New Years Resolutions: of all kinds!

In the past, I have rarely made new years resolutions. I never follow through, and usually they are some unrealistic idea of who I should or should not be, what I should do, or how I should change the way I look. Well, not this year. Last year my husband and I did a whole financial makeover and that was our unspoken New Years resolution, and believe it or not, we stuck to our budget all year and paid down our debt. We are students, there is no way it is completely paid off, but we are slowly working toward taking the correct measures to make a reliable plan. This year, we have some house resolutions (aka. projects) and some real-life resolutions.

1. "If it isn't a HELL YEAH, it is a no." I saw this post online and it really resonated with how I feel about things. I am tired of spending my time doing things I do not want to do, only to please other people. In fact, I have spent too many years attending things I didn't want to, or helping someone when it felt like an obligation, not something I would want to do, and I am over it. I realize this probably makes me sound selfish, but it isn't about that. What it is about, when I say yes to someone else or something else, it means I am saying 'no' to my family. Those three sweet faces come before anyone, so if that is selfish of me, so be it.

2. Be more authentic. I have spent a lot of time in my life worried about looking one way, and it is not about how I look that matters. Well, maybe it matters to other people, but it doesn't matter to the people that matter in my life. I can remember a time in my life when I would spend money that I shouldn't have spent on an outfit because I was going to a party a "frenemy" would be at. No more. I wear what I wear, I shower or not, I do my hair or don't do my hair. It doesn't matter. I need to worry about being more of my true self around everyone, not just the people that are close to me. 

3. Read EVERY night. We were really good at this for a long time. Good at it until Leila was born. Then pure exhaustion set in and we were still trying to figure out bed time with three children and nursing. No more excuses. We have been reading every night and I can just tell the boys appreciate that time so much, and I am happy that this is one that we have figured out the nuts and bolts, even if it is before showers and baths, to make it happen. 

4. Take more action. This was Berto's goal. When the "change oil" light goes on, get the oil changed that week. When the "low tire pressure" alert happens, put air in the tires. He has decided to be more proactive with things that come up in life with kids, cars, and work. 

5. Purge. This is not to be confused with bulimia. We have TOO MUCH STUFF. We went through the basement toys over Christmas Break and sold a lot of things. We need to get rid of so much more in order to live a life with less things and more memories. Our basement is so much cleaner, organized, and the boys are having so much more fun down there now. It feels refreshing to get rid of things you no longer need or use. 

6. Have a reasonable bed time. I am usually up until one in the morning. It is ridiculous and I am tired and grumpy with my kids the following day. During the week, we have set an "upstairs by 10, in bed by 10:30" rule and we have actually been going to bed before that time! 

7. Re-do our fireplace. I have plans for this, but you will just have to stay tuned to the blog to see where it goes! Hint: Joanna Gaines. 

There will certainly be more home projects this year including finishing Luke's room, adding more "Aiden" to Aiden's room, and some other smaller things. I am hoping that using this blog as my sounding board it provides some accountability for my resolutions. So, if I am up Sunday-Thursday and you see me online, tell me to go to bed! :)