Progress Report

Can you believe it is already July 1st (well, 2nd technically, but you get the idea)?  My sweet little Levi will be 6 months old this week (!?!) which made me realize that the year itself is also halfway over already!  I then remembered that back in January I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish in 2012.  Considering I haven't looked at this list since, I figured this was a good time to check in on it (and, of course, share my findings with you since you're sooo interested).
So, here it is with the original list in black and my updates in pink:
1.  Lose baby weight...I'm giving myself the year, but really hope to be back in pretty decent shape by the summer!  Summer is here and I would say I'm back in decent shape.  In fairness to myself, I've lost about 40 pounds since getting home from the hospital and while I don't know exactly what I weighed when I got pregnant, I am about 10 pounds below what I weighed at my first doctor's appointment (when I was about 10 weeks along).  SO...I guess I've probably technically lost the baby weight, but still have some work (about 20 pounds) that I want to do to get where I would like to be.
2.  Continue the vacation thing: one getaway for just Josh and I (as hard as it is to leave the boys) and one as a family.  Truthfully, the family one is already in the works (we're headed to the Atlantis in the Bahamas in August for my parent's 35th anniversary...YAY!), but we will need to work on the other.  Our trip to the Atlantis is about a month away (!!!) and we are actually planning another small family vaca for the fall, but Josh and I don't have any of our own in the works yet.  Honestly, considering I don't work, vacations are one of the things we don't have a huge budget for, so it may not work out, but I'd love for us to get away...even if it's only for a night...I'll have to see what I can work out.
3.  Decorate porch...rug, accessories, hammock, tv, so we use it more this spring/summer/fall (when I can enjoy lovely glasses of wine out there...oh how I've missed you, wine!!!)  Done on all counts...decorating and wine...but my lovely husband still has not hung the stuff for me, so I haven't been able to show it to you all.  Must get him to do that pronto.
4.  Redo guest bathroom, one of the only spaces in our abode (along with our bathroom!) that has thus far been spared from my hands!  Hmmm...I did our master bath, but not the guest one.  We'll save this for the fall when Colton is back in school.
5.  Learn to sew....time to add some more to my DIY repetoire.  No bueno here, although I have become quite the master of no-sew tape...does that count?
6.  Initiate monthly, planned date night with hubby...no more waiting for people to volunteer.  We're going to pick at least one Saturday night a month to get out and be us!  I've actually already jump started this plan.  In Josh's stocking I put monthly date night cards and have already enlisted the help of my family members to serve as babysitters for the first few months...YAY!!!  Total success.  We've gotten out monthly!
7.  Get Colton in swim lessons.  I had this on last year's list, but the lessons for his age at that time were just meant to get them comfortable in the water, something my tot has NO issues with!  With as much as he is around the water, though, I am hoping we can find some this year that will actually teach him some sort of basic survival skills!  Again, success!  He completed his swim lessons and while he still can't swim on his own, he is definitely a lot more independent in the water this year than last (good thing cause Levi certainly needs my hands!).  
8.  Actually pursue dream bashes, my party planning "business."  I put up a website a few months ago, but with baby's arrival imminent, I didn't really do much more.  While my hopes for this adventure are modest at best, I would like to give it an honest shot before throwing in the towel on it!  I'm proud to say that I have actually started pursuing it.  I've done a few parties, have a few more in the works, and now need to put my big girl pants on and actually contact some businesses about advertising and stuff.  I'm a pretty big wuss when it comes to this stuff, so hopefully I'll actually have the chutzpah to do it!
9.  Budget, budget, budget...come up with a budget and actually stick to it!  Josh and I both have a horrible tendency to just spend and deal, but it's time to start making smart decisions!  Total fail...no budget...still spending to our heart's content.  Not to put it on Josh, but I have asked him several times to sit down with me and make one, but then we never follow through.
10.  Start a girls' monthly wine night (or something similar).  With a house full of boys, mama needs to get her girl time in.  Especially with my sister now living in the area, I want to make sure I take time to enjoy that relationship (and others).  Funny!  I actually just contacted my ladies last week and our first "girls' night in" is scheduled for later this month (I'm sure you'll hear more about it!)
11.  Get dressed daily.  OK, this sounds ridiculous, but once I became a stay-at-home mom and especially once my waist line started expanding with my pregnancy, I gave up on clothes.  Routine has been: go to the gym, wear gym clothes to run errands, etc, shower during Colton's nap around 3ish, put on sweats and t-shirt unless we were going out to dinner (which is only about 2-3 times a week).  This year, I will actually be dressed when Josh gets home from work daily!!!  Well, if we modify the definition of "getting dressed," then this is accomplished thus far!  I realized quickly that as a stay-at-home mom there were several days that it just didn't make sense to get but so dressed. So, I've given myself a new set of rules.  If we're going somewhere that it makes sense to get dressed for (the mall, out to lunch, museums, etc), then I shower at the gym and get dressed there.  If not and if we're staying in for the night, then after I shower, I put on my yoga pants...but I pair them with an actual tank or basic shirt...and I actually have a bra on!  That's acceptable, right?
12.  Still give Colton the quality time he deserves.  This is vague because I really don't know what it is going to entail, but I have loved taking my little boy on his "field trips" and other outings.  As we welcome his brother to our brood, I don't want Colton to get shafted, so somehow, someway, we will continue to get out of the house and head to parks, the zoo, museums, etc.  Not to toot my own horn, but we have kicked this one's arse!  We have gone just about everywhere that we used to go before Levi (with the exception of one crazy-crowded large park that I am too scared to take both boys by myself).  I know Colton is appreciative...I'm pretty sure Levi enjoys it...and I certainly think it's worth the little extra effort!

All in all, I am pretty impressed with how much I have accomplished considering I didn't even remember what was on the list!  As for the things unaccomplished...well, hopefully, we can get those done in the next six months!