New Year's Resolutions

My goals for December were:

Catch up on This is Us.  Done. Love that show.

Take E out for lunch during the school week.  That did not happen but it was because we were so busy with other things - work, preparations for our holiday party, and E had choir practice most days. But one day I stopped by the school yard when they were outside at lunch and he was happy to see me to say hello.

Make Jamie Oliver's bread pudding.  Done.  So tasty.

Do a gallery wall in the basement.  I'm not sure why I thought I could fit this in along with everything else, but needless to say it did not happen this month.

Do all of the Christmas things but find time to relax.  This also happened.  When I would take E to choir practice, I could spend some time reading my book.  On the Sunday after our party we played hooky from church and instead of wrapping gifts or doing more baking, we napped, went for a walk, and watched movies.

For the new year I've decided that I just want to try new things. I'm not sure what that will all consist of, but I want to try new food techniques like using yeast, poaching eggs or fish, trying new ingredients, etc., listening to new music, adopting some better health practices like seriously not looking at my phone before bed, or always washing my face, maybe try a new hobby, or visit a new place.  I don't want these things to be extravagant in terms of change or money spent, but it's always good to expand your horizons.  I'll report back each month and let you know what I've discovered. Suggestions welcome!

Monthly Goals

My goals for November were:

Flu shots for everyone.  Done.  Q just needs a second shot in a couple of weeks but the appointment has been made.

Plan a reading list for next year.  Done. I did that yesterday.  I'm sure I will pick up a few more books than these ones, but this will get me started.

Reorganize my closet.  As usual, this is something that has fallen by the wayside.

Do our wills.  A lawyer at my firm has our instructions and is doing drafts for me.  But she is involved in the same closing I'm doing so all work has been put on the back burner until this deal is closed.  We will finish them up next month.

Plan out Christmas gifts and buy at least 50% of them.  I have a lot planned out but have only bought a few.  Again, once this deal is closed at work, then I can start going some errands at lunch and do a bit more online shopping.


My goals for December are:

1. Catch up on This is Us.  I have four episodes to watch.
2. Take E out for lunch during the school week.
3. Make Jamie Oliver's bread pudding with a panettone.
4. Do a gallery wall in the basement.
5. Do all the Christmas things but also find time to relax.

Monthly Goals

My goals for October were:

Decide what credit card to get.  Done.  I decided on the Avion card and it's ready to go.

Plan E's Birthday party.  Done.  It was a success. 

Make a workout plan.  Done.  I've signed up for a Thursday evening class and Saturday morning class and they start next week.  It would be great to get a run in once a week but with the dark evenings I don't think that will happen very often. 

Organize our linen closet.  This did not happen, but I will try to get to it this weekend. 

Plan a Christmas budget.  Sort of done. Dave and I talked about what we wanted to spend on gifts so I will try to stick to that.  I usually do pretty well but then the week or so before Christmas I usually start buying last minute gifts that take me over the top.  If I can curb the urge to that this year, that would be great!

My goals for November are:

1. Flu shots for everyone.

2. Plan a reading list for next year.

3. Reorganize my closet.  I have limited space so I will need to be creative. 

4. Do our wills.

5. Plan out Christmas gifts and buy at least 50% of them.

Monthly Goals - October

My goals for September were:

Clean out my drawers and closet.  I really have a hard time getting this done every time I put it on my list. This weekend!! I swear it!

Get a haircut.  I have one booked for tomorrow!

Finish writing in Q's baby book.  No luck on getting this completed, but soon.

Bake more for breakfast and lunch.  Done.  I made these cookies and these muffins, and both times I had plenty to put in the freezer.

Bring my lunch to work instead of buying it.  I only bought my lunch once this month so I think this was a success.  I'm making a lunch for E anyway, so I may as well make the same for myself.

My goals for October are:

1. Decide what credit card I want to get.   My current one expires this month and I want to try a new one.
2. Plan E's birthday party.
3. Make a workout plan.
4. Organize our linen closet.
5. Plan a Christmas budget.

