february's resolutions

Have you noticed how I like making lists? I do. I love it. They immediately make me feel more organized. And unless it's written down or put on the calendar, for me, it doesn't exist. I'm very bad at keeping a running list in my head. Some can keep track of important deadlines without a reminder; I'm not one of those people. Also, lists just look so tidy and decisive. They make me feel like a grown-up. So with that said, on to February's list of resolutions.

1 - Learn to budget better. I'm constantly amazed at how fast the money flows out of our accounts. We get paid then the next thing I know, it's gone. I used to be much better about keeping track of where our money goes and making sure the checkbook was in line. Then I was hit very hard by my depression and bipolar, making everything budget related feel incidental. Then when I got to feeling better I was completely out of the habit. But no more. Create a budget, stick with it, stop wasting money.

2 - Declutter, organize and clean up. Oh my gosh I love organizing! I love it almost as much as making lists. Actually they might be tied. I've always thought if I would have picked a career just based on what I am good at and had known then that such existed, I would have become a professional organizer. You've seen them on Hoarders (don't lie, I know you watch that show), they sweep in and, in just a few days, show you how to clear your home of clutter. That's what I need to do. Since we moved back in August things have just been hibernating in boxes in the garage. I end up searching for things I thought I'd unpacked only to determine they're somewhere buried in the boxes. I want to make a visit to The Container Store and Home Depot and stock up on organizing tools. 

3 - Have adventures with Penny. Penny loves an adventure. She asks me all the time if the errands we're running are an adventure. Sadly, they're usually not. Running through a shopping list as fast as you can at the grocery store is not much fun for a three year old. Instead, I want to do something, maybe once a week, that will be fun for her and doesn't have a time limit. And although I do want to visit the zoo and Phoenix Children's Museum, I'm trying to think up some adventures that are free. 

4 - Take at least one picture a week. Turns out I'm not one of those people who documents my entire daily life in Instagram. I've found that I take a lot fewer pictures of Penny as she gets older. When she was an infant, I took two or three a day. Hazards of her being the first child. Now I find I go whole months without taking a single picture. I don't want there to be a huge gap in her photo albums from the age of three on. So at least one picture a week should satisfy my need to document her growth. 

5 - Put the phone away. How many times a day do I check my phone? Fifty? A hundred? More? It's sad but most days I pay more attention to a little screen than the people around me. Every time it chirps, my focus is pulled from more important things and that needs to stop.