Resolutions

I've always been someone to make New Years Resolutions. For years it was the typical and less-than-concrete "Lose weight." Occasionally others joined the mix. I accomplished said resolutions with varying levels of success. For 2010, I decided to abandon my typical resolution in favor of something more measurable. I vowed to clean the entire house every week and cook dinner at least 3 times a week. Unfortunately (exclusively when it comes to my resolutions, of course), I found out I was pregnant on December 31, 2009. My morning sickness kicked in early January, and that, coupled with the exhaustion of first tri, caused me to abandon my resolutions pretty quickly. Then between bed rest and having an infant, the rest of 2010 was pretty much a bust as far as my resolutions went. So in 2011, I vowed the same, plus to find ways to save money. I made up a schedule for my cleaning, started couponing, and dusted off my cookbooks. And despite starting back in school, in general, I stuck to my resolutions. Yes, there were weeks that the house wasn't completely cleaned or that I only cooked once or twice, but there were also weeks of deep cleaning and cooking every single night, so I'm counting it as a win.

So now we're hours away from 2012. I feel good about my resolutions for the past year, so it's time to come up with some new ones. Here's what I have so far:

1) Floss every day

OK, so this one is pretty tame, but it's also important. And I cannot remember a time when I flossed more than once a week, usually more like once a month. Gross. But after my last dental appointment a few weeks ago, I decided to make it a habit (not due to any negative feedback from the dentist but just because it provided me a clean slate), and I've flossed every evening since. Making it a resolution will just bulk up my resolve to not let a day pass.

2) Meal-plan

This goes right along with couponing and shopping sales, as well as with my resolution from last year. Since I'll be taking 3 classes next semester, I can see cooking from scratch going by the wayside unless I make a conscious effort to have the meals planned in advance. This will also make shopping deals easier and help me make better use of pantry staples and freezer meals. I started this a couple of weeks ago, and it's worked well for us so far!

3) Lose weight

OK, here's that abstract one again. But I do have a more definite plan, which I'll go into in an upcoming post. And just like the others, I haven't waited until the New Year to get started. Since May, I've lost about 30 lbs. That may not sound like much, but since breastfeeding moms aren't supposed to lose more than a pound a week (or else risk compromising their milk supply), that's actually fairly decent. I'm below my pre-pregnancy weight, and I have concrete goals for the coming year.

4) Do more fun projects (with or without Ethan)

I'm not exactly sure what this is going to look like yet, but I envision accomplishing at least one craft project a month. It would also be neat to make cooking a joint project with Ethan whenever possible, especially once he's a little older. I feel like a lot of days (and weeks) just blend into one another, especially when school work eats up what little free time I have, so making this a priority will be good for me.

That's what I've come up with so far. Do you have any New Years Resolutions? What is your plan for accomplishing them?