New Year's Resolutions

In the past, I've always tried to somehow change myself, changing my weaknesses and replacing them with strengths. But let's face it, I have not been successful. I wrote some goals last year, which included doing some things daily, every other day, weekly, and monthly. I put the list on the fridge where I could look at it every day, and I achieved... one of them.
I'm not so good at consistency.
In school, when I had a long term project, I would schedule out the work and get started right away. But then I'd feel like I was ahead of schedule, and I'd put my feet up for a while. Then before I knew it, I'd have to scramble at the end to finish the stupid thing. Every time. Consistency is not my strength.
I feel it particularly strongly because consistency IS one of Kevin's strong points. When he was studying for the Foreign Service Exam, he decided he'd study for the test for an hour a day after work. And he did it-- daily-- for like 3 months. Every day. That's insane! I would have lasted about three days-- at the most.
I've tried to change this about myself, but I've only ever failed. So I'm going to change my approach this year. I'll use my weakness as a strength. This year, I resolve to be more inconsistent!


1. I'm going to exercise more inconsistently. Forget about 3x a week. I'm going to exercise when I think of it. I'm going to exercise when it's fun. It's not going to be part of a "program," because then it starts to feel like an obligation. Blah!

2. I'd like to clean my house less. Is that even possible? you may ask. Ha ha ha. Moving on. I just mean that I'm going to clean occasionally for a certain amount of time. It's daunting to see a whole kitchen full of dishes and somehow talk myself into cleaning it, knowing it would take the better part of an hour. I kind of get compulsive when I start cleaning, which makes me not want to start. So I'll set a timer and quit before it sucks me in-- leave me wanting more!

3. I'll lose 10-15 pounds. One way or another.

4. I'll make a Farmer's Wife Quilt. My sister Sarah and I have plans to each make a quilt this year. It's a complicated quilt made up of 111 different 6" blocks. I'm not planning on working consistently doing 3 blocks a week, but I'll keep up with Sarah. Competition is a good motivator for me. Plus, I kind of wanted to do this quilt myself, so it hardly counts as a goal.

5. I'll learn Portuguese. I just ordered a textbook and workbook, and I have 12 months until we move to Brazil. Maybe I should be specific and say I'll finish my textbook and workbook before the end of the year. But either way, I'll finish the year knowing more Portuguese than I do now!

And I think five goals is enough! I give you all permission to check in on me and see how I'm doing on my goals. Just don't try to pinch an inch.