May, May Go Away

Remember how I started the year with "2007 Goals".

I've never really updated how I was working on them so now seems like a good time with May just about gone. I'll score myself on a scale of 1 to 10. 10 being the best, 1 being the worst.

1. Spend more time with my family actually BEING with them-rather than observing something we are involved in. This is working out ok. It helps being home so I have more time for this. Even before I was laid off I was doing ok with this so I'm pretty pleased with myself. I'll give myself a 7.



2. Try and be more patient with my husband. - I've tried to explain to him that if he just woke up a Rockefeller tomorrow..I could be a stay at home Mom and the pressure of being gone 11-12 hours a day would help me be much more attentive to him and our home. Again, being home for the last month has helped considering but again, prior to that I was doing well. Carving out time for ourselves was going along fine. I had set up a weekly "chore" chart for us where he picked up the dry cleaning one week and I did the next. If I had to do grocery shopping by myself, he did all the laundry that weekend. He was cooperating nicely knowing that I couldn't do 150% while all he did was go to work. So I'd say I'll give myself a 7 on this one too.



3. Lose the weight- I'm not even going to try and trick myself by putting out a number that is ridiculous. If I could be down a dress size by June when Kyle graduates that would be great. Where I end up at year end...as long as it's ATLEAST 20 lbs less than NOW, for me will be a great goal attained. Well being a size smaller by June didn't work out so well. I'm chalking that up to my family and all the stress of the illness, not to mention my own issues with medications wearing me out and not getting enough exercise. I have been good about walking almost daily with Casey since I've been home so that is helping. If nothing else, I've been MUCH MUCH BETTER about what I'm eating so that should help when things get back to normal with the meds and exercise. I'm giving myself an 8 on this one.



4. Drink more water- One would think this would be easy but I act as though there is a shortage on the stuff sometimes. Hands down this has been the easiest. It's all I drink at home all day long. I have one Diet Rite with dinner and one cup of coffee in the morning. This one gets a 9.



5. Get the finances in shape- This will require me being a bit of stickler with my DH and my dear son. It will require more planning on my part for meal preparation and anticipating nights we will be on the run and having something prepared rather than driving thru or getting Subway. It's a big job but I think I'm prepared and ready to get started. This one I'm VERY VERY pleased with. I do my meal plans for the entire span from paycheck to paycheck, then I make a grocery list and shop. I plan meals I can cook when I know I can be home, I put meals in the crockpot when I know I'm not going to be home or when I know we won't be home til later to eat. We've really only eaten on the run one or two times. Finances are a little out of whack because of graduation and my collecting unemployment but we're still on target for our move in July so that's a good sign. Another one I'll give myself an 8 for.



6. Continue to keep a good mindset regarding my inlaws and their indifference to my husband and our children-This was a a 2006 goal and I may have fallen off the wagon a few times but I've always managed to catch the wagon and hop right back on. I've noticed less tension with my husband on this level and so now when I'm REALLY angry I fight the good fights..otherwise I've really been trying to pick my battles and when it's not important...not traumatize Jeff with my own insecurities about them. I've done ok. Since we're heading up there this weekend and leaving Kyle behind during a really competitive tournament I'm a bit pissed...but it is the way it is. What I'm most angry about is that in 2 years none of them have been here to visit us. None of them have come down to see Kyle play ball. None of them have even mentioned it. I decided I'm tired of waiting so I invited them all to Kyle's graduation party Father's Day weekend. Will they show up? Probably NOT....but I've promised myself I'm not going to take it out on Jeff. I'll give myself an 8 on this. Certain things push my buttons and other things I used to let bother me...don't bother me as much anymore.



7. Carve out more time for myself- THIS is a very hard one. I adore my family and all that it entails..but sometimes I see my books collecting dust or my journal and I just want to cry. I want to steal 30 minutes for myself and hole up somewhere. This one....gets a big fat 10 and mostly due to my non-working status. I could have taken this extra time and filled it with something else besides spending some of it with myself. In a month I've completed a few projects I wanted to get done for myself and read 2 books so that's a big difference.