I’ve always been one to believe in the power of change, especially at the new year. I know people say, “come February, you’ll probably stop doing your NY resolutions”, but I still think it’s important to make. I try to make “resolutions” (aka GOALS) throughout the year, but what a better way to start a new year than with a list of goals! These are my goals for 2018:
1. Eat Better
D and I started transitioning to a Vegan lifestyle since last July and have been able to keep it up, giving ourselves a cheat meal/day for special occasions (weddings, family parties, holidays, etc.) Unfortunately, Thanksgiving and this past Christmas has deemed the lifestyle rather difficult. It’s been tough because I’m torn between not wasting food, but not trying to eat meat and dairy all week. When I ate meat and dairy for about a week after Thanksgiving, I felt horrible inside. I was bloated, I had the worst PMS symptoms since we started going Vegan, and I felt very sluggish. This upcoming year, I want to make it a goal that if we do cheat, to only cheat for a MEAL and not a day or a week. I want to be a better Vegan.
2. Physical Activity
I barely worked out since having Nora last year. I surprisingly jog/walked a 5k over the summer, and would occasionally do a speed-walk/jog on that track with Nora over the summer, but since the weather cooled down I used it as an excuse to slow down. I have these Yoga DVD’s I’d love to get into. I want Nora to see me working out, the way she sees D working out, and learn that from me, as well. Monkey see, Monkey do. When spring/summer hits, I want to take more walks/jogs. I want to take her to the park more, and get her enrolled in swimming classes. I want 2018 to be more active for us as a Family!
3. Self-Care
I want to take more time for myself — getting routine haircuts or monthly massages. I want to actually read a book from start to finish. I started getting into skin care products in the past few months and finally found a routine that works for me and makes me want to get up in the morning! I want to get all my routine check-ups (physicals, Pap smears, dental and eye visits, etc.) done, aside from all of Nora’s. I felt like 2017 focused on all of her check-ups (because there were SO MANY!!), and not really on my own. I need to do better than that, I need to make sure I keep myself in check so I can be the best for myself and for my Family.
4. Friends
I won’t lie, I’ve been such a terrible friend ever since Nora was born. Adjusting to all the changes that come along with being a new Mama, on top of being exhausted ALL the time, has definitely made me a homebody trying to get rest whenever she’s resting. But now that Nora’s a year old and on more of a “schedule”, I’ve been able to get more rest and it’s become a lot easier to manage my time. Now that I’ve been at the Mama-gig for a year, I feel it’s time to go back into the world and try to be a better friend. I want to reach out more often to my friends and try to have a get-together with them at least once a month. I feel like I’ve seen them once a season, if that even, since Nora was born and I can’t blame anyone but myself.
5. Family
The past few months have opened opportunities to get closer to my older brother and I’ve been very grateful for the time we’ve been able to spend together and catch up on the past few years. I’ve always had a close relationship to my Family, but I’m hoping this year I can continue to work on my relationships. My younger brother and sis-in-law are expecting in February and we’re all looking forward to it! I’m already excited for their baby to grow up a little so Nora can have a play-mate while she waits on me and D to have her sibling, haha… in due time.
6. Blogging
I want to write more. I had a Live Journal that was more of an online, but personal journal and I stopped writing as much as I used to. Since starting this blog a few months ago, I’m hoping I can really use it for this new chapter in my life as a Mom, to connect to more of you and hopefully get your thoughts, feedback, and advice.
7. Mom Life
Don’t get me wrong, I feel like most of this year has had a ton of focus on caring for Nora. I still can’t get over how much changes occur within that first year of life!! But now that I’m a year in and we’re on a little bit more of a schedule, I feel like I can really start to hone in on my Mothering abilities. One of the bigger things I’m hoping to do this year is to disconnect a bit more from my phone while Nora’s awake. I won’t lie, I have the television on a lot… I’m bothered when it’s too quiet. Half the time we’re watching things I know Nora isn’t going to really focus on, so she does other things; it’s more for background noise. But I know that’s something I want to work on, as well. I want to read more to her and interact more with her during playtime. I want to continue teaching her to be kind.
8. Wife Life
The biggest goal I want to focus on is my marriage. People tell you having a kid changes things, but I don’t feel like they tell you how. The first half year of Nora’s life was awesome, but very challenging marriage-wise. It just took us a while to figure out how to still focus and have time for our marriage when we’ve been so busy adjusting to our new roles as Mom and Dad, adjusting to being exhausted at the end of the day. Once we got in the swing of things, it helped us get our groove back, but I know there’s more that we both want. I want to go on a date at least once a month, that’s been a struggle for us. I want to work on my communication with D. I want to hold hands more, now that Nora’s walking. I want to be more present when I’m with him.
It’s definitely a laundry list of things. I feel like I’ve already started working on these things the past couple months, so I’m hoping to continue reaching towards these goals. I know it’s a lot about balance. I’ve got a positive outlook for this upcoming year. There’s been so many big changes in the last few years and it’s been exciting to look forward to each new year.
What are your resolutions? Any tips to keep me motivated and keep me going?
~N