My Hopes for 2011

It seems I've been chasing deadlines and trying to catch my breath since the holidays.  It began with back to back business trips the first week in December and geared up from there with birthdays, Christmas, work, snow storms and travel. 

Today marks 1 week since returning home from 10 days in Florida and I'm finally feeling in sync again.  I'm embracing the opportunity to do a little more of what I want to do instead of barely squeezing in what I have to do. 

It's almost as if my new year begins now instead of January 1.  And I'm excited!  I'm not much of a resolution girl, but I do have a running list of things I'd like to focus on - and hopefully improve - in 2011. 

Health
I'm not talking about a certain number of pounds or inches.  Just overall health.  I feel like our eating habits (read: my cooking) have been less than stellar.  My schedule (and budget) through the holidays resulted in yoga class going by the wayside.  Drew has been sick for the better part of the winter and in fact is headed to an ear, nose & throat specialist next week to nip a chronic ear infection in the bud once and for all.  In short, we need to focus on taking care of ourselves.

Projects
Last summer I started a list of projects around the house that I wanted to tackle during our slow season at work.  Things like cleaning out closets, going through my wardrobe, getting our paperwork in order, putting together Jack's baby book - to name a few.  Here we are over 6 months later and I've done exactly none of them.  In fact, I've added a few more.  It's time to start checking items off that list.

Do Things for Others
This used to be my wheelhouse.  I was the queen of cards, letters, birthdays and special occasions.  Suddenly, while juggling work, home and parenthood that has fallen by the wayside.  More than one special occasion for a loved one came and went last year before I even realized I missed it.  Obviously, my time is much more limited at this stage in my life so my expectations in this area aren't what they used to be.  But the fact is, it feels good to do things for others and I'd like to find a better balance of that.

Live in the Moment
There's nothing like having a young child to hammer home how quickly time flies.  I'm going to do my best to live in the moment in 2011.  Whether that means taking a photography class for myself (which I'm doing!) or playing at the park in spite of the laundry piling up or finger painting despite the mess it makes.  Life is too short to not live it to it's fullest.

Those are my hopes for 2011.  A bit late, but better late than never.