resolutions, schmedolutions

i don't do new year's resolutions. i just don't like to set myself up for disappointment.

because i know me too well - and i know that although i'd start the year off with nothing but good intentions, maybe even make myself stick to these new goals for a decent amount of time, i'd end up totally screwing up and losing momentum in no time flat.

but i suppose i can create a list of stuff i want to accomplish by the time the ball drops on 2011. 2009 was all about operation downsize. and while that continues into this year and beyond, i present to you...operation happy wan.

• inspired by my friend amber, i've signed up for a beginner's sewing workshop. it's just a 3-hour session designed to go over the very basics of construction, but it's a great start. amber has been cranking out some top-quality, professional-looking pieces despite the fact that she's only been sewing since last summer, and i want to do that too! i have to admit, like all new hobbies that i pick up, i'm now completely obsessed with the idea of learning to sew and haven't been able to think of much else since i committed to the workshop. but i'm not 100% new to it - my gram is a master seamstress and used to let me tinker around with her machine when i was younger. i also dabbled a little before the teen was born and managed to create a few wearable pieces. but when i left the ex, i walked away only with the very basic essentials i needed and left everything else behind, including my fantabulous sewing machine and tools. oh, well.
• moving out of the shoebox we're in has become priority #1. i realize that means it should've come before the sewing, but hey - this list isn't in any particular order, i swear. anyway, i can't believe that we've almost been living here for an entire year - our lease is up at the end of this month! time flies, and although we haven't exactly loved being in this tiny home, it has indeed been fun. and the bean's comfy here - she says so whenever we get back from an outing and pull in through the gate. "home!" she exclaims cheerfully. but we've always dreamed of a home that we can all be proud of - one where we can mark her growing-up progress with pencil markings in a doorway, celebrate birthdays and holidays, call our own. and i think this is our year. at least, i hope so.
• speaking of the bean, i want to continue her potty-training progress (kick it up a notch, even) and get through the transition for real. i dream of getting her out of diapers once and for all, and i know that with increased focus and determination, we'll be done buying those things before she grows out of the size 5s she's in.
• i'd love to see the teen really buckle down and get herself back to at least a 3.0 GPA, like she was last year. she's also been wanting to take piano lessons, which i fully support, but we need to see her grades come up before we can commit to something that'll take up her time and also be a partial reward.
• i realize this is a total cliché, but i really, REALLY need to get active. i haven't set foot in a gym since oh, about april of 2008, and while i likely won't be joining a gym, i can sure make myself pop in my 30-day shred DVD or get out and maybe go for a jog with the bean in the stroller. not to mention, i put on that fabulous kate spade dress i wore only a month ago, and that shit's gotten tight. i put on at least 4 pounds over the holidays, and i don't like it.
• like i said, operation downsize continues into 2010. there's no reason for it not to, although luckily we're in slightly better shape now than a year ago. we're going to keep looking for ways to cut our expenses and save money, and hopefully be able to stick a little more money in the bank. and my love of cooking and baking really helps keep us from going out to eat like we used to in the old days, so that's a major cost-cutter. yay!
• lastly, a rather frivolous goal - i spent a considerable amount of time trying to get through my google reader after putting it off for weeks. while i love reading my friends' blogs (and some by folks i don't actually know), opening up the ol' GR and finding a number higher than my IQ (hahahahahahahahahaha!) is quite overwhelming. now i aim to check it at least three times a week, if not once a day.

i was actually fulfilling that last one just now, flipping back and forth between writing this post and reading up on what my friends are up to, and i'm amused to see that i'm not alone in posting my list of stuff to accomplish in '10.

all think same!