do better

Here we are, another year gone, another year eagerly awaiting.  And what comes with the new year?  New Year Resolutions of course.  I've never been one to join in in the whole resolution thing but this year I think it would do me a bit of good to give it a go.

So what's mine you ask?  To do better.  That's it, simple and to the point.  There are so many things that I could "do better" and this is the year I'm going to.  

I'm going to read more, blog more, eat better, feed my family better.  I want to spend better and ultimately save better.  I want to take time to knit, and learn to crochet.  I want to get organized, to clean better, run this house better.  Yeah I know that's a whole lot in one little resolution, my first one none the less, but the way I figure the more it includes the better my chances are to follow through with something in it.

I have a few concrete plans...I want to commit to read a book a week, blog twice a week...ok ok once a week, twice would be a bonus in which I would earn a cookie, start planning a menu each week/month.  The hubs and I have already decided that this January is no spending month, and one place I shamelessly admit to wasting money is fast food, so January I am going to eat out at most....once!  I would say none but as soon as I do the hubs will want to go out to eat so I will give myself one meal out.  This isn't the only way I/we will be saving and lessening spending, it's more of a tid bit of info for the time being.

I already have my first crochet project picked out.

Pattern

Obviously this isn't my picture, it is a picture I found on flickr of this blanket.  I can only hope mine turns out half this nice.

I must say that I have taken a crochet class, and did well.  I have also crocheted a pot holder.  So maybe "learn to crochet" isn't exactly the best terminology, but I wouldn't go as far to say that I "know how to crochet", so I'm sticking with it, maybe I'll just add a disclaimer.  I want to learn to crochet...even though I know how to chain and technically do not only a single crochet but also a double crochet, however I haven't the slightest clue as to how to read a pattern or how to actually construct something!  Anyway you look at it I want to have this finished by the end of the year.  I have no concrete way of adding in more knitting time, all I know is that I haven't knit anything the entire month of December, and not much prior to that, so at this point anything would be an improvement.  Honestly I love knitting and I want to make my lazy self get out the pointy sticks while I'm watching my trash tv in the evenings, that's really as simple as it is.

Organization...oh how I've let you go.  I want to find you again...  You know really a meal plan has to be one of the simplest things you could do around the house.  I mean it takes 5 minutes to come up with a week worth of food, so why don't I do it...LAZY!!!  That's it.  I've also come up with a plan to make next month, year, ect. even easier.  Simply keep up with what we are having each night and copy it the next month.  Obviously switch it up with the season or change a meal here or there depending on grocery sales but really this takes 99% of the work out of meal planning.  2012 will also be the year of decluttering.  Our house is shrinking, ok fine my stuff is growing.  Either way I have to do something about it.  I found this great calendar for decluttering in the year 2012, so here is where I'm going to start.  Also I'm going to create and stick to a cleaning/chore calendar.  

This is just a small sample of all the things that are floating around in my head for the upcoming year.  It's not really as broad and general as "do better", but do better just covers it all.  So here's to a new year, hope yours is even better than the last.