Perhaps this blog post should begin with how I wanted to do less procrastinating in 2018, and how this particular piece should have been written and posted over two weeks ago. Yep, winning on the resolution front.
But in all seriousness, wouldn’t it be nice to make an obtainable resolution and then, in 365 days (or whatever timeframe you see fit), acknowledge that you did it and celebrate your victory? So even if your long-term goals seem monumental, remember to start somewhere, and to start small. New year, new mom goals.
Lose Weight
- Instead of walking into an overcrowded health club and handing over your yearly salary, be on the lookout for Moms groups that walk together or run together or just plain sweat together. It’s nice to have the support of someone in a similar situation that knows the difficulty of the work/life/marriage/food/pet/kiddo(s)/booze/fitness/etc balance.
- Park further away at the grocery, at the gym, at the coffee shop… put in those extra steps. They will add up over time.
- Muscle burns fat, however, it also weighs more, so stay off that scale and gauge your success by how your clothing fits.
- Incorporate small calorie-burning movements into your daily routine. Do 5 squats before you get dressed. Attempt lunges all the way to the fridge. Bike to the ice cream shop–earn that yumminess!
Save Money
- Cut out one minor thing, something you CAN live without. i.e. That diet coke from the convenience store, skip a pedicure and have your kiddo paint your toes instead (makes for a great ice breaker at the park and some QT with the little), skip Taco Tuesday from Torchy’s and make your goodness at home instead. Homemade tastes more victorious anyway.
- Clip coupons. You would be amazed at the ROI for just one hour a week on online coupon hunting/clipping. Also, ibotta. It’s an app, and once you get the hang of it, it’s rad.
- Put aside a couple bucks every week. Perhaps every day you put $5 into a jar? It’ll be nice come 2019 to have an extra $1825 in your life.
Finally Get Organized
- Become part of the craze and get yourself a fancy pants, custom, too pretty to write in planner. And vow to actually use it. I hear it helps to custom color each family member as well.
- Google Calendar is amazing for sharing events with everyone in the family. In need of a date night? Put it on the calendar so the hubs can see. (One can dream that this will work, right?). In addition to having the multi-user function, you can set alarms, reminders, see one another’s appointments, etc.
- Set aside a weekend to go through all the toys the kiddos have outgrown/do not play with anymore and donate them.
- Each month, agree to conquer one room. Start with the space that appears to cause the most anxiety so that you’re more likely to continue this clean-out–knowing each room will be easier than the last.
Reconnect
- Most importantly, find yourself. Enroll in a class you’ve been wanting to take, learn how to perfect your favorite meal, start a journal, join a book club so you’re held accountable.
- Remove yourself from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for a bit, sit down and write some snail mail. Everyone loves getting personalized mail (and you’ll spark some of that creativity as well).
- Make a phone call to that friend of yours you haven’t spoken to in over a month/year/decade.
- Camp in the backyard with your family. No electronics, only campfire, smores and cuddles.
So yeah… the new year, the new me, the new resolutions. Clearly I’m not making any crazy headway on the things I’d like to accomplish. But hey, I’ve got all year. Happy New Year, Mamas. Wishing you a year full of success in whatever you’ve decided to defeat/accomplish/save/befriend.
To save $1825 in a year you would have to save 5 dollars every day not every week.