I'm trying to get started a little early on my goals/resolutions for 2010. I already have in my head a lot of things I'd like to accomplish, and now I just need a strategy to actually do them.
1. Save money
I need to save both to add to the down payment for our house, and just because I need to save money. I'd like to have a minimum of $500 in savings for next year's Christmas (planning ahead!) and $1000 in an emergency fund. It's not a ton, but it's a start. I set up automatic deposits to my savings account today, so that's a first step.
2. Pay off debt
This year I want to pay off all my credit debt: about $500 on my Visa, $700 on my Best Buy card, $2750 in furniture, and $500 for the cooking course I'm taking. If I get that taken care of, I'll work on the $2000 we owe to Lowes (which is all in Steve's name) and the $1700 or so I still have left on my student loans.
3. Write for 10 minutes every day
I don't care what it is, just so I'm writing. 10 minutes is easy.
4. Run a 5K and a 10K
The 5K should be this spring. The 10K can be this fall. Then, training for the half marathon in March 2011.
5. Lose at least 65lbs
My ultimate goal is to lose about 115, but let's start with 65.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Step 1
I finally took a step. This morning, I signed up for a course in gourmet cooking and catering.
Will it lead me to my dream life? I don't know. It's got to be closer than this, and even if it doesn't lead me anywhere, it will be fun.
I'm just glad I'm finally doing something.
Will it lead me to my dream life? I don't know. It's got to be closer than this, and even if it doesn't lead me anywhere, it will be fun.
I'm just glad I'm finally doing something.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Project
I've been trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, and thinking about it a lot recently. I've even asked other people what they think I should do based on what they know of me. Basically I'm trying to invest more time in those things I really like to do.
So what do I like to do?
Read
Write
Cook
Sew
Decorate
Watch movies
Yoga
Jog
Lift weights (no, really)
I've been working on reading more, and I signed up for Netflix a few months ago and have been watching a ton more movies. I'm trying to get back into the writing habit, but I haven't made it there yet (I need to try harder).
And then there's cooking. It's something I actually see as a useful pursuit, in that it can benefit someone other than me, and it's more than just doing something to take up time (after all, we do have to eat). Don't get me wrong, I am a decent cook already, but I'm a fairly basic cook. What I'd really like to know is how to improvise a bit more, what flavors go together, etc. I'm pretty good at following a recipe, but I need to know more about the science of cooking and what ingredients do what.
I was even talking to Husband about going to culinary school, or at the very least taking a few cooking classes. The major benefit a school or class would give is a schedule--I'd have to do/learn in a certain amount of time rather than just saying, "Oh, I'm going to cook." But there's no reason I can't set a deadline for myself. Besides, why should I invest the time and money in schooling when I have a huge stack of cookbooks already?
Well, many of the cookbooks I have aren't really instructional; they're simply collections of recipes, and that doesn't really help me. So what I've decided to do is get a few of the more instructional-type cookbooks, as well as finding cooking instruction online (of which there is plenty), and go through it recipe by recipe.
I just ordered The Joy of Cooking. I'm going to get the entire series eventually, and hopefully fix most, if not all, of the recipes there (yes, even the ones with ingredients I don't like--I'll just pawn them off on others, perhaps in the form of dinner parties). From there I'll move on to Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and from there, who knows? There are plenty of books to teach me.
Maybe this will lead to something else. Maybe one day I'll have a catering business. Maybe I'll just become a better cook. Maybe I'll end up hating to cook. But at least I'm going to try. I'm aiming for one new recipe a week. That's not a ton, but it's a start, and that's just a minimum.
Anyone coming over for dinner?
So what do I like to do?
Read
Write
Cook
Sew
Decorate
Watch movies
Yoga
Jog
Lift weights (no, really)
I've been working on reading more, and I signed up for Netflix a few months ago and have been watching a ton more movies. I'm trying to get back into the writing habit, but I haven't made it there yet (I need to try harder).
