It's That Time of Year

It's that time of year when we reflect on the past year and look forward to the next year. I have to say 2010 was not one of my best years, in more ways than one. It was a stressful year for many reasons. Of course, baby Ava has made this a busy year. She is such a blessing but she has definitely added a lot to my workload. She has not been a good sleeper, actually she is 16 months old now and is just starting to sleep through the night. Abby was such a good sleeper as a baby and it's been a struggle with the sleep deprivation. I think that's one of the main reason I've gained weight this past year. I could never quite figure out how to keep the house as clean and organized as I'd like so that was a source of stress as well. I wasn't even into Christmas this year. The girls had a great Christmas, but I had the tree down by the end of the day. It's like I can't wait for 2010 to be over.

2011 is gonna be a great year! I've already made the decision. My biggest goal for the year is to be able to say at the end of the year that it's been a great one.

Here are my goals:

• Lose at least 75 pounds. I've already started planning for this. I've joined up with the ladies at Mamavation and have been posting my progress every Monday. The ladies are also very active on twitter with #mamavation. I've been working with a health coach and figuring out my diet. I tend to not eat because I'm busy and then I eat whatever I can stuff into my mouth because I'm starving. I've started eating breakfast everyday. I ordered a Vitamix and plan to start incorporating green smoothies into my diet, usually at lunch. I also hope it will help me to get more vegetables into my girls. I want to focus not on fad diets, points, or calories. I know I need to pay attention to calories, but I really want to focus on getting more whole, nutritious foods into my body. I eat too much sugar and I really need to cut that back in a big way. The good thing is that I love fruits and vegetables. I have to start planning weekly menus and shopping so that I have what I need.

• I want to make and stay on a family budget and start saving more. I'm going to start using You Need a Budget. I've heard great things about it and hope to use it to start finding out where the money is going and where we need to cut back and save. My husband is on board and also serious about budgeting, and this makes it much more likely to be a successful goal.

• Home organization. I'm developing a cleaning schedule customized to my family and schedule. Everyone has to participate in keeping a clean, organized home. Again, my husband is on board with this. My 7 year old is going to be participating a lot more. I've started a chore list for her. What I'm going to do is make a daily list for her that is expected from her as part of the family. I'm also going to make a list of extra things she can do to earn some extra money. I haven't decided on those yet but have some ideas floating around in my head. I also realize that I'm at a point in my life when keeping a sparkling home is not an option. I have two young children and a busy schedule. There will be toys scattered about the house. There will be cheerios and other various food items dropped on the floor, though the dog is quite helpful at taking care of those messes. It's life.

• HAVE FUN!! My girls are growing so fast. I don't want to look back and regret that I didn't enjoy them because I was stressed about the pile of laundry on the kitchen counter. I'm gonna have some fun this year!!