Tuesday, January 3, 2012

It's a New Year!

I've been thinking about my resolutions from last year. They were GREAT, but I also failed to realize how having a baby last year was going to make things a little more challenging.

Couponing seems like a great idea, but I have spent LOTS of time looking through coupons and I just don't buy that crap. I watched Extreme Couponing and I just thought to myself "why am I going to buy 40 boxes of cat litter when I don't have a cat just to get something else for free?" Seriously.

I did do some consignment shopping and got some GREAT deals on stuff for Julia that we needed like shoes! I got some for $2.50!! I was so stoked. We were also given a TON of clothes from our neighbors that helped a lot. I'm positive we have NOT spent as much on clothes for Julia as we could have.

Reading my Bible everyday is hard for me. I do GREAT some days and not so great others. I'm still working on that.

We did do better with out budget, and I started planning meals more...but that has fallen down on the priority list recently.

The other thing that I realized was that I make these lists of things I'm gonna do because it's a new year. I had 7 on my list last year, and that's a lot for me to feel like I have to check off daily before I can get to the other stuff I have to do. I read Jamie's blog, and loved her idea of having ONE big goal, but 12 things to work on throughout the year...ONE each month. What a FABULOUS idea!! So I'm gonna copy her format for this year. I think it will help me make changes that are hopefully more permanent.

BIG Goal: To become a HEALTHY Mama, Wife, and Friend!
1. Plan meals, Grocery Shop, and Cook! Yes, these were on my list last year, and even though we did better, there is TONS of room for improvement. This needs to become a habit because we either waste the food we buy or we don't have anything and then we eat out. And let's be honest. I don't need to be eating fast food. I need to be eating healthy food. I need to have the recipe and enter into Weight Watchers online and track it. I need to look at the recipes on Weight Watchers and use those. I need to use the recipes out of my Cooking Light Magazine. These are the things that are going to help me eat healthier, but also make healthy meals for my sweet baby who is eating real solid foods.

2. Read my Bible. I LOVE God's word. I LOVE that it challenges my heart, teaches me and gives me wisdom. But I fail miserably at doing it consistently. I'd much rather watch TV or look at Facebook. Who doesn't? But my Grandmother said something when we went to visit the other day that shook me to my core. She was talking about Free Will and our relationship with God. She said it's one thing to have a monkey on your shoulder who will say "I love you." It's another thing to have your child scream "Mommy" or "Daddy" when you walk in the door. The point is that I can say to God "I love you". I can say it E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y., but there is something different about me running to Him and being excited to see Him. To meet with Him. Parents you get this. You get that when you have been gone and your sweet little one sees you and screams your name out of pure joy to see you that it is different than them just sitting there saying "I love you" just to say it, but not really mean it. So this year I want to Fall back in love with my Savior. And February is a great month to start that!!

3. Exercise. Yes. This goal is on EVERYONE's list around the new year. It's the one we wall say we are gonna do and we join the gym, but 3 weeks later we have lost our motivation completely. That's not happening this year. Having a little one really changes your perspective on things. I have friends who have time outside with their kids EVERYDAY. Instead of watching a movie or TV all day they are outside going for walks with their kids. Exploring, teaching, learning, enjoying. We have a beautiful neighborhood. And Julia needs to get out and "Soak up some Vitamin D" as my Grandpa says. I need to as well. So does our poor dog. She gets more walks when we are out of town than when we are home because our pet sitter takes her. So as much as I probably need to lift weights and all that jazz I'm gonna start with walking. Everyday for as long as Julia will allow.

My other motivation for this is the "Chosen: Marathon for Adoption" in October. I have babies in Haiti waiting for their momma and dadda to come get them. We can start a team and raise money for our adoption. What better way to get healthy and raise money to bring my kiddos home is there?

4. Read. I like reading. I've always been a good reader. I've always enjoyed books, but I have lost some motivation as an adult. A lot of it is probably the dang TV. But I have parenting books I want to read, spiritual books I want to read, and fun books I want to read. I have a list. So I'm gonna start reading instead of watching TV.

5. Date my Husband. Yes, we go on date nights. 3 weeks a month we are dating each other. And we enjoy it. But I feel like I need to put more effort into it. I need plan something. Make it more centered on him and not so much of just being without the baby.

6. Nourish my Friendships. 2011 was a year where many of my friendships changed. I think it has all ended up being for the good, but some of it was easier than others. But this year I really want to plan play dates with other moms, dinner with other couples, and just hanging out. With our kiddos or without our kiddos. But really invest in those relationships. Nourish them because they are so valuable and precious.

7. Get Organized. My sister in law doesn't clean she organizes. Because she hates cleaning but loves organizing. I'm home during the day now, and I look around my house and realize that we have stuff that needs to go, or we need to find a home for it in our house. I watched an episode of "Hoarders" and was mortified by what I saw. One of my biggest fears is ending up like that so I want to start organizing so that I can have what I need around, a place for Julia to play and a comfortable, welcoming home to entertain our friends.

8. Serve the City. We LOVE our church. And there are many opportunities through our church to serve Austin. We don't have any reason to sit at home and say to ourselves "I'd really like to serve others, but I don't know where to start." We have a place to start, and there are needs all around us. We just need to make it a priority.

9. Sew. I think part of being emotionally healthy is having a hobby. We did some sewing for hostess gifts for my baby shower, and I really enjoyed it. I've been asked to make a couple of quilts for a friend and I'd LOVE to add some sewing projects to my list of things to raise money for our adoption.

10.  Build memories with Julia. This seems a little weird to put on here, but I have vivid memories of stuff I did with my grandparents and parents growing up. Times that were special and I still cherish. I want Julia to grow up remembering Story Time, trips to special place like the zoo, going to the Nutcracker. I want to be build these memories so when she grows she will know she is loved because of the memories she had.

11. Garden. Another hobby...I've wanted to do this for awhile thanks to my friend Beth. She has beautiful plants growing and I've been inspired by her for awhile. I want to take time this year to make our backyard look a little more beautiful with some fresh herbs, some veggies, and LOTS of beautiful flowers.

12. Advent. I really wanted to do Advent with Julia this year, but just didn't find it feasible. I couldn't find anything I really liked. But this coming Christmas she will be closer to 2 and will be able to understand more of what is going on. It will still have to be simple, but I want her to LOVE Christmas because of Jesus. And I think Advent is a great way to start that.

So that's what I'm working on this year. I'm excited. I have A LOT to do today. I need to get busy!! I can't wait to see what all y'all are doing!!

Happy NEW YEAR!!



1 comment:

Beth said...

Great list! I'm still thinking through what my resolutions are . . . I'm thinking it can simply be said by 'being kinder to myself' . . .

Anyways - I love that you are thinking about gardening! It's a fun hobby to do with kids too.