A lot happened in 2012: Elliott went from baby to toddler in the blink of an eye and is now able to entertain himself a little. He's almost walking! I left my job at the bookstore. I joined a mom's group. We traveled to NY 3 times. I started running. I lost 25lbs and still counting.
My blog has turned into much more than just a book blog and, therefore, my goals will reflect that as well. But, first, the books!
I read 105 books this year. I didn't meet my goal of 130 that I made at the beginning of 2012, but I never really thought I would. 130 books is a lot for someone with a job and a new baby in the house...not to mention my anxiety at the thought of any dirt on my floor while I relax. Must get over that.
My resolutions from last year:
1. Read more non-fiction: I read 21. That's 11 more than last year. (check!)
2. Read more male authors: I actually read less. Darn.
3. Continue my 2011 goal of reading quality over quantity: I definitely met this goal, which is why I only read 105 books. I had weeks where I couldn't find anything I actually wanted to read and refused to just thumb through pages to do it. (check)
2012 stats:
Total books: 105
13 audiobooks
36 library books
85 written by women
20 written by men
21 Non-Fiction
I'm really going to try and keep to a few realistic goals this year, but at the same time, try to be extremely flexible and not beat myself up if I go a week without turning a page. Elliott is a busy boy and I insist on being a mom that plays on the floor with him instead of doing my own thing.
Read for at least 30 minutes a day.
I think this will be the hardest one for me to actually reach. I have friends that resolve to sit and read for an hour each night or 30 minutes every morning. I've turned into a person that has a really hard time sitting still when I know there's work to be done. I need to get over the laundry and dirty floor and just enjoy a few pages. This will also help me par down the TBR a bit.
Notice I'm not making last year's mistake and putting a number on how many! I really want to re-read at least a few, mainly to see if they still have a worthy spot on my shelves. We'll see how I do with this one. I know I won't get 1 read a month, but maybe 5-7 total...? That would be nice.
This used to be really easy when I was working at the coolest children's bookstore in the world. I couldn't walk out of there without buying something. Now that I'm not there on a regular basis, I want to make sure I'm still supporting my local indie store in some way -- whether it be a purchase at my old place of employment or the 2nd amazing indie bookstore in my area where I attend book club, I want to make sure to do my part to support them.
Personal goals:
Continue my fitness journey
I've lost some necessary weight, but I still have more to go. Not looking for skinny, just healthy. I want to continue running (which is proving hard in the dark winter nights).
Morning Bible study
I've been a member of the She Reads Truth online community for the past 4 months or so and I'm loving it! Such amazing writers and women that truly love God. I fall victim to the craziness of daily life, like everyone else, and I really want to stick with a morning study. Reading the She Reads Truth devotional and maybe a chapter or two from whatever study book I have going on at that time. This might just require waking up before Elliott, which is reallllllly hard.
10 may be a stretch, but we're planning a couple of short vacations this year and so I made the number a little higher. Hopefully I can remember to keep track!
Continue to simplify
We've been purging stuff around the house for months, but I want to keep it purged. I want to remember that I don't need to hold onto things for sentimental value or because I think someone might be offended if they don't see it sitting on a shelf when they come to visit. We don't need a whole lot to make us happy, so I want to focus on those things that really do.
I do plan out my meals fairly regularly, but I want to do it every single week. It helps saves money and makes me feel better knowing that I already have something set for lunches and dinners and I don't have to scramble. Scrambling makes me anxious and I don't want to be anxious over silly things. Which works well with #6...
I've been getting better at this one, I really have. I'm not nearly as focused on schedules and things being done a specific way as I used to be. Elliott really helped with that. A parent really does have to go with the flow a lot of the time, so I've loosened up on all the other "stuff" in recent months. I have come to realize that having certain things in order or planned really does help alleviate stress in other areas (i.e. have a meal plan, set certain days for specific chores rather than trying to do it all at once).
We've been saving for a small, pop-up camper for the last 6 months are we're hoping by camping season we'll be ready to buy. I camped as a kid and loved it and it's a tradition we really want Elliott to experience. Read books, play in the woods, have s'mores, stay away from technology, etc.
I'd really like to make a lot of Christmas gifts and decorations for next year, so I think I'm going to start in April. Then maybe it will actually get done!
I think everything is achievable, but I better get to work now. I'd love to know what you're resolving to do in 2013, bookish or otherwise!
1 comment:
Good luck with your goals! I bet you can accomplish them all. :-)
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