I'm Busy

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!