Black And White And Loved All Over

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It's kind of a "thing" to do a "30 Before 30" challenge when you turn 29. My friend Blair is blowing through her list with great gusto, and I laid out something similar at the beginning of the year. But for the final year of my twenties I'd rather hone in on five bigger goals to work towards. The cool thing is that each of these goals seem interconnected so that accomplishing one only serves another.

They are:

1) Spend more time in the sack. No, not like that! I've written about this before, but insomnia and I are bedfellows (even though I have a little girl who nearly always sleeps 12 hours straight through). Know what helps? Xanax or Motrin P.M. But you don't have to tell me that that's no bueno. It's just that sometimes I really, really need a good night's sleep—no matter how I get there.

So I'm going to work on embracing natural ways to get solid sleep. Things to try: regular exercise, herbal supplements, no Internet after 9, etc. Please comment if you have other ideas.

This is tops on my list because I feel like sleep is the key to unlocking so much goodness in my life. When I'm not tired, I feel like I'm a better wife, mother, friend, and employee. I'm also so much more likely to make it to the gym and eat well throughout the day. Life in general just seems brighter and more beautiful and hopeful when I'm rested.


2) Make a quilt from start to finish. Which, really, is such a perfect way to spend my fall and winter nights, right? And, also, to honor my new commitment to sweet, restorative sleep. I really love the simplicity of this pattern (found via Dear Friend).


3) Kick aspartame. I start my morning with a huge cup of coffee and pile in a heaping spoon of Splenda, and lunch is almost always washed down with a Diet Coke (or two). And then there's the sugarless gum and the "light" ice cream products I chow down on.

I'm a total sweets addict who long ago switched from actual sugar to the fake kind. The real stuff doesn't seem to be any less frightening though, and I shudder at the taste of Stevia. So I'm not yet sure how this goal will be accomplished, and I anticipate it being the most difficult one on my list. But I also anticipate lots of rewards if I tell aspartame to suck it. More energy and better skin would be nice.

Perhaps just doing my homework on the evils of aspartame will be all I need to get motivated?


4) Write more and spend more time thinking about where I want to take my writing. I used to want to write a book. That's what I told people when I was eight. Seriously. Now I just write here and for my job(s) but very little else. However, I have lots of writing-related goals swishing around in my noggin. They don't involve making more money. They involve getting assignments to write about things I love and having them appear in places that I also love. I owe it to my 29-year-old self, and my eight-year-old self, to give more energy to my No. 1 passion.


5) Workout consistently. All I'm asking of myself is three times a week. I have a Y membership and the Y has a nursery so I have no excuses. Plus, I am insane about Zumba and yoga and pilates and spinning.  So there you go.

I can totally do this.