1. Get Back Into My Pre-Baby Clothes. Okay I know you are probably thinking oh no body shaming! And that’s legitimately not it or my intent in my goal. Here’s the thing, pre-pregnancy I purchased some really adorable skirts from Nordstrom Rack — like the May before I got pregnant over the summer. Then during my pregnancy I no joke put on at least 60 lbs. So at the highest point I was 190 lbs and now I am 157 and basically fighting to get back into those clothes. I also still get winded doing cardio and carrying my child for a LONG time. I am setting this resolution to feel better about myself and to wear clothes that I already own that I actually really love. Also, I want to use this as motivation to workout hopefully in the morning before work but also get more moving into my day.
2. Consume And Purchase Less. I don’t know that I am ready to go full minimalist — but I do have a minimalism board on Pinterest. However, I do want to be more conscious of how I spend my money and where it goes and on what kind of products. Right now in our bathroom closet we have like 10 bottles of unopened lotion from Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret. I cannot seem to stop buy candles. Sometimes we just go to Target for fun and end up walking out with stuff. It is OVERWHELMING ME. So my whole goal is to start getting serious about using up the products I have before buying new stuff – lotion, candles, journals, books, pens, makeup and the list goes on and on.
3. Cultivate Gratitude. I have a gratitude journal that I have filled out sporadically over the years and throughout 2017. I am planning on keeping it on my nightstand and writing at least one thing that I am grateful for each day in 2018. For me, it is important to recognize the good in my life on a daily basis. I want to be less negative and toxic and this could be the key.
4. Break My Smart Phone Addiction. LOLOLOLOL this is my reach goal. I do not know if I can actually do this. I literally AM ALWAYS REACHING FOR MY PHONE. Maybe if I pin enough things about how to break the addiction I can handle this.
5. Unhaul 100 Books. Well my goodreads goal is to read 150 books and I know realistically some of those books are going to be library books and audiobooks and ebooks. Also I am going to want to keep some of the books I read. Still, 100 does seem doable and I mean last year I got rid of 560 books instead of the 150 I had planned for. This is more of a slow kind of decluttering.
6. Read 150 Books. At least that is the goodreads goal that I set. It is the same as my 2017 goal. I don’t know how likely I am to meet or exceed it. I mean in 2017 I was off of work for 7 weeks – one week to wait for my kiddo to be born and the other six weeks for maternity leave. I got some reading in during naps and the late night nursing sessions. In 2018, I do not think I am having another baby so it is unlikely that I will be out of work with a baby who is an okay sleeper. Thus, time for a more realistic goal.
7. Learn And Cook 12 New Recipes. One recipe a month. Also Josh is always saying that this is something I need to get better at because it’s not acceptable that I eat candy and cookies for dinner when he is not home during the evening. Also I no longer feed just myself. I have the baby to be concerned with. He eats solids now and it is only a matter of time before he moves from mashed food to actual people food.
8. Go An Entire Week Without Complaining. Okay this is being realistic. There is no way on Earth I could go for a month without complaining, but I can 100% go a week without complaining about my life or work. I am going to exclude politics from this resolution because they get me heated.
9. Find And Perfect A Morning Routine. I read The Miracle Morning in 2017 and have been obsessed with pinning things about mornings and routines. I want to find a morning routine that works for me pre-work in 2018. So far I know it will include coffee and reading. Maybe some planning or blogging?
10. Lower My Sugar Intake. You guys I have one serious sweet tooth! It is so bad! Like we always have candy in the house and I just cannot stop eating it. I think I might try and see how long I can go without candy and try to replace chocolate with fruit, etc. I also want to get back into drinking coffee with sugar-free creamer. Part of achieving this goal will be reading about how bad sugar is for me — going to scare myself right hahaha.
11. Figure Out My Love Language And My Husband’s Love Language And Be A Better Wife. I hear about that love language thing literally ALL THE TIME. We even got a copy of it when we got married in 2016. I still have not read it yet. I would like to be better at wife-ing.
12. Savor The Moments With Teddy. It is 100% true that the days and nights are long, yet the years are short. In a few months he’s going to be a year old! FOUR MONTHS TO BE EXACT! I have had moments of frustration like every single parent but also moments of great joy. At times it feels like I just cannot get enough time with my child — between working full time and having a little bit of a commute again. I am always checking my work phone and work emails. My mind sometimes isn’t always right in the moment. Sometimes I think about the 101 things I need to get down. It comes down to presence and this is important to me when it comes to my time with Teddy.