And then there's cooking. It's something I actually see as a useful pursuit, in that it can benefit someone other than me, and it's more than just doing something to take up time (after all, we do have to eat). Don't get me wrong, I am a decent cook already, but I'm a fairly basic cook. What I'd really like to know is how to improvise a bit more, what flavors go together, etc. I'm pretty good at following a recipe, but I need to know more about the science of cooking and what ingredients do what.
I was even talking to Husband about going to culinary school, or at the very least taking a few cooking classes. The major benefit a school or class would give is a schedule--I'd have to do/learn in a certain amount of time rather than just saying, "Oh, I'm going to cook." But there's no reason I can't set a deadline for myself. Besides, why should I invest the time and money in schooling when I have a huge stack of cookbooks already?
Well, many of the cookbooks I have aren't really instructional; they're simply collections of recipes, and that doesn't really help me. So what I've decided to do is get a few of the more instructional-type cookbooks, as well as finding cooking instruction online (of which there is plenty), and go through it recipe by recipe.
I just ordered The Joy of Cooking. I'm going to get the entire series eventually, and hopefully fix most, if not all, of the recipes there (yes, even the ones with ingredients I don't like--I'll just pawn them off on others, perhaps in the form of dinner parties). From there I'll move on to Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and from there, who knows? There are plenty of books to teach me.
Maybe this will lead to something else. Maybe one day I'll have a catering business. Maybe I'll just become a better cook. Maybe I'll end up hating to cook. But at least I'm going to try. I'm aiming for one new recipe a week. That's not a ton, but it's a start, and that's just a minimum.
Anyone coming over for dinner?
Thursday, July 9, 2009
You are getting sleepy . . .
I haven’t been sleeping well this week. That’s nothing really out of the ordinary, seeing as I have an almost-7-month-old, but the thing is, she sleeps pretty well, and through the night most nights. No, this is just me.
Lack of sleep makes everything else in life harder. I can’t concentrate (which I’m not very good at on the best of days), I have no energy, I’m hungry all the time, I’m cranky, and I don’t want to deal with anything. Also? Thank you, Mother Nature and your dear sister Aunt Flo, for not helping whatsoever.
In the mail yesterday I received new weight loss hypnosis CDs. The idea of hypnosis sounds really cheesy to me, but the last time I lost weight I was using some hypnosis cassettes, and since I can’t seem to find a working cassette player these days, I had to find a replacement. I know it can be effective. I figure at the very least it will keep the issue forefront in my mind, which is a large part of my problem.
I’ve also been trying to figure out a diet/eating strategy for me. I’ve tried so many different diets in the past, and I’ve never been able to stick to any of them. And then the other morning, I heated up some steel cut oats to eat for breakfast, took one bite, and almost gagged–not because they tasted bad, but because it just wasn’t what I wanted. To me, breakfast = eggs. I’m going to have to find a way to work the foods I actually like and want to eat into a healthier diet. (Just for the record, in that context I am using the word “diet” to mean “what I eat” and not “an eating strategy to lose weight.”)
I think the answer may lie in counting calories. I’m notoriously bad at tracking things–anything, really, as it’s consistency I lack more than anything else–but that’s what I was doing when I lost weight before, and it’s the only thing I’ve ever managed to stick with for any significant length of time (i.e. more than 6 hours or so). There were a few moments when I went, “OMG! That has more than 100 calories! I can’t possibly eat that! *SPAZ!*” but I got over it and learned to deal, and I’m sure it will be the same again.
I just know I’ve got to do something. I’ve got to work on it. I’ve got to get my head in the right place.
Lack of sleep makes everything else in life harder. I can’t concentrate (which I’m not very good at on the best of days), I have no energy, I’m hungry all the time, I’m cranky, and I don’t want to deal with anything. Also? Thank you, Mother Nature and your dear sister Aunt Flo, for not helping whatsoever.
In the mail yesterday I received new weight loss hypnosis CDs. The idea of hypnosis sounds really cheesy to me, but the last time I lost weight I was using some hypnosis cassettes, and since I can’t seem to find a working cassette player these days, I had to find a replacement. I know it can be effective. I figure at the very least it will keep the issue forefront in my mind, which is a large part of my problem.
