I'm Half Way There

I didn't do New Year's Resolutions this year or at least didn't post them on here.  I usually have this long list and by Jan 2nd, I have already broken all of them.  So, this year, I decided I would post 1/2 way during the year to see how I was doing. 

Working Out:  We joined a Gym on Jan 1, so Gregg could run inside when it was cold.  Well, he doesn't go, but I do.  Sometimes once a week, sometimes 4 times.  So, I am considering this a win.  It does help that I have a personal trainer Lia who is highly motivated after having Baylor last year, and she drags me there most mornings.  We have the best time sweating to discussions that make us forget we are actually working out.  It also has childcare which in itself is worth signing up.  She also signed us up for the Peachtree and much to everyone's surprise I actually did it.  It was my second time doing it and I forgot how much fun it was with all of the people cheering you on.  Gregg loves running and I have really tried to love it for him.  I know that it is something that he wishes we could do together(I mean if you consider him running like Forrest in the races and me bringing up the rear actually doing a hobby together).  So, I am really trying to love or at least like running.  He swears there is a 1/2 in my future, but I am not so sure.   

Reading the Bible in a year:  This has been a major fail so far.  Our church is reading the bible in a year and gives you these guides to follow, support groups and facebook pages to keep you in line, but for some reason I am WAY behind.  I even have this adorable new pink bible that should motivate me even more, but I am not sure why this one has been so hard for me.  I guess it isn't a fail yet since the year isn't over, I just don't have high hopes that I will succeed.

Financial Peace:  We went through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University this year.  I know everything he says to do, but it has been so much harder implementing it.  He wants you to live like no one else, so you can live like no on else.  So, I remember laying in bed at the beginning of the year thinking, God what can I do to help our family finanically this year without having to go back to work full-time?  This past year has been tough on lots of families and ours is not exception.  Going from being DINKS for the first 10 years, adoption expenses, stay at home mom, to tons of medical bills with Callie's birth, C's speech, my medical expenses and the economy, it seems to be the perfect storm.  So, he told us not to put Callie in pre-school this year the day before I was to spend the money on her registration.  As hard as this was, I know keeping her home another year or two if we have too will be just fine.  I will not regret spending more time with her for sure, esp. since she doesn't get much one on one time.  Then I started couponing, I mean Coupon Super Mom couponing thanks to my good friend Jessie.  I won't go into it here, but I got our grocery budget including everything you would need from drug stores(like cleaning supplies, shampoo and diapers(for two kids) for under $250 per month.  It takes a lot of work and sometimes I want to quit, but it has really helped us during this season.  I wonder if I will ever be able to go back and just walk into a store and buy whatever/whenever without thinking about the price.  The myth is that you can't buy stuff that you need or actually want/use with coupons and that isn't true.  Most all coupons are name brand and they have them for everything including organics, meats, produce etc.  And just to prove that you can buy normal stuff with coupons if you know what you are doing, here is a picture.

Here is my last shopping trip.  I spent $18 on $148 worth of stuff including 5 things of meat, a watermelon, cantalope, some other produce, swim diapers, 2 things of All detergent, sunscreen, and kid's Mortin. This isn't even a good trip, my best trips are when they pay me money back or I spend less than $1 on over a $100 worth of stuff. 

Also, God took it one step further and provided me with an opportunity to take a contract position from home that I love.  It works so well with the kids and can do most of it when they are sleeping.  I know that decent work from home positions do not come along very often, so I know God(and Chris Huff) hooked me up with Dave.  He is one of the kindest men and runs around with his head cut off trying to do way too many things.  I just help him get on track and it is a win win for both of us.  I am so thankful to be able to provide some extra income while being able to work(well most of the time with these little monkeys) from home.  

Kindle:  Do you know how much I love my Kindle?  Jme got one last year and she just loved it, so Gregg surprised me with one for my birthday.  I read 20 books last year, including the Twilight series which isn't short and Gone With The Wind.  I was one of those rare Georgia girls who actually had never seen the movie and didn't know that Rhett and her do not end up together in the end.  I was so sad, but I am sure that is what made me love the book even more that I didn't already know the ending.  But, this year, I am not doing so good on the Kindle reading program.  I have a long way to catch up to last year.  I am sure the new job has taken lots of my extra reading time, or maybe it is because we have a TV in our room now.  Who knows, but I better get reading.

Laundry:  I hate to put away laundry.  My next house will have a luandry room on the same floor as the bed rooms.  So, this year, I decided that I wouldn't let the laundry monster take over my life.  I have done a pretty good job of keeping this up.  We usually don't have too many loads that back up and I put all the clothes away when Gregg gives the kids a bath at night.  This helps with getting their clothes ready for the next day, and then I usually start the next load once they are alseep.  I know this seems like such a silly thing, but to me it was so overwhelming if it got out of hand. 

Blogging:  Well, if you have been following me, you know I blogged 6 months the week after Christmas to get caught up.  So, now I really try not to get too far behind.  I love this blogging thing.  I am so happy that Jen started hers, so I would be inspired to do one.  I love going back and reading the stories and seeing how much the kids change in the pictures.  Like C's first day of preschool and how he can't even wear that shirt anymore since he has grown so much.  I am going to print it out a year at a time, and I can't believe September will be a year of blogging.  It has a weird way of holding me accountable to stuff.  So, for me who only has one book of C's first year done, then has really helped me capture all the little things.

What about you?  How are you doing with your 2010 goals?