Half Year Check-In

Last week when I was writing about birthday intentions for this website, it was interesting to go back and read about my eight intentions for 2013. And given that we're halfway through the year, I thought it would be good to check in, both to see what progress I've made and where I need to keep working. Do you do regular check-ins on your goals? I'd love to hear about what you're working on this year. (Feel free to share in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter.)
1. Work less. Hmm...I'm not doing so well in this department. I mean, I am very happy that I've been reallocating my time and prioritizing time with Jon in the evenings and special one on one time with Laurel and Violet separately during the week, but my workload has been full as ever. I'm still working on this one!

2. Make more time for hands-on creativity. Part of what's so fun about having a super artistically oriented kid like Laurel is that we can do all sorts of fun projects together. This year I've been creating a lot more, and it's been awesome. I usually post what we're working on via Instagram if you want to see what we're up to!

3. Create fixed one on one time with Laurel. After I posted my intentions in January, I blocked out Thursday afternoons after school with Laurel -- as in, on my calendar as a non-negotiable meeting. It's one of the best things I've done all year! Not only has it been great to spend time together and work on creative projects (this is usually Laurel's choice of activity...for example, the giant paper flowers show above), but that time together has proven very useful as a window for Laurel to share about challenging things. I've found that it's much easier for Laurel to talk about things that are stressing her out when we're doing something together in parallel (without the pressure of direct eye contact)

4. Take an adventure with Jon. Not long after writing my intentions post I discovered that I have enough miles to garner a pair of roundtrip tickets anywhere in the US/Caribbean. Woo hoo! So, we're pondering an adventure. YAY!

5. Embrace slow. I need to revisit and work on this one. Life has not felt completely chaotic but also not particularly (or regularly) slow. Maybe it's time to bust out my crockpot.

6. Run a half marathon. A couple of weeks ago I ran my first 10K. It was really, really hard due to the weather and course, but I've recently experienced a change with running. I used to generally not enjoy it (though felt good at the end for getting it done) but now I actually enjoy running; it's really the only time I have during my days where my mind is quiet and I'm alone with my thoughts (I don't run with music). I'm now officially pondering a half marathon!

7. Start a movement. The response to Minimalist Parenting has been so amazing. And from the response, I do think Asha and I have started a movement. The most gratifying part of this journey has been hearing from readers about the changes they have made and the positive impact on their lives.

8. Be more generous. I think I live a reasonably generous life, but there's always more that could be done. I'm going to think creatively about how to be more generous.

Did you make New Year's intentions? Where have you made progress and where have you struggled?

Image credit: Christine Koh