Helloooo, 2015!

Somehow, every year,  Back-To-School Rush turns to Conference-And-Report-Card Madness and then just when Thanksgiving Break gives you time to breathe, it’s the Go-Go-Go-Crazy of December. And suddenly, thank goodness it’s winter break!

This year, I had such grand plans for catching up on schoolwork, cleaning up my classroom, and getting ahead on planning…

And instead I’m getting REALLY close to finishing up watching Gilmore Girls and Better Off Ted on Netflix, I’ve shopped a little too much for fun new clothes, and I’ve spent a ton of time just hanging out on the couch with my husband.

It’s been a good break, even if it hasn’t been crazy productive. So, to link up with Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade, here’s what I’m currently up to:

Really, the best thing about break has been time with my husband. He works second shift, so it’s been such a blessing to actually see him every day. All in all, 2014 has been good- and I’m ready to start another year!

I’m not really one for resolutions, but I do like to set goals- and January seems as good a time as any to set some, so I’m also linking up with Erica Bohrer at Erica’s Edventures.

Financially, this year has been so much better for me. My husband spent a looong time in college- and started out out-of-state as well, so we have mountains of student loans. (We’re talking 6 digits, people.) He’s only been out of college for a year and a half now, so we’re still at the bottom of Loan Mountain… but thanks to TeachersPayTeachers, we’re climbing it!

It takes hard work, but if you’ve ever thought about opening a store… I think it’s worth considering!  Finally having significant savings has given us stability and progress on our debt that we wouldn’t have otherwise. You can sign up  here through my referral link if you’re interested in selling on TpT!

For my next year, I want to reach my next TpT milestone, build up our savings, and pay off one of our student loans completely- but I also want to get better at spending some of our money on the things we truly enjoy! We are so hesitant to spend, which is a good thing- but I don’t want to put off everything in the name of savings, either!

Professionally, I need to give myself a BREAK. At least until I get to be in the same position for another year!  My goal is to spend LESS time at school by prioritizing and being better organized… oh, and to get my plans in by Sunday afternoon!

This one’s tough. The first half of 2014 was so good for me health-wise! Thanks to MyFitnessPal and FitBit, I started taking small steps towards being healthier. And because I didn’t try to change everything all at once, I built up a lot of momentum and lost about 25 pounds. More importantly… I felt GOOD about how I looked for the first time in forever!

Then, cue a new teaching position and lots of stress this fall… and I’ve gained it all back. It bums me out, because I KNOW what I need to do- it’s just hard to DO it!

My goals for 2015 are to get back to good habits. Little soda, lots of water, better food, more movement! I know a healthy weight and better body image follows better choices- so that’s where I want to put my energy!

Sometimes I make a lot of excuses as to why I shouldn’t do things- but I want to make less excuses and just DO it already!

Examples? Travel more, read more books, take a photography class!

As always, I want to be better organized, too- and I want to get rid of some of my stuff to make that happen!

Last personal goal? I want to find a cool way to donate and/or volunteer. I’m thinking about finding a shelter or rescue I could take animal photos for. I’m no expert, but it’s something I enjoy and I think it could help some of them get homes. The tricky thing for me would be taking photos without also taking the animals home!

Alrighty- well, that’s certainly plenty to do. But I have a whole year, and I’m aiming high!

In the meantime… Happy New Year from my little family!