Goals, the 2012 Edition

I don't like the idea of "resolutions" for a new year. In some ways, it almost makes it seem like an acknowledgement of failures from the previous year -- I am quite clear of the things on which I need to improve, and I like to take an optimistic approach -- that it can always get better, not that it has been an utter failure to this point.

Anyway, some major goals for 2012.

1. Finalize the divorce. Enough said.

2. Be more patient with the boys. Sure, they are 3 years old. But they are only 3 years old. Still babies in so many ways.

3. Decide what to do about buying a house and/or moving. My lease is up at the end of May, and I would really prefer not to stay in the apartment for a second year. Perhaps the landlords will allow me to transition the lease to a month-to-month arrangement. I love the apartment and it has been a great home for this transition, but the lack of space and the lack of privacy are grating. I was reminded of this at 3am on New Year's Day, as extremely intoxicated people clomped around on the 2nd floor, their dog barked incessantly, and some random dude left at 9am, leaving the front door to the house open.

4. Work on time management and organization. My main focus for this goal is meal planning. When I first started working, I was very disciplined about making dinners in the crockpot or cooking large meals on the weekends so we would have leftovers all week. Since then, I have seriously slacked in this department, and while the boys are perfectly happy with pasta and meatballs or grilled cheese, I need to do more meal prep and meal planning. This will also help with making lunches for the week, which is a second component of this goal. Most evenings, after the boys are in bed, I try to pick up the house a bit, and then fall into my chair to read a book, play on the computer, or watch TV for a bit. Making lunches for the next day is far from appealing -- but preparing the boys' lunches and my lunch the night before saves a tremendous amount of time in the morning. Also, making myself take a few extra minutes to really clean up the toys makes a huge difference in how the house looks and how I feel about the house.

5. Meal planning ties in to Goal #5, which is to be more conscious of the money that I spend, especially if I am seriously considering buying a house in the not-too-distant future. I am very fortunate to have a good salary and benefits, and I am tremendously grateful for that. However, I have become lazy about budgeting, and buy the things we "need," although it seems I have started to confuse "need" with "want." My thought is that planning meals in advance, based on the grocery stores' advertised sales, will help me stick to a budget and have ideas about the meals to prepare that week. I am also starting to pay cash for things again, instead of simply using my debit card for all purchases. Having an allocated amount of money to spend each week on gas, groceries, and other necessities really makes me think about what I am putting in my cart.

6. Do more ab workouts and weight training, both at the gym and at home. I have gotten back into a decent gym routine (ugh, 5am!), but I have always hated abs, and post-twin pregnancy, an ab workout, short of visiting Dr. Tummy Tuck, seems futile. That said, I should at least make an effort.

Finally, I would like to have a date for my law school friends' wedding in September. That one might be the goal hardest to achieve, I really cannot imagine the balance between being a single mom and dating!