New Year

Goal setting at the start of a new year

January 1, 2016 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 10 Comments

Hey, hey, hey! Happy New Year, everyone!

At home, in bed, and ready to welcome the new year together! Happy new year, everyone!

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on Dec 31, 2015 at 7:51am PST

Yesterday, I told MrC that it would be my last lazy day. As it turns out, yesterday was my last lazy day for 2015, and today was the first for 2016. Lol. Aren’t I just the total opposite of all of those “New year, new me” posts that are all over social media today? I have no regrets, though. I enjoyed the first day of this new year.

One thing that I did do was a quick self-check on my 2015 resolutions. I think I did okay (not perfect, but okay) as far as those are concerned. Yay for that. So, in the spirit of starting the year strong, I thought I’d lay out a few goals for myself for 2016.

I don’t have all of it figured out just yet, but I do know that this year I would at least like to…

Finish unpacking our things

Our photo frames are still wrapped in newspaper, glasses and small appliances are still in boxes, and random little things are all jumbled up together inside plastic bins. 6 months in, and we aren’t anywhere close to being done with setting up the house. Now that we’re nicely settled in I think that finding a place for everything will be easier, which means that we can finally finish unpacking! Little by little, I know we can get this done over the next few months.

Decorate

Our home is filled with pieces handed down by various family members. It was such a relief to not have to buy much in the beginning, especially since we were unsure of just how much we would be spending on utilities, food, and other day to day things. This year, I hope to add little things that will help make our house more homey, and more reflective of our personalities. I know I want to start by getting curtains that match, and throw pillows for our couch. I also want to put up more family photos!

mrspcuyugan — Cookies and milk we left out for Santa, and one of the few family photos we have on display at home.

Attempt to clean regularly

Those who know me well know that I hate cleaning. I hate it. I will tolerate dirt and disorder if it means that I don’t have to clean. I know, it’s so gross, which is why I promise to make more of an effort to clean in 2016. Slowly but surely, one dust bunny at a time.

Purge

When we first moved out of our one bedroom in my mom’s house to a home of our own, it felt like we had so much space. It still feels like we have so much space, but now it also feels like we have too much stuff. It isn’t crowded or anything, but I just feel that there are so many things here that aren’t being used. It’s time to sell, discard and donate. Bonus: It’s easier to clean when there are less things to clean. That’s my motivation.

Spend less

Life changes when you have bills to pay. While we have learned to be smarter with the way we spend our money, MrC and I both agree that we can still save a lot on certain things like eating out (which we still do way too often,) and shopping.

I’m excited to start experimenting on new coaster designs for Crochet by MrsC!

Make more

Being able to make things myself makes me happy. There’s just a certain sense of satisfaction that comes with it, that I absolutely love. This year I hope to make more things myself at home – More of the food that we love, including restaurant favorites, baked goodies and sweet treats, crocheted stuff for the home, and the list goes on.

Use my time (and energy) more efficiently

This has always been a problem for me, and each year I try to do better. Here I go again.

Stop being so last-minute with things

I’m such a procrastinator. I know it, and I don’t deny it. To a certain extent, I think I enjoy the pressure that comes with a looming deadline. It has to stop. Any tips on how I can quit being so last-minute?

Blog more consistently, and more meaningfully

For most of 2015, I didn’t know what I wanted to write about, and I didn’t want to write about the things that I actually had to write about. I was tired and brain-drained, and a previous job had sucked the joy out of writing for me. It’s so sad. This year I hope to rekindle my love affair with words and share more stories with you guys. Hopefully you still want to read them!

Keep a journal

This one’s for me. My friends tell me all the time that journaling is good for the soul. It’s something I haven’t done since I was a teenager, and I’m excited to open up a new notebook and start writing. It will be awesome to have a place to keep my random thoughts, secrets, and dreams. Actually, I think I will go do that now!

Have you guys figured out what you want to accomplish in 2016?

15 things for 2015

January 1, 2015 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 5 Comments

Happy new year, everyone!

