Stop, Drop and Blog

One year ago, I switched domains. We moved from our previous domain which included our last name (originally started as a wedding planning website) to this less obviously “us” domain. Some of my readers still remember our first and last names. New readers have found slip-ups here and there (and have kindly pointed them out). But, for the most part, we have enjoyed being the Fire Family for 2008. And we plan on continuing in 2009.

A lot happened blog-wise in 2008. We’ve hosted many a giveaway. We’ve reviewed a lot of things. We’ve passed on many safety tips. We’ve shared bits and pieces of our life; sometimes specific to fire life and sometimes just about living life as a family in general. We have met some amazing people over the past year: firefighters, paramedics, other fire families, other niche bloggers and other bloggers in general. It has been amazing. We have learned a lot from others this past year.

Personally, some of my 2008 resolutions panned out. I planned on reading 50 books. And I finished another one last night, coming in at 56 books for the year. I didn’t, however, keep my Goodreads list updated. So, I’ll add that into my reading goal this year. I did very well with Project365 until the day of my grandfather’s funeral. That day, I took no pictures. And I just never got back on the wagon from that point on. As for the weight loss? Well, I did lose the pre-pregnancy weight. But did not achieve the pre-pregnancy size. And so, after I hit that initial goal, I set a new 10 pound goal. I’ve lost two of that and, so, doing math, I apparently have eight pounds left to lose.

All that said, my 2009 goals?

1. Read 60 books and keep my 2009 Goodreads book list updated so that others can follow along with me. 60 books in one year means reading five books per month. I can totally do that, folks. I’m going to need book suggestions along the way. And, no, I’m not counting kids’ books because I’d be well over 60 by the end of the week. But, speaking of children’s books.

1a. Introduce 50 new books to the boys’ own library. (I say introduce because I first wrote “buy” but some of the books will be given to us for review but will still be added to the library. So, we’re going with “introduce” as the word.) As important as books are to me, I want my boys to continue to grow in their love of books. While we are huge library-goers, I also want to make sure they have their own books. (Not that they don’t. Remind me to photograph our books sometime soon.) This number should be no problem thanks to preschool and Scholastic book orders. I will keep track of what books are introduced via a Goodreads book shelf on my account. (Also, pass on suggestions, if you will!)

2. Participate in Project365 even if it turns in to Project312 or some other variation. I was pretty upset when I missed a photograph on the day of my grandfather’s funeral. And though I probably took a picture almost everyday since that September day, I just couldn’t somehow forgive myself for missing a day. A good friend has encouraged me this year to keep at it even if/when I miss a day. And, so, I’m going to. I feel very happy about it! (For those unfamiliar: Project365 is a challenge to take one picture, everyday, for a year. Or, you know, at least one picture per day.)

3. Lose those pesky eight pounds. They’ve been pretty stubborn. I don’t quite know how to go about it right now. I’ve gotten back to the YMCA since my foot injury and the general ick that BigBrother brought home from preschool twice over. I’ve joined another fitness class set to start in a week. I’ve decided that when I actually schedule my gym time at the beginning of the week, I am much better at sticking to it. But my guess is that I need to reevaluate what I am eating. I honestly have no clue how to go about that in a healthy manner. Time to do some research. I am, however, employing the site First 30 Days for some positive reinforcement in sticking with my goals. I encourage you to do the same!

I also have some goals for this blog as per a discussion over at Mom Bloggers Club. Basically? I want to bring you more fire related stuff this year. More safety tips. More fire videos. More fire related giveaways (books, toys, movies, safety gear). More inclusion from other fire wives/moms, husbands/dads, families and firefighters themselves. Just more general Stop, Drop & Bloggy type stuff in addition to the stuff that happens on the family side of fire life. I’m excited to see where that goes this year.

Goals aside, I hope that 2009 is a safe and happy year for you and yours. Sending our best from the Fire Family!