OK, it's been a couple months since I posted my resolutions for this school year. It's time for some self-assessment. My kids just brought home their first report cards for the school year so I thought I'd go ahead and give myself some grades as well. And I realized my GPA needs some serious work!
Here's each resolution with my grade and comments in italics below it. By reporting here, I'm holding myself accountable and getting more serious about things that make me feel empowered and healthy and happy and help me be a more effective mom, wife and person.
1. Get to bed by 11pm every night. Don't get sucked into finishing one more thing or watching a quick TV show to relax. Everything goes better when I get enough sleep and help Jared do the same.
I get a C on this one. It's been more like 11:30 or 12 when I get to bed most nights. Need to work on this.
2. Get up by 6:45. Sleeping a few extra minutes sure feels like a great idea after the alarm goes off and while I really could get ready in 10 minutes for 7;10am family scripture time, it's better to have a little extra time and not feel so rushed and be able to help the kids get ready more.
I get a D on this one. I started strong but lately I've been really slow to get up with how dark and cold it's been and how late I've been going to bed. Plus I've been thinking I can really get ready fine in 10 minutes if I get up at 7. But I'm always a bit late for scripture study and even though Jared leads that while I make breakfast (I can listen in and participate great while quietly making breakfast) and I've been good about having breakfast on the table on time, it sets a bad example when I'm late for scriptures and we do end up more rushed when I'm not ahead of things.
3. Go on a date every week with Jared. We've been terrible about this. We've got so many places where the kids need to be and where each of us need to be in the evenings and somehow week after week goes by without us going out together which seems fine since we can just hang out together at home when the kids are in bed and we're out of energy to go anywhere. But actually going somewhere together is really really good for us. Even when we're tired. Even when it seems like just one more thing to cram in there. PLUS, we've realized we need a little non-screen time every day when we can connect and talk - even 10 minutes makes a huge difference. We can play a game, work on a project together, or just sit and eat a treat and talk.
B- on this one. We've been good about looking together at what's going on for the week on Sunday nights and picking a time for our date. But then things come up and the date gets pushed off the calendar too often. Need to work on this one. We have been spending more screen-free time together in the evenings and that's been good. But we can work on that more as well.
4. Floss. I used to be really good about this. Lately I've been a total slacker. And my gums are receding. And I want to keep my teeth for a whole lot longer. So I'm going to spend that whole 3 minutes or so every night to get my darn teeth flossed.
A- on this one. I've done it almost every night. And when I went to the dentist a few days ago they said I was a very good brusher and flosser. Pretty proud moment for me. But a need either a huge filling or a crown on a tooth with a really old filling in it. My teeth are just getting kind of old, I guess. Darn it.
5. Exercise every day for 30 minutes. I mostly did this last year but this year I'm TOTALLY doing it. I need 3-4 serious work-out sessions a week. But on the other days, I need the endorphins and energy that some brisk walking or some time on my old eliptical machine can offer. I feel SO much better on the days I exercise - especially when I do it outside! Plus I'll take more breaks from my computer to go for a little walk. And I'll keep up my weekly hikes. I hiked Maylan's Peak almost every single week last year, even in the crazy snow or rain. It made me feel tough and strong and happy. And I loved the chance to talk with good friends while doing it.
A- on this one. I've hiked every single week (been trying out different hard and beautiful hikes with friends). I've gone running a couple times a week. And I've been going for brisk walks most every day that I don't run or hike.
6. Go on Family Walks at least 4x/week. We've been doing a good job going for a walk as a family after dinner every evening that we possibly can. It's such a nice way to close the day. We're going to keep that up. Even in the snow. Fresh air makes us all nicer people - and helps everyone sleep better at night and digest their dinner better.
B on this one. This has been tricky with the kids' sports schedules but at least 3x/week we've done a walk with whoever is available. We just started a 50 miles for $50 challenge though and that's helping. Everyone who walks one mile a day or a total of 50 miles in 50 days will get $50. The park right by our house is 1/2 mile around so if we go around it 2x, that's a mile. Scooter, rollerblade and skateboarding requires 2 miles instead of one. This has been a great way to keep people motivated about going for walks even though it's getting colder and darker in the evenings.
7. Take each child on a special date every month and do some quality one-on-one tuck-in-time with each child each night. These simple things make a world of difference in my relationship with my kids.
B on this one. I took Ashton out for an extra-special date because he got all A's this past quarter - so happy! I took Silas out to get him new shoes and jeans and we ended up having a crazy fun adventure because the power went out in the store and we had a sales associate helping us find sizes with a flashlight and then escorting us out of the pitch black store when the power didn't come back on after a while. They didn't have his size but it didn't matter because the cash registers weren't working anyway. I've done lots of little dates with Eliza for various reasons and she's been my main walking partner on our most-every-day walks - she's always got lots of great stuff to tell me.. Isaac and Oliver are due for some dates here soon. I've been spending some quality time with each kid here and there but need to be more deliberate about ensuring they are all getting regular dates.
8. Do my hair more. Get haircuts every couple months. I've been seriously neglecting my hair for a long time now. Actually, I don't know if I've ever really done it very often. I'm fine with pulling it back quite a bit and I'm just not the type to ever be really into doing my hair really nicely on a daily basis. But I finally found a hairdresser I like here and I'm going to go ahead and get a good haircut regularly plus I've learned some new ways to do my hair that aren't too terribly time-consuming or frustrating. I feel better about myself and life in general when I don't neglect my hair every single day.
C on this one. My hair's getting too long and I need to get a haircut so that doing it is quicker and easier. Plus I'm not so sure I'm as excited about this resolution now as I was initially. Maybe I overrated doing my hair. So I think I'll be OK with like a B- on this one - just a little work to do.
9. No eating after 8pm except for fruits and veggies. I have the weirdest dreams, sleep poorly, and wake up feeling sort of sick if I eat much after 8pm. When I keep this simple little "rule," I just feel SO much better mentally, emotionally and physically.
C - I do this. Usually. But lately I've slacked off. Then I get tummy aches in the night and have weird dreams and wake up feeling bloated and bad. Need to get serious about this again.
10. Read the scriptures every single day. Lately I've been having my phone "read" me the scriptures while I'm driving - after I drop the kids off at school on my way home has been the perfect time to make sure I get some "reading" in before I do anything else with the day. I got burned out on reading right before bed - I was just so tired and that was my one time to talk with Jared. So I sort of fell out of the habit of doing it much at all (other than family scripture study in the mornings which I rationalized could count as my personal scripture study). It's not the most logical thing, really, but it's just plain true that when I read the scriptures every day, my life goes better. And when I make sure to do my reading first thing in the day, my day goes better.
C- I've been a slacker here as well. I started strong but have dropped down to maybe doing it just 50% of the time. So maybe that's a D, not a C. Hmmm. Starting today, though, I got going on listening in the car on the way home from taking kids to school and I'm going to keep up now.
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