In hindsight 4

Wow it's been long, like really long! I must admit, when I had my son, I created a new mommy blog called "Not Another Momma", it's like Chapter 2 of my life. But I miss this blog, I really do.

I am so happy that I documented my resolutions or promisses to myself for the last 4 years. For someone who is obsessed with the idea that I will one day forget my memories, journaling my thoughts, ideas and life is the perfect exercise. Writing down your goals is also THE way to accomplish them.

All in all, 2014 was a tough, scary but exciting year for me. I am glad it's coming to end and I can start a new year.

Albeit 2 years too late, I will review my "In hindsite 3" New Years resolutions from 2013. Let's see where my life has taken me.

The following are the 2013 Goals that I had set for myself:

1. Get a guitar, get lessons (2012)- Although I did get back into "playing" on my friends borrowed guitar, I would still like to do this more officially.  
2. Perform in an open mic (2012)- Still on my bucket list... gotta find THE song, you know?
3. Kick start my business as a Solidea representative... Umm, so maybe I didn't start Solidea, but I sure as hell started my Virtual Assisting and Small Business Consulting Company Go-to Girl!!! 
4. Have an awesome maternity leave and bond with our baby! This one I struggled with. I had a nice maternity leave, but it was difficult because I kept working through it all. Then when I came back from work, I got LAID OFF!!! Thanks for that Women's Health Charity that shall remain nameless. Are you kidding me?? (I'm over it.) I also did not have success with breastfeeding which played a huge part in bonding with my son. I love him to bits, but I work hard at it :) I talk more about this on my mommy blog... if you care.
5. Come back to work and get that promotion I deserve! Nope, I got "laid off".
6. Become more active and lose the baby weight that I have gained Actually, I am now 16 lbs lighter than what I was before pregnancy. But I still have another 30 lbs to go!
7. Go on our first family trip Mexico last New Years was difficult and amazing all at the same time!
8. Cut our debt in half by the end of the year - More like debt free!!!
9. Research and design the kitchen of my dreams and SAVE UP for it! Renos start Jan 19!!
10. Make more time for ME! I know this sounds selfish, but it's the root cause of not being able to take care of yourself if you are trying to stay healthy. This one I am working on all the time, but it's getting there. Becoming a mommy takes a LOT of your time and leaves no room for personal time. Starting a business does the same thing. Attending networking events is the closest thing to a social life I have now. But I have made a million friends and feel so grateful for everyone's support around me :)

Ok, that's a lot crossed of my 2013 goals! Amazing what 2 years can do. Now for 2015... what's in store for me....

1. Finish kitchen renos on time and on budget
2. Lose 25 lbs (joined Weight Watchers  a few weeks ago and getting a personal trainer in January)
3. Do more activities as a family (zoo, camping, vacations, road trips)
4. Get guitar lessons
5. Perform an open Mic
6. Buy my husband a truck of his dreams (SAVE!)
7. Get myself a new car (SAVE MORE!)
8. Travel to Italy or Armenia (SAVE EVEN MORE!)
9. Kick butt at Go-to Girl
10. Nurture my plus-size fashion blog Mode XLusive
11. 5 year plan... buy a second house, have another baby... a girl this time ;)

How about you? What have you accomplished? Man I feel good after writing this post!

In hindsight 3

Hello my prittis,
It's been a while and look at us diving into another year. A new year, means new goals and new promises. Last January, as I was dying of an asthma virus, I took the time to blog a bit on evaluating my resolutions of the past year to see how I did.

Well let's just say, things have really changed. You can refresh your memory by referring to "In hindsight 2" one of my January 2012 posts.

Here is the official list of things I wanted and things I wanted to accomplish for 2012:

• A Kitchen Aid Food processor- Bought one on Beyond the Rack early that year. for a great price!

• A guitar and some lessons- Didn't get to do this, but it's still on my list!

