2008: New year, new challenges

I don't have much luck with "resolutions" per se, but I like to make a list of goals each January. I may not ever look at that list again, but at least they're written down and codified somewhere. So here are some of my goals, fibery and otherwise:


Fibery:
- knit one gift item a month. While it's somewhat entertaining/envigorating to spend the last few weeks before Christmas in a permenant adrenaline rush, it doesn't leave much room for anything else. If I can make one thing a month (knit or spin), I should be all set by the time the holidays roll around again, without the stress (or at least, with less stress).

- do some more designing, of something! Doesn't have to be a sweater, but I've got all sorts of ideas that I'd like to make into reality.

- spin and knit a sweater for Ironman. While we don't currently live in a climate that allows for regular wearing of wool sweaters, there is a very significant possibility that we will be by the end of the year. However, given my normal speed on doing any of these things, said sweater will probably be finished by the time we're preparing to move back to Houston.

- spin and knit a surprise. Has to be machine washable, so the superwash and I will be getting up close and personal.

Otherwise:
- independently, both Ironman and I decided that we need to de-clutter in a major way. While we don't have a huge overflow of random stuff, we do have lots of things (books, clothes, etc) that we don't use anymore, that would be much better off in someone else's house being used. We've already started the pruning process, but the trick will be keeping the clutter under control.

- be more proactive about cooking. Our usual MO is to arrive home around 6:00 pm, with starving kids/parents, get the kids fed, get them bathed and more or less settled in bed, and then feeding ourselves. Along the way there's usually some snacking, which means that the motivation/energy for cooking a "real" dinner is pretty low. So far the last week or so, I've actually managed to know ahead of time what I was going to cook for dinner that night, and it's worked out really well.

- I always feel like I need an athletic goal of some sort. Last year's goal was just to get back to racing again after Boo was born, but this year I'm not entirely sure of what the goal will be. I'd like to do some more racing this year then last year, and there are a bunch of races locally throughout the season so that shouldn't be too difficulty to arrange. But there's nothing in particular grabbing at me. I always want to improve my running (which is very, very slow and usually painful), but I also need to be consistent with swimming and riding as well. And figuring out how to fit all that in is a serious challenge.

Of course, that's a lot of things to try and accomplish, with too few hours in the day. We'll see how things progress as the year goes along. But it's good to have a starting point.