I posted over here recently about my New Years goals - primarily in relation to health and fitness. But I'd like to expound upon them here.
I don't make New Years resolutions. For me resolution has such a negative connotation. When I resolve to do something, I feel like a failure the second I make a misstep. If I don't get to the gym one day, I let myself down. If I eat that piece of chocolate, I have broken my resolve. Instead, I prefer to set goals. I know there will be setbacks, but they are things that I want to work towards, things I hope to accomplish by years end. So here are my top 10 goals for 2012.
1) Make an effort with my appearance. I will attempt to dress presentably and wear makeup at least 5 days a week. Ideally 6 days a week. I can wear yoga pants and sweatshirts if I'm really going to be doing a lot of cleaning or yard-work, but that's it. When I feel like I look good, I feel good about myself. And when I feel good about myself, it positively impacts every other part of my life.
2) I will work out every day even if I only do 20 situps. Usually, if I get a start, I want to keep going. It's motivating myself to get my tush out of my chair to do something that's the hard part. But if I tell myself I only have to do 20 situps or 5 minutes of running, then I'll be more likely to start. I can quit after my tiny goal. But odds are, I'll want to keep going.
3) Eat a healthy diet 5 days a week. I have a HUGE sweet tooth. And I love carbs. And in winter, telling myself I have to eat healthily is like telling myself I'm going to lace up some boots and climb Mt. Everest. I'm a lot more likely to eat fruits, veggies and grains 5 days a week if I know I can bake a pie on Saturday (or have a bagel for breakfast on Sunday - or whatever). To this end, I can't keep junk in the house. If there is chocolate, I will eat 9 pieces in an afternoon. If we have bread 'on hand,' I will eat toast all day. If I've got mac'n'cheese in the cupboard 'just in case we're snowed in,' I will make it for lunch the next day. I am a weak weak person and I can't keep junk in the house. Which means I'll have to plan my menus carefully. It means I need to have healthy 'in case of snow' meals in the freezer. It means I have to have lunch pre-made in the morning so I'm not seduced by the call of Panda Express when we're all ravenous after preschool. It's doable - I just have to make myself do it.
4) Get up at 6:30. My poor kids are suffering from my own laziness. I sleep in as late as possible in the morning, dawdle with getting out of bed, putter around with email and odds and ends and then get them up in a big fat rush because I keep trying to get them all fed and dressed and out the door in 20 minutes. So, I WILL get up at 6:30 every day. I don't have to work out. I don't have to shower. But I will do a devotional (what better way to get myself prepared for the day), quickly check my email and get myself dressed (nicely - with makeup) for the day and have breakfast started and clothes laid out before I get the kids up - hopefully by 7:30. If I can do that, we should cut down on a LOT of morning angst.
5) I will make quiet-hour shorter. Quiet hour lately has drawn out to quiet-two-hours (or more). Which is fine for the younger two who nap that long. And fine for Mommy who gets done a ton of blogging and cleaning and crafting and sleeping. But it's miserable for big brother who does not nap and, though he is ingenious in his creative use of such a long chunk of time in his room by himself with a box of toys, I know he misses Mommy. We used to spend naptime together reading books and playing. Then Mommy realized she was a nicer person if she got a SMALL break in the afternoon (and sibs slept better when big brother wasn't being loud) and we instituted quiet hour. And then Mommy realized how nice quiet hour was and it has gradually gotten out of hand. Therefore, I resolve to do what I must to make quiet hour stick closer to the hour-long mark. Nap first, errands second, clean third - the rest I'll have to fit in somewhere else.
6) To that end - Spend less time on the computer. I blog a LOT. Which is ok if I plan things out in advance and do as much of it as I can before getting up for the day. But I also enter all kinds of online giveaways, play around on Pinterest and generally waste tons of time on the internet. Time that I could be spending napping, cleaning, crafting and doing all those other things that make quiet hour so long. My plan is - leave the computer downstairs. That way, I can't work on it while I'm with the kids. They (and the house) get my undivided attention, and I'll have to learn to prioritize what I do on the computer during "my" time.
7) Keep a tidier, cleaner house. By bedtime, I'm pooped and don't want to clean. In the mornings, I'm in too much of a rush. And in the afternoons I know that anything I do will just be undone again by bedtime. So it never gets done. But I'm going to work toward both a) cleaning more with my newfound time that I won't be spending on the computer or frittering away at quiet hour, and by b) re-organizing the house to make it more efficient. If there's a spot that is always dirty or always covered in piles, it needs to be re-thought. And I can learn to multi-task. Clean the bathroom while the kids bathe, wipe down the kitchen while the kids eat breakfast, use vacuuming as a discipline tactic (my kids love to vacuum). There are lots of ways to keep this nest a little more nicely feathered - if I take the time to plan. Time that I'm hoping to gain back by being more efficient in all the above ways.
