New Year, New Resolutions

I took this picture one year ago today. We were hit with a foot of snow and frigid temps the day before we went back to school.  We ended up with a few extra days off.  Yesterday evening, it looked like we might have an extra day off this year as well..  Temps dropped from close to 40 to below zero with wind chills, turned all the rain we got the last few days into very icy roads.  The kids and I love school breaks, and the first day back is always hard. Getting up at 6 a.m. this morning was very rough.  We had mild temperatures the entire break, so getting up in the dark, on the coldest day of the season so far was not something we looked forward to.  In addition to being thrown back into the school routine, the Robotics season started over the weekend, and dance starts back up this week.  We have several busy nights ahead of us.  It is like going from 0 to 60, when you are not prepared. We feel like we have whiplash today.  It will take us a few days to get back into the swing of things.  

Getting back into the swing of things in other areas of life, is something many people think about this time of year.  The New Year makes one say they want to lose weight, and exercise more.  They may want to save more, and spend less. A big one for me over the years is to become more organized. (which just does not happen)   Going from 0 to 60 with resolutions is a sure way for it to fail.  Just like getting back into the school routine takes awhile, starting a new resolution routine takes a bit of time to as well. 

Starting this  month of January, I am going to be posting about common resolution goals, and how to realistically achieve them. In fact, I am going to be working on them myself, and share my progress on the blog.  Hopefully you will find something helpful along the way that will help you to your new year goals as well. 

Organization  I make this goal every year, and every year I fail.  I am just not an organized person, and I found out a few years ago that I have adult ADD.  This year I have no choice but to become more organized.  We may be  moving later in the year, and I have to get rid of a lot of unused stuff before we do. 

How I plan to achieve this goal.. I am starting in one room at a time, working on  a small task every day. I know I can not do too much at one time.  Not only does my schedule not give me a lot of extra time, but I know I will burn out too quickly. I will share tips I find, and anything ideas that work for me that may help you as well.

Lose Weight   This is a very common goal for a lot of people.  This has been my goal the last few years.  Back in 2012, I was diagnosed with Hashimotos thyroid disease, and since then, losing weight has been difficult for me.  I did not have issues with my weight until the last 4 or 5 years or so. I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted to (don't hate me) and I sometimes forget I can no longer do that. 

How I plan to achieve this goal..  The last couple of months I have been taking my oldest to appointments for some of her health issues.  A medication that she took made her gain a lot of weight, and she has not been able to lose it.  We have ruled out some other possible causes, and this past week saw the dietitian at the endocrinologist office.  Some of the ideas for her, I can use as well. Together, hopefully, we will both lose some pounds.  I found a great 100 calorie snack cookbook before Christmas, and hope to be sharing some healthy, low calorie recipes on the blog.  

Spend Less  I have actually been working on this for awhile, and have been pretty successful.  There are areas I still  need to work on though, like impulse buys.   I will be sharing more tips on how I save money at the grocery store, Target, and other stores.  By using smart shopping strategies I was able to get items worth $750 for only about $200 for Christmas. I will be posting more ideas on how you can do that too. 

Pay Off Debt  This resolution for me actually goes along with getting more organized. I have many items that are worth some money that I plan on selling online this year. This is a new experience for me, but I know once I figure out how to do it, the house will look better, and I will be able to pay off some bills.  I hope to share some of my strategies and tips as I find what works and what doesn't. 

Cook More   Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, our schedules are going to be crazy the next few months.  Robotics is several nights a week, and dance is too. The times of the two activities are not at the same time.  While we might not be having traditional sit down dinners frequently, I hope to share more quick and easy meals, and crock pot dinners for busy families just like us.   

Do you have any resolutions that are you are working on?  Any good tips that you want to share?  I would love to hear about them.