New Years Resolutions 2013

1. Keep up with the healthier lifestyle. I get all warm and fuzzy when I think how far my eating habits and weight loss have come. I know I am a healthier, and happier, person now. Plus, I take great pride in knowing, I have set this type of goal for the last 2 years and been able to Stick.With.It! Last year, I spent a lot of time comparing "skinny" me to "fat" me. But I guess the fat has been gone long enough, because I don't think in those terms anymore. I KNOW I have the strength and mobility to do just about anything. I no longer have to stop and catch my breath. I LOVE that. I am proof a person can say they want to be healthier on Jan 1st and then 12 months later actually be that way, instead of feeling regret over not sticking to it.

 

2. Spend more time with family. Truth is, I am pretty greedy of my time with the hubs. Right now, this goal is easy to set because he is home every night. (Usually with dinner already cooked too!) Last year, well, I don't know if we were lazy or anti social, but if feels like we skipped a lot of family dinners, etc. And I know, once summer comes, and he is gone all week, I am going to want to just lock the doors and turn off the phones when he is home on the weekends. So I'm trying to find a way to compromise. I don't think that means Sunday dinner every single week, but maybe once a month we can commit to seeing at least one side of the family.

 

3. Find a home. We tried this last fall with no success. I don't think we were being overly picky, but maybe we were? I can't decide. I don't feel like we want much. Josh wants land for the horses and I want 2 bathrooms with a nice kitchen. Last summer, we feel in love with one home, but it fell through. Since then, we seem to compare every single home we look at to that one. But on the plus side, I've been able to slowly build our down payment and that is a good feeling.

 

4. Get ahead on some bills. A few years ago, I paid all our major utility bills ahead by 3 months. Then come Christmas time, I was able to skip paying them while we celebrated Christmas, birthday's and our anniversary. It was such a good feeling. Each year, I swear I will do that, but each year, I fall short. So I'm going to try again this year. It feels like a possibility right now, but I'm sure once we purchase a home, our budget may change. But we will deal with that as it comes. I did pay off our credit card last year and that was a good feeling. We still have it, for in case of emergencies (which we recently used for an after hours vet visit), but it is at a manageable point now.

 

5. Cook more in the crock pot. Josh and I both love the meals we make in the crock pot. But usually, the crock pot sits on a shelf, forgotten. So this year, we have decided to do more crock pot meals. Each time we plan out a menu, we try to look for a new slow cooker recipe too. I should also add to this goal, remember to use the crock pot liners. I have several boxes, but we never remember them until the meal is cooked and ready to be put away.