Monthly Goals

I missed doing monthly goals for August because I didn't post during the last week of July.  Therefore my goals for July were:

Give some baby clothes to our neighbour and donate the rest.  Done.  

Buy some new work clothes for myself.  I have not done this yet.  I have good basic clothes so I have enough to get buy for now.  I do need to buy a suit or two. 

Get Q ready for daycare.  Done.  There is still a bit of shuttling items back and forth each day, but we have a handle on it, and he loves going to his new school.  We get reports and photos sent to us throughout the day on the Hi Mama app.  Here are a few.

Try some new restaurants in our neighbourhood.  Dave and I tried Lit, but we haven't had the opportunity to try the others yet.  I still have a few more weeks of part time work so hopefully we can grab lunch there a few times while I still have some days at home.

Book a hotel for New York and start planning what we are going to do.  Done.  Now to organize some restaurants ideas and maybe tickets to a show.

My goals for September are:

1. Clean out my drawers and closet.  A recurring theme, but it always needs to be done.

2. Get a haircut.

3. Finish writing in Q's baby book.  I haven't written anything for a few months so I need to do it soon before I forget everything.  It's only a book for his first year, so I don't have much left to do.

4. Bake more breads/muffins/cookies for breakfasts and school lunches.  It's so much easier when we have these ready to go.

5. Bring my lunch to work instead of buying it.  I used to be very good at this, and since I've been back I've gotten into the habit of buying something.  

Monthly Goals

My goals for June were:

Figure out what we are doing for the last two weeks of July.  Done.  We decided we will drive to Nova Scotia with some stops in New Brunswick and Quebec.  My next step is to pin down when we will be where and make sure our family and friends will be around on those dates.  

Get a pedicure.  I did not get an official pedicure, but I did finally paint my nails.  Next month when Q is at daycare for a couple of hours, maybe I'll pop into the salon.

Clean up the back patio so we can eat meals there.  This is an ongoing project and I need to sweep and clean up the tree droppings several times a week, but we have been able to eat out there a few times.

Make some healthy snacks.  I have tried reaching for some more fruit, fizzy water and lemon, and homemade muffins, but I haven't made anything special. 

Family swims at the local pool.  This has not happened yet.  When it was really hot and humid, the pools weren't open yet, and now that they are open, it has been too cool at night to go swimming.  Hopefully we can get out next month.

Tidy up drawers in kitchen (leftover from May).  Done.  I've learned we have a lot of tea towels.

My goals for July are:

1. Give some baby clothes to our neighbour and donate the rest.

2. Buy some new work clothes for myself; back to work in August!

3. Get Q ready for daycare.  They gave us a list of stuff we need to bring in for him.

4. Try some of the new restaurants in my neighbourhood.  

5. Book a hotel for New York and start planning what we will do there.

Monthly Goals

My goals for May were:

Transfer up some summer clothes and store some sweaters.  Done.

Find a new facial moisturizer that doesn't cost a fortune. This is put on hold for now because I found another bottle of the Arbonne stuff that I have been using.

Stock up on sunscreen for the summer.  I have three spray bottles, one cream bottle, and a baby one for Q.  We are in good shape for now.

Clean out the oven, fridge and washing machine.  I did the washing machine but not the others.  I will try to get to those this weekend.

Tidy up the drawers in the kitchen.  I didn't do this yet, it's still on the list. 

My goals for June are:

1. Figure out what we are doing for the last two weeks of July.

2. Get a pedicure.

3. Clean up the back patio so we can eat meals out there.  

4. Make some healthy snacks so I can stop eating handfuls of chocolate chips. 

5. Family swims at the local pool.  

Monthly Goals

My goals for April were:

Clean the inside of the car.  Done. It was pretty dirty and I think it could use another round of cleaning but it hasn't been super warm where I've felt like being outside vacuuming the car, maybe this weekend.

