Relfecting on 2009, Looking ahead to 2010

A few weeks ago I came across my goals that I set for myself this year and was taken back by how much and how little I did. 2009 really has been a rough year for me. Most too personal to share here, but with the amount of stress I honestly feel I lost the entire year. Yes, there has been some good like my beautiful new Lucy and many new friends! I have much to be grateful for such as the opportunity to be a full stay-at-home-mom, something I wanted for years. I have a beautiful house and a wonderful family.

After a stressful year, more realistic is a stressful 18 months with the move, I am ready to finally settle into my house, get back to my routines & schedules, and try to be a better me.

First, a look back to the goals I set for this year and how I actually did.

1. Lose the weight I gained during the move. Failed, but not entirely on purpose. I had a beautiful baby in October and that means there is weight gain.

2. Cook More. I did well at this for a few months and then failed. Being a zombie during pregnancy followed with bed rest didn't help me any.

3. Potty train Livy. Completed twice! During the end of my pregnancy Livy completed reverted back to diapers. She has done super for several weeks and we are well on our way!

4. Spend less time in front of the computer. Failed again, but not much else to do while on bed rest. Now it's even a harder habit to break but I will!

5. Get our Food Storage. We certainly have added to it with some home canning and other great deals.

What do I want to get out of the new year? I want to look back and feel that I did something, even if very small, that improved me. Something that helped me be a better person.

The biggest goal is to get back into my routines that I pushed aside while pregnant. How ever simple these may be, I want better habits for myself and my family.

I have actually spent months on figuring out what I want to accomplish. (I know "months" may seem extreme, but that was one thing I did while on bed rest.) I thought of the little things that are not working in my day-to-day life, how I wanted to improve as a wife & mother, and what I wanted to work on for me.

Somethings are simply too personal to share here. What it boils down to is that I want to become more what this blog is titled, Classy. Becoming a little more classy can be several things from being more organized, taking care of myself, being a better mother and accomplishing long overdue projects.

A few things that I want to work on in 2010:

• Take better care of myself! I let so much slide while pregnant and on bed rest. It's time to treat myself better. This includes exercise more, making healthier meals, and never going to bed with make-up on. (I am guilty!)
• Use better etiquette. I'm fairly good with this, but there is always room for improvement.
• Have nicer meals together as a family. Actually set the table! In the past year dinnertime seams to be too rushed and I have slacked on the simple things.
• Limit computer time. I need to focus more on my children and not on facebook or blogs. In a schedule I have created for myself, there will be limited time for these things. I will still have connections to the outside world and fulfill my duties.
• Bake something new every month. If you know me, I truly do not like to cook. I am hoping that if I try out a new recipe or technique that perhaps I will start to enjoy it more. Plus this could be helpful for my next goal.
• Entertain more. I said that I would do that this past year and hosted a few dinner parties, but that wasn't enough for me. I would like to invite someone over every month for at least dessert.
• Organize the entire house. This one is a little lofty, but I want to at least go through every room once during the year and make sure it's functioning for it's purpose. I have boxes to sort through from the move (over a year ago!) and I want to find something that is lost and treasured.
• Plant a veggie garden. I planted one last year that was taken over by weeds. I should know from my first pregnancy and completely killing that garden too that I can not have a garden while pregnant. This year I want to try square-foot gardening.
• Preschool with Livy. I purchased activities right before I became pregnant and failed at doing much with her.

There are so many more things that I want to accomplish in the New Year. I am hoping that as I work on various goals that I can post them here. Perhaps I way of checking in on myself to stay on track. There will be somethings that I don't post about and other things that are not listed above. Like I said, my list is rather lengthy. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Many of the things are rather small so perhaps it's good.

My wish for you is a New Year filled with all that you love! May happiness and good luck find you!

Happy New Year!