200 Things

I'm reading a book right now about simplifying life, and it's really got me thinking. This year, as I've said before, is my year of change. Well, it's nearly halfway through the year and I've made some good progress toward some of my goals.

I've lost about 35 pounds since the beginning of the year. I'm looking pretty fit, pretty trim (I could use some toning, but it's all good.) I've started some research (mostly interviewing people) for different careers I'm interested in. I'm having a garage sale this weekend to get rid of junk we don't need anymore. I've been generating ideas for some stories/articles to write.

So, I've started lots of things, but now I need to finish up. I think that's what the second part of this year is going to be.

How are you doing on your goals?

Well, today's "to do" list was shot all to hell because of yesterday's rain. I was planning on doing some outdoor fence work, yard work and gardening. But, since the tsunami-like precipitation, the mud won this round.

The thing that stinks, is that every day of every weekend for the rest of my life (a bit dramatic perhaps) is planned out to the hour. I *needed* this day to get to my list, and now it's going to be tough to find another slot of time when all the conditions are perfect.

My life is obviously scheduled a bit too tightly, which is a major complaint of my husband. I don't blame him, who wants to be on a schedule every minute? I've told him that one of my goals is to allow for some down time, and I do plan on following up on this, because I really like being married to him. He's a cool guy.

Anyway, this simplification is yet another one of my goals for taking better care of myself and my people. I don't know quite how I'm going to accomplish this "simplification of the schedule" with three kids who just seem to be getting busier, but I will try. I know that some folks limit their children to one activity at a time, and I completely respect that, but it doesn't quite work for us. For example, they all take music lessons and they all play sports. Some are involved in scouts, and some have an extra team. Not all of these things happen at the same time or season, so at least that makes things more manageable, but it's still not easy enough.

How do you all do it? How does the schedule run in your house?

Decisions and Deadlines

As I've mentioned, I was a journalism major in college. After graduation I had a job in my field, worked freelance for a while, then went back to working for a big company. After I had my children, I stepped off the career ladder as many women do.

Now, I've been off the ladder for 10 years. There's no way I'm getting back on the same ladder that I was on pre-children. My last job I held pre-kids was awesome. I enjoyed the work, I enjoyed the people, and it was really rewarding. But, times have changed. That deadline-driven job wouldn't work in my current life, which is driven by kid schedules and family responsibilities.

The job I have now is flexible so I can get to the kid activities at school occasionally, or even work from home if I have a sick kid. But, it's not my passion. Now that my kids are all in school I'd like to find the job I that will allow me to feel fulfilled in my working life again.

What should I do? What is that job? What's next for me?

Early Morning Blues

This morning I'm scheduled to walk with my neighbor. It's a move (literally) to improve my health, as one of my goals is to take better care of myself in the new year. We used to do this every day at 5:30, but somehow fell off the wagon. So, here I am...blinking the sleep out of my eyes. This time period is about the best time for me in the day to exercise, so I'd better get used to it!

First Day

When I went to college, it was to study journalism. Back then, I didn't have much problem stringing sentences together, or coming up with content. I have a feeling that this might be a little harder. Bear with me as I delve into this new arena!

My goal for this year, is to make some major changes in my life in the areas of health, career, creativity, and finances. As I figure things out, I'll be letting the Internet know of my trials and successes. Hopefully, if anyone out there is on any similar path, we can help eachother out and give support.

I'd like to post regularly, but with three kids, a husband and a job, I'm setting the bar pretty low.