SYL12…

So, remember when I signed up for the simplify your life challenge for 2012 back in January? Yeah, me too! I was so gung-ho at the beginning which is the way I often am when I start something new but I very often lose momentum. Sure, sometimes I gain in back after falling off the wagon {like with tot school for the kids, budgetting etc} and other times I have spurts {weight loss/exercise, blogging, writing} of productivity and then there are times when things get re put on my to do list over and over again.

The last time I blogged about this Deb commented and said

“Good to see you and read your update – remember you don’t have to write up / participate in every challenge. After the core 12 weeks some blocks will be more applicable than others. no stress – ever… good luck with your mini goals – focusing on small achievable steps is definitely the best way i have found.”

So while I had high hopes of finishing this and who knows, maybe I will one day, but for now I am bowing out. I adore Deb and her blog and I read each of her posts and come away thinking but while I was in the right frame of mind for this at the beginning of the year it seems that now I am not. I definitely found the first 12 weeks immensely helpful and I do think they helped me sort through some issues and areas of my life that needed to be looked at. I loved making the vision board and mission statement and working on my goals for the year as well as working out my core values. I still look back on all of these things when I feel things getting cloudy or I need a push in the right direction.

I have notes written in my journal {another thing that I use sporadically!} for different weeks of the challenge that I have yet to blog about but for now I thought it best to review the goals I set at the beginning of the year and how many of them I have completed, started or have no hope in hell of completing before the year turns into 2013 {I seriously feel like it is still March. Does anyone else?}. Last night I lay in bed checking through my list and seeing what I have already completed and I felt proud that while I haven`t done everything I am moving forward and the goals I had then are still goals I have now even if I am not quite there yet.

Reminded me of this quote. I used a different image last time I posted it {under a post about balance!} but the message is still the same. Copy and pasting my goals and intentions below…..See notes beside them.

Personal

• Aim to blog 3 times a week – I wish I had but averaging 3-4 times a month at the moemnt.
• Continue with SYL12 for the entire 52 weeks. – Unfortunately, no.
  
• Make time to be creative {Shion`s scrapbook, activities for the boys etc} -Activities with the boys, yes, Shion`s scrapbook, no. I have tried to still be creative though through writing, making things etc. Hoping the scrapbook will get done eventually!
  
• Read 20 minutes or more a day for myself {I used to read a ton and since having children I do not read as much anymore. I tend to spend more time online instead of reading and I need to get back into the habit of reading daily} - Doing this most days!
  
• Find 5 or more hours of work {I have included this here as it was on my original list. I have already done this though and have an extra 9 hours a month from this month} - I have about 20 hours work a month currently so yes, definitely completed this!
  

Family

• Do more as a family outside of the house. At least once a month do something fun as a family- go to the zoo, beach, a big park, train museum, Disneyland etc etc. We have lots of ideas already! More than once a month would be fantastic as well but I do a lot of my work on the weekends and we often have other obligations like birthday parties etc but we do those as a family as well. -Yes, we have been making time for this and loving it when we get to do something “fun” altogether! Working on the weekends has put a bit of dint in our time but hopefully we will still continue with this! Disneyland is next month for the boys birthdays!
  
• Try to have some 1 on 1 time with Noah & Shion each day {Separately}. While they are this young this is hard but I will try to make an effort to do this as I think it is very important.- This is hard. Some days we definitely get some one on one time but they both nap at the same time and go to bed at the same time so while they are this age it is hard to do without the other one being left out. If Noah or Shion are with MIL though I make a real effort to play with the other child one on one doing something they want to do.
  
• Continue having story time twice a day {or more} and reading 10 or more books a day to the boys. On my resolution list I wrote I had to stop buying kids books as I have a kid book buying addiction- I have changed this to don`t buy any books for first six months except if they are Australian themed {since I will be in Australia next month and we have very few books with an Australian theme}- I stuck to this and didn`t buy new books for six months and we still do story time twice a day as well as often curling up to read together at different times especially on rainy days like today. The other day I was laying on the sofa reading while the boys were playing nicely {a rarity!} and they both bought books of their own and sat next to me and on my lap to read themselves. It was very sweet!
  
• Date nights with Shun at least 3 times this year {We have one scheduled for this Saturday, my birthday!!!!!!} - Failed so far. We have had some couple time out for weddings this year though but would love to have a night out for dinner sometime. With just my in-laws able to baby sit {of course my family is in Oz. I am sure they would babysit if they could!} I don`t like to ask too much especially since they watch them when I work on Friday`s and often help Shun if I work all day on a Saturday. Might see if we can sneak a night out in December just the two of us though!
  
• Continue Tot School with Noah & Shion. I have not posted about what we have done so far this year yet but it is coming. I find putting the posts together really hard and time consuming with photos etc but we are still doing educational activities together, arts & crafts and more. I will try to post about it more often but posting about it on my blog is not a top priority. Actually doing things is though! - Have done a lot of Tot School this year even if I don`t post on it all the time. I take a ton of photos on some days and none on others but the kids love doing activities and I quite like planning them. I think it helps direct my time with them as well an ensures I give them some undivided attention as they need to be shown how to do things or supervised with scissors, art time, glue etc!
  