Pay my library fines.  Done.  I would have had to do it anyway since I needed to do my annual renewal of my card.

Get my haircut.  Done.

Go to Ikea.  I haven't made it there yet, maybe next month.

Try a new restaurant.  Done.  Dave and I went to Campo on Jane St. last weekend.  It was yummy.

Do some more outdoor exercise.  I have walked E to and from school a few times, and have gone for a couple of runs.  Next up will be to get the running stroller out so I can go for a run even if there is no one to stay with Q. 

My goals for May are:

1. Transfer up some summer clothes and store some sweaters.

2. Find a new facial moisturizer that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

3. Stock up on sunscreen for the summer. 

4. Clean out the oven, fridge, and washing machine.

5. Tidy up the drawers in the kitchen that are catch-alls for napkins, dish towels, etc. 

Monthly Goals

My goals for March were:

Stick to my Lent activities.  I have done some of these but almost as predicted, I have not done them everyday.  As Easter draws near, I will choose a few more to complete.

Clean out kitchen cupboards and introduce some jars for bulk food.  Done.  I love throwing things out, and the expired date on some food makes it okay to pitch it.  There were a few things I was holding on to thinking we would eat them eventually, but I finally got rid of them.  We had tons of big jars from pasta sauce and now they house pasta, rice, popcorn, nuts, and yes, some candy.

Start Q on solid foods.  Done.  We've tried sweet potato and pear so far (and cereal of course).  Next up, carrots, peas and apples.  Although overwhelming, it is exciting to introduce these new flavours to Q.

Decorate for Easter.  I've done half of our decorations, but I need to find an Easter tree for the rest.  This weekend I will be on the hunt for one.  We got rid of the plant that I had decorated last year.

Make dentist appointment for E and me.  Done.  Actually E already had an appointment scheduled for May.  I have to go back tomorrow for some fillings :(

Make eye appointments for Q and E.  Done.  They said I didn't need to bring Q in until next year, unless I was worried about something.


My goals for April are:

1. Clean the inside of the car and get all of the winter dirt out.
2. Pay my library fines.  It's only about $6, but I still want it done.
3. Get my hair cut.
4. Go to Ikea.  We need a few things there like a new cutting board and some plastic kid bowls.
5. Try a new restaurant in Toronto, preferably with a patio.
6. Do some more outdoor exercise.

Monthly Goals

My goals for February were:

Do something special for Valentine's Day for the whole family.  Done.  We didn't do anything crazy, but we had a fun breakfast and a special dessert.  Here is a post about our day.

Start putting some ideas together for decorating our living room.  Not done.  The most I have done is liked a photo on Instagram that sort of looks like something I would like.  We have a blue rug already so this would be a good start for inspiration.

Take E out for lunch on a school day.  Done, sort of.  I picked him up from school early on a PA day (he spent the morning at the Y), so although we went out for lunch, we didn't need to rush back for the bell.

Plan a girls' night out with the ladies from my neighbourhood.  Done.  We went up to our friendly neighbourhood restaurant for some wine after dinner.  We will try to get out again next month.

Go for two or three runs.  Done.  Now all of these runs were on the treadmill when we were on holiday in Jamaica, but they still count.

Plan our summer.  Done, sort of. We will put E in some camps and I will register for those this weekend, but we don't know what we are doing with the rest of the summer.  Plus if Q gets into daycare for August 1, that will also change some things.

For March, I want to accomplish the following:

1. Stick to my Lent activities.
2. Clean out kitchen cupboards and introduce some jars for keeping bulk food.
3. Start Q on solid foods.
4. Decorate for Easter.
5. Make dentist appointments for E and me.
6. Make eye appointments for Q and E.  Apparently you should take babies in around 6 months old for a check up.

Monthly Goals - February

My goals for January were:

Swap out Q's clothes with some bigger sizes.  Done.  We have moved into the 6 month clothing, Q is growing like a weed. 

