new year’s intentions

In 2011, I wrote some new year’s resolutions, and most were pushed aside after finding out I was unexpectedly pregnant in May.  In 2012, I was just gearing up to have our baby, and my only goal for the year was to survive.  Accomplished.

This year, I’d like to make some intentions.  I like the word ‘intentions’ rather than ‘resolutions’ because ‘resolutions’ sounds so final, and honestly, I’m not sure what I can expect to accomplish this year.  I can only talk about what I intend to focus on.  So here are my intentions for 2013:

1. Lose the baby weight (and then some):  I still have a little under 25 pounds of my pregnancy weight to lose.  I also want to lose the 10 pounds I was trying to lose before I got pregnant.  I intend to be very focused about my tracking my calorie intake and exercising regularly.
2. Exercise 4x a week:  This is more of a subcategory of my first intention.  I have been regularly exercising 3x a week, and I know I can fit in the time to add one more work out.  I also really want to start swimming a few times a week when Alma is nursing less (we have scheduling conflicts currently).
3. Read 1-2 books a month:  I love reading, and I haven’t been doing very much of it.  I intend to change that.  This reading time will take the place of my current activity – spending too much time browsing the internet & social media.
4. Have regular date nights (in and out of the house):  Andrew and I have been able to have monthly date nights out of the house for the past couple of months, and I intend to continue that this year.  I also would like to come up with creative weekly date nights at home after Alma goes to bed.
5. Find our perfect (rental) house:  Andrew and I love a lot of things about our current rental, but there are some things that drive us crazy (whacky paint job, condition of back yard, no a/c coupled with terrible insulation).  When our lease is up this summer, we’ll be moving into a new space, and we reallyreallyreally don’t want to move again for several years.  I intend to find a rental house that meets our most important needs and wants.
6. Spend more time with (and making new) friends:  I’ve met a lot of mamas while out and about with Alma, and I’d like to have more play dates with them to get to know them better.  Since Alma doesn’t go to daycare, I’d like her to have some consistent baby friends that she can play with.
7. Take a mini-vacation:  We plan on taking a family vacation somewhere within driving distance this summer.  Seaside and Seattle are possibilities.  Our one-income budget doesn’t allow for anything extravagant, but it would still be nice to get out of town!
8. Spend less time on my Iphone around Alma:  Some days, time seems to drag on when I’m taking care of Alma all day.  I tend to spend a lot of time taking quick peeks at my phone (Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, etc.) throughout the day.  I’d like to develop new habits of only browsing on my phone during nap times, and spending Alma’s wakeful time focused on her.  I certainly don’t want to hover over her every move, but she is growing older and her needs for exploration are changing.  I want to create meaningful play/learning experiences for her, which is difficult to do with a phone constantly in my hand.
9. Save money:  I don’t have a particular goal in mind, but I’d like to start building our savings back up.  Our savings took a big hit when we bought a used car outright, and had unexpected costs related to breastfeeding (lactation consultant, expensive herbs & medication, expensive breast pump & parts, etc.).  Andrew has gotten a few raises this year, so financially, we are now able to start saving a portion of his income again.  Part of this intention is that I want to get back into the habit of tracking our spending through Mint.com, in order to stay within our budget and contribute to savings.
10. Set monthly intentions:  I want to take some time at the beginning of each month to come up with a few short term goals for the month.  I plan to post them on the blog each month, as well as a recap at the end of the month.

My biggest intention of all, of course, is to spend quality time with Andrew and Alma, being fully present with them, and striving to be the best wife and mother that I can be.  But that is more of a ‘life’ intention, rather than a 2013 one

Do you make new years resolutions/intentions?  What are some of yours?