Jennifer - 01.10.10

I'm stealing a page from my sister's book and I'm going to blog my goals on Sunday so I can update as needed throughout the week.

Goals for this week:

1) purge some files at work
2) meal plan and update my spark page
3) pay Jan bills by Friday
4) get Damian ready for scout campout.

NEW GOAL (Jess 1.10.10)

My new blogging goal will be to blog weekly, like on Sundays. It'll be the day I'll set goals for the week and then report on the previous weeks goals and progress. Trying to do it daily is too much for me.

Goals for this week:
1) dont spend money until payday Fri
2) Eat ~1800-2000cals a day
3) go to bed at a reasonable time
4) work0ut video 5:30-6:30am
5) Buy Elliptical on payday (Fri)

so there we go :)

Jennifer - 01.03.10

Well, today was pretty much a dud. I'm fighting a bad cold and wow do I feel horrible. I've literally done nothing all day. I hope all this rest makes me better. I start work tomorrow.

Rough start

Ok. No excuses. (which would have been....its the holidays....)

1) Fitness- researching an elliptical to buy, havent started exercising yet. plan to use gym at work tomorrow.
2) Food - will update Spark today, start logging tomorrow. been eating a little healthier last couple days, but the real cal counting starts tomorrow (slow transition)
3) Debt/Budget - paid bills! yay!
4) photos/organize - will order york photos and work on putting pics in albums
5) cleaning - cleaned house really well yesterday. in the process of finishing laundry

Short and sweet. more to report with more details tomorrow

Jess

Jennifer - 01.02.10

Wow, writing that date is WEIRD! I know for the next month, I'll still be writing 09 on everything. Good thing I teach math and usually write in pencil. The 2nd day of 2010 is here. The fates are already trying to sabotage me with a cold that makes me feel as though I need to sleep for 100 years. I will not be thwarted! I will make some progress daily no matter how small.

1. Becoming Lean & Fit: I didn't eat that much today except for dinner. I grazed a bit on two pieces of chocolate, slice of homemade banana nut bread, and lots of water and medicine.
   
2. Purge & organize house: House is still really clean. I hope to keep up with it all when I start back to work Monday. The school year is so hard due to long days and the boys aren't as OCD as I am about things in their place. I think I will update a cleaning schedule and this year I'll assign jobs. I just can't do it all. In the end I'd rather have help than no help even if it's not quite the way I would've done it. 
   
3. Frugal Living: two days down... NO spending. I'm challenging myself this month to not spend any $ unless it is absolutely 100% necessary. We went to the movies last night, but used a gift card. I fully expected to pay some out-of-pocket (oop), but the girl gave us the matinee pricing. Awesome! 3 tickets + 2 drinks = $25 gift card & $0 OOP. Tomorrow I'll have to go to grocery for bread, guinea pig pellets, etc.
   
4. Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps: paid bills online for Jan, budgeted for $1000 ER fund. Looking for ways to be frugal and maximize positive impact of tutoring $.
   
5. Organize photos/memorabilia: Damian's "Through the Years" photo frame is now updated for Kinder thru 5th grade. I've also spent two days going through my gmail and yahoo accounts to download all photos that I've been storing in my email. They are now on my Toshiba external hard drive. Next is to copy photos I have on miscellaneous CDs onto the Toshiba. They will be safe and well organized there. 
6. Purge/organize household files: none today, I will schedule this on my January calendar. I think I need to make a date of it.
   
7. Medical/dental objectives: Looked up foot doc for Eric. She is on our insurance and now I just need to contact her for an appointment. 
8. Hanging out with Damian: Actually, today Eric and Damian have played the Wii quite a bit. They are bonding so I'm just blogging, reading and wishing I felt better.
   
9. My quiet time: blogging, reading and wishing I felt better.
10. Cars assessed and fixed: Neon has started. I need to call Tom about an assessment price and work that into budget. Need to pick up stoplight switch from Auto Zone tomorrow and replace switch in Buick. That may have to wait till the weekend.
    
11. Celebrations / Traditions: emailed siblings about 2010 collaborative gifts for parents (waiting on responses)

Jennifer - Favorite Books for Organizing

Here are some of my favorite books for organizing. I've also updated the website links with great sites for the 2010 project.

Jennifer - 12.30.09

1. Becoming Lean & Fit: weighed today. I actually have lost about 4 lbs since school let out. I've sampled a little of everything this holiday, but I did not pig out. I need to walk daily though. I wish it would stop raining. 
2. Purge & organize house: all Christmas decor is purged and neatly stored. Entire house is "clean" and picked up. Now to work on some organization projects.
   
3. Frugal Living: made monthly budget for Jan 2010. Now to stick to it.
   
4. Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps: paid bills online for Jan, budgeted for savings
   
5. Organize photos/memorabilia: none today
   
6. Purge/organize household files: none today
   
7. Medical/dental objectives: none today
   
8. Hanging out with Damian: we went and saw Avatar, he's been wanting to see it for 2 wks now.
   
9. My quiet time: reading my book "The Gift"
   
10. Cars assessed and fixed: none today
    
11. Celebrations / Traditions: emailed siblings about 2010 collaborative gifts for parents (waiting on responses)
    

Jennifer - 12.29.09

I decided to try to get a head start. Here is my daily progress. The night is still young so I may get even more done.

