Happy New Year! Welcome 2014! and a healthy dose of Entlistungsfreude

We're back! Spain was fantastic and folks, I tell you, traveling with a barely 3 year old and a 7 month old is absolutely doable and even enjoyable. But that is a post all it's own and will get discussed in detail as I inundate you all with photos and stories in the next few weeks.

Today is for the annual resolution post. Sort of a tribute to my Entlistungsfreude, the German word for the pleasure that comes from crossing things off lists. Germans have a word for everything :)

Here's how I shaped up on last year's goals.

2013

1) Finish the cap around the fountain wall in the backyard. It is seriously an afternoon project that I haven't done for oh, 7 months. Fail! I have all the materials purchased and was set to do it in October but it was still 104 degrees out and I figured I'd do it in cooler weather. Then *Poof* my energy went to other things.

2) Finish remodeling our masterbath. It's amazing how few days it takes for destruction to become the normal state of things and thus easily ignored. I ripped out the floor tile yesterday and the plain concrete hasn't even bothered me. Unfortunately, if it doesn't actively bother you, it can get pushed off. Done!

3) Give birth to a healthy baby boy and survive the six months after. Maybe I should choose something different since this isn't really a goal, but considering the majority of my year will be in pursuit of this one task, I want to feel like I can check at least something off next year. Done!

4) Have once Saturday a month without an activity scheduled. This one may not happen because of various commitments, but I still want to shoot for it. The overall goal is to have more unscheduled time. I've found it is harder to randomly help people out when I have something scheduled every day. Having to rush to be places takes a toll on my psyche. I swear I only have creative energy on a Saturday afternoon after the house is clean. Projects aren't just about time, but about energy. Art requires a mental energy I can't always muster after J has gone to bed. Sort of? We were definitely better but I didn't chart it or anything so I can't give a firm check mark. We will continue to work on it.

5) Potty train J. I never knew a BM could be so exciting until J did it on the big potty. Yep, that is my life now. Although since the new babe is coming, I think August sounds like a great month to ditch diapers. Until then we will continue what I call Potty Exploration. But since I'm not in direct control of this whole process, I should probably leave it off the goal list. DONE! Dry nights too!

6) Finish my paper crane installation. 586 and counting. Fail! I think I added to it though.

7) Do yoga twice a month. For such a convert to yoga, you would think I'd make more time for it. Sort of. I have met that one for the last few months.

8) Update the scrapbook to 2011 (at least). If I don't get it done now, it may never get done. Let's hope 2012 gets done too. Mostly! I have J's book and the family one updated to 2012 AND M's baby book is already done up to October. There are still 08-09 to do from our college days though so I'm not giving this a completely done.

9) Make 30 freezer meals. I just got a new cookbook from a thoughtful friend so I can probably make this happen. Planning meals ahead is not my strong suit so this seems like a happy way to combine "cook more real dinners" and "prepare for the baby" DONE and DONE! Was this seriously a year ago that I got my cookbook? I feel like this is a new thing I'm into.

10) Go on a trip somewhere new. I'm thinking it is time to visit some little AZ towns. Bisbee? Jerome? I'm open to ideas. Of course I've never been to the Caribbean either... DONE! Spain and Gibraltar absolutely count :)


Now for 2014. These don't seem like resolutions as much plans, but oh well!


1) Buy a minivan. We don't even need one yet since we only have 2 kids, but I have felt limited by not having more seat belts in my car. I've wanted to go and rescue some of my friends and just take their kids for the day, but haven't had room. Same problem when I need to pick up 25 poinsettias for a church party and don't want to find a sitter to do so. Or borrow a truck to carry 7 foot lengths of PVC pipe.  It's much more fun going on adventures with friends when we can ride in the same car with our kids. I am ready to let go of image and embrace the practicality. Car shopping is exhausting though and I just want someone else to do it for me. 

2) Visit Lil Sis. I miss her and I love how much she misses my kids. Hopefully the travel budget will recover quickly enough to do it this year.

3) Paint a new family portrait. We need one with M in it :) I also need to figure out what to do with the old one.

4) Get Lasik. I tried this year, but they said I have to be done nursing for 6 months. Let 2014 be the last I wear contacts!

5) Visit 3 new parks. I always drive past some with cool equipment but always go to the one closest to my house. Time to branch out.

6) Bring back the monthly goal list. Husband actually suggested this one. We accomplished more when we had our little monthly check boxes.

7) Go on a little getaway with the Husband. Our mini baby moon last year was so amazing we asked ourselves why we don't do a little staycation more often. 

8) Do a full family activity every other month. Most of my adventure outings happen with friends and their kids on weekdays. I want to do more things with Husband and the kids this year so we can experience more together.

9) Commit to Sunday night planning sessions. We are still working out the best way to do this, but we started experimenting and life went smoother when we reviewed the upcoming week and got on the same page schedule wise. We tried adapting Agile (a software development approach) and found the post-its didn't work well, but the scrum meeting did. Knowing what the other wanted to accomplish helped us support each other better.  I hope to make it a sort of institution and habit this year.

10) Go to sleep earlier! Vague, I know, but I still have to figure out what time will work best. 

What are your aspirations for the next year?