21 for 2021: Review

1. Cultivate healthier eating habits and expand the family palate. 

• Eat 7 servings of fruits and veggies a day (up from my current 5) YES

• Stop snacking before bedtime (maybe cram in a couple extra servings of veggies)  NO

• Make 21 new dinner recipes YES

2. Read for enjoyment

• Read 121 books in 2021(last year, I read 105; the year before that over 200-- I have been reading at   least 100 books/year since 2013, but I need to aim slightly higher than I did in 2020 YES


• Read Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series YES


• Read 21 minutes a day in 2021 (this is from Happier, and I LOVE IT. I walked everyday for at least 20 minutes because of that podcast, and this reading challenge is perfect for me because Minnie        disrupted my reading habits, and I am only just now getting back to a regular routine.) YES

3. Drink mindfully

•  Develop a special but sustainable morning coffee and nighttime tea ritual YES coffee/NO tea

• Drink at least 64 ounces of water every single day YES

• Aim for a mostly dry 2021 (because of pregnancy and nursing, this has been the case for 2020, and I really really love not drinking. That said, some long afternoons with the kids need a special snowflake craft beer at the end, and prosecco/champagne is a nice addition to a celebratory moment, so I won't be completely sober for the year). YES

4. Celebrate effusively

• Make kid birthdays extra special this year, especially if they can't have parties. YES

• Emphasize small milestones YES

• Focus on making family nights special YES-- games and dinner and move Fridays were clutch!

5.  Prioritize time to be creative

• Work diligently on Mean Girls manuscript (it's a book about adult women who are terrible to each other-- that won't be the title, obvi, but it's what I call it on my computer) and flesh out the next novel idea I have been kicking around and outline it NOPE

• Blog 21 days/month at least 7 months of the year (I want to have real, substantive blog posts like I used to...)  YES

• Start up POTY again and try to link episodes more closely to current events with interviews and also  op-eds. NOPE

6. Take care of my skin

• Replace products that run out YES

• Develop a face mask ritual/routine YES-- a Facetory subscription made this happen

• Solve my lipstick dilemma (I never wear it because masks and always being home; I have Napoleon Dynamite chapped lips on the regular and look kind of sickly-- I need to figure this out) Clinique Almost Lipstick solved this problem

  Save and spend with care 

• Make sure every bathroom has towels that aren't embarrassing (OUR TOWEL SITUATION IS DIRE. LIKE THESE TOWELS ARE SO RATTY I WOULD NOT WANT TO USE THEM TO WASH THE CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY BECAUSE NEIGHBORS MIGHT SEE THEM.) Down to one bad bathroom.

• Develop a large appliance savings account (we lost a microwave, a dishwasher, a dryer, and a garage door in the pandemic, but our house turns T E N this year, and I think we can expect more appliance issues. I want to be not even a little bit stressed about this-- and plus also, we need at least one new Chromebook and Ben has an ancient Mac, as does Dorothy. I mean large as in plenty of cash but also for large appliances, BTW)  NOPE. Still crossing our fingers on this one

• Buy no more than 21 items of clothing/shoes/large accessories for myself (I anticipate my bathing suit and rash guard wardrobe needing a refresh, and I hope to buy new jeans throughout the year, but I need to stop buying tons of cheap clothes and focus on fewer, better things.) NOPE-- I lost weight and got shop-happy

So, clearly the be creative and stop wasting money areas took a hit, but I am pretty happy with my overall progress this year. I love that I stopped drinking and got more creative with family dinners. I adore our small celebrations and happy family together time. I want to be more creative and a better saver, but dang. Toddler schedules and pandemic work life make both of these things harder than I expected.

Stay tuned for next year's list!!