13. Get More Sleep. You know what is obnoxious? BEING TIRED FROM NOT SLEEPING. This goes hand in hand with my smart phone addiction resolution. I have this awful habit of constant facebook and reddit and twitter scrolling before bed. Then before you know it, it is 11:00 p.m. and I still haven’t gone to bed. I am going to try and turn my notifications off and put my phone away an hour before I want to go to bed. I can’t just put my phones out of my room though due to the supervisor on call role that I take on at my job.
14. Complete An Exercise Program. So, I am almost done with the 30 Day Shred. In 2016, I almost completed PIIT28, but then I got pregnant and I read online about how ab work is bad for a pregnancy and you know instead of asking my OB, I just stopped. This year after I finish up the 30 Day Shred, I think I want to start up PIIT28 again. I really liked it and the last time I started it, I did get some results. I also want to add in some weights. For Christmas I got Stack52 which is a deck of cards which has different dumbbell exercises for each card.
15. Keep Up The Side Hustles And Create Cushions In The Budget. So this means that I resolve to continue Swagbucks-ing, using Microsoft (Bing) Rewards to accumulate gift cards, getting back into using Amazon Associates and my Fill Your Kindle posts. Also exploring opportunities like sponsored posts. I just want to get paid for my labor, ya know?
16. Reconnect. I want to get better at being a friend and in touch with people. It is really hard with a child. It is really hard when you live far away from the vast majority of your friends. I need to send out more random just because text messages and facebook messages and maybe a phone call every now and then. Maybe I will even go a little wild and schedule some face to face time.
As per usual, these are my 16 resolutions for the year! Some are extremely specific and a few are reach goals. I am so excited for what this year will bring and for the opportunity to work on some new resolutions as well as myself. What are your resolutions? Let me know in the comments or tweet me!
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I think your weight goals sound totally reasonable! Why not want to wear the adorable clothes you already own and I know what you mean about cardio. I shouldn’t get winded as often as I do and I know it’s because I don’t walk/jog enough. I like the idea of a morning routine and consuming what we already own too. I am such a Target person and I seem to collect face masks… and body wash… etc etc. We are probably moving soon so I think that will help me in this regard- throwing things out and sort of starting fresh with what we have. Do you use Ebates btw? It’s pretty awesome, my coworker got me into it this year! I live far away from all my friends too so I can relate to the reconnecting. I can’t tell you how much I love getting (and sending!) random texts. It makes a difference- everyone gets busy but it’s still such a nice thing to do! Awww Teddy, I love his name. I think your goals are excellent and I hope you achieve everything you hope to! Happy 2018 🙂
Thank you! Cardio is so tough for me. I used to be able to run a mile without getting winded at a decent clip. Not so much anymore. TARGET IS THE BEST. I can’t stop buying things there but need to for this month. Moving is the literal worst — my last move was to this house in March 2016. However now that we have the baby we are thinking of upgrading to a bigger house, but before that happens we need to declutter and throw things out and just use what we have.
I do use Ebates — but only ever around Christmas.
Good to hear that random texts aren’t annoying but are something good to get!
Thank you so much!
Cheers to 2018!
These are some amazing resolutions to have. I like to get rid of books too, if it’s anything less than a 4 star read I can’t have it taking up precious shelf space!
I’m curious about your path to consuming less sugar. I’ve always wanted to do that but have no idea where to start.
Love languages is fun! I took a knock off quiz online a while ago and it was spot on. Makes for some pretty good conversations!
Some great goals and some that I am also definitely working on too like the morning routine and gratitude, as well as exercising. I have had to get rid of my gym membership due to changes in finances but I have purchased a yoga mat so that is going to be my focus in 2018!
Good luck with minimalism, I have taken huge steps in that in 2017 and I have to be honest I do feel so much better. I now only purchase items when they are really needed or when it’s something I need very soon and I am getting a huge bargain. I hope it works for you too.
I look forward to follow your goals through 2018 🙂
x
Good luck with your goals, April! 🙂