18 in 2018

Hello! It's been well over a year since I last blogged. Why? Because two weeks after I wrote my last post I found out I was pregnant. That led to an exhausted first trimester, and then a second, and then a third, and then I had a baby.

So here I am, back at it. Did I accomplish my goals for 2017? NO! Did I model good behaviors for my daughter? Sometimes. Did I learn anything about moderation? NO! Not as a pregnant lady, no way. But, a new year is upon us. I love making lists and setting goals, so this is a happy time for me. I love the gap week between Christmas and New Year's where navel gazing and organizing are normal.

I am Gretchen Rubin's biggest fan. If you and I are at a party, you'll find me in a corner by myself. Come over and ask me about Gretchen and be prepared for an hour of conversation. I call her Gretchen because I think we would be good friends IRL. She made a list of 18 goals, tasks, or accomplishments for 2018 and asked her fans to do the same thing. Since I am her biggest fan, I have already emailed mine to her. 

Here is my list!

1. Wear my wedding ring each time I leave the house, even for a quick errand or day care pickup. I have a bad habit of dashing out and not wearing it, and then sometimes I forget when I am going to be out and about for awhile. I love my ring and my husband, and I want to wear it.

2. Exercise twice a week- no other stipulations or time commitments! Just get the old body going.

3. Read 12 books, or listen to them.

4. Do a "Bored and Brilliant Challenge"

5. Try dragonfruit

6. Wear a blouse twice a week, instead of t-shirt every single day. This is part of my ongoing, never ending, sometimes-successful effort to look like an adult woman.

7. Limit coffee intake to four cups a day. Three is even better!

    Planned exceptions: holidays, birthdays, days when kids are sick

8. Have a date night with my husband once a month

9. This line has a philanthropic activity I will keep private 

10. Make Lifetime status in Weight Watchers

11. Get my haircut at least 4 times

12. Learn to make pancakes well. I am terrible at this and always double the batter because I will burn so many.

13. Blog once a month. I blog as well as I make pancakes.

14. Finish two Shutterfly scrapbooks

15. Spend money mindfully- stick to my budget and stop browsing for things to buy. Since I am no longer a minimalist, I let up on my purchasing and I have swung too far in the other direction. I'd like to be more mindful and purposeful when I go to a store or shop on Amazon.

16. Eat out no more than twice a week, and use menu planning more faithfully

17. Have a spiritual quiet time each week day

18. Leave my phone in another room during play time and bath time. Last month Emily asked me to put my phone down and it was like a stab in the ear that traveled to my heart. This is the main reason I am doing the Bored and Brilliant Challenge.

I'd love to hear other people's resolution, ideas, words for the year, etc. I do have two words picked out for 2018. Since I want to blog once a month, I am saving that for one post.