Happy New Year! Yes, I know I'm weeks behind. I begin prep for New Year Resolutions and Challenges after my Birthday on January 6. That way if I've decided a diet is in order, and it usually is, then I can enjoy my birthday guilt free. So here we are January 19 and I'm still pondering my resolutions, and I've decided to ponder some challenges as well. Time gets away from me quickly during the week as I'm very focused on my job. Sot that's why today is important in helping me make some decisions instead of just pondering them (we'll see how this works out).
Before all the Resolutions and Challenges on Jan 1, my cousin-in-law's wife, Ginger (who by the way is a pretty spectacular lady), posted on Facebook that she chooses a word for the year that will lead the way into the year and remind her to stay focused. I LOVE this idea, and blatantly posted that I would steal it from her. And I am. However, I had a strong candidate in my mind that I felt was important in my life, and then after discussion with my daughter and my birthday, another candidate for the year popped up. So it's caused me to give some additional thought to the word I choose for 2014. So I'm now selecting between BALANCE and BELIEVE. Both words hold a significant meaning to me. The battle within continues over these two words and as 2014 starts to fade into memory I realize I need to make this decision fast and soon.
First, the Resolutions, let's review this first.
1) Diet - isn't this on everybody's resolution list. I really don't want to think of Diet, I want to embrace a BALANCEd eating plan. The problem with a diet is that I try to fit myself into somebody elses idea of what a diet is, and I fail because those plans fail to merge with my lifestyle and who I am as a person. So my resolution is really to lose some weight this year. (This is not going so well yet, however this is why I never start on Jan 1)
2) Money- this is probably on everyone's list as well, I want to save some money this year and reduce my personal spending. I need to reduce some of the nickle and dimeing that adds up to over spending. So reducing my Itunes spending and my purchases on facebook will help. I will reduce my hobby spending and only purchase yarn if needed for a project I intend to work and complete in 2014.
3) Cleaning - OH this is a big one for me. I HATE cleaning. My husband does most of it on a daily basis, and I jump in where needed. I do the laundry he does the dishes, he sweeps, I sweep neither of us like to dust. So I resolve to clean to more. More specifics to come
4)Reduce, Reuse & Recycle -words to live by. I'm resolving to find new ways to reuse and refurbish old items in my home. I want to reduce waste overall.
5)Focus- I need to focus on our business and I resolve to put forth some additional effort into the tea room and JTRB Images.
6) Exercise - get more exercise into my life.
7) Blog more and regularly
That's my list of resolutions. They're common ones for most I think. That's why I usually don't believe in resolutions, but they are a great place to begin when attempting to reach goals.
So on to the Challenges
1) In an effort to assist with the Diet and Money resolutions, I'm considering on a homemade food challenge. In essence We (Greg & I) will commit to homemade meals for breakfast lunch and dinner. This means no fast food or eating out for the year. Instead I will put my multitude of cookbooks to good use and come up with some tasty and nutritious meals that we can enjoy. This would be HUGE commitment because with my work schedule I'm usually too tired to cook, but if we both commit it should be easy. Maybe I can get the kids in on it too. Rally the forces so to speak. The RULES:
- 1. All meals must be made here at home.
- 2. No store bought pre-made frozen meals or processed foods. I will have to develop some exceptions to this rule.
- 3. Exceptions - Birthday's and special events, trips to Disney and the Storm Games (meals are included in our tickets)
- Blog the recipes, and the updates
2)The Money Challenge, I have started the 52 week Money Challenge in an effort to save some money. I've saved Week 1, Week 2 & Week 3 already and have a total of $6. If your not familiar with this challenge, in essence you save the amount of the week. For example Week 1 you save a $1, Week 2 you save $2, and by Week 52 you save $52. So at the end of the year (52 weeks) you have accumulated and saved a total of $1378.00. I do not have a designation for this money yet. I have seen variations on this saving method using quarters to help kids save money, and also multiplying it out by the amount of people in the family to take a Disney vacation. Very versatile.
3) Reduce the clutter and get organized - enough said here.
Each year I try and create some personal goals based on resolutions and challenges.
The Goals
1) Complete 1 knitting UFO this year in addition to normal knitting
2) Complete 2 Cross Stitch pieces this year
3) Read 4 books (1 per quarter)
4) Lose 50 lbs
5) Walk 10,000 steps daily
6) Reduce the clutter
7) Open the Tea Room
So with all of this I think it's pretty clear why BALANCE and BELIEVE are difficult words to choose between. What I'm currently working on ..... well that's another post.
Happy New Year, May 2014 bring you all that you desire. For me, I want Health, Prosperity, and Time. Have a GREAT Year
