13 in 2013

It's a new year and that always means new beginnings.  What do you want to do in 2013?   

Here's my list of 13 things I hope to accomplish this year:

1. Lose 15 lbs.  Nolan is about to turn one in less than three weeks.  I don't suppose I can keep calling it baby weight, can I?

2. Run a 10k race.  I've done several 5k races, but the farthest race I've done is the Pat Tillman 4.2 mile race.  I'd like to add more of a challenge this year.  I've got a half marathon on my bucket list, but I'm trying to figure out something more realistic this year and work my way up.

This is me finishing the Irongirl 5k in December 2011.  Or was it 2010?

3. Spend more quality time with the boys.  Since I work full-time and am away from them a lot, it seems like the few hours we do spend together is just rushing around, getting ready to leave the house, hurrying to get dinner ready or getting someone ready for bed.  I'd like to be able to dedicate more time to just playing.

Who wouldn't want to spend more time with these guys??

4.  Keep up with my blog.  This is probably the zillionth blog that I've started over the years.  I have good intentions, but have a tendency to let things fall by the wayside.  I'm hoping to avoid that this year.

5. Actually use my sewing machine.  I love that thing, but I find that I don't often take the time to use it.  We just moved into a new house, so I have a more practical place to keep all my sewing stuff, rather than cluttering the kitchen table.

6. Speaking of the new house, I pledge that this year will be the year that we finally keep up with the house and the constant battle of mess.  Moving has forced us to reorganize and hopefully for the better.

7.  Pay off the credit cards.  This almost shouldn't be on here, since we are THISCLOSE to having them paid off.  We went backwards a little with the new house, but the end is still very much in sight.

8. Read more.   I was able to read a lot at the beginning of 2012 because I was on maternity leave.  Unfortunately, I sort of got out of the habit over the last few months.  I hope to get through about 2 books each month.  Got any suggestions?

9. Start using coupons. I've been clipping coupons forever, but have a hard time remembering to actually bring them with me to the store.

10. Date my husband. I'd like to find time to have a date night at least once each month. Since Nolan was born almost a year ago, we haven't had a single date night. Not cool at all. We must work on this.

11. Cook more meals ahead of time. I used to be really good at this, but have really fallen out of the habit. I think this would help me have more time in the evenings to actually spend time with the boys, rather than fretting about getting dinner ready quickly.  I'm pretty sure that this is something my Pinterest addiction can help me with. 

12. Grow my own vegetables. This is something I've wanted to do forever, but we've never really had the right yard space before. In our new home, I already have a raised bed ready for me to plant stuff. Hopefully, I can find my green thumb this year. Cole is actually really excited about this and has already requested cucumbers and red peppers, his two favorites.

If you look beyond the random neighborhood cat, you can see our raised bed in the background.

13. Have more friend dates. Getting out regularly with girlfriends is good for the soul and the sanity. I love my family dearly, but sometimes I just need a night out with some friends.

Well, that's it. I know it's a long list, but I hope I made my goals broad enough to be realistic. Wish me luck!