New Years Resolutions

I'm pretty bad about even making the effort to write these down, let alone keeping them. Nonetheless, I post them with the best of intentions.

1. STOP Drinking Cokes.
There's a billion reasons not to drink cokes. Not only are they bad for me, but they are bad for the environment. 2010 brought me a lot of awareness as to how things like food are produced. I began recycling, and I guarantee you the styrofoam that piles up in our recycling is embarrassing. Not to mention that we are tightening the reigns on our budget and as "cheap" as a coke is... they add up. Between my husband and I drinking at least one fountain drink a day, we probably spend at least $100 a month on soda alone. (Embarrassing... I admit.) I'll spare you the obvious health reasons for abstaining from drinking sodas because we all know that there is no nutritional value in them.

2. Nutritious Meal Planning
This is actually several goals combined into one. I want to reduce the amount of processed foods we eat. Realistically we won't completely stop eating processed foods this next year, but we can reduce things like eating out and buying unhealthy packaged foods. I also want to plan meals in advance to reduce costs and having unused groceries go to waste. I need to make meals on weekends to freeze so we are less likely to eat out on evenings we don't feel like cooking. I'd also like to practice making Bento boxes for my son's lunch. I'd like to experiment with new cooking techniques and try new foods.

3. Organize and Keep A Schedule
From budgets, to meal planning, to my son's activities... I'd like to keep better track of where we need to be, tighter reigns on our spending, and make an effort to plan in advance.

4. Time for Self
This year I am going to start meditation with a group. (Sound lame? I've heard positive things about meditation and just want to give it a try.) I want to commit to that and also spend time doing things that I really enjoy like art, quilting, crochet and sewing. Along with that comes the same resolution that is on almost everyone's list... exercise more. My goal would be to exercise or run three times a week. Yes, I need to lose weight. That's an uncomfortable place for me to be since the majority of my life I have been underweight. I lost several pounds after I had my son, but then gained rather quickly to a place I'm not real happy with. (Cutting the cokes should help with this, too.) Anyway, I need to make myself a priority if I want to be able to take care of my son in the way I want to.

5. Move Toward Self Sufficiency
I'm going to plan our garden ahead of time and rotate crops. I hope I can plan it successfully enough to feed our family year round. This past summer I learned how to can and want to really spend time practicing preserving food. I made many cans of jams but want to try vegetables. We also started recycling, and I want to do a better job of that. I'm going to continue studying permaculture principles.

6. Quality Time with Family
The flip side of time for myself... I want to spend time with my family that is worthwhile and not in front of a TV.

These aren't original resolutions, but I hope I can keep them. They mainly focus on living a healthier life not only for myself but for my family and the "footprint" I will leave on our earth.