January Abyss

What has happened to these first few weeks of January? Every year, this is a dark, depressing time for me, even if I have the most fun things planned. I am starting to suspect that the lack of light in winter really gets to me. The lack of fresh food does too. Lately my eating habits have been pretty bad.

I haven’t posted much on here lately, and I wish that I hadn’t become such a blog slacker. Maybe it’s because I haven’t committed to many projects lately. I need my weekly craft group to start up again so I can continue work on my sweater.

As the calendar turned from 2011 to 2012, I didn’t bother making any resolutions. I have a lot on my plate for 2012, and I’d rather NOT get too ambitious. I did want to reflect on my goals of last year and measure where I got by the end of December. It’s amazing to think that at the beginning of 2011 I was still on a part-time maternity leave. My ambitions for doing much went down the tubes after Nora became mobile: that’s when time disappeared.

1. Travel with my family. Check that one off the list! Steve and I made it to Disney World, Boise, Ithaca, New York City, and the New Jersey shore in 2011. Though our travel slowed down a bit by the time Steve’s season began, I think our amount of travel was pretty respectable.
2. Read twelve books. Errrr. I didn’t meet this goal. If I counted work-related books and parenting books I might be closer to the goal, but with a toddler taking over my bedroom in the evenings, reading has become something I have to push myself to do these days. I did read a few books, though, like The Help and A Year in Provence, so I am not a total reading loser. Plus, I am really enjoying On Home and hope to finish it soon.
3. Sew a quilt. Again, not a goal I met. However, I think my sweater project counts as a big project, though it won’t be finished until we’re well into 2012. It’s hard to believe, but I haven’t sewn in MONTHS. After doing it every weekend for two or three years, it’s not something I have time to enjoy right now. I did want to learn a new craft skill this year, and, while it’s modest, I think my cupcake decorating for Nora’s birthday party counts as the skill learned. At least I can check that off the list!
4. Lose the baby weight. I was doing great with this until this fall. I fit back into all my prepregnancy clothes, but I will keep this on the list (likely) for years to come.
5. Carve out time for my friends. I am doing a fair job at this. I meet with some marvelous ladies every week and have tried to stay in touch with distant friends (and family) through social media, but I could still improve in this area. The whole working mom thing throws this balance off. Thank goodness some of my favorite people work with me, or I’d really be depressed!
6. Spend quality time with Steve and Nora. I think this is where I excelled this year. Our family had a fun year and a lot of it was spent as just the three of us. We visited the zoo, the pumpkin patch, and nearby New Hope, among other places. Steve and I cheered Nora on in the Diaper Derby at a local Fourth of July celebration.

As I said, 2012 is going to be eventful and, I hope, full of adventures with my family, consuming culture, and working on projects. I’ll post more about that stuff later.

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