Happy Halloween!

Have a fabulous trick-or-treating time!

(this was from last year, but it was freaking cute. I'll post this year's pics later.)

Manifesto Reassessment (a long one, kids, settle in for this one.)

Yikes. Do you realize how close we are to the end of the year? This close, and I haven't done squat. Made almost zero changes. How sad is that? I wrote this huge long "manifesto", or list of resolutions this year. And yes, I know, nobody ever keeps to their resolutions, but these are changes I really need to make for my and my family's health and well-being. So why is it so hard to change for the better? Here is what I resolved to do this year:
Health
I will lose weight:
Join Weight Watchers – weigh in every week, follow points system, implement new habit a week.
Exercize every day – begin easy, 20 minutes of cardio, work from there
Drink 8 cups of water every day. No excuses
Veggies and fruits…get more. For me and the family. Find recipes with lots of produce.
Dermatologist – see one. Wear sunscreen – for kids too.
Wash face every day.
Get more sleep – go to bed before midnight.
Floss every day
Vitamins – take them
Do Yoga – 3 times a week. Maybe a class?
Parenting – I will be a better mother and enjoy my children by:
Spend more time with kids
Less on computer
Read to Ani more
Art projects, outings, enjoy the kids
Patience – have it, use it. Take deep breaths.
Spend more time working with kids on school stuff
Writing with Aeron
Alphabet and numbers with Ani
Spanish with both
Schedules and routines
Establish firm bedtime routines and times
Chores and allowances
Work on actually having a routine and schedule.
Establish and actually follow through with effective discipline
Money – need more, spend less.
Work on establishing a budget and spending and saving plan.
Create new ways to bring in money (babysitting, selling jewelry, etc.
Spend less! Figure out what we have and don’t spend more. We would like to take vacations this year, need money to do it.
Lunch or breakfast out – only 2 times a month, not once a week.
Shopping lists – make them, use them. Try to adhere to them.
Organization and Household – make this home a haven, and know where everything is…
Work on routines – I have a perfectly good control journal – start using it.
Establish day to work on paperwork – both Mom’s club and home
Everything else:
Work on 50 things list – try to accomplish some of them
Stop berating myself about education. I don’t like my lack of education so do something about it…read nonfiction book every month, work on Spanish, etc.
Read or watch news every day. I have so little knowledge of current events. Rectify that.
Learn more about gardening, work on that. Compost pile?
Learn to sew, get better at other things I enjoy.
Work on my social skills – not everything is about me.
Be grateful for my life. Remember this in journaling.
Enjoy life.

So, what have I done about it? I joined WW...then quit. I didn't like the meetings, the paying $10 a week, taking my daughter along...it didn't work for me. I then started a weight loss group for moms in my area. We are still working on this taking off. Everything else I've done sporadically...I do take vitamins every day, and I haven't been to see a dermatologist yet...but the rest has been sporadic. I am starting the Best Life Diet on Monday. The first phase of this plan seems to follow pretty closely with what I mapped out here - I'll keep you all posted.

I've been spending time with the kids on school stuff, I've tried to be more effective with discipline, I'm still struggling with routine. I think, though, we are always growing and evolving as parents...so I'm not too terribly concerned about my lack of progress here. I think it will always be a section of my resolutions, because how can we be better parents if we are not willing to grow and learn?

Money...yikes. I am struggling with that one. I simply need to stop spending senselessly. There's no reason for it. I have resolved to not use my credit card, except for groceries tomorrow, this whole week. I'll keep you posted on that one, as well. I have been using shopping lists...that's not to say I've been sticking solely to the shopping list...

As far as organization: honestly, I am not a routine-oriented person, and I struggle with this. I just need to suck it up and work a little harder. Maybe start the Flylady stuff from the beginning again. My house isn't scary-dirty or anything, but it needs help. And the big jobs aren't getting tackled because I'm so wrapped up in getting the little ones completed...

As for everything else, here goes: I composed my "50 things" list - it's on this page. I haven't accomplished any of them, but it's written. I have been reading more that I normally wouldn't - including some nonfiction, and some classics. I finally read "To Kill a Mockingbird" this year. That was an amazing book. I also have been paying closer attention to current events, in part thanks to my friend Zen, who is addicted to NPR and seems to keep me posted in one way or another. I even find myself straying to news websites on occasion, just to have something to talk about. I am still dissatisfied with my education, but I have done some small thing to improve my mind, and I intend to continue. This blog is certainly a part of that...putting my thoughts down so someone else may actually be able to follow them is an important exercize. I have yet to learn to sew, my Spanish will get me to the bathroom and eating, and little else, I planted several things this year, and killed about half, but we had some yummy tomatoes, one tiny watermelon...no compost pile yet. I have been working on the social issues...of course the "mememe" tone of this post is no proof of that, but I find myself listening to what I say, and perhaps checking myself, before I start getting louder, or turning a story around to me.

I am sad to read how little I've accomplished this year, but I suppose I should be thankful the year is not over yet. I have some time to maybe tick a few things off the list...and I suppose the important thing to remember here is that I am a work in progress...which is not necessarily a bad thing. And now I am off to bed...before midnight. Kisses.