By @polcuyugs “Happy New Year from us to you! #2015” via @PhotoRepost_app

A photo posted by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan (@mrspcuyugan) on Dec 12, 2014 at 8:21am PST

It’s a lazy rainy day over here in Alabang, and the boys and I are spending it sitting around our dining table, each doing our own thing. I’m having my 2nd cup of coffee for the year, and my tummy is happily full from brunch, which was basically last night’s party leftovers. I really love slow days like today.

On the news a few nights ago, a Feng Shui expert said that 2015 is gonna be a good year for those born in the year of the pig. Yay for me! I thought I’d make the most out of the very promising forecast, and list my resolutions. I’ve not done this in a really long time, mostly because I didn’t feel like it. The super fun holidays have put me in a sunshiney optimistic mood, though. So yay, I’ve finally been able to make a list.

Here are my 15 things (aka resolutions, or promises to myself) for 2015, in no particular order.

In 2015, I promise myself I will…

1. Make time for exercise. I finally renewed my Gold’s Gym membership last December, after 3 years! I start on January 5, and I am nervous lol. Motivation and encouragement needed!

2. Work outside of home at least once a week. In 2014, I fell into that WAHM/SAHM hermit-mode trap where I wouldn’t leave the house for days on end, except to pick up and drop off my kid from school. I know, though, that a change of scenery makes a world of difference when I’m trying to write well. So this year I will make more of an effort to get out of the house, park my butt somewhere else, and write from there.

3. Spend more time with friends. Hermit-mode for me meant missing out on a lot of social gatherings, too. I made an effort to change that already over the Christmas holidays, though, and I did a pretty good (and fun hehe) job of it. This year, I will really make time to see more friends more often. Promise yan!

I especially want to see these girls more often.

4. Eat less fast food. When I stress-eat, it usually involves french fries. This has been my thing every since high school, when we would convince our driver to take us to the drive through before bringing us home from school. It took a lot of nagging, kaya, because home is a lot closer to school than the drive through is! So anyway, I know that I will be sad if I have to say goodbye to my friends Ronald McDonald and Jollibee forever, so I promise to at least see them less frequently this year.

5. Stop drinking Coke. Coke gives me really bad gas, as in kabag galore! I keep telling myself to just stay away from the stuff, and I will be happier. So starting this year, bye bye Coke. And Royal also, coz the stuff gives me heartburn. At least I still have Sprite.

6. Consume less dairy. My uncle told me that it isn’t coffee with milk that I drink, it’s milk with coffee. This is ironic because too much dairy gives me gas, too. But still I eat cheese and ice cream to my heart’s content, and my morning coffee gets lighter and lighter colored by the day. Time to regulate. I will start cutting back on cheese after our Sofitel staycation na, though. Hello, cheese room!

7. Be more time conscious. I have always had issues with being on time. I don’t know why, but I simply lack the discipline for it. I promise myself year on year that I will change, but I still miss deadlines and leave the house an hour later than I say I will. Haynako. This year, I will really try harder.

8. Take more pictures. Instagram has really helped turn me into a life-documenting little big girl. The kiddo and I plan to take a photo together every day this year. I also want to do the same with MrC. I love having lots of photos to look back on, and I know that my old and grey self will thank my 30-something year old self for all the captured memories.

9. Blog regularly. I’m such a sporadic blogger. Some weeks you’ll see me post every day, then you won’t hear from me again for a week and a half. I know that I should be queuing and spacing out my posts better, so I will try to get my whole blog calendar straightened out and functioning better this year.

10. Read more. Since joining my book club, reading has become a lot more fun. This year I really hope to finish reading all of the assigned monthly books. I will also finish my carry over queue from last year, and get started on other books I’ve been meaning to read.

Book List — Books I want to go back to soon.

11. Crochet a little every day. Or at least a little every week. Just because it makes me happy.

12. Nag less. Little and big MrC will be happy.

13. Learn to cook new dishes. Because food is my love language.

14. Spend more time outdoors. I’ve been wanting to go on short walks with the kiddo so I can teach him how to make his way around our village. I also want to go with the boys when they spend time on the football field, even if I only end up sitting on a blanket in a corner. Dining alfresco counts, too. As long as it involves fresh air and sunlight, that qualifies as an outdoor activity.