Mama Goals for 2011

I do make resolutions for each new year, but I prefer to call them goals.  "Goals" sounds more attainable.  Smaller.  "Resolutions" are things like "stop smoking" and "lose 50 pounds." Way daunting, right?

This is my first brand new year as a mom (to an almost 1 year old!).  I took some time to look back at the past year, at myself as a wife, a mom, a business owner, a teacher, a woman, and set some goals to make this year better than the last. Here are ten little goals I have for myself.


Health/Fitness

I've been on Weight Watchers for 10 weeks now and so far, I've lost 10.6 pounds (holidays were a beast, but otherwise, it's been really great).  This pregnancy weight wasn't losing itself.  My biggest issue is mindless eating, especially working from home, so since WW values journaling, it's really the perfect plan for me. (I look forward to sharing progress and some healthy, family-friendly recipes on the blog this year!)

1.  Keep track of what I eat.  (WW Online Journal)
2. Drink more water. (I got a new water bottle for Christmas, with a straw!)
3. Move more.  (We got a Playstation Move AND Dance Dance Revolution for PS3 this Christmas, to keep me busy when it's too cold to walk/jog with Aurora and in the spring, Q and I are really started to start biking again with Aurora in tow!)

My Writing Life

I have an MFA in Creative Writing, which can get me occasional composition-teaching jobs, but hasn't gotten me published yet. (Not that I've tried to publish in over a year.) I am excited to be going to a conference in DC in February to be inspired by some HUGE writers. I am making my writing life a priority this year.
 






4.  Find a writing group or partner. (I need accountability! And inspiration.)
5.  Write. Whenever possible. (I'm trying to write a little in the morning during Aurora's first nap, before doing "real" work.)
6.  Submit to literary magazines or contests quarterly.  (I have a list going and some stories on hand that need revision).

Miskabelle and Miskabelly

Business is great, but I get a little overwhelmed sometimes.  It's a lot of work, but not enough to live off, and Jayme and I communicate and ship and blog and post in two different cities on the East coast.  We have some goals to improve the blogs this year, as well as to have more regular and repeat business in our Etsy shops.

6.  Keep a weekly schedule of blogging, posting, shipping. (I have a big white board in my office now.)

7.  Outfit posts on the blog. (I'd like to lose a little more weight, but I had a realization that my closet is really pretty awesome, and I need more excuses to get out of my pj's.)

Family/Motherhood

I love my daughter and husband more than anything, and even though they're last on this list, I really put them first.  We're all so busy that quality time is hard to come by--my main goal this year is to make that time for them (and some time with myself too!)

8.  Read to Aurora daily.  (She's really starting to enjoy books, and I love having special one on one time with her.)
9.  Connect with some moms in real life.  (Working from home can get lonely, and while virtual mom friends are great, I need some face to face time--and play dates!)
10.  Once a month date nights with Q.  (We're looking forward to a show at the end of this month--we both love live music--and time together, just us!)


Phew, that seemed like a long list!  What are your goals for this year?  We'd love to hear them!

Thanks so much for reading...

xo,
Amanda