1. Becoming Lean & Fit: - nothing
   
2. Purge & organize house: - took down all Christmas decor, organized, purged holiday items
   
3. Frugal Living: - wanted to go shopping but I stayed home instead
   
4. Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps: - paid bills online for Jan, budgeted for savings
   
5. Organize photos/memorabilia: - nothing
   
6. Purge/organize household files: - nothing
   
7. Medical/dental objectives: - set up dental cleaning & exam appts for Jenn & Damian
   
8. Hanging out with Damian: - he stayed to himself today, I need to change that
   
9. My quiet time: - nothing
   
10. Cars assessed and fixed - nothing
    
11. Celebrations / Traditions - emailed siblings about 2010 collaborative gifts for parents
    

Jess - my list

So already off to a delayed start....
My list of goals (not in any particular priority order):
1) not to procrastinate
2) Lose 5lbs a month at minimum
3) Do 30-45mins cardio at least 5 days a week (gym or elliptical at home), and strength training at least 5 times a week.
4) Start walking/running
5) Eat more healthy, count calories, log in to Sparkpeople.com daily.
6) Learn something new everyday to increase my knowledge to do better at my job
7) Deep clean and organize my house really well at least once a month, clean and laundry on weekends, pick-up daily
8) Catch-up on Holly and Mitchell's photo albums
9) Spend quality time with my children
10) Go out and have fun with my friends, or even just by myself.
11) Mental health - being happy with myself, reaching goals, meditate, move on from Jed, consider maybe dating once I lose weight.
12) Debt - consolidate little debts and start paying off and improve credit.
- meet with financial person Wed Dec 30th to do just that!
- March - consolidate student loans and either start paying
or defer until fall when Holly is in school
13) Savings - start saving for an eventual down payment for a house....don't want to rent for ever
14) Budget - stay on budget every month and stay on time with bills
15) Be held accountable for the above goals and blog daily with my beloved sister :)

This all shall commence Jan 1, 2010 and be completed no later than Dec 31, 2010!

Jennifer - 2010 Project Daily Template

This morning I talked with a wonderful friend who understands my obsessive need for control, organization, and planning. During our conversation, I realized that I need a "template" of sorts to help me detail my successes and pitfalls as I journey on this 2010 project. I've decided to use a bullet-ed list with the title of the particular goal and just detail the good, bad, and the ugly for each item. If I know I'm being held accountable, then I know I need to post "something" daily for each goal whether I worked it or not.

Here is the template below. Each item is list and a space is left for the daily details. YIKES! I've even added  new goals. That's a total of 11... I don't think I need anymore than that. :)

1. Becoming Lean & Fit:
2. Purge & organize house:
3. Frugal Living:
4. Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps:
5. Organize photos/memorabilia:
6. Purge/organize household files:
7. Medical/dental objectives:
8. Hanging out with Damian:
9. My quiet time:
10. Cars assessed and fixed
11. Celebrations / Traditions 

Jennifer - My 2010 Resolutions

Well, here they are... I may edit them some in the next few days. They will be finalized by Dec 31st. 

1. Lose 5 lbs each month by exercising 30 mins / day & following insulin-resistance meal plans. Eat at least 5 fruits and veggies a day; less carbs, more protein, more milk. Get ideas and support from Sparkpeople.
2. Purge and organize every room and closet in my house. 1 kitchen, 1 living room, 1 loft, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and 5 closets = approx. 2 areas purged/organized per month.
3. Live each month as frugal as possible. Strategies: borrow items or purchase as inexpensively as possible; spend money only on necessities and reasonable creature comforts; follow Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps to becoming fiscally fit.
4. Organize all photos and memorabilia by year/month/date or event. Scan in all hard-copy photos and merge all digital ones. Create photo books of each year and order a photo CD of each year.
5. Spend time several days a week just hanging out with my son.
6. Spend some quiet time just for me at least one day a week.
7. Purge, scan, organize and archive all household files.
8. Get our cars assessed and fixed
9. On / near 25th of each month - work on birthday, gifts, holiday stuff, etc.
10. Take care of all medical / dental needs that have been put off. 

Jennifer - Thoughts on 2010 Resolutions

Today as I sip my coffee and take care of household cleaning, I will be pondering what my goals for 2010 entail. My ultimate goal is a leaner, fitter physical body; a leaner, fiscally fit financial portfolio; and a purged, simplified, efficiently organized home. Today I will be thinking about what this truly looks like. Where am I at now? What do I want the end results to be? How small of mini-goals do I need to break up these larger goals?

In my 20's I spent 10 yrs doing whatever impulse seemed okay at the time. For the past six years, I've lamented about many of my unwise choices. I'm not 36 going on 37. It finally time to grow up, put on my big girl panties, and clean up my life. My immediate deadline is Dec 31, 2010. My final 2010 deadline is by the time I'm 40, I'll have completed this project in its entirety.

I'm thankful for my sister who will be joining  me on this journey of discovery, self renewal, and change. I know that together we will kick butt and finally turned all the shoulda, woulda, coulda's into been there, done thats.