New Year's Resolutions

I don't typically "do" New Year's Resolutions.  I like to think that I am continually striving to make myself a better person all year round so why should I only start fresh upon the new year?  This year, however, after some serious reflection about some things I haven't liked in my life, I decided that I would embrace the New Year thinking and take some action.

1)  I will actually call people to talk rather than just text.

The trend of people not speaking to each other on the phone kills me.  Unfortunately, I find that I now do the same thing.  It's so much easier to text someone something quick than call and GASP! have them answer and have to actually talk to them.  But what does that say about us?  Is it really that hard to speak to our so-called friends?  I'm not saying that I will never text anymore, I'm just saying that I will think twice when I try and contact someone.

2)  I will take better care of myself by working out and eating right. 

I was lucky; I only gained 25 pounds when I was pregnant with Audrey.  It wasn't really that hard to lose and in fact, I ended up losing more than 25 pounds.  What I found, however, is that my weight slowly crept back up because I was still eating like I was pregnant - my craving for sweets and ice cream only went away a few months ago - and I wasn't doing anything to excercise.  The result?  In a short span of only a few weeks over the holidays, I gained more than I'm comfortable with.  Starting after New Year's Day, Bill and I dragged out our Wii Fit and agreed that together, we would workout 30 minutes 5-6 nights a week.  The result?  After only 2 weeks, he'd lost 2 pounds and I'd lost 3.   Not too shabby.  Plus I just feel better.  I'd been starting to feel achy and missed the flexibility I once had.  I'm getting my groove back.

Bill and I have also come to realize that we eat way more than we should.  Even little things like at breakfast.  I have always eaten an English muffin with peanut butter for breakfast.  I used to just eat half of a muffin until I got pregnant, then I started eating the whole thing.  Sounds minor until you consider that by eating that extra half, I was probably comsuming an additional 150+ calories.  By cutting back to just the one half and smaller portions at lunch and dinner, I figure I'm shaving off enough calories to either lose weight or maintain where I am.

3)  I will be a better friend by responding to emails in a more timely fashion and by checking in "just because".

In the same vein as #1 I will be a better emailer.  It takes me forever to respond to people's emails, if I ever do.  That's not being a very good friend and it makes it seem as though I don't care about them which is definitely not true.  I also find that many of my closer friends will text and email me "just because."  It makes me smile and feel loved.  So the next time I'm thinking about someone, I think I'll let them know with a little note.

4)  I will declutter my life - specifically my email inbox and household items.

My house seems to be overflowing with stuff - mail, items to be recycled, baby toys/clothes, shoes.  In the last few weeks, I went through a lot of my clothing and donated 6 large bags worth, 2 bags of shoes (a 3rd bag went in the trash) and 1 bag of purses.  It felt great!  I still have more to do but I think that since we're getting ready to move, it will be easy to get rid of the junk.  Less to move!

I am embarassed to tell you about my email inboxes.  At work, I have over 1,000 emails in my inbox (and yes, I do archive them!; this is what is left).  My hotmail account also has over 1,000 emails.  Where's that Delete button??

5)  I will post a minimum of 3 blog entries a week with at least one being food focused. 

As I'm sure you've noticed, there's been a flurry of blog activity lately.  As one co-worker said to me, I've posted more entries recently than I have in the last few months.  For some reason, I always get blog ideas in my head and even start to draft the text but then never get around to sitting down and typing it out.  I also really want to keep the "Foodies" side going as well, even if to a lesser degree, because cooking well and drinking wine are large hobbies in Bill's and my life.  Now that Audrey is here, I don't want to lose ourselves and just become mommy and daddy who only make fish sticks and tator tots.  We actually have a life too.

6)  I will go to bed earlier.

Not sure what to say about this one other than it's ridiculous how late I go to bed each night.  There's no excuse for staying up as late as I do so as part of #2, I must start going to bed earlier.

7)  I will read more.

I think this goes without saying but I don't have as much time for myself as I used to.  Reading, not that I was doing it a ton before, has gone by the wayside.  When I lived in Chicago, I could knock out a book a week because all I would do to and from work while on the el was read.  That was awesome.  Santa was good to me this year because I got a Barnes and Noble NOOK.  Yay!!  (If you're trying to decide between eReaders, I highly recommend the NOOK.  Write to me if you want to learn more.)  I'm making a point to set aside time each night and I'm well on my way to catching up on the hottest best sellers.  I may actually read the books my little book club recommends rather than just attending the meetings for the wine!

Cheers to 2011!  May you all find strive to be a better person all year round.