Get our vaccinations for our trip to Jamaica.  I did not do this.  It was really just laziness on my part, but I'm also just hoping for the best because we will be at a nice resort and not planning to leave it.   I know that hope is not a strategy, but here we are. 

Go for a run or two.  I went for one run and it was good.  Since I go to the gym three days a week and then we have skiing on another day, my days to run are limited.  I'll try again next month. 

Try some new recipes from the cookbooks I got for Christmas.  Done.  I have made several meals from Jamie Oliver's Family Classics cookbook. 

Get a babysitter and go out for dinner with Dave.  We are going to The Keg tomorrow.  Our babysitter lives in the neighbourhood so it is super convenient.  Hopefully it will work out well and we can go out at least once a month.  

Clean the light fixtures in our house. Done.  They were so dusty but now look so shiny.  

For February, I want to do the following:

1. Do something special for Valentine's Day for the whole family.  

2. Start putting together some ideas for decorating our living room.  With the Christmas decorations gone, it looks like we are moving out. 

3. Take E out for lunch on a school day. 

4. Plan a girls' night out with the ladies in my neighbourhood.

5. Go for two or three runs.

6. Plan our summer.  Registration for camps is in March, so I will need to figure out what camps E will go to and if we will take any trips.  

Monthly Goals - January

Last year I went with monthly goals rather than setting a few resolutions for the entire year.  This was more manageable and I could restart each month on something if I needed to.

My goals for December were:

1. Try out a fitness class at our local gym.  Done.  I've gone to four classes so far.  It is my plan to go three times a week. 

2. Wrap all of our gifts before December 20.  This was mostly done, I just had a few odds and ends to wrap up until Christmas Eve. 

3. Try some new side dishes with our Christmas Dinner.  Done.  I made Jamie Oliver's glazed carrots, and did a simple roasted brussel sprouts with bacon.  I also made a bread pudding (also Jamie's recipe) to enjoy in the days leading up to Christmas.

4. Apply for Q's passport and renew my passport.  Done.  And they arrived within one week of submitting the application, so it was all very efficient. 

5. Walk to school to pick up E.  I did this a couple of times. Once was when I volunteered to set up the book fair, another time was on the day of his school Christmas concert, and then another day we went skating on our way home.

For January, I'd like to accomplish the following:

1.  Swap out Q's clothes with some bigger sizes.

2. Get our vaccinations for our trip to Jamaica. 

3. Go for a run or two.  I haven't gone for a run for awhile and running in the winter is tough, but I'll start slow.

4. Try some new recipes from the cookbooks I got for Christmas.

5. Get a babysitter and go out for dinner with Dave. 

6. Clean the light fixtures in our house, they are all so dusty!

December Goals

This series has been fairly successful and has pushed me to achieve a few things that I may not have but for the accountability of this post.  I have tried to select goals that cover our home, family time, and, fitness. 

November's goals were:

1. Get our flu shots.  Done and done.  We went to a pharmacy this year rather than our doctor's office and it worked out quite well.  No excuses for not getting your flu shot, they are free and available everywhere! 

And you can bribe your child if you need to (although since he got the nasal spray instead of the shot like I had, I think I deserved the treat, not him!)

2. Start planning our annual Christmas party.  Plans are pretty much the same as last year, and they are saved in a Google Doc.  The glassware we rent has been reserved, invitations have been sent out, and the decorating has begun. 

3. Have some of E's friends over for playdates.  This did not happen.  We had two birthday parties on the first weekend, then we were in Halifax, then our house was in disarray with the window installation, and this last weekend was also packed with events.  This will definitely be a priority for January!

4. Organize our winter clothes.  I got our winter boots, coats, hats, mitts and scarves down from the storage above the closet.  E does not need a new snowsuit or boots yet so that's good.  I also cleaned out his drawers and got rid of clothes that he'd grown out of, and I brought up my sweaters from the basement and put them away.

5.  Start writing in Q's baby book.  This will be an ongoing process for his first year but I've completed a few pages so far - things like his name, birthday, weight, family tree, and some firsts, like first smile.

