A Review of My 2015 Resolutions

Every year I like to look at the goals I made at the beginning of the year and see how I did.  I try to make my New Year's resolutions things that I truly want to work on and change, and not just something I give lip service to.  I think about them throughout the year and really try to accomplish them.  So it is good for me to see how I did...and to be accountable to anyone who reads this blog.

1)  Read my Bible every day.  I was very consistent in this before I got married, because I did it at night when I was going to bed--there was nobody around to distract my, I was on my own time.  Since I got married, and especially since having kids, I have struggled to find a consistent time to do this.  Right now Nicolas wakes up at 6:16am every morning, which is much earlier than I would prefer.  BUT, it gives me an opportunity to read my Bible while he is playing and Laurel is still sleeping.   I did this pretty well for about the first half of the year, mostly because I was getting up early with Nicolas, who was not as active then.  And because I was babysitting another kid who got there at 7am, so I was up and showered prior to his arrival.  However, he started pre-school and stopped coming, and Nicolas became an early morning active person, and my Bible reading slipped to the wayside.  I regret that.  I want to change it.

2)  Read our devotional books.  We have a bookshelf full of devotionals and Christian living books, but I hardly ever read them.  Yet, if I pick up a good YA fantasy novel, I can easily finish it in 2 days.  Priorities!  My goal is to read one full devotional plus part of another one each month.  This also did not happen.  I did make it through about 6 or 7 devotional books, so that makes one every other month.  I will try to build on that.

3)  Cut sugar and desserts.  Over the holidays, I have not restricted myself.  A cookie for a snack, a cookie after lunch, coffee cake for breakfast, cake afternoon, and one of each dessert available after supper...that's not too much, right?  Seriously.  For January, I am going to only have 1 dessert per day.  Then in February I'll reduce down to every other day, then down to 2-3 times a week.  I think my final goal is 2 desserts a week.  I know I should cut sugar out entirely, but I want a goal that is realistic for me, and I just really, really, really like desserts. I was up and down on this goal.  Then, in October, I decided that I wanted to be able to fit in my pants again, so I did a 10-day detox where I was gluten, sugar, and dairy free.  I actually lost weight doing that, and kept on with the diet for about 2 months, with a few "cheat days" thrown in, and I lost about 12 pounds.  I did OK during the Thanksgiving holiday, but then in December I got lazy and ate "normal" for about 2 weeks ("normal" being eating gluten, but not pigging out), and gained back 5 pounds in 6 days.  I guess if I want to weigh under 200, I will have to be gluten and sugar free for the rest of my life...with some "cheat days" thrown in.

4)  Cut out processed foods.  This is a continuation of last year's goals.  I am doing well at it, and as I finish a "processed food" product that is already in the cupboard, I do not replace it, but instead make something from scratch.  Specifically, this year I am going to start shredding my own cheese (instead of buying it pre-shredded), and also making my own body care products.  Since I am not out of the house working, and the kids are no longer infants needing to be held all the time, I am able to spend time in the kitchen doing things while Nicolas and Laurel bang pans on the floor.  I'd say this goal has been a success!  I eat very little processed food, and have switched to homemade lotion, face wash, soap, shampoo, and toothpaste.  I have not gotten my husband on board with the body care products.  And the kids are too picky eaters to cut out all processed food for them...they would starve.

5)  Daily exercise.  I have been following a guy on facebook who does a 30 day fitness challenge every month.  I think I've done it 5 months in a row, and even persuaded my husband to join in last month.  I will continue to do that on a daily basis.  During the winter months, I also want to get on the elliptical twice a week.  When the weather is nicer, I am very goon about going on almost daily walks with the kids, around town and to the park. I did well on this for most of the year, especially when I could go outside.  I had issues with carpal tunnel in my wrists and really sore knees this fall and took some time off from the fitness exercises, and have struggled getting back on board.  

6)  Go hiking!  I love hiking, being outside, enjoying God's beautiful creation.  Mahaska County Conservation has a number of sites that I have never visited, and they do a lot of outdoor programs.  My goals in 2015 is to go to every site in Mahaska County. I did not accomplish this, but I did go on lots and lots of bike rides!

7)  Don't yell at my kids.  It is so tempting to just go right to yelling!  I can say something to Laurel 10 times in a calm voice and she ignores me, but the second I yell, she immediately obeys.  But then the next day I find Laurel yelling and screaming at Nicolas and other kids!  When I start yelling more, the kids are on edge and less obedient, and I find myself just being angry all the time.  It takes more effort on my part to not yell, and I have to get up, take kids aside, talk things through, make sure they get it, enforce, re-enforce, etc...but it is worth it. I have worked hard at this, and while I am not 100% perfect at not yelling, I don't default to the yell.  I still have days where I am extra crabby and yell too much, but I have done pretty well at this.

8)  Get to know more friends here where I live.  I have lived in this area since 2008, but usually when I think of the people I do social things with, my mind is set on the people I was social with before I was married.  I am not giving up those friendships by any means, but as a stay at home mom, I really need to have friends who are close by and in the same situation!  One way I am going to try to accomplish this is to start going to the park once a week for a picnic, and invite people to join me.  I have started doing more social things on a regular basis (book club, Bible study), but they have not really been with people who live here.  But I am content with my social life, for the most part.

9)  Sacred Marriage/Sacred Parenting.  Last spring in my small group we read and discussed the book "Sacred Marriage" by Gary Thomas.  The premise of the book is that the goal of our marriage is not to make us happy or to fulfill me or my husband; the goal of marriage is to make us holy.  The common idea is that I treat my husband with love and respect so that he will reciprocate and treat me the same way (aka: "The Love Dare).  However, Thomas says that we treat our spouse with love and respect because that is what God tells us to do, and in doing so we are serving our Lord.  Our spouse may not reciprocate, our situation may not magically become perfect, but we still obey our God.  I am not driven by my desire to have my husband act a certain way; instead, I am driven by my desire to be more like God.  This is a huge attitude shift for me!  I am currently reading another of Thomas' books called "Sacred Parenting," which is the same premise but in relation to parenting.  My goal is to be a wife and be a parent in order to love and serve God better.  There aren't many definable goals for this, but believe me, I can tell when my attitude is not where it should be.  And I think my husband and kids can also tell when my attitude is not where it should be. I am not sure if I can say I had success or failure at this.  I continue to obey God and try work on relationships in a way that serves God.  But I am not sure if my "success" can be measured by the health of my relationships, or if I can only say that yes, I tried.