• Sunday nights are no internet until after 10pm- Shun and I have made a deal to watch something on TV together, or a movie or chat. We have even tossed up the idea of playing scrabble or monopoly! -Not every Sunday night but until our dvd player broke {well the controller meaning we can`t turn subtitles on!} we were watching a TV series together a couple times a week and for the first six months of the year I think we succeeded in the no internet from 7-10pm on a Sunday night. On the nights I am awake when Shun comes home from work and also usually still on a Sunday once kids are in bed we do try to sit down and chat, spend some time together and talk about plans etc.
  

Home & Financial

While these are under home & financial I can not help feel they are a bit “personal” as well.

• Declutter all our belongings and get rid of at least eight large garbage bags of stuff {either dump, sell or give away}. This has to be done by the time we move in April. -I think we did well with this! I still have stuff I either need to sell or give away but have been too lazy to take photos. I should get on that though!
  
• Home binder {This has been on my list to do since early January. Have I done it? No? I am sort of working on it and want to work on it more for the new house as I find we have paper EVERYWHERE and I have to do lists everywhere on post its but need a more central way of doing things. I have bought the supplies to do this and started planning}. – Done! I find that menu planning gets done in my diary though {schedule book} then transferred to a dry erase menu plan stuck on the fridge {basically a laminated menu plan} and this works well for us. My schedule book is where I note down activities for the kids and my to-do list including work planning requirements and appointments. Have loved my schedule book this year and intend to use the same one next year. The home binder is good at keeping things together though and it is easy to check through for certain information. The in-box system is great too for mail etc or things I need to do. Once things need to be filed away upstairs i put them on the stairs and take them up next time I go up and either put them on the bed to file before I go to sleep or if I have a spare minute I file them straight away.
  
• Reduce our food bill {I do not want to say what I spent in January but it was even MORE than I thought we spent each month on food. Must reduce it. I would put save more money on our list but I know that with my extra work hours and if I manage to actually reduce this that we will be saving more each month} -I think we have reduced it and are wasting less food than we did before. I still need to cook more Japanese style cooking in order to reduce it more so have been trying to add some new recipes. I like to remind myself all the time as well that since Shun takes bento to work {with leftovers from dinner usually} that we definitely save money there.
  
• Make a savings account for Shion and start putting money into both boys savings accounts again. I want to set it up to come out monthly- I have the paperwork to make Shion`s account and organize the transfers I just need to do it. - Done. He has a post office savings account and an education fund.
  

Setting up permanent savings plans for US is on the agenda for next year as well as having Shun`s salary split between our two accounts automatically to cover the mortgage. At the moment I transfer it manually each month.

Health, body & beauty

I know it shouldn`t be but my health and fitness is ALWAYS at the bottom of my list of things to do. Even now as I write this I know that the area I am most likely to fail is here but I am hoping by writing it out I will become more accountable. I also want to say that while I have a history of depression that exercise never makes me feel “better”. A lot of people swear by the endorphins released during exercise as great mood enhancers but I have never found this to be the case for me {although I have seen proven cases with others- I am not denying that for some it really works}. However- I think for my kids sake I do need to concentrate on this more.

• Stop gaining weight {I had lose 5kg on my resolutions list- I would still like to do this but I looked up my BMI just now and it is 25 so I am JUST considered overweight. I want to make sure I don`t go higher- if I lose weight that is great but maintaining current weight so that it doesn`t increase is my first goal} – I actually lost a bit of weight {about 5kg} earlier in the year in early summer through better eating, exercise etc. I have since stopped exercising on a regular basis but I did make some positive changes to my everyday eating habits. Rice portions, when I have rice, are definitely smaller, I now use non-fat milk almost exclusively and I try to have protein with my breakfast at least 3 times a week {usually an egg} as well as more vegetables in our everyday cooking. I have gained back 1-2 of the kilos I lost but am relatively happy for now.
  
• Exercise for 30 minutes once a week {or more}. This can be a jog, a big walk {5km or more}, exercise dvd etc. It can not be chasing the kids around the park or walking to and from the train station while pushing the pram since those are things I do almost everyday. -Would love to say I have completed this and I definitely make more of an effort to be a bit more active but can not say I have exercises 30 minutes every week since the beginning of the year. I do try to do pilates/yoga a couple times a week as I find it helps with my back but not a set 30 minutes each time. Definitely could work on this more before the end of the year.
  
• Regrow my nails {I stopped biting/picking my nails several years back but started again after the earthquake last year. I need to stop} - Uh, no. They are not as bad as they were but I still pick them occasionly and my cuticles are a mess. Hopefully this can go onto my goals for next year and  I might succeed?

So there you have it. I guess when I look at the whole picture I have done relatively well with my goals and I do feel like this year has gone a lot smoother than last year.  Will I write goals for next year? Probably! Will I list them on my blog? Maybe. Will have to wait and see. At the moment I still can`t wrap my head around the fact that it is nearly the end of the year and that Noah will be 3 soon, Shion will turn 2 soon after and I am yet to start planning properly for Christmas or their birthdays. I better get on that!!!

Popularity: 7% [?]

Be Sociable, Share!

•