What's the Word?

The word is

REINVENTION.

That's 2008's word. I've lined up some goals for the new year.

I want to take better care of myself, i.e. eating healthier and exercising more. I'm tired of being fat, tired of having bad skin, tired of just generally being tired. I bought new running shoes two months ago, and have I used them even once yet? NO! I have a gym membership that never gets used. I shave my legs just when they reach the point of completely repulsive or when I know I'm going to have to show them. I'm a sad, lazy mess at this point!

I want to take better care of my home, keeping it cleaner and not being embarrassed to have people over. FlyLady calls it CHAOS - Can't have anyone over Syndrome - and we have it BAD around here. I need to suck it up and devote that couple of hours on Saturday morning to clean. One of the first major things - steam clean this nasty ass carpet. I really hate carpet!

I want to work on eating out less and cooking more! I'm a good cook dang it! We spend a lot of money eating out, but it's not really about that. It goes back to my first point of wanting to take better care of myself, and wanting to take better care of my husband. I also have a lot of really nice kitchen stuff, like pots, pans, knifes, gadgets, etc. and I've been coveting a KitchenAid mixer forever, but I can't really justify all of it if I'm not using it!

I want to work more on my values and character, and less on my reputation. As I grow older, I'm becoming more and more uncomfortable with just sitting back and not speaking up when something is wrong. For instance, going out to a bar, and having a friend who is obviously not okay to drive go home. You know you shouldn't let them, and you may even argue with them about it and offer them a ride or to call a cab, but they don't want to leave their car, they're not that drunk, they're just acting silly, you're being ridiculous, etc, etc, and so you let them go, because they're your friend and you don't want to piss them off. Your values need to be more than that. It's like they say, if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.

I want to continue the good work I've done on being open minded and trying new things and experiences. I tried cheese curds for the first time yesterday - yuck city! But I sucked it up and did it. I want to go skydiving. I'd like to up my goal of trying one new thing a month to trying TWO new things a month. Life is for living, baby!

I want to finish paying off the credit cards. They're getting there! We've cut up most of them at this point. I'm going to let them stay paid off for six months, then close those dang accounts!

I want to definitely scrap more than I did last year! I saw on Cathy Zielske's blog that she made this little book where she is planning to write what she is thankful for week by week. I really like that idea, and plan on making one for myself. Also, I took a ton of pictures, and I have so many more, that it's a shame not to scrap them. I barely scrapped at all in 2007, but that's going to change in 2008!

I really really really want to get upside down on my dang pole. I haven't been on that bad boy in weeks, and I'm sure I'm going to be able to tell by the time I try it again. I figure, if I stick to goal number one, there's no way I won't lose weight, and I'll have an easier time if I'm trying to lift less bulk up there. Physics, yo.

Finally, maybe this is the year for one of the biggest reinventions of all - the reinvention of Miss M into someone who is finally ready to be a mom.