I love this time of the year. Not necessarily because of the holiday season, which I overall have mixed feelings about, but because the high school at which I teach is on a trimester schedule, which gives me almost the entire month of December off! Vacations from work are great! I think everybody should get them. They give us the opportunity to relax, spend time with loved ones, but also cross items off of our personal agenda. I particularly enjoy my December vacation because it gives me time to reflect on the past year. So what has been going on the past year? Since I haven't posted since the beginning of this year, I'll fill you in.
So, in my last blog, I mentioned some changes I have been working on with my family, as well as my intention to turn this into a research blog. Although I had been doing the research on nutrition and color analysis, I have not been blogging about it. I have a toddler and a full time job. I'm busy.
Since my last post, I am completely back to my pre-pregnancy weight! One of the things I love about December (and the other two breaks I get per year) is that I have what seems to be an infinite amount of time to meal plan. I make my best eating decisions during these months. Overall, I have made wishy-washy eating decisions, but I am more informed about what I'm putting into my body. Next year, I hope to reserve Sundays for meal planning so that I can be more consistent about what goes into my body as well as my family's.
I have donated all my big clothes, as well as colors that don't look good on me. I am not happy with my current wardrobe though. I haven't had the time and money to spend on buying clothes and accessories that I enjoy wearing, however I do notice a difference in my color choices. Even though I do not necessarily like my clothes, I do get more compliments than ever. I do attribute that to the color analysis theory. Through my wardrobe makeover (or is it a make under, considering I didn't really get new stuff, I just threw away a lot), I have developed an interest in home organization all around.
My newest obsession is purging and organization. I hate the clutter my family and I have lived in, and I was the main culprit. My great grandmother was a hoarder, and although I wouldn't necessarily categorize myself as such, I have exhibited tendencies throughout my life. Do you remember my post, My Life is a Mess? It was my first blog post. I have come a long way since then, and it has required a lot of research. Seriously, I read the blog A Bowl Full of Lemons in its entirety as well as two books by Donna Smallin called Cleaning: Plain and Simple and Organizing: Plain and Simple. It really helped me break some of my old habits. Although my house isn't spotless--it never will be, it has come a long way.
I was inspired to create another blog called {The Intrinsic Value of} Downsizing. However, I didn't actually add content. I just set it up. My intent with that blog, like this one, was to record my progress on a goal that was important to me. Although I have been meeting these goals, I've been doing an awful job of actually recording its progress. Again, I'm busy.
Overall, I have been doing well at being busy, however I have neglected one of my original passions: writing. I barely wrote this past year. I always have ideas for essays, novels, songs, and plays, but never do I lift the pen (or laptop, after all, it is 2013!). Maybe that should be my next area focus. Let's see when my next post will be!
