2011: Making Time, Doing Things

I'll admit it: I love the idea of goal-setting and being organized...but, I can rarely pull it off in real life. In real life, I make fitful progress on big things, only finishing when I absolutely have to, and I simply ignore the little things until they either go away or become big things (like having service turned off). While I think I've gotten better in general, I've become increasingly frustrated with this approach to life and I'm particularly worried that this year --with only one income, another baby, and a dissertation to write--it's going to be a debilitating problem that will interfere with some of the bigger goals I'd like to accomplish (DISSERTATION).

So, what did I do? Well, first, I took it out on Josh. I've had a hard time keeping up with the house and sometimes feel like I'm not getting any help. More than that, though, I've also started feeling like we're not taking time out for each other. As a family. So I got upset and declared that we needed to take advantage of the time of year and make some resolutions together. Even just spending 30 minutes together talking about what we'd like to do this year was cathartic somehow and it made me feel a lot less guilty about insisting that we turn the tech off one night a week and then proposing that we watch "Centurion" (which is a totally forgettable movie).

We tried to keep the goals reasonable (I'm redoing my 101 things list in a couple months, so this felt like a good time to work on the little annoying things) and each came up with individual goals and some that we need to work on together.

Josh:
Do dishes after dinner
Take more lunches
Set up dates
Consolidate passwords
Get a physical
Eye exam

Dalyn:
200 words a day
Print pictures
Hang art in the upstairs
Establish baking routine (1 day a week, every 3 days, something)
Teeth cleaning--6 months
Take Eames to the dentist

Family:
BUDGET--get current on little bills, monthly budget, savings goal, research savings options, apply for state insurance, renew AAA, rental insurance renewal...
Learn photoshop/watch tutorial
Road trips (one weekend trip every other month): Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, RMNP, Durango
Organize the office--get rid of the desktop, org books, make space for work
Pay bills on time--divvying up, setting the calendar, autobillpay
Tech-free night per week (crafts/games/local trips/coffee night)
Set up a will
Life insurance--term

I'm particularly excited about going tech-free one night a week and I think it'll give me the time to accomplish some of the other goals I've listed here. Admittedly, most of the time, I'm tired enough by the end of the day that all I want to do is watch Top Chef, but I'm also feeling the need to do something more often that doesn't involve babies or work. I'd like to take better advantage of Eames's 6:30 bedtime. I'm groaning inwardly at the idea that couples need to make time for eachother, but it's amazing how life gets in the way of so many things. So, yes, I'm going to be that woman--the one who schedules time with her partner. And I think I'm going to really appreciate it. Sigh.

Here's to a productive 2011!

Books of 2010: Reading Can Be Fun!

In honor of the reading I do for fun, instead of for work, I thought I'd keep track of the books I read this year.

Non-Fiction: 
Eating the Dinosaur--Chuck Klosterman
Lost Cyclist: The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance--David Herlihy
Spice: The History of a Temptation--Jack Turner
Born to Run--Christopher McDougall

Fiction:
Neverwhere--Neil Gaiman
Stardust--Neil Gaiman
The Bachman Books--Stephen King
Dust of Dreams--Stephen Erikson
Hunger Games/Catching Fire/The Mockingjay--Suzanne Collins
Wizard of Earthsea (Books 1-4)--Ursula Le Guin
Affinity--Sarah Waters

 Books I Re-Read:
 Camulod Chronicles (Books 1-5)--Jack Whyte
A Game of Thrones--George R.R. Martin