New features and focus for 2008

I'm trying out a few new items on the blog for 2008. Although most readers are primarily interested in Henry and Silas' schenanigans, i get some benefit out of reporting on our family et al. Dovetailing with resolutions for the new year, i've posted two new features-- the "over budget" and "workout goals" items.

JT and i are generally regarded as smart managers of our money. And, i generally like to think we're prudent fiscal managers that live below our means. That said, things got a little out of control this year as we made less and less time to discuss and manage our finances.

One new thing we're testing is a regular (we're starting with bi-weekly)financial check-in where we discuss our budget vs. actual report, make joint decisions about bigger purchases, and decide on necesarry budget revisions. I think that by staying in closer contact with our spending habits we'll be more aware of our money and spend less on stuff that's forgettable-- at least that's the hope.

Anytime we go over budget (primarily on stuff that we could do something about, i.e. housewares, clothing, eating out, etc.) i'll log it. I've put this and my next item fairly far down in the list so that if you just want to concentrate on Henry and Silas' cute pictures you don't have to be offended by money woes.

As is most of America, i'm currently working on weight-loss goals. In my defense i re-committed to losing the last 10 lbs. of this pregnancy weight before the holidays and i've managed to lose 5 of it already-- thank you very much. I'm mostly attacking my weight through consistent and intensified exercise, so i'll be logging my workouts on the site. For anyone looking for additional weight-loss tactics, here are my "rules:"
-no alchohol on weeknights
-only coffe and water to drink
-using a salad plate for all meals
-if i indulge it's a drink or dessert, not both
-must eat breakfast with protein, before 10 am

To tide you over for more child-related news-- here's a video clip to gnosh on...