classes like Zumba, BodyStep, and BodyCombat, along with some weight training and cardio machines. I feel much better, more energetic, and much more confident. I started taking Alli a week ago to help with what I'm already doing. I have a cruise coming up on November 3rd and I will be looking hot on the big boat. I keep myself motivated by looking at what I've done so far and knowing that I am only 23 pounds from my goal weight of 135. I'm over halfway there and not showing any signs of stopping.

This year has forced me to really look at who I am and what I want. I'm becoming stronger, both physically and mentally. I will come out of 2008 empowered and with my life operating on my own terms.

My Top 5 New Year's Resolutions

So, here we are in 2008. It's so amazing how quickly time has flown. Twelve years ago, I graduated high school. Nine years ago, I married Jeremy (after 5 years of dating). I gave birth to my daughter four years ago and my son 3 months ago. The rest is mostly a blur.

I'm thirty now, which seemed so scary a decade ago, yet feels kinda comfortable now. I really hope thirty is my new Age of Reason (twenty-five was the original). I'd really like to have that drive again, that determination and ambition, tempered with just the right amount of maturity and responsibility. It is in that vein that I'm writing this post.

They (the ubiquitous and omnipresent They) say that, in order for your resolutions to stick, you must do four things: make them realistic, make them specific, write them down, and share them with family and friends. So, here goes my Top 5 Resolutions for 2008.

5. Set aside 4 hours a week for "me time" outside of all my other responsibilities.
4. Watch no more than 2 hours of TV daily and spend no more than 2 hours online daily (homework excluded).
3. Spend more quality time with my children every day.
2. Be more patient with my kids and my husband, and, well, everyone else too.
1. Lose 50 pounds by December 31, 2008.

Well, there they are. Feel free to comment on my resolutions or admit your own. I think we can get through this year and attain our goals together. Oh, yeah, learning to ask for help is my #7.

Anywho, good luck with your resolutions. I'll keep you posted with mine (getting better at contacting friends and family is #6).