8) Seek counseling. I don't like this one. I'm pretty embarrassed to have it on my list. And I know that my husband is going to be even more convinced that I'm a hypochondriac nut. But I really think I need to go see a therapist. I've struggled with depression all my life (from mild bouts, to anorexia, to sobbing-on-the-bathroom-floor blues). At first, I thought maybe I just had a hormone imbalance - but after extensive testing, all my bloodwork came back 'normal.' And while I'm not in the incapacitating funk I was in after my third baby (in three years) was born, I still find that I have a really hard time with my emotions. I'm angry. Like all the time. Over really stupid things. Some days I don't want to get out of bed because I don't have the energy to deal with the day (made so much worse in winter). I just don't feel right, whatever the medical tests say. So, I'm making it a goal to go talk to a professional. Maybe there's a simple solution I'm overlooking. I just need to stop being mortified, suck it up and go.
9) Spend more time outside. I've heard that sunshine (all that vitamin D!) is a great mood booster. And goodness knows that a little running around outside is great for getting the ants out of my kids pants and making them calmer. And, frankly, we've been having an amazingly mild winter for our area. I have no excuse NOT to take the kids out for some playtime every afternoon. It just might be that magic pill I've been waiting for.
10) Count my blessings. No matter how I'm feeling any given day, expressing a little gratitude makes things so much better. I'm trying very hard to stop several times a day to say a little prayer of thanks. Especially for the things that are making me nuts. "Thank You Lord that I have such energetic and creative kid to make all this mess." "Thank You Lord that we eat so well it takes ages to do the dishes." "Thank You Lord that we have a car that needs washing and gassing up and cleaning out." "Thank You Lord that I have a husband who's home so often he has the opportunity to put things where I can't find them." I have been blessed more abundantly than I can fathom, and I really need to open my eyes and see it more clearly. Then maybe some of these things that make me so angry/blue/grumpy won't seem so important anymore.
So that's what I'll be up to this year. Anyone have any advice for me? What goals are on your list? Join me in linking up with
I don't make New Years resolutions. For me resolution has such a negative connotation. When I resolve to do something, I feel like a failure the second I make a misstep. If I don't get to the gym one day, I let myself down. If I eat that piece of chocolate, I have broken my resolve. Instead, I prefer to set goals. I know there will be setbacks, but they are things that I want to work towards, things I hope to accomplish by years end. So here are my top 10 goals for 2012.
1) Make an effort with my appearance. I will attempt to dress presentably and wear makeup at least 5 days a week. Ideally 6 days a week. I can wear yoga pants and sweatshirts if I'm really going to be doing a lot of cleaning or yard-work, but that's it. When I feel like I look good, I feel good about myself. And when I feel good about myself, it positively impacts every other part of my life.
2) I will work out every day even if I only do 20 situps. Usually, if I get a start, I want to keep going. It's motivating myself to get my tush out of my chair to do something that's the hard part. But if I tell myself I only have to do 20 situps or 5 minutes of running, then I'll be more likely to start. I can quit after my tiny goal. But odds are, I'll want to keep going.
3) Eat a healthy diet 5 days a week. I have a HUGE sweet tooth. And I love carbs. And in winter, telling myself I have to eat healthily is like telling myself I'm going to lace up some boots and climb Mt. Everest. I'm a lot more likely to eat fruits, veggies and grains 5 days a week if I know I can bake a pie on Saturday (or have a bagel for breakfast on Sunday - or whatever). To this end, I can't keep junk in the house. If there is chocolate, I will eat 9 pieces in an afternoon. If we have bread 'on hand,' I will eat toast all day. If I've got mac'n'cheese in the cupboard 'just in case we're snowed in,' I will make it for lunch the next day. I am a weak weak person and I can't keep junk in the house. Which means I'll have to plan my menus carefully. It means I need to have healthy 'in case of snow' meals in the freezer. It means I have to have lunch pre-made in the morning so I'm not seduced by the call of Panda Express when we're all ravenous after preschool. It's doable - I just have to make myself do it.
