New Years Resolution/Life Goals for 2010

I have never been one to make a new years resolution but this year i find myself wanting to have a resolution as a way of setting goals for myself and challenging myself throughout the year to strive to be a better person both for myself and for my family. One of the reasons i feel like i needs goals in because my whole life i have been working towards something or another. First it was graduating high school, getting engaged, going to Penn State Hazelton, transferhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifring to Penn State main campus, graduating college, working my way up in my job, getting married, moving to Indiana, finishing my Am I Hungry license certification, and of course having Liam. I feel as thought right now i have achieved everything i have ever wanted for myself, i have reached all my goals and i feel like i need SOMETHING in life to be working towards.

Some of the goals/resolutions i have for myself are small and some are larger but all are significant to me. One of the first things that i want to do involves this blog. When i blog i often find myself typing as fast as i can to get the words out as the come to me. I often misspell words or to things like type our instead of out. Being one that hates to proof read before posting does not help this situation. So my first goal is that i am going to take my time, make sure i am typing the right thing, and proof read my blogs before i post them.

Blog more! I love blogging. Writing how i feel has always been a wonderful outlet for me. Not only does it serve as an outlet but it is a wonderful thing to be able to look back on, a scrapbook of your life in words and pictures.

Keep up with Liam's first year scrapbook. I have a wonderful scrapbook that i started for Liam. It has everything from onesies to band-aids, pictures to blog posts. My goal is to update it monthly with different pages of what has happened that month.

I love working in Microsoft Publisher but lately i have found myself needed the powers of Photo Shop. I loaded Photo Shop onto my old computer a few years back and had no luck in 'figuring it out" myself. I have tried time and time again even looking to the power of google and youtube but still did not understand. Something that i would love to do is take a class or read an instructional book on Photo Shop.

Regain my body and pre-pregnancy weight.  This one is the most overwhelming for me. I have never in my life had to lose weight, i've never been on a diet, and i've never worked out for anything but fun. I don't even know where to start. During my pregnancy i was very careful to not gain too much weight. My goal for my stating weight was 25-35 pounds and the day i delivered i had gain 28 pounds. I had read that after you have the baby you can expect to lose around 16 pounds; i've read a few blogs where women have lost 20+. Well not me. I left the hospital 11 pounds lighter, 11 pounds?!? Right now i sit at 10 pounds over my starting weight I wish we lived in a place where it was semi-warm year long. ::Crossing my fingers we get transferred to Arizona or Virginia within the next few months:: I'd love to be able to put Liam in the stroller and go for walks during the day and in the evening as a family. But for now i need to think of a different strategy. I have 30-Day Shread and Walk Away The Pound. I have not tried either one but i know they are not as hard as P90x which i tried to do once and ONLY once...i thought i was going to die.In some ways i don't know why i care so much about 10 pounds, i am still in the normal BMI category and most of all this extra weight came from producing the most wonderful thing in my life, Liam. But in reality this goal is for me and my mental well being. I can be a better mom if i feel better about myself. I can focus my attention on more important things and stop pissing and moaning to my husband about how fat i "am".

Housekeeping. I am someone that gets extremely overwhelmed when my house is cluttered an unorganized. It makes me panic and feel as thought my inner being is also jumbled. One of the things i would like to do this year is set a goal of keeping a cleaner house. Straightening up the living room and kitchen each day, having the dishes done before we go to bed, putting the clothes away after we wash them, vacuuming more often, sweep the kitchen and bathroom daily, and steam mop the floors once a week (especially once little man gets mobile). I find myself already having an internal struggle with how i will be able to maintain this goal throughout the whole year. Right now i have a two and a half month old that loves his sleep; i am so lucky that i get a few goods naps out of him most days of the work week. But i see the future like it is right around the next corner. Liam will be crawling in a few months, awake more often, needed more entertainment, and my the end of the year toddling around the house. I am hoping that as these changes come i will be able to adapt to balance the needs of caring for Liam and keeping a cleaner house. Hmmm suddenly i am stuck with an idea for my next blog; My Weekly Cleaning Routine.....

For my extended family i want to remember them. It is so exciting when you receive a card and a note from someone that you have not seen in a while on your birthday or anniversary. For a few dollars and a few minutes you can make someones birthday a little brighter and that is what i want to do, that is who i want to be.

Most importantly i want to be the best wife and mom that i can be to the two most special boys in my life. No words can explain how grateful i am to have a husband as wonderful as Alex. He does so much for me and he is the best father i have ever seen. He cares so much for that little boy and loves his so very much. And Liam, where do i even begin when talking able how much this beautiful little boy deserves the best mommy i can be. He is so sweet, so content, so happy; he does so much to brighten my life every single day, he overflows my heart with emotion and can melt me into a puddle of love his one little smile. I was not only given the opportunity to be a mother but also a stay at home mom. The job i have wanted since i was a little girl has finally been given to me. I have the rare opportunity in today's society to be able to spend everyday with Liam, witness all of his "firsts" and be his teacher, supporter, and care taker. It breaks my heart to know that here are women out there who want to be stay at home moms by cannot because of the economy. Knowing that they might not be the ones to see their first smile, the first time they reach for a toy, first time they crawl, pull up, and even see those first steps. I will be there for that and so much more. I am the one that will teach him and show him the world. I know that there are certain things that i cannot provide for him. Since we live 600 miles away from both of our families and since our only friends are a select few co-workers Liam does not have many social interaction opportunities. We don't go to Grandma's for Sunday dinner. He can't stay the night while Mommy and Daddy go on a date. He doesn't have his cousin to play with on a weekly basis. It breaks my heart for him but it is not something i can dwell on because in the long run the career choices we are making for Alex will pay off in many ways. In order to get Liam acquainted with people i need to make an effort to get more involved with play groups, reach out to other with children to set up play dates, and get over my fear of taking him out. Not only will this benefit him but me as well. Don't get me wrong, talking to Liam all day brings me great job but sometimes a girl needs some adult conversation.

So that is it....my goals for 2010, wish me luck on my journey.