Happy New Year: The Year Of Me!

Ok, so a New Year's post should be written by New Year's Day, right? Well, mine isn't. And considering that organization of many aspects of my life is a big part of my goals for the next year, this isn't getting off to a good start, is it? Well, I have a good excuse. I've been down and out with migraines essentially since Wednesday night which have laid me up in my bedroom, dark and quiet (yes, I used earplugs when the wee ones were awake) with no food or movement. It was not pleasant and it's not like I even tied one on Saturday night since I'd already been down three days by then. Needless to say, any computer time was extremely limited - saved for the moments when the pain and nausea had receded somewhat and my boredom had overwhelmed me. Knock on wood, I've finally kicked it, so I'm pretending like today is New Year's Day. Work with me, will ya?

In 2012, I want to focus on making this the year of me in order to be able to be a better person, not just for myself but for everyone around me.

That sounds really bad, doesn't it? "The Year of Me" - but at the same time, it's something that not only I need to do, but most people I know need to do. My friends tend to spend all their time and energy focused on others, whether it's their spouses or children or volunteering or jobs or anything but them. I can only imagine what it will be like to get to forty or fifty years from now (if I live that long, at this rate) and find that I am miserable because I forgot to take care of myself in the interim and my health and sanity are zilch. Taking care of me doesn't mean ignoring everyone around me and their needs; on the contrary, taking care of people and accomplishing things are part of what makes me happy and is part of what I plan to continue doing. The difference is in not putting myself always last and in doing the little things for me that don't take away from others.

So what do I have on tap for me?

Flattering picture, isn't it? Yeah, there's a blog post coming about that.

A big one is getting organized, unfortunately. I warn people when they come to my house that they aren't allowed to open their eyes in my office. It's become my catch all spot, and it is full of unfiled (but paid) bills, photos, and tons more. By the time the wee ones gets out of school, I want that room the way I want it. That means I vow to take ten minutes a day to do something in the room, whether that's entering the unfiled bill information into my spreadsheet (yes, I track everything we spend by category to the penny - or did!) and putting it away or sorting out the items in there that are donations or going through the papers I no longer need and tossing them. Ten minutes isn't a huge amount of time, and when would I not have just ten minutes to spare? Assuming I complete this on time, the next area to tackle is the outgrown clothing from the wee ones. And the basement that has too many toys, including enough to make a garage sale worthwhile. First up is the office, however.

I also want to get more organized with my blog. This goal comes in a few parts. I am ready to move to a self-hosted blog. I need to find someone to work with who can help me move to WordPress, get a theme set up and plug-ins working, move over my current posts, and get me set up on my own host. So, hey, if you have any recommendations of who's great to work with, let me know. Did I mention that I want this up before Blissdom in February, which means I need to get moving on this now?

The second blog related thing for me is to set up a calendar for my posts. That doesn't mean I'll post every day - right there is a recipe for burnout and stress, which is definitely not taking care of me. It means that I'll look at what I have going on and figure out what I want to post when, which will help me stick to it. I love being organized, and this is something that makes me happy. Besides, do you know how many posts I have in my head that I forget to write because I never put them on a calendar? Trust me, we have a few Christmas related posts that will be coming yet. This week. Tomorrow after I get home from the dentist and gym, I will start writing out the calendar, and let's keep our fingers crossed that I stick to it.

Ah, yes, the gym. I've been good about going since mid-November or so, but this is something I need to keep doing. I've had several days where I've had "better things to do" or just didn't feel like going to the gym. As I remind myself every time I leave, however, I always feel better on my way out the door, no matter how I felt walking in. I don't have to kill myself every time, but I need to at least go and do something. I've been essentially lying in bed since Wednesday night with migraines, but tomorrow I'm going. I doubt I'll be able to do much since I have been able to eat almost nothing, so no two mile runs or anything fun like that, but ... I'll go and see what I can do.

And on the health front, ummm, I take care of the wee ones, but me? I need to do better. The easy one will be getting back to drinking more water. I carry a 40 ounce water bottle with me everywhere I go. I used to drink two to three of them a day, no problem. I'm not sure why, but now I can go a day drinking only half of one. There's no good reason for it, and there are days when I drink my normal amount of water, but this needs to be a regular occurrence. And yes, I did go fill up my water bottle already while writing this post. And just took a sip. Or four.

The harder health area will be getting my fruits and veggies in. You should see the food I have the wee ones eat. Their lunches always have a fruit and vegetable, and their snacks have either a fruit or veggie. And I usually give them carrots or something at dinner, as well. Me? Not so much. Oddly, I love fruit. And I actually enjoy eating most vegetables, but I just ... don't. I didn't grow up in a house where there was a vegetable on the plate every dinner, and I have yet to get into that habit. I'm focusing on changing that. Today I made an awesome avocado salad (with beans and tomatoes and corn, too), which is what I ate for lunch. And my snack is a cutie. But that's nowhere near the servings I'm supposed to be eating, is it? This will mean going to the produce markets I like more often and doing a better job of meal planning. Perhaps I should start a meal calendar in addition to the blog calendar, huh?

Looking at it, that really isn't all that huge to make this year about me, is it? The biggest thing is going to be staying focused on it and carving out the time to do what I say I'm going to do in my head. I have a feeling my portable white board is going to start getting a lot of use again, and I'm good with that. After all a healthy and organized me means and unstressed (ok, less stressed) me, and that's good for everyone around me.

So what are you focused on this coming year? How are you going to make this the year of you? Come share your resolutions with Trop50 on their Trop50 True Resolutions Facebook page.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a $25 gift card for participating in the Trop50 True Resolutions campaign. That said, all opinions remain - as always - my own.