Goals for December:

1. Try out a fitness class at our local gym.

2. Wrap all of our gifts before December 20. 

3. Try some new side dishes for our Christmas dinner.

4. Apply for Q's passport and my new passport.

5. Walk to school to pick up E. 

November Goals

I did not make any set goals for October, the basic one being to survive life with a newborn, which has been successful!

But for November, I wanted to get some set goals back on the table.

1. Get our flu shots.  We are full supporters of vaccinations, so I don't want to hear any of your anti-vac rhetoric here!  I just need to figure out if we should go to our doctor's office to get them or just a local clinic. 

2. Start planning for our annual Christmas party.  This will pretty much be the same as the last two years, but will still require some planning.  See last year's party here.

3. Have some of E's friends over for playdates.  He has been to other peoples' houses but we didn't want to have anyone here until we were somewhat settled with Q.  I think we are ready to invite some friends over and E loves it when he does have people here. 

4. Organize our winter clothes.  This is a standard one, figuring out what we need for coats and boots, and putting away our flip flops and shorts. 

5. Start writing in Q's baby book.  I did a good job of completing most of E's book during his first year and I don't want the second child to be left out of this.  I have a book, I just need to start writing in it. 

September Goals

My goals for August were:

1. Enjoy the last few weeks as a family of three.

What did this mean?  Personally, it meant that I cherished the time when I could read to E before bed and spend some extra time laying down with him before he went to sleep, or sitting beside him on the couch to watch a TV show.  Beach day without a baby was also very fun!

2. Build the crib, buy a dresser, and wash some baby clothes.

I have not done this yet because the baby's room is still being fixed up; the plaster guys are done this week and Dave has started the trim with painting to follow.  Progress with laundering the baby clothes and building furniture will happen very soon.

3. Make some pies with fresh Ontario produce.

I made a lovely peach pie, and we have enjoyed fresh berries pretty much every morning for our breakfast. 

4. Get E ready for Senior Kindergarten.

His backpack and lunch bag are washed, he has new shoes and clothes, we've picked out his first day of school outfit, we have lots of new containers for lunch, and he is excited to go back and learn French.  Now if only the school would send a letter telling us what classroom he is in!! I guess we will figure this out on the first day.

5. Book a hair appointment.

Done.  I'll go between my last day of work and my delivery date.

Goals for September

1. Get the baby's room complete (this has to happen anyway so I should be successful at this).
2. Read my book club book and the one that I've been working on since my birthday.
3. Move my jewelry from the old dresser that was once in the baby's room and organize it in my room somewhere.
4. Start planning E's birthday party (I know his birthday is two months away but we will be busy and I know it will sneak up on me!)
5. Make sure E's superhero costume fits him so I know if I need to buy him another Halloween costume.

August Goals

My goals for July were:

1. Start going through the baby stuff.  

Done.  I sorted out the clothes, blankets, bedding, etc.  We will need to buy a few new things and some replacement items, but we are in pretty good shape!

2. Plan our week off.  

That is this week and we have done a good job at filling our week with fun things.

3. Try a new restaurant. 

When E was at his grandparents', Dave and I went to a few new places, and some old favourites.  We went to Bandit Brewery, Pizzeria Defina on Roncesvalles, and Buca on King West.  All were great, but Buca is in a league of its own.  I would say it is the best restaurant in the city.

4. Decorate our guest room.

Done.  I got the bedding, mirror and headboard from Homesense, and reused an old dresser.  We have hosted a few guests so far, and we are looking forward to welcoming more!

5. Empty out the closet in the baby's room and sort the clothes.

This hasn't been done yet but has to be done soon.  The plaster guy is coming in to fix up the walls in the next couple of weeks and the room needs to be emptied out.   

