It’s the end of the school year (one week left with kids; seven staff days), and half of 2005 is over. Both are hard to believe. In January I was inspired by a project in Scrapbooks, Etc. to make a little New Year’s Resolution book.
I thought it might be appropriate to reflect on how I’m doing. There were four categories:
Self: I stole a phrase from the Paper Source website (and one of my favorite stores): Do Something Creative Everyday. Then I wrote “work on a scrapbook every week” (not doing so well on that). I scrap in spurts, but I DO have the April vacation put in the Kiawah scrapbook, and I did a simple 8 X 8 album two weeks ago in one night.
I’ve finished two paperbag albums and an 8 X 8 albums of my favorite photographs from the last 25 years. This week I’ve made 10 cards despite summer school chaos, summer school parent meetings, and attending four concerts at the Rochester International Jazz Festival. Writing this all out says to me: not so bad, Karen. My job is very time-consuming and for the last two months I’ve essentially had two jobs-my regular classroom teaching job and the elementary summer school coordinator job. I also wanted to Journal Every Day-I’ve kept up with a very simple journal of activities almost every day. I’m doing pretty well on this one.
Enjoy: Work less, Prioritize, Keep a Positive Attitude. I’m doing better on working less. I stop grading papers/planning at 9:00 and give myself an hour almost every night to blog or read message boards, read, or make a card or two. I’m doing a good job of prioritizing and making sure I get some Me time, and it’s been pretty easy this year to have a positive attitude. Check my gratitude list.
Money: Budget and Stick to It, No Impulse Buying (24 hour rule), New Item In, Old Item Out. Not so hot on the first. I still spend too much money on paper stuff, books, and clothes. But...better on thinking through the purchases. I walk out of Joanne’s and Michael’s empty-handed as often as I purchase. Even when I have a great coupon. And I’ve gotten rid of an item of clothing or a pair of shoes for just about everything I’ve brought in. This is an area that still needs work!
Health: Workout at the Gym 3 Days a Week, Watch Portion Control, Limit Nighttime Snacks. Like scrapbooking this goes in spurts. The best I do is 2 days a week at the gym. The eating part has been really bad recently, but it’s usually fair. This is an area that really needs attention as soon as school is out.
Overall, not as bad as I thought. It does pay to put it down in writing. Then you can see what’s what. Hopefully I’ll give more attention to the Health and Money goals between now and December. Projects to work on. That’s a good thing.
