0 Better Late Than Never - I Resolute To:

Ok ok!  I am finally getting around to January! :)  Actually, in all seriousness, I am still spending an uber amount of time wrapping up 2009, which includes taking down Christmas items, celebrating Christmas' with friends and family, preparing for Tax season and most importantly, being a mom!  And while I haven't been the best about staying on top of my blogging, I haven't let my organizing duties go!  In fact, I have a plethora of topics to blog about in the upcoming weeks and months, so hold onto your britches kids, because we are going for a ride!

This post is my final farewell to 2009 and a big hello to 2010!!  I thought I would take a moment to share my 2010 resolutions with you.  It is my way, of putting it all out there, in hopes that it is another motivator not to forget them, and to stick with them this year!  And although I am always trying to be a bit of an over-achiever, by setting a total of 8 goals this year, I am pretty confident that I will achieve each one, if only in a small way!

So without further ado, I, Jennifer Jones, resolute to do the following in 2010:

Now that you have the short list in front of you, here is a little further explanation of each:

1.  Slow Down:  My family is by far the most precious gift I have been given, and there are times when life gets to be so crazy, that we don't stop to appreciate one another enough.  This year, I promise to my family, that they are first and foremost my top priority over anything else.  And that we will all start saying a little more "No" to all of the things that manage to come up, to make sure we are saying more "Yes" to one another.  This means more time at home playing games, doing activities and projects, snuggling and giggling. 

2.  Spend Less:  We have some big dreams.  For our family and our home.  And as many of you are doing as well, we aren't forgetting those dreams, and are ensuring that we are saving wisely.  It is always a goal of mine each year to watch spending, and that means digging into a better budget, getting creative with things we already have and doing some searching at second hand digs for diamonds in the rough.  This year it is really important for me to continue to work on the homestead, but on a tight budget.  Finding good inspiration and then taking on the challenge of creating a similar look for far less pennies, is what we will be doing!

3.  Blog Crazy:  IHeart Organizing.  I truly do.  It is the most fantastic hobby, and I just can't seem to get enough.  And I absolutely adore every single one of my readers, and appreciate my return visitors!  So, this year, I plan on really running with this.  I am hoping to snaz up the site a bit, and getting my readers more involved!  I would love to showcase reader's own personal organized spaces, questions and answers and tips and tricks!  You are what keeps me going, and I am sure other readers would love to hear from others, other than myself!  I also still have to keep a focus on my original intention on going pro, and will continue to blog about that progress as well.  So more structure, consistency and interaction is in our future!  Also watch for a featured room each month.  For example, to start the year off on the right foot, the room for January is Home Office.  That means, the rest of the month, my primary focus is going to be Home Office related.  It is also important for me to add the most important element on the blog, and that is the facts and why's to get organizing.... 

4.  Learn:  Education comes in many forms, and for me, this year I am hoping to learn a lot more about the Organizing business.  That is my top learning priority.  I need to finish my book and look for additional facts and figures surrounding organizing.  I plan to research products, find low to no cost fixes and ideas, and to step out of my comfort zone and try some new crafty things around the house, and of course sharing all of it with you!!

5.  Exercise:  Gaining weight is not what I wanted to happen this winter, but that is one of the consequences of living in good old Wisconsin.  The no temperature weather tends to cause our bodies to put on an extra layer of fat to stay warm, or else it might have something to do with snacking while bored, but I like to place blame on the state vs. the real problem!  So, treadmill, here I come!  We did some re-arranging around the house to make room for the over sized piece of ugly equipment, and it's all ready to take me on a nice run through the park.  

6.  Volunteer:  Not only do I plan to volunteer my time, I also plan to continue to donate as well.  There is nothing more rewarding or gratifying, than helping another.  And this year we got our oldest involved in some charity work as well, and the feeling of him repeating his learning to friends and family, is so indescribable.  I hope that we are able to match or do more in 2010 from 2009.  Nothing beats it!

7.  Simplify:  I guess this is somewhat of a repeat to number 1.  I would like to see us continue to organize our lives, to make things more simple.  That means paring down and donating, and even selling some of our goods on Ebay.  I also plan to make a one stop "Life Book" which will house information for our home and family in one spot.  Organizing generally means simplifying, and I plan on doing a whole lot of that this year.  This will give us more time to spend together having fun, and less time on less important things.

8.  Live Green:  This was also a goal last year.  Some of the things we did to start living more green, was switch to all earth friendly cleaning products, start using only low energy compact fluorescent light bulbs, use more washable microfiber clothes vs. one time use dusters and floor sweepers, recycled almost EVERYTHING  we could and educated our kiddos to do the same, planted a garden and switched to "Green" shopping bags that are used over and over, vs. the plastic bags given out for free at the store...  There is still SO much more we could be doing, and it is so important for us to be taking care of our earth, for we want to ensure that our kids and their kids and their kids all have a beautiful planet to live on as well. 


So there you have it!  Get ready for a fun filled year of reading about the trials and triumphs in the organizing world, along with the personal world as well!

It is so fun to share this years goals, and because they are all out in the open now, it adds an extra motivator to stick with them and check on the progress throughout the year!  So what about you guys?  Any good resolutions to share this year?  Any that haven't stuck already?  How about organizing resolutions?  I would love to know!!