The Final Resolution

My third and final resolution (so I don't overload myself) is to become more balanced with my family and personal life.

Here's the thing, when I was in school, I had a few hours every day that was my time and despite how much I hated being in school while I had two kids at home, it was a much needed break. After I graduated, I found myself struggling to find Hobie--watching TV and going shopping don't count in my book. Now don't get me wrong, I totally believe that raising my children well is the most important thing I can do; however if I lose who I am while I'm raising them, am I doing them a favor?

Solution: I'm going to implement a relaxed schedule to ensure that I give my kids the quality time they need in addition to having my own quality time.

The schedule (which I started today): we wake up whenever (usually by 8:30, but I'm not going to be banging any gongs), eat breakfast, then we have preschool time where Alex (18 months) colors and Gabby (4) and I work on getting her ready for kindergarten next fall. Today we went until about 11:30 AM at which time Alex went down for a nap. Nap time means it's my time and quiet time for Gabby (she can play in her room, watch a movie or read books).

So Now What do I do? During My Time, I can blog (which I'm really loving), read (which is why I started the book club), catch up the photo albums, sing or do whatever--the point is that I'm taking time out each day so I don't go crazy and one day wake up and realize I haven't a clue who I am.

When Alex Wakes Up: we have some physical activity (which can include shopping if need be, when you bring your kids it can become quite physical). Generally, I'd like the physical activity to include: going for a walk, going to the park, playing outside . . . anything to wear my precious children out.

When the Kids are Exhausted: let them play on their own or set up a craft to work on. Around 4 PM I'll start the preparations for dinner (i.e. thaw chicken, cut vegetables, etc.)

When Noah Gets Home: He watches the kids and I go for a 2 mile jog around the neighborhood. When my jog is done, I finish dinner and we eat together as a family.

After Dinner: we clean up the kitchen (as a family), the kids take a bath and get ready for bed. When the kids are ready for bed, we read together and they go to sleep (by 7:30 PM).

A Quiet House: When the kids are out, I get time with Noah (Boggle and such), then he works on his master's degree while I enjoy the peace and quiet by reading or going out on the town.

Note: I'm no stickler and if something comes up, I'm not going to pass it up just because it doesn't fit in the schedule.

Resolution # 2

My second resolution (in no particular order) is to stay on top of my family's finances. I've switched to a cash-based system and am already seeing it work. I find it so much more difficult to spend money when I can literally see it diminish before my eyes, as opposed to the abstract way of seeing money disappear when I use plastic.

For more tips on ways to get a grip on your finances, visit my step-brother Sam's amazing blog.

A Word on Resolutions

Resolution #1: Of course, one of my resolutions this year is to lose the weight I gained last year. Designmom posted about this great blog to form a community of people trying to lose weight/ get in shape.

So here's what I intend on doing (I did this 2 years ago and lost 20 lbs in about 2 1/2 months): I'm keeping a food log with 1500 calories as my daily allotment. I have a sheet that lists 6 food groups with how many servings I should have a day (vegetables--4 servings, breads--5 servings, meats--2 servings, milk--3 servings, fruits--6 servings and fats--3 servings). I tried to scan it in, but we're having some computer problems and it didn't work so I'll scan it in another time.

I break up my calories like this: 300 for breakfast (light yogurt and toast with honey), 400 for lunch (a sandwich with a cup of low calorie soup), 200 for a snack (I like having a kudos bar--100 calories--and a serving of fruit--60 calories--), for dinner I eat whatever my family eats (smaller portions if it has a lot of calories). I also make sure to Tally up my water intake (I make sure to have 8 glasses a day, 2 each time I eat--it's amazing how drinking enough water lessens your appetite)!

When you reach your goal weight, you gradually increase your calorie intake until you stop losing and you're not gaining.