• Perform at an open mic- "

• Get back into shape and lose 25lbs- Funny story. I am now 9 months and expecting our surprise baby on February 7th! So, as for losing weight, that did not happen. But, I was part of a study for promoting health and fitness to pregnant women and I am proud to say that I lost about 10 lbs of my own weight and only gained about 12 lbs from my pregnancy. I tried to stay active this year and hope to maintain this once I am on mat leave too :)

• Stay on track with my debt repayment, so far so good. 2 more years and I should be good! Well, S&*% happens, unexpected things like A BABY and car repairs really didn’t help me in this department. But the good news is that we are still on track... kinda.

• Finish some basic renos in the house- Nesting! This is a great way to finish up renovations and get your house baby ready! We did a lot of cleaning and purging to make room for baby too. We still have a little ways to go though. One thing at a time... plus you need to save up for renos!

• Blog more! Guilty, have been a bit lazy on this front. Once again, I will blame it on the pregnancy!

Here are some things I did accomplish that I am proud of:

• Kicked butt professionally
• Got pregnant and had a considerably healthy pregnancy with very little weight gain. (Terrified of giving birth, but we can talk about that in February!)
• Got everything organized for the baby room
• Rekindled some old friendships and made new ones too
• Finally used my airmiles to get the DSLR camera of my dreams!

Lastly, can't start the year without setting some new goals:

1. Get a guitar, get lessons (2012)
2. Perform in an open mic (2012)
3. Kick start my business as a Solidea representative
4. Have an awesome maternity leave and bond with our baby!
5. Come back to work and get that promotion I deserve!
6. Become more active and lose the baby weight that I have gained
7. Go on our first family trip
8. Cut our debt in half by the end of the year
9. Research and design the kitchen of my dreams and SAVE UP for it!
10. Make more time for ME! I know this sounds selfish, but it's the root cause of not being able to take care of yourself if you are trying to stay healthy.

I highly encourage you to do this exercise, it's a great way to see if you can keep a promise to yourslef and what areas you need to work on! What are some of your goals?

Have a safe and happy 2013!
xox

in hindsight 1

Hello my prittis!
I was looking through my blog and was reminded of a few posts I made in late 2011. This is just over a year from now, which is a perfect time to evaluate my promises, hopes and aspirations for 2011.

Let's start with "me so greedy"which is my compilation of a want list for xmas. Although I said I wouldn't be greedy, somehow I managed to knock off a few things from the list!

1. Still want a digital SLR camera, I just haven't had the time to do my research yet. I might use my air miles though :)
2. I bought a chaise for the living room on Kijiji ($200). It's in mint condition and I love it! 
3. Just bough the Adirondacks! Full price (these puppies do NOT go on sale). Amazingly worth the price. I sold the SORELS at my garage sale in May.
4. Bought a black leather jacket on consignment (Extoggery- Toronto) for $150. Fits like a glove and it's a high end design.
5. Don't need this Canada Goose Jacket. I have a nice one I bought at Joe Fresh!
6. I can't justify this price for a Longchamps makeup bag. But I found a nice one, on sale, at the GAP for $15. I love it!
7. Don't really want skis this year.
8. My husband and I asked for help to buy a speaker system this xmas. We used all the cash and gift cards and bought an LG blue ray, dvd receiver 5.1 set (not BOSE :( ). It was a great price and it matches our tv. We spent $89 of our own money and we are happy with it.
9. I bought a beautiful Armoire for the living room at the Ottawa Antique Show. I posted about it here. 
10. Europe- YES! I still want to go. What I did to calm the urge of travelling was book a "Fake" trip to Italy. I planned my route, what cities I would go to, shopped for the cheapest flights. The thrill of doing that research alone was fun enough that I was able to delay the trip... until I have enough money saved up. Funny story- a colleague at work bought me a suitcase pandora charm for my birthday to encourage me to finally take a real trip to Italia! 

My prittis, I have to say I am impressed with myself. I managed to get many things crossed off my list, and at a fair price too. This is a very helpful and interesting exercise. I highly recommend it :)