Resolutions Check-in, 2018

Each year I set 10 goals for me and five goals for my parenting / children in January. Then I never look at them again and forget all about them until the next year, when I surprise myself by looking back on them and seeing what I thought I could pull off that year. Let's see what I thought about 2018 and what actually happened.

In keeping with tradition, I will make 10 resolutions for myself and 5 with regard to my children and never look at them again until nearly 2019. Here goes nothing. I have a lot of big changes coming this year, so, unsure as to what this will look like.

10) Drink 4 glasses of water a day.

0. I mean, I tried it. But I really couldn't get more than a glass or two a day for a while there. I'm back on the four-glass train now, though. I'll probably try again this year.

9) Go to the gym and/or run consistently 3-4 times a week.

.5. I had a lot of medical stuff this year, meaning I couldn't exercise for long periods of time, like months. But, when you average out the times I did exercise, you get about twice a week, which I'm counting for half, given the year I had.

8) Stop biting my nails

0. Still doing this.

7) Actively work on local and state campaigns in swing states for the interim election.

.5 I did some stuff, but I did not actually work on a campaign. I ended up getting nervous about affiliating myself too strongly with individual candidates as opposed to covering them journalistically. But I was active this year in terms of resistance, and I intend to stay that way.

6) Buy that house and decorate it and keep it up as if it is my home.

1. I did this. I bought the house, decorated the house, and kept the house moderately clean all year. I washed and stained the deck, bought furniture, kept up the front bushes. Now I have to clean / fix the driveway, fix the lawn, replace the back wall and more. Joys of homeownership.

5) Make $75,000 and/or get a full-time position somewhere.

1. I did not get a full-time position somewhere but I didn't try very hard. I did make $78,000, which surpasses this goal.

4) Publish 50 pieces and teach a full course load all year.

.5. I published 45 pieces, and taught nearly double a full course load all year. This is so close.

3) Get my passport and Portuguese citizenship (if not for me, at least for the girls).

0. I can't believe I didn't do this. I started the paperwork, and stopped where I had to drag my family out to get our photos. I must do this.

2) Get through my medical stuff and come out the other side just fine.

1. I did this. I did all of this. I went through two major surgeries, and recoveries, and I'm through it. It was hard, and I almost backed out a couple of times, but it's done now.

1) Plan and execute this vow renewal for our 10-year anniversary.

1. We did this. August 4, 2018, we had a wedding to renew our vows and all our friends and family came, and we had a brief honeymoon, and it was amazing.


5.5 out of 10. I can't believe it. That's definitely a record. I never keep more than half my resolutions. Nicely done.



For my kids and I, I resolve the following:

5) Get them to stop fighting all the time.

0. The first six months of this year were so, so bad. They've greatly improved since then, thank goodness, but I'm not counting this one, because a year is 365 days, and even improved, they still fight at least once a day.

4) Homework and studies every day, even in summer and on weekends.

1. I am a mean mommy, and I made them do this.

3) Save $10,000 each for them.

1. They've each got a little more than $11,000 saved at this point. Well done..

2) Play a game with them every day.

0. I failed at this. Fail fail fail

1) Have them do chores every day.

0. Nope. They did chores SOMETIMES. But usually they spend so much time on homework that I let them play with whatever small time they have left.


2/5. We can do better.