Why I suck at New Year's resolutions

So far, 2011 has been a quiet year for our family. Mike and Laney had the flu. Mike now has strep throat. We didn't have much of a celebration on New Year's Eve because of the sickies. Laney is finally recovering and I feel like I can start thinking about the new year. I don't know why but I am a total sucker for New Year's resolutions and for having fresh starts come January 1.

However, thinking about resolutions on the fourth of January doesn't have the same effect as it does on the thirty-first of December. Maybe that is why I haven't had much success in past years. It gets old a mere four days later. If you've read my blog for any length of time you will know that I have tons of ideas...and poor follow-through.With that being said, why don't I share some more ideas with you.

Last year Mike and I sat down to write out all the blessings God gave us in 2009. I want to sit down and do the same for 2010. When you see all the good it makes it hard to be a downer.

I want to make a list of resolutions for 2011.

I want to purge and clean out my house. I am such a pack-rat and I am just sick of caring about stuff. Why do we fall so easily prey to caring about stuff?

I start my new job on Monday. This means relinquishing some control of taking care of Laney. You have no idea how much I'm struggling with this. My sister is even going to be the one looking after her.

I have a new angle for weight loss that I really want to share with you. I think it's going to be really fun and I am planning to have a series here on my blog.

Wish me good luck. And, I'll leave you with this little gem. You have to know that Laney is sick if she's sleeping on one of us. She's been doing it non-stop over the past week. I have been relishing these moments all the while wishing that she was squirming to get down and away from us because it would mean she's healthy.

Happy New Year (or all 361 days that are left of it)

Midyear resolutions

So my New Year's Resolutions for 2010 didn't exactly pan out. Big surprise. I think next year my only New Year's Resolution is going to be not to make any. I think part of the reason that I haven't been able to keep resolutions is because I make my goals too general or too difficult to achieve. This blog is another example. I started it to totally transform myself from a chubby, procrastinating, frumpy, stressed out woman into a more stylish, fit, and joyful one. If I am going to have any success, or for that matter any way to measure success, I need some specific, attainable, and short-term goals. So here they are, in no particular order.

1. Complete a sprint triathlon

In high school I was really fit. I exercised all the time. Not to brag (OK, maybe a little), but I did 1000 crunchies every night in grade 12. I took a course in high school called “Super Fit” and the final assignment was to do a sprint triathlon. For those of you wondering what this consists of, check out this site. I am so far from fit at this point in my life. I really would like to feel better about my body and have some more energy. Completing this was originally my goal for this summer; however, things were not so simple and figuring out how to take care of a baby and training just did not happen. My town runs a triathlon every year and I would like to be able to compete and finish it in the summer of 2011.

2. Do devotions most days

I tend to put my relationship with God on the backburner far too often. I would really like to spend more time reading the Bible and need to start setting aside some time everyday. When I went to Ethiopia a couple of years ago, I read the entire Bible in my evenings. It was so simple there finding the time to do this. Here in North America it is so easy to get distracted and not make time for things that are important. I made this goal stating "most days" because I know life sometimes gets in the way and it is not always possible to say every day. If I had made every day my goal, then I know that I am likely to quit trying after the first time I miss a day.

3. Floss my teeth most days.

I am ashamed to admit that I am one of those people who only floss after eating corn-on-the-cob or immediately before my next dentist appointment. I hope you aren’t too grossed out. I have a friend who is a dental assistant and she is always telling me how important it is to floss. This article backs her up and has succeeded in making flossing everyday a priority . I want to impress my dental hygienist next time I see her and I don’t want to hear anymore lectures from her. I need some validation from the dental hygienist.

4. Lose 30 lbs

This goal hopefully will be met when I complete some of my other goals, such as the triathlon. I never had weight issues growing up. I started to gain weight through post-secondary when I didn’t really make eating healthy and exercising a priority. To help me achieve this goal, I am going to use SparkPeople again. I had begun to lose some weight two years ago using this website. If you have some pounds to drop, I strongly suggest checking it out. You can set a goal weight and the date you want to meet your goal and they will give you personalized nutrition plans. You can also just use it to track your food and they will count all the calories, etc. for you.

5. Eat healthy foods

I really want to be a good example for Laney. I do not want to see her grow up struggling with her weight. Mike also seems to struggle with being fairly intolerant to excess sodium. I had a gestational diabetes scare (almost had it) during my pregnancy. Besides wanting to avoid any repeats in subsequent pregnancies, I do not want to get Type II diabetes down the road. I have begun to make most foods from scratch and we barely eat any processed foods at all. I now need to focus on more balanced meals and getting in more veggies and less carbs.

