New Year, New Goals!

Well 2014 has finally come upon us. I can't say that 2013 was a bad year; nothing truly bad happened and many good things happened in my life. My boyfriend and I took a fantastic road trip to Las Vegas and we got to see all different parts of the country. We are talking about another road trip this summer and I can't wait! My work finally moved to a nice new building and we are no longer working in a trailer park (I cannot even tell you how happy that makes me!). My family has all been well as well as my friends so I really can't complain. That doesn't mean there aren't things I want to change, however. I feel like I got very complacent with my life last year. I didn't make a lot of changes and I spent more time than I'd like to admit just sitting and watching TV (and usually snacking while I did it). So this year, I decided to make resolutions. I know, I know, resolutions don't work for 90 percent of us, but I'm going to at least try. So what are my resolutions this year?

Let's start at the top and work our way down, shall we?
1. Get more organized - I really didn't used to have a problem getting everything done in the week that I wanted to, but my life has been a lot busier in the last year and I've discovered its not as easy as I thought. I find myself not getting my housecleaning or cooking done, instead opting to spend my whole weekend cleaning (or not doing it at all sometimes) and just grabbing something quick to eat on my way home from work. I've been looking for ideas on Pinterest (you can follow me here) and have gotten some great downloadable calendars and schedules to get me started.

2.  Blog more - obviously, I haven't been blogging. My last post was from September and now it's January... again, I think it comes from the lack of organization, so my goal is to set aside a specific amount of time for blogging each week and my goal is to start off with one blog a week. I know that probably doesn't seem like a lot to you big time bloggers out there, but hey, a girl has to start somewhere. That also means my blog won't focus just on recipes anymore. I'd like to incorporate some of the other things I'm working on this year too.

3.  Eat better - this is a hard one for me. I love comfort food, carbs and junk food. I like eating out too. I'm hoping that by organizing my food plan each week and sticking to it, I will be able to decrease the amount of pure crap that I eat. Cause trust me, it's a lot. I need to add a lot more fresh fruits and veggies and cut back in the processed carbs. I'm hoping to incorporate this into the blog as well.

4.  Get more physical activity - another challenge for me. I'm not someone who enjoys exercise. Never have, can't imagine that I ever will. But, that doesn't mean I can't be more active. My plan is to start small. I have an elliptical machine, Netflix and 20 minutes every day. There's no reason I can't do this aside from my own lack of willpower. I'm also using a 20 minute program from the magazine "All You". You can find the program here. Let me take a sidebar here though. I love this magazine. It has style stuff, recipes, health stuff, relationship stuff, and coupons. And it's only $2.99 a magazine. What a steal! Let me caution you against one thing though - don't get the tablet version. Yes, it's cheaper, but there's a reason. You don't get the coupons and if there's something you want to clip and save, you can't since you can't print anything from it.

5.  Get craftier - I used to make stuff all the time. I made homemade cards and paintings and just tons of other crafts. I barely do any of that now. Mostly because I'm just sitting in front of the TV most nights and because my craft room has gotten so unorganized I can't find anything. See how everything is tying together?? The most important thing for me this year is getting organized because all of this other stuff is tied to that.

6. Last but not least, I am challenging myself to read 100 books this year. I've already got 4 down this month and am getting ready to start #5. It's a lofty goal, but I'm sure I can make it! Each month, I will post a blog with the books I've read and my thoughts on them.

You've probably noticed by now there's a recurring theme: Organization. Time. Activity.  These are the major items I want to get better with this year and really focus on making good habits with.  You might have noticed I didn't put "lose weight".  I have resolved to lose weight year after year and it just never happens.  So this year, I'm putting the focus more on the things that will bring about losing weight as a side effect, i.e., getting more active and eating better.  I hope you've made some resolutions - post some of your thoughts in the comments below and I'd be happy to check in with you and see how you're doing.  I hope you will check back and follow my progress in 2014.