Goodbye 2010!

Looking back on 2010, I discovered that I made a lot (too many?) of resolutions at the beginning of the year.

Keep reading to find out how I did:

1. Give Savannah lots of kisses and squeezes. This is an easy one. One of the best aspects of being a mom is being able to hug and kiss Savannah as much as I want. I love Savannah's sweet cheeks!

2. Read for pleasure every day. After Savannah goes to bed, I sit with Tal on the couch and read for 30-60 minutes most days. It's one of my favorite ways to relax!

3. Minimize the clutter in our house. Having our house on the market helped me get rid of clutter. For three months, I had to make sure every piece of clutter was put away before I left for school each day. Thankfully, our new house has plenty of closets and cabinets, so it's been easier to keep everything hidden and organized. Admittedly, however, it's daily challenge to pick up Savannah's toys and sort through mail.

4. Spend more time with friends. I always look forward to a lunch date with a friend every few weeks. However, I'd love to get together more often!

5. Update our living room. Before we moved, Tal and I added hardwood floors, bought new furniture, added curtains and accessories, and painted the walls. When Tal and I started updating our living room in January 2010, we had no idea we would be moving by the end of the year! However, we realized that if we stayed in our house and continued to make updates, it would take us years to recoup our investments. That's when Tal and I decided to invest our time and money into a new house!

6. Take pictures of Savannah's milestones.  Every month in 2010, I've taken pictures and blogged about what Savannah's been doing, saying, etc. In 2011, my goal should be to take more video of Savannah. I've haven't taken any footage in 6 months.

7. Visit my family in Illinois. For the first time in two years, the three of us visited my family in Illinois. We were thrilled to help celebrate my grandma's 95th birthday.

8. Take 20-30 minutes each morning before I leave for school to complete 1 or 2 small chores. At our other house, Tal and Savannah left at 6:15 each morning. I spent 30 each morning doing chores--like laundry, picking up Savannah's toys, and staging the house. Since we've moved, however, there's no time for housework in the mornings. After Tal leaves for work at 6 A.M., I get ready for school, wake up Savannah, get her dressed. Hopefully, we're out the door before 6:45 A.M.!

9. Take time to snuggle with Tal on the couch each night. Tal and I make this a daily priority. After Savannah goes to bed at 8 P.M., Tal and I cuddle on the couch and watch TV most nights.

10. Save money for our summer vacation. Aside from our trip to Illinois, our family didn't take any vacations in 2010. We bought a house instead! :-)

11. Give away or throw away things we haven't used in awhile. Before we put our house on the market, Tal and I purged all of our closets and cupboards. Ditto for the attic. We made several trips to the dump and Goodwill.

12. Maximize my time with Tal and Savannah. As a working mom, I try not to have mommy guilt. For that reason, I make an effort to give Savannah my time and attention. It can be challenging, though, when I need to make dinner, and Savannah wants me to play with her.

13. Organize our attic. See #11.

14. Blog each week to keep family and friends informed. In 2010, I blogged 99 times. Blogging is the easiest way to keep our family and friends informed. Plus, it's a weekly photo journal that I can turn into a book each year.

15. Dust our house more often. Dusting is always at the bottom of my cleaning list, so don't look too closely at the baseboards or under the beds. :-)

16. Have a professional photographer take photos of our family. Check! In August, a photographer took our family photos at a local arboretum. Perhaps you saw our Christmas card?