4) Get up at 6:30. My poor kids are suffering from my own laziness. I sleep in as late as possible in the morning, dawdle with getting out of bed, putter around with email and odds and ends and then get them up in a big fat rush because I keep trying to get them all fed and dressed and out the door in 20 minutes. So, I WILL get up at 6:30 every day. I don't have to work out. I don't have to shower. But I will do a devotional (what better way to get myself prepared for the day), quickly check my email and get myself dressed (nicely - with makeup) for the day and have breakfast started and clothes laid out before I get the kids up - hopefully by 7:30. If I can do that, we should cut down on a LOT of morning angst.
5) I will make quiet-hour shorter. Quiet hour lately has drawn out to quiet-two-hours (or more). Which is fine for the younger two who nap that long. And fine for Mommy who gets done a ton of blogging and cleaning and crafting and sleeping. But it's miserable for big brother who does not nap and, though he is ingenious in his creative use of such a long chunk of time in his room by himself with a box of toys, I know he misses Mommy. We used to spend naptime together reading books and playing. Then Mommy realized she was a nicer person if she got a SMALL break in the afternoon (and sibs slept better when big brother wasn't being loud) and we instituted quiet hour. And then Mommy realized how nice quiet hour was and it has gradually gotten out of hand. Therefore, I resolve to do what I must to make quiet hour stick closer to the hour-long mark. Nap first, errands second, clean third - the rest I'll have to fit in somewhere else.
6) To that end - Spend less time on the computer. I blog a LOT. Which is ok if I plan things out in advance and do as much of it as I can before getting up for the day. But I also enter all kinds of online giveaways, play around on Pinterest and generally waste tons of time on the internet. Time that I could be spending napping, cleaning, crafting and doing all those other things that make quiet hour so long. My plan is - leave the computer downstairs. That way, I can't work on it while I'm with the kids. They (and the house) get my undivided attention, and I'll have to learn to prioritize what I do on the computer during "my" time.
7) Keep a tidier, cleaner house. By bedtime, I'm pooped and don't want to clean. In the mornings, I'm in too much of a rush. And in the afternoons I know that anything I do will just be undone again by bedtime. So it never gets done. But I'm going to work toward both a) cleaning more with my newfound time that I won't be spending on the computer or frittering away at quiet hour, and by b) re-organizing the house to make it more efficient. If there's a spot that is always dirty or always covered in piles, it needs to be re-thought. And I can learn to multi-task. Clean the bathroom while the kids bathe, wipe down the kitchen while the kids eat breakfast, use vacuuming as a discipline tactic (my kids love to vacuum). There are lots of ways to keep this nest a little more nicely feathered - if I take the time to plan. Time that I'm hoping to gain back by being more efficient in all the above ways.
8) Seek counseling. I don't like this one. I'm pretty embarrassed to have it on my list. And I know that my husband is going to be even more convinced that I'm a hypochondriac nut. But I really think I need to go see a therapist. I've struggled with depression all my life (from mild bouts, to anorexia, to sobbing-on-the-bathroom-floor blues). At first, I thought maybe I just had a hormone imbalance - but after extensive testing, all my bloodwork came back 'normal.' And while I'm not in the incapacitating funk I was in after my third baby (in three years) was born, I still find that I have a really hard time with my emotions. I'm angry. Like all the time. Over really stupid things. Some days I don't want to get out of bed because I don't have the energy to deal with the day (made so much worse in winter). I just don't feel right, whatever the medical tests say. So, I'm making it a goal to go talk to a professional. Maybe there's a simple solution I'm overlooking. I just need to stop being mortified, suck it up and go.
9) Spend more time outside. I've heard that sunshine (all that vitamin D!) is a great mood booster. And goodness knows that a little running around outside is great for getting the ants out of my kids pants and making them calmer. And, frankly, we've been having an amazingly mild winter for our area. I have no excuse NOT to take the kids out for some playtime every afternoon. It just might be that magic pill I've been waiting for.
10) Count my blessings. No matter how I'm feeling any given day, expressing a little gratitude makes things so much better. I'm trying very hard to stop several times a day to say a little prayer of thanks. Especially for the things that are making me nuts. "Thank You Lord that I have such energetic and creative kid to make all this mess." "Thank You Lord that we eat so well it takes ages to do the dishes." "Thank You Lord that we have a car that needs washing and gassing up and cleaning out." "Thank You Lord that I have a husband who's home so often he has the opportunity to put things where I can't find them." I have been blessed more abundantly than I can fathom, and I really need to open my eyes and see it more clearly. Then maybe some of these things that make me so angry/blue/grumpy won't seem so important anymore.
So that's what I'll be up to this year. Anyone have any advice for me? What goals are on your list? Join me in linking up with
