More to my list...

Additional small goals for this year.  If I don't write them down, they won't happen, so here goes.

  21.  Print Life with Maggie and Ben into a book as a keepsake. 
This is the closest thing I have to a baby book and I need something printed out so I will have someplace to stick their baby locks and first drawings.
  22.  Take control of my finances.
I have already mentioned that I am starting this process, but I have to acknowledge how detrimental this will be to the progress of my self-improvement.  That paralyzing fear I mentioned in an earlier post?  This is something that is self-induced and I need to get ahead of it and tackle it in order for me to achieve most of what is on my list.  Managing money is the thing I hate to deal with most, and so, consequently, must be the thing I deal with first. 

Start Sweating the Small Stuff

I have some lofty goals set for myself for 2011.  When I am falling asleep at night I find myself thinking about all the 'To Do's" of tomorrow.  They are almost always overwhelming and I realize that I become absolutely paralyzed with fear and end up not doing any of them.  This is the song of my life and the title is 'Procrastination'.  I think my small January goal to help me win in many areas of my life is to start to compartmentalize all of my chores and do the ones I enjoy the least first.  Like paying bills, going through receipts, and becoming more mindful of what I spend.  I think that I can achieve these small things if I put my mind to it.  As I take the 21-day no complaining challenge, why not also pack in a few other things to turn them into new habits as well?

So tonight I sat down and went through all my receipts and made some piles to file.  Step two- tomorrow night I will open up that wonderful home budget spreadsheet I downloaded from Scribd.com and will input our monthly expenses.  I will then set this as a reminder to do the first Tuesday in February.  One Tuesday a month.  Just one simple hour aside to do it, and with some of those 'To Do's' scratched off my mental list, likely a restful sleep to follow.