New Year's in August

We have Christmas in July...so why not New Year's in August?

I'm pretty sure I just made this up but my resolution last New Year's was to make it out alive during Sydney's birth, so I feel I need to make some now. Without further ado, here are my August New Year's Resolutions:

1. Start taking advantage of and using my creativity. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always loved using my imagination and creating things. I was never the child that just sat in front of a TV; I always had to be doing something else like coloring or drawing. (I'm still like that today - ask Jordan when the last time I watched a TV show or movie and wasn't doing something else.) Over the years, especially with the growing popularity of websites like Etsy and Pinterest, I've found myself saying more and more, "I could easily make that," or "I've always wanted to do that." So why haven't I? Not sure. Maybe it's because we've lived in rentals so I never felt a strong desire to make a space our own, or maybe it's because I didn't really think anyone would appreciate heart-shaped pancakes with heart-shaped sprinkles on top for Valentine's Day. I think the real culprit has been a lack of motivation and effort, but now I have Sydney so I no longer have any excuses -- which brings me to my next resolution...

Image via Chica Chocolatina

2. Try to make each and every day fun for my child(ren). This isn't really a resolution for right now, as every day is an adventure for a six-month-old (I gave her a puff the other day, and it BLEW HER MIND), but more for a couple months down the road. I totally want to be that mom -- the one who makes a big deal out of every holiday, packs her kids' lunches carefully and always with a note, bakes fun cupcakes for their birthdays, etc. I love, love, LOVE holidays, and now that we have a child, I can't wait to experience them through her eyes. Halloween is right around the corner, and if you don't think Halloween decorations have already started making their way out of storage boxes, you're wrong. (Sorry, Jordan. You knew this when you married me.) You are also wrong if you think I haven't already gotten Sydney's Halloween costume.

3. Organize more and stay organized. For those of you who've had the pleasure to work with me, you know how neurotic I am about being organized. I have multiple planners each packed with coordinating highlighted events and meetings, countless lists of things to-do, goals to achieve and correspondences to make, folders upon sub-folders upon sub-folders both on my computer and in file cabinets...I'm totally OCD-crazy-organized at work. (And I'm making myself out to sound like a total nut.) At home? Different story. I mean, our house is definitely organized and clean, but I have so many more projects in mind and closets to organize that I haven't gotten to, and I'm finally putting my foot down for results. I will need to heavily rely on Jordan to make sure I don't go overboard. Pretty sure we don't need folders and sub-folders of hand soaps.

4. Cook and bake more. I really love cooking and baking. I used to say that if I could have one talent, I wish I could sing, but now I wish I had the natural ability to cook. (That seems stupid, but watch MasterChef--my FAVORITE show--and you'll know what I'm talking about.) However, with nearly an hour commute on top of being pregnant and then taking care of a baby on maternity leave, my cooking and baking skills have rarely been utilized in the past year...until now. Now that I'm mostly working from home, I have no more excuses and need to get both literally and figuratively back in the kitchen. Cooking and baking for our family make me happy (I'm like a '50s housewife), so I'm sorry, Papa Murphy's...looks like we may be breaking up. Besides, I want Syd to be able to brag to her friends, "My mom makes the best chocolate chip cookies ever!"

Image (and recipe) via Neiman Marcus

5. Start managing my time more efficiently and effectively. I am used to always (ALWAYS) be late for things. I joke that I'm 12 minutes behind the rest of the world and had kind of come to believe it to be true. Once Sydney was born I knew getting us ready and out the door would be a complete shitshow, so I would over-estimate by about 30-45 minutes -- and suddenly I stopped being late to things. Dare I say I'm usually early to things now?? The funny thing is I actually hate being late (which I realize is irony in its purest form); it stresses me out and makes me uber-crabby, and every time I'm running late I keep asking WHY do I do this to myself?!? I also often say there aren't enough hours in the day, and sometimes there just aren't--I know you can all agree with that at times--but I think if I managed my time better, stop procrastinating and started just doing things, (Jordan and) I will be much happier. Speaking of Jordan, we are total opposites when it comes to this -- when he's got a long list of things to do, he just starts jumps right in and starts getting them done. But when I've got a long list, I feel paralyzed and end up dicking around. Like when we were moving into our house, I was so overwhelmed with things we needed to do that I decided it was the perfect time for me to read the entire trilogy of 50 Shades of Grey. I thought Jordan was going to murder me. P.S. Is it just me or is Jamie Dornan not hot enough to play Christian Grey?



He kind of reminds me of that angry little drummer kid from Love, Actually.

What about you? Any resolutions you'd like to edit, change or maybe even start? Maybe New Year's in August will catch on...