My goals for August are:

1.  Enjoy the last few weeks as our family of three.  

2. Build the crib, buy a dresser, and wash some baby clothes.

3. Make some pies with the fresh Ontario produce. 

4. Get E ready for Senior Kindergarten.  

5. Book a hair appointment.

July Goals

My goals for June were:

1. Start going through the baby stuff and figure out what we need to do for the nursery.

I haven't brought anything up from the basement, but I have figured out what we need to buy and how  we will arrange the furniture.  I'll get to the baby stuff this month. 

2. Invite some people over for a BBQ.

Done.  We had our neighbours over last weekend. 

3. Walk E to school.

Done.  I was able to walk him to school twice this month when I didn't have to be at work for the regular time. 

4. Read two books.

I read three books.  A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler, The Rumor but Elin Hildebrand, and our book club book for next month, Big Little Lies but Liane Moriarty. 

5. Get our camping stuff ready for the summer. 

Done.  We are ready to go today!

My goals for July are:

1.  Actually start going through the baby stuff. 

2.  Plan our week at the end of July when we are off work.  We aren't going anywhere, but will do some fun things around the city.

3.  Try a new restaurant, preferably with a patio. 

4.  Decorate our guest room. 

5.  Empty out the closet in the baby's room and sort the clothes.  

June Goals

My goals for May were: 

1. Get both yards cleaned up and buy some flowers.  

Done and done. 

2. Read my book club book and one more book.

I only read one book this month, but I was unexpectedly busy with Raptors playoff games!!

3. Reconfigure the guest room.

That is done, on paper, at least.  We can fit the double bed that is in there now into the corner and that leaves room for the crib and stuff.  We will probably buy the same furniture from Ikea that we had for E since it worked well.  I can also change the closet so there are two rungs on the side rather than a long one across the whole closet, and then we can build some shelves on the other side. 

4. Go to yoga twice a week. 

Done

5. Start walking in the mornings. 

Done.  I am up only about 45 minutes earlier than I would be normally and it is really nice to be out in the morning. 

My goals for June are:

1.  Start going through the baby stuff and planning what to do in the nursery.  In case you missed it yesterday, we found out we are having another boy, so it means we will be able to reuse a lot of things we had before.

2.  Invite some people over for a BBQ.

3.  Walk E to school before his last day. 

4.  Read two books.  Something light and fun. Something by Elin Hilderbrand, or something similar.

5.  Get our camping stuff ready for the summer.  We got a new tent so we need to figure it out, and also patch the holes in our air mattresses. 

May Goals

My goals for April were:

1. Organize my clothes.
I organized the clothes in my drawer, but didn't do my closets yet.  I also need to bring up my bin of summer clothes.  A lot of those things will translate to maternity clothes.

2. Put away our winter coats and boots and clean out the front closet.
Done!

3. Go through the cupboards and throw out expired and old food.
Done!

4. Spend some time helping E to learn how to ride his bike.
I actally didn't do this, but Dave has taken him out a couple of times.  I am told he is doing well, so hopefully I can get out with him soon.

5. Schedule a hair apppointment and mani/pedi. 
I'm getting my hair done next week, and I got a mani/pedi at the first of the month. 

6. Make a healthy snack to take to work.
I bought some almonds at the Bulk Barn and will roast them up this weekend.  I also bought jar of (natural) peanut butter and a loaf of raisin bread and have had that a few times.  Not extrememly healthy but better than most things.

For May, I'd like to accomplish the following:

1. Get both yards cleaned up and some flowers planted.

(This is last year)

2.  Read my book club book and one more book.

3. Reconfigure the guest room (at least on paper) so I know how to change it to the baby's room.  We will find out this month if it is a boy or girl, so I will also know if we can move the blue mat out of there and get a pink one or keep the old one.  (I am totally old school when it comes to boy/girl colours for babies.)

4. Go to yoga twice a week.

5. Start walking in the mornings before work.  I ran every other morning last summer at 6:00 am during the week.  There is no reason why I can't do the same with a walk this summer.  I am hoping the weather warms up soon so it becomes more enticing.

(This is last year)