6. Start my own business

This is a lofty goal for me. I am not aiming so high that I need a business that will make a living, but more something I can do on the side to make a little extra for my family. I would love to be able to do something out of my home. Unfortunately, being scientifically minded, I am not the most creative. Also, considering how my skills are in the laboratory, there aren’t many legal businesses I can run from home. If you have any legitimate suggestions or ideas that don’t consist of me talking dirty on the phone to sweaty old men please share.

7. Keep my house clean

I have been checking out this site almost daily and have finally taken the plunge into following some of the methods. I’ve used a few tips to organize my life and not have cleaning take over. It is so nice to plan out my days and as a bonus it gives me some structure, which is something I miss about my job.

8. Go on a great vacation

Mike and I are always planning vacations to exotic locations. Tahiti, Zanzibar, and South Africa are just a few of the places we would love to see. We have not been on a proper vacation since our honeymoon to Jamaica five years ago. We have been on a few trips to visit family, and while nice, isn’t always relaxing like a vacation should be. Hopefully goal number 6 will help me make a little extra to save up for a good one.

9. Save money and pay off some debt

Mike and I both have student loans, parental loan, a mortgage, and vehicle payments. We would really love to have no debt in the long term and only our mortgage in the next several years. We have to start budgeting, as much as I hate that word. We have gotten so used to just spending without any planning or saving that our money always seems to disappear without us having noticed. I would love to find some great tools that would help us in this area.

10. Complete 20 pushups in a row

I mean real pushups. Not the girly ones. I found this website that gives a training regimen to finish 100 consecutive pushups. I am going to try this and see if I can get to 20. The sky is the limit after that. Also, just so you know the only real reason this goal is on here is because I felt like nine goals just didn't sound right.

Into the land of motherhood...

I had no idea how much my life was about to change when I gave birth. I mean of course I knew that life would be different, but I could not understand it completely until I lived it. That I was going to go from the scientific method (my career path) and studying epidemiology to practically memorizing the "No Cry Sleep Solution" was a bit of a shock to my system. It has been difficult adjusting to the realization that I am a mum and every time I talk to other parents it reinforces the fact that my life is never going to be the way it was a short six months ago. Not that I want it to be. I love my new life and I know that I am still the science nerd I was a short time ago. I am just going to have to learn how to keep my interests alive while investing in a new life.

I felt like I gained membership to an exclusive club when I became a mother. All of a sudden, mums everywhere would talk to me and even discuss parenting methods. I find that carrying a child suddenly makes strangers much more open to conversation. I have never had the gift of ‘social ease’ or whatever you want to call it and I have found it both frustrating and wonderful to have such a cute little icebreaker to help me meet people. I always wanted to be a social butterfly, but was painfully shy growing up and to this day I find it hard to converse with strangers. I do love how babies seem to bring joy to so many people. I find that even the surliest-looking cashiers can do a complete turnaround when faced with a little baby. I realise that not everyone likes babies, but I do find that Laney brings a smile to many strangers. And I like that.

I am a 27 year old brand new mother of Laney my six-month-old baby and wife to Mike. We recently moved to a new town and I feel like this new start for our family is the perfect opportunity for me to have a fresh start myself.


My goal for this blog is not to share every little detail about mothering, but to find a balance in my life between who I was, who I am, and who I will become. I cannot spend every moment discussing what I found in my baby’s diaper, nor can I be self-centered and try and live my life as it was before my daughter was born. I want to become the best wife, mother, friend, and science nerd I can be. I don’t think that I can have it all, but I do think I can strike some kind of balance.

Part of growing in this way is realizing that I have “let myself go” a little bit and that I need to take time to improve myself mentally, physically, and spiritually. In order to be my best I need to take some time for myself. I find it way to easy to put off laundry for one day. That one day soon becomes one week. I want to have a decently clean house so that I don't have to spend time obsessing about how I should be cleaning. I don't want to avoid inviting friends over because of the state of my house. I do not want to avoid swimming with my baby because of the fear of being seen in a swimsuit. It is time to do something about these things. It is time to take care of my house and to take care of me

You could maybe refer to this as my New Year’s Resolutions, but I am going to think of them as my New Me Resolutions. I would like to lose weight, learn some fashion sense, eat healthy, keep my house clean, and make new friends. All of these things will take my attentions somewhat off my baby girl, but in taking some time for myself I will improve her life and my husband’s life by providing them with a better mother and wife.

So if you made it this far, welcome and thanks for following my journey. I hope that you can see a transformation as I completely make myself over. Is there anything you’ve done to improve yourself lately?