I’ve also been trying to figure out a diet/eating strategy for me. I’ve tried so many different diets in the past, and I’ve never been able to stick to any of them. And then the other morning, I heated up some steel cut oats to eat for breakfast, took one bite, and almost gagged–not because they tasted bad, but because it just wasn’t what I wanted. To me, breakfast = eggs. I’m going to have to find a way to work the foods I actually like and want to eat into a healthier diet. (Just for the record, in that context I am using the word “diet” to mean “what I eat” and not “an eating strategy to lose weight.”)
I think the answer may lie in counting calories. I’m notoriously bad at tracking things–anything, really, as it’s consistency I lack more than anything else–but that’s what I was doing when I lost weight before, and it’s the only thing I’ve ever managed to stick with for any significant length of time (i.e. more than 6 hours or so). There were a few moments when I went, “OMG! That has more than 100 calories! I can’t possibly eat that! *SPAZ!*” but I got over it and learned to deal, and I’m sure it will be the same again.
I just know I’ve got to do something. I’ve got to work on it. I’ve got to get my head in the right place.
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Happiness Project, version E
Today I found a link to the Happiness Project Toolbox waiting for me in my Google Reader. I've read Happiness Project before, and liked what I saw (although I admittedly never saw fit to add it to my RSS), so I clicked on over to investigate. I liked what I saw there too, with one exception: I don't want to have to go to yet another website to make yet another list that I will never remember to look at or update.
So I'm going to run my own Happiness Project right here.
First, I'm going to ask myself a few questions I found on that website, and eventually I'll work deeper into my psyche, and hopefully, closer to my own personal happiness.
1. What makes you feel good? What activities do you find fun, satisfying, or energizing?
Playing with Mallory, talking to Steve, hanging out with my mom, reading, writing (though sometimes it feels more like a chore), yoga, swimming, running, cooking, having a clean/organized house (though not cleaning)
2. What makes you feel bad? What are sources of anger, irritation, boredom, frustration, or anxiety in your life?
Finances (not having money to buy/do the things I want), my poor budgeting skills, not having a clean house, my weight, things going unfinished, driving all the time, the dogs
3. Is there any way in which you don't feel right about your life? Do you wish you could change jobs, cities, family situation, or other circumstances? Are you living up to your expectations for yourself? Does your life reflect your values?
I wish I didn't have to work. I want to be at home with my baby, doing something artistic or crafty (writing, decorating, taking pictures, cooking). I love my husband, but I wish he would help out more around the house (and I conversely wish I would stop nagging him so much). I wish I lived closer to my parents. My expectations? The expectations I had when I was younger, certainly not. I think I've come to expect that I can't succeed. My values? I value my family, and my mind--both of which would be more fulfilled if I quit my job and stayed at home.
4. Do you have sources of an atmosphere of growth? In what areas of your life do you find progress, learning, challenge, improvement, and increased mastery?
I don't feel like I'm growing right now. This job is not a challenge, and it presents me with nothing but frustration. Even as a mother I feel stagnant.
Everything in my life is telling me to quit my job. So why can't I just do it?
So I'm going to run my own Happiness Project right here.
First, I'm going to ask myself a few questions I found on that website, and eventually I'll work deeper into my psyche, and hopefully, closer to my own personal happiness.
1. What makes you feel good? What activities do you find fun, satisfying, or energizing?
Playing with Mallory, talking to Steve, hanging out with my mom, reading, writing (though sometimes it feels more like a chore), yoga, swimming, running, cooking, having a clean/organized house (though not cleaning)
2. What makes you feel bad? What are sources of anger, irritation, boredom, frustration, or anxiety in your life?
Finances (not having money to buy/do the things I want), my poor budgeting skills, not having a clean house, my weight, things going unfinished, driving all the time, the dogs
3. Is there any way in which you don't feel right about your life? Do you wish you could change jobs, cities, family situation, or other circumstances? Are you living up to your expectations for yourself? Does your life reflect your values?
