Happy New Year?

Happy 2016! Wait, it's already February?! What happened to January? Oh well, I was so busy I hardly noticed the COLD, GRAY Cleveland winter for an entire month!

 

There is nothing that renews my spirit more than the quiet lull after the holidays. This year, there was only about a week of calm & quiet before things got pretty chaotic & busy. I really craved two weeks, boo!

 

We spent NYE at my sister Kim's playing games and on New Years Day, we hosted my sisters, BILs, bonus mom, nephews and niece for a belated Christmas celebration.

 

 

The kids all played a fun game where we made a "snowball" out of saran wrap and in each layer, there were snacks and prizes. They had so much fun! It was a great way to kick off 2016.

I LOVE New Years Resolutions. I get to set goals for a whole new year and envision what the upcoming 365 (366 this year!!) days will be like. It's so fun to dream!

I cannot wait to share my 2016 resolutions, but that will have to wait for my next post. First though, I want to revisit my 2015 goals and see how I did! I never feel bad for not achieving a resolution; it's almost impossible in January to know what July or October will be like and I know that! That's life!

My 2015 resolutions:

1. To blog more! At least 5 days a week. I miss blogging and it needs to be a priority. Even my girls love to see what we were up to 3, 4, 5 years ago. I want to keep track with more stories!

I blogged more than I had since 2012. Certainly not 5 days a week, but progress!

2. To read more! This is more than just a resolution because I thoroughly enjoy reading. This will good to continue strengthening my eye muscles! I'd love to read one book a week. My goal though would be 24 books for the year. I'm not sure how chaotic things will be in 5 months so let's not set a lofty goal :)

 

I read 27 books last year!!!!! Goal met AND surpassed!

 

3. To keep up with laundry...this speaks for itself...gulp! I'm terrible with laundry. This is something I've tried for years to be better at. I'll keep trying nonetheless!

By December, I'd finally gotten a handle on this!!

4. To keep my house clean...aka my piles of mail and papers at a minimum. I'm getting better but there's still room for growth.

I'm not perfect, but there has definitely been progress made in this area! I came up with some new ways to organize so that daily mail and school papers have a place to go before they can pile up!

5. To type on my computer with my right hand better. This will take practice, practice, practice!

Work in progress--better than it was!

6. To write more quickly and to not tremble! Again, practice, practice, practice!

Again, Work in progress--better than it was!

7. To take more photos with my 'big' camera. I used to before my accident; just need to get back to it!

Success!

8. To scrapbook more. I need to finish my 2013 book, do my 2014 book and start my 2015 book! Plus Jaden and Sienna have stuff that needs to go in school albums. I'm determined to make this happen! 

Fail--uh oh! Maybe in 2016?!

9. To find a new home church and get involved!

Tried...and failed...but stay tuned ;)

10. To follow the Whole30 at least half the months this year. I feel AMAZING on that plan, yet I still like treats now and again. More about this soon--I just started following it again today and I'm celebrating no diet soda and no pasta in 8 weeks! Woohoo :)

 

Technically, a fail. BUT, it wasn't for lack of trying. I still have not had diet coke, and that was such an addiction before that I could barely challenge myself to 7 days without it!! I think that the Whole30 is a great plan, but by last fall, it had occurred to me that I can't eat that way ALWAYS so I stopped pressuring myself to do it. I do not want to drastically change the way I eat for a short time; it feels like a crash diet and I'd rather focus on the healthy habits day to day!

2016 resolutions coming up next!! Happy New Year; a month in makes it still new right? Ha! There are still more than 330 days left of 2016 :)