This time last year, I posted a blog of what I wanted to accomplish in the year 2008. Silly things that I wanted to change about myself or wanted to do around our house.
With all the other wonderful things that happened around here, how did I fair? Let's revisit the list:
*Get a business license/tax ID/bank account for HD Portraits. Also, follow all the business/tax rules I should be following to make my company ligit in 2008.
Okay, so I didn't go all out with everything . . . but we also found out that having just a tax ID and being a 'sole proprietor' was really all we need to keep the feds from knocking on our door. Check, done. Now it's up to Jim to file the taxes appropriately . . . Mommy doesn't do math around here.
Done.
*Be less judgmental. Stop worrying so much about others . . . and realize that it really doesn’t matter, anyway.
Still trying on this one. I don't know if this is something I'll ever be able to say that I've totally 100% accomplished. I try very hard never to judge -- especially especially especially when it comes to being a mom or someone else's mothering techniques. In that arena, there just isn't room to be judgemental, in my opinion. But, I've been known to let a little quip fly about someone's outfit or something someone else has said . . . and those are the things I'm trying to stop. What a waste of time, really.
Work in Progress.
*Do more with the décor in the house . . . kitchen window treatments, plantation shutters, front hall table, pictures in the front hallway, repaint kitchen cabinet doors.
Oh, how sad. We have kitchen window treatments, and Jim painstakingly hung pictures in the front hallway late last January. Everything else on that list remains unfinished. The kitchen cabinet doors are at the top of the list these days, as is the table in the front hall.
Unfinished.
*All three “kids” bedrooms upstairs need work . . . Meg needs a new big girl room in time for New Baby, New Baby needs a nursery, and we need to decide what to do with that 3rd room. This “work” also includes getting Meg to sleep in her new room, when it’s completed . . . I’m hoping that won’t be too hard.
Rebound! These are ALL done! Meg slept in her big girl bed from night one with no problems at all . . . although for some reason, she's taken to wondering the house at night when not staying at home. Kate's nursery was done in April, and Meg was in her room well before then. The middle bedroom is now painted a soft yellow in anticipation of another Baby Dahlby one day (way in the future).
Done.
*Finishing the Basement. Well, I have nothing to do with the actual WORK, but I’m sure it’s going to take up a bunch of my time here in the next several months as we get the project started with a contractor.
95% done. The contractors finished the work in July, but they have still not come back to do the 'punch list' of items that need some tiny touch ups. We keep calling, they keep saying they are coming, they keep not showing up. I can't call anymore. We (I mean JIM) are about to tell them that we are going to hire someone else (with the money we still owe them) to finish the unfinished tidbits that are driving me bonkers. Still -- that aside -- the place looks rockin' and we are using it a lot these days. LOVE the basement. Money well, well spent.
Done.
*Eat at home more – even when I’d RATHER go out. Try new recipes, too.
Whether or not I want to, we eat at home nearly all the time. With two kids, going out is rarely worth the effort these days. It's so much easier to order in or just fix something here. The trying new recipes thing . . . that line item I really could do better on. We eat the same thing so many times . . . often I can't make up my mind about what to eat because I don't like any of the choices. So then I don't eat . . . and there you have it. The key to losing your baby weight -- lose interest in food all together.
I should try new stuff more, since we are eating at home so frequently. Maybe then Jim and I wouldn't argue about 'what's for dinner?' so much.
Work in Progress.
*Smile more – especially in public.
I think I've decided that my mouth just naturally turns down when I'm not talking or actively smiling. Ok, that's what I'll tell myself . . . I'm naturally a frowner. That's my excuse for not smiling more . . . I didn't do too well on this goal.
Unfinished.
*Do nice things for Jim – little, surprise things to let him know I love him. He does stuff like that for me all the time, and I know how good it feels. This year, it’s my turn.
I really do want to be nicer to Jim. This is acting as my reminder to do those things for him . . . to be the good wife he deserves.
Needs MUCH Work.
*Convince my parents to suck it up and buy a car seat. THAT would make life easier, for sure.
They got off easy on this one. My cousin and his lovely wife donated their car seat to my parents when their son outgrew his. Yes, it makes life much easier. But what will they do come summer when they want to have both girls for the night?
Done.
*Stand up for myself and for my work with HD Portraits. Don’t let clients take advantage of me, and don’t be afraid to talk about money. My product is worth it.
I would say that I've made a lot of headway here. I've found confidence, faith in myself . . . I know that I do a pretty good job taking pictures after doing it now for over a year. I raised my rates for 2009 (sorry!), and I say no to jobs that aren't of interest to me. I'm very specific with clients about what I do and don't do on a session. I am booking only 60 days in advance so that I don't fill my calendar and miss out on family stuff. Don't get me wrong -- I'm still learning as I go. Every time I think I've figured something out, something else trips me up. But, it's safe to say that I learned a LOT in 2008. HD Portraits is doing well, and I have myself to thank for it!
Done.
*Play with Meg more. And more. And more.
If today is any indication of what is to come, than this is one item I'm getting better and better at. I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to slow our pace, stop and enjoy more time together. Less running, more hanging out. Today, the girls and I did nothing. But we did a lot -- all at the same time. Kate enjoyed sitting up and watching Meg and I play with her doll house, Meg read me some stories (ok, they are memorized, no real reading at 2.5 yrs old), we all ate lunch in the basement for fun. It was a good day. But days like this aren't too frequent around here . . . I always ruin them by finding more and more and more distractions to take me away from the girls. In 2009, I really want to STOP that. These girls are only little once.
And maybe if I slow us all down and play more, I'll have less to complain about. That's the hope, anyway.
Work in Progress.
I believe did pretty good, all things considering. 2008 was still a good year for us, even if I wasn't as nice to Jim as I could have been . . . or if I didn't smile very much when grocery shopping. There are always things to work on.
I should make a list for 2009 and see how much I can accomplish at 31 years of age. If I get half of the stuff done in 2009 that I did last year, I'd be proud of myself. This year I forsee us settling into our life as a family . . . so some of those other things might have to fall to the side for a while. And that's OK with me.
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