Welcome 2010!

Happy New Year to the 7 people that check in to this blog! Its been a while since I've posted. The holiday season had me otherwise engaged in shopping, buying, wrapping, eating, drinking... shopping...did I say eating??

The holidays were nice, hectic but before one complains about all the running around and parties, I have to say that I consider myself to be one of the luckiest people in the world...I have a wonderful husband and doggie, 2 amazing families that live close by and most of my friends came in to town to visit for the holidays. Life is good!

But now, its 2010 - my third decade of life and I must say I am pretty freaked out about turning 30. Why you ask? Gosh, I can't seem to put my finger on it. So I thought about what would possibly make my turning 30 not seem so bad and I came up with a LIST ... things that if I incorporate them into my life, I'll be a happier, healthier, more organized and less stressed human being which will in turn make turning 30 no big deal.

1. Post at least once a week
I started this blog because I was (and am forever more)anti-facebook and I didn't want to keep paying for our website. This was free, a place that I could add pictures and silly posts about whats up, whats down and whatever else I felt like. But my friend (thanks Dan) motivated me to use the blog as a way to keep myself in check -accountable if you will, for doing things I say I am going to do. It feels like if I post that I am going to do something, well, I better darn well do it. So post at least once a week is key.

2. Try 1 new recipe a week
So I love food - and love eating. I am just lazy when it comes to preparing it. My mother is a phenomenal cook (always has been) and she gave me her "bible" cookbook when I moved out... bascially full of all her recipes that she makes all the time without referring to a measuring cup or a written recipe. I've gotten good at some of them too. But the problem is- thats all we make! Pasta, Fajhitas, Meatloaf, Stroggie...we don't experiement and we don't really have fun cooking. I'd like to change that. We aren't big grocery shoppers either- its on my list of LOATHES right there next to laundry! We usually wait until we have no butter, no eggs, milk or bread before venturing to Jewel for essentials. So, I vow to get to the grocery store armed with a new recipe to try each week and have fun with it.

3. Commit to an exercise routine
So I mentioned I loved food and loved eating but did I mention that I loved sweating like a pig? Nope, sure didn't. Yeah, thats cuz I'm not a huge fan which explains why I rarely work out. It never seems convenient or super important to me - but this year I got sick 3 times this fall and trust me, the swine wasnt the blame. Failure to exercise regularly plays a big part in that I am afraid! So, I've made it a priorty, got a workout buddy (or 2 counting my husband), a gym pass and a loaded iPod. I am hoping to find a few classes that I love or atleast a hot spin instructor to motivate me...(just kidding)!

4. Organize our life (translation: declutter)
So my house is maybe 1100 sq feet and it feels like keeping it tidy is the biggest hassle ever. We aren't even talking CLEAN - keeping clutter to a minimum is super hard for us. My mother-in-law told me once that everything should "have a home" and if you are having trouble keeping things tidy, its cuz too many things don't have homes. All I have to say is Mom's are so right!!! We have junk drawers and cubbies and baskets and bags and just stuff everywhere. My husband calls me a bag lady because I literally have 500 tote bags and whenever I de-clutter, I just put all the crap in a tote and throw it upstairs. I know - horrible. So, first things first, I will find a home for everything that needs one... and if I can't find a home then its not important and it needs to be donated or pitched.

5. Follow a daily cleaning schedule
Every Saturday is "cleaning day"... how horrible is that. I use the term "every" loosely because our house does NOT get cleaned EVERY saturday but the intention is for "every saturday". But really - how depressing is it to spend half your Saturday cleaning, scrubbing, vacuuming, dusting blah blah... My husband hates it although he really is a tremendous help. I can't help but think if we deep cleaned one room a day then the house would not need to be cleaned each Saturday. And if I have a home for everything and my clutter is minimized then this shouldn't be too difficult.

So thats my plan. I think that if I can fit these 5 things into my life by the time I turn 30 - I'll be okay with it. I know they won't all happen over night, but they all play a part in me evolving. Its a worthy cause and here it goes. Stay tuned for my WEEKLY (lol) update to find out how things are going... and if you have any suggestions on how to help me along the way, please let me know.