January 2015 Wrap Up!

Looking back at January these are some of the things that happened that felt note-worthy:

• Our new nephew, Elijah David, was born!
• Ross and Bella went to their first Daddy/Daughter Dance.
• We had our second snow day of the school year on 1/6.
• Lilly got an earache and took her medicine like a champ!
• I tried cooking two new things - Sugar Cookies and Chicken Fried Rice "Hamburger" Helper.
• I ran the Star Card Cart at Bella's school and the two of us went to our first Movie night there.
• We celebrated Caroline's first birthday!
• I went to my first book club - discussing "The Secret of Pembrooke Park".
• I had a girls night with Melissa and Mom before Elijah was born while Ross took the girls to a Veggietales movie at church.
• Bella went to her first Pre-Teen Night at the YMCA.

Resolution update:
1. Saving Money - We definitely made our target this month. We actually saved 15% over what we'd hoped, so we are carrying that over to next month since next month seems like the target amount might be a little less reachable than this month.


2. Lose 2 pounds a month / Get Healthier - This is much harder to quantify but I'm going to say that I reached this goal. I got myself to the doctor and got back on my blood pressure medication which is a step towards better health. My weight went up and down but overall I was maybe 1 pound or so lower than last month. I need to weigh myself with a definite time and frequency to track this better. Overall I'm happy with this goal, but I want to do better next month

3. Read 3 books a month -Hey! I did it! And honestly it wasn't as hard as I thought. I read three and started a 4th. I know that the subject matter can determine if it's something I'll finish quickly or not. Fiction = easy, Non-fiction = Taking my time, letting things sink in. I also joined Goodreads again and started tracking my books in there.
      Here's what I read:
            Say Goodbye to Survival Mode -  Amazon, My Review

            The Secret of Pembrooke Park - Amazon, My Review
            Nightmares! - Amazon, My Review

4. Blog at least once a week - Hey, I did this one too! I'm a little surprised that I pulled this off after trying for years to actually blog consistently. It's not "easy" but certainly it's easier now that I'm not working and can put a little more time into it. I would like to come up with some more topics for blogging.. perhaps movie reviews or something like that. But I won't make any promises yet..