I wish I didn't have to work. I want to be at home with my baby, doing something artistic or crafty (writing, decorating, taking pictures, cooking). I love my husband, but I wish he would help out more around the house (and I conversely wish I would stop nagging him so much). I wish I lived closer to my parents. My expectations? The expectations I had when I was younger, certainly not. I think I've come to expect that I can't succeed. My values? I value my family, and my mind--both of which would be more fulfilled if I quit my job and stayed at home.
4. Do you have sources of an atmosphere of growth? In what areas of your life do you find progress, learning, challenge, improvement, and increased mastery?
I don't feel like I'm growing right now. This job is not a challenge, and it presents me with nothing but frustration. Even as a mother I feel stagnant.
Everything in my life is telling me to quit my job. So why can't I just do it?
Friday, June 5, 2009
Searching for Control
As I said in my last post (oh, so long ago), I was out of control there for a while. Right now, I'm taking it back.
My goals for May didn't go so well, so I'm reasserting.
I'm getting my eating under control. I did very well yesterday, and today is looking good also.
Exercise? Well, that will come. I'm thinking of getting up earlier and starting to walk/job again. I'm so out of shape right now that I'll have to start with walking and work up to jogging, but that's ok. And it's been raining so much that I can hardly do that, but we've got the bike and the weight machine and workout videos out the wazoo, so there's no excuse for me not to be doing something. I thought of joining the gym through work, but my social neuroses are holding me back, along with my general lack of money. I'll just do it at home.
My goals for May didn't go so well, so I'm reasserting.
I'm getting my eating under control. I did very well yesterday, and today is looking good also.
Exercise? Well, that will come. I'm thinking of getting up earlier and starting to walk/job again. I'm so out of shape right now that I'll have to start with walking and work up to jogging, but that's ok. And it's been raining so much that I can hardly do that, but we've got the bike and the weight machine and workout videos out the wazoo, so there's no excuse for me not to be doing something. I thought of joining the gym through work, but my social neuroses are holding me back, along with my general lack of money. I'll just do it at home.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Spiraling
I've felt so out of control lately, in lots of ways. There are things I know that I should be doing, and I can't bring myself to do them, and things I know I should not be doing, and I can't bring myself to stop. At least I've finally realized I'm doing it.
Here it is a new month, a new month in my new life (i.e. Life With Baby). Everything is so perfect right now, and yet I'm having such a difficult time dealing with it. I'm trying. I've even done something I never though I would do and started taking Prozac. I think it's helping, but I still hate even the concept of taking it.
I did buy some new clothes (during my little spending spree last weekend, wherein I spent nearly $1400 on randomness), and I'm feeling a little better about how I look. That would be helped a great deal more if I could lose a few pounds, but that's the other major thing that's out of control.
So I'm making the effort to make a new start. Today. My goal during the month of May is to cut out the unnecessary: unnecessary spending and unnecessary eating. This is going to be so hard for me. I've never been good at doing what's hard. I shrink away from challenges. When the going gets tough, I give up.
But I want to do this. I want to change my life, and that's not easy. I've got to make the effort, and rise to the challenge. Otherwise my life is always going to be this way.
Here it is a new month, a new month in my new life (i.e. Life With Baby). Everything is so perfect right now, and yet I'm having such a difficult time dealing with it. I'm trying. I've even done something I never though I would do and started taking Prozac. I think it's helping, but I still hate even the concept of taking it.
I did buy some new clothes (during my little spending spree last weekend, wherein I spent nearly $1400 on randomness), and I'm feeling a little better about how I look. That would be helped a great deal more if I could lose a few pounds, but that's the other major thing that's out of control.
So I'm making the effort to make a new start. Today. My goal during the month of May is to cut out the unnecessary: unnecessary spending and unnecessary eating. This is going to be so hard for me. I've never been good at doing what's hard. I shrink away from challenges. When the going gets tough, I give up.
But I want to do this. I want to change my life, and that's not easy. I've got to make the effort, and rise to the challenge. Otherwise my life is always going to be this way.
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