The way I see it...

2017 Goals

How is 2017 treating you all? Are you feeling motivated? Kicking some backside and taking names? Still looking for inspiration to make some changes?

So far, 2017 is going alright in my neck of the woods. As per usual, this girl had to write down some goals for the new year. I'm a list-maker, remember? I decided to not really call them resolutions because I feel like you're asking to fail. There's a negative connotation associated with that word. Instead, I'm calling them goals. I'm not going to share all my goals for the new year, but here are some of them.

1. Workout 30 minutes five times a week: This probably seems like an obvious one. People are always making goals about working out in January. I feel like this is completely realistic and do-able. Five times isn't every single day and 30 minutes isn't a lot. I feel like if I can peruse social media every day or read or watch t.v., I can most definitely use that time to get moving instead. Even if it's with my kiddos or just on the treadmill with the t.v. on.
2. Drink 110 ounces of water PER DAY: If you see me running to the bathroom every 15 minutes this would be why. It's really easy for me to get this done in the summer and really challenging for me in the winter. My water intake had taken a nose dive with the cooler weather, so I set a goal. I think I've hit this goal every day except two so far. My kidneys (and other organs) thank me for the gift of hydration!
3. Take more pictures with my real camera: 2016 was a terrible year for me in taking good pictures with my real camera. I always grab my phone because it's always with me and just easier. The pictures aren't as good though and I need to make more of an effort to haul out the good camera. Every month I need to have a folder on my computer with photos that I've taken. That's the goal.
4. Read out loud with my kids more: This is directed more at Jenna and Brody, since Aaron and I already read aloud with the twins. I got a text from a friend who shared with me something called the Read Aloud Revival. Did you know that if you read out loud every day with your kids for just ten minutes, at the end of the year they will have read aloud for 30 hours?! That's amazing. And so, so important!
5. Gratitude Journal: This is an idea I saw online and it is by far my favorite goal of the new year. I went to the dollar store and bought a pretty looking notebook. Every day I write down ten things that I'm grateful for that day. Yes, every day. Sometimes I do it in the morning and sometimes at night. This has completely shifted my days! I am now actively seeking out things that I can write down. The other day, for example, despite the fact it was 30 below, a nice older gentlemen let me head into the grocery store before him. Simple enough, but it was so kind. I have found that it's hard to be in a bad mood when I'm constantly thinking about examples of gratitude that I can write down.

Here's my attitude for 2017. Some days are better than others. Some days you fail. Some days you succeed. That's ok. Life isn't supposed to be perfect. This life is a marathon, not a sprint. Trying to continually create better habits is hard work and takes time. I am just trying to be a little better than I was the day before, but that's just the way I see it.

The way I see it...

Goals and Resolutions

I guess it’s that time of year when 90% of the population makes a New Year’s resolution. I know most people break them, but I’m a firm believer that it is good to have goals! I like meeting goals; it’s such a great feeling. And, sometimes I don’t, but it pushes me to work harder or be better the next time. 

I never have my goals and resolutions ready on January 1^st because I’m usually still in Christmas-mode. Aaron  said he knew December 31^st what his two resolutions were going to be, but he refused to share them with me until the 1^st.

All day on New Year’s Day my mind was ticking away about what I could do. I thought about different aspects of my life – fitness, health, hobbies, my mental health… What did I want to accomplish?

Let’s start with the most obvious sort of thing that people want to do – improve their health. This is something that for me is a continual work in progress. Ever since thinking I had the possibility of being Blake’s kidney donor, I have been very conscience of my health.

My knees and hip had been hurting me, so I haven’t been running since September. That affected my fitness goal. I wasn’t sure what to do since I couldn’t do a certain mileage. I decided to do minutes of activity – walking, workout videos, whatever. I’m shooting for 1,000 minutes per month, which is about a half hour a day. I’ve been getting pretty close, so if I push myself just a little more, I can do it.

Because of my vast knowledge of the good old kidneys, I know that so much of our health can stem back to simply not having enough hydration for our bodies. “They” recommend 64 ounces a day. I’m going to set my goal at 96 ounces of water per day, which is three of my water bottles. As long as I carry it with me, I should be good to go!

I saw on social media that people were posting reading challenges that they wanted to do. As I’ve told you, ever since this summer, I have made it a point to read more, because I truly do love it and it is such a stress reliever for me. I found a 26 book reading challenge that gives you prompts of what books to read throughout your year. Here are some examples: a book you own, but have never read; a book set in a place you would like to visit; a book you picked-up just because you liked the cover; a book that was made into a movie. You get the idea. I started my first book and can’t wait to see if I can finish this challenge.

The next challenge is going to be a, well, challenge. I really want to learn how to sew. You might remember a few years ago I wrote an editorial about how my husband made curtains for our house because I can’t even thread the machine? Yeah, still no change in that department. I really, really want to be able to make pillows and curtains for my kids’ room. This, to a normal person, shouldn’t be hard at all. To Jamie, this will be like climbing Mount Everest. I have a lot of talents, but I can whole-heartedly admit that this isn’t one of them. We shall see how this goes…

Finally, my sister-in-law gave me an idea about journaling more. I have no idea what she’s journaling about, but I wanted to start a journal where I write down one good thing about that day. That way, at the end of the year, I can go through and see short little happy glimpses of our days.

That’s it. My goals and resolutions for 2015! Whew. Time will tell if I can achieve these, but you never know until you try, but that’s just the way I see it.