2012 Resolutions

I've been looking forward to writing this post because it's always motivational to see your goals and remind yourself about what you hope to accomplish in the coming year.

I had originally planned to take a look back at my 2011 goals, but I think it's best to start fresh and with a positive outlook instead of focusing on what wasn't accomplished.

Here are my top goals/resolutions for 2012!

Eat at home more often--- When we were buying our new home, one of the huge selling points was the open kitchen with lots of storage space (cabinetry) and a huge island. I promised I would cook more when we were moved-in, but that hasn't really happened. My H cooks more than I do, but we cook the same things over and over. Wanting to start the new year off right, we challenged ourselves to stay in and cook a meal together instead of going out. H found a healthy chicken parmesan recipe online, we went grocery shopping together to get everything we needed and we cooked a lovely meal together.

I don't want to set unrealistic goals, so H and I made a deal that we would alternate weeks and try to cook one new meal every week. I figure once we learn to cook some meals, it will be much easier to motivate ourselves to cook more often.

Eat healthier--- This one is a spinoff from the first, but we would both like to committ to eating healthier. I'm pretty good during the day but after work is usually when I vere off course. I still eat too many processed foods and not enough vegetables. I want to make sure I focus on eating more real foods this year. One thing I do have to commend myself for is portion sizes. Last year I really focused on listening to my body and eating until I was satisfied and not until I felt my stomach was about to burst.

I also really need to work on my sugar intake. My beloved Sour Patch Kids need to go. Not only do they tend to make me feel sick after I eat ~~an insane amount~~ them, they are also probably horrible for me. I'll never go cold turkey because you only live once and I love sweets, but I need to stop eating so much sugar and candy and control portions better when it comes to the sugary stuff.

Continue working out--- 2011 was a fantastic year for me fitness-wise. I was working out on average 4-5 days a week up until when we moved. Moving and settling into our new home was stressful and totally threw our schedules out of whack. We continued to work out, but usually only 2 days a week. We would both like to get back to working out at least 4 days a week and 5 if we can.

My goal was to be in the best shape of my life before we have a child. I have heard being fit makes pregnancy easier (and sometimes even the delivery) and also keeps up your energy levels and helps you get your body back after baby. Working out makes me feel so good and I'm looking forward to continuing my progress in 2012.

Oh, and while we're on the topic of working out, this happened on New Years Eve. I love her. So yeah, that was pretty amazing.

Read more---I think this one migrated over from last year's list. I read maybe 2 or 3 books this year. Awful, I know. I order all of these books on Amazon and then never make the time to read them. I'd like to read a book every 2 months or so because I love reading. Maybe I should join a book club!

Worry less--- A lot of you already know I struggle with anxiety and ocassional panic attacks. It's very difficult to admit that it has gotten worse over the years, not better. I always feel incredibly guilty for my anxiety because I am so lucky. I am 100% aware of the fact that I lead a very blessed life and I am incredibly fortunate to have a great husband and family and a beautiful home and a job...but for some reason my anxiety still gets to me at times. On one hand, I'm thankful that my anxiety and worrying doesn't cripple me (prevent me from living my life) and on the other hand I wish I didn't worry and stress so much. I did buy some books about overcoming anxious feelings but, as you probably can already gather, I haven't read them yet.

Keep it clean--- I'm a neat freak. I love to clean like it's my calling in life. I enjoy the process of cleaning and love to throw on some tunes and just clean the day away. However, what I'm not great at is keeping things neat and clean in between my deeper cleans. Our bedroom and bathroom are particularly bad victims of this. I hardly ever make the bed (I leave last so it should be me doing it), I sometimes leaves clothes on the floor instead of putting them away, I leave my hairdryer and hairbrush out. Basically, I'd like to be neater on a daily basis. I can make a room look perfect, but keeping it that way is a challenge for me. I'd like to make my bed everyday and put my stuff away before I leave for work so I can come home to a neat room.

Travel--- I've still got the travel bug in me. H and I may go to London again this summer. Not 100% sure it will happen, but it would be lovely if we could take another trip like that this year.

Stop picking--- My cuticles, that is. I am always picking at the dry skin and hangnails and it's awful. Need to stop this ASAP. I also need to stop picking at my split ends and just cut them off when I see one.
Style evolution--- While looking back at old posts, I've seen just how much my style has evolved and I'd like for that to continue. I loved adding more brights and colors to my wardrobe and my plan for 2012 is to continue to step out of my comfort zone, while still being true to clothing and styles I love.

Blogging--- I love blogging. I love how many amazing women I've "met" through blogging and I love being part of this community. I want to make my blog better each year and write content that people enjoy reading. I want better photos and better quality everything. I think I'm starting off the year right by having switched to tripod photos and I want that to trickle into all aspects of my blog. I'm even planning a 2012 re-design which I'm so excited about. I value each and every person who reads my blog and makes it so meaninful for me with your sweet comments, emails and overall support. If I don't say it enough---THANK YOU!!!

Be Grateful--- This year, during one of the few times we attended church services, the sermon really inspired me to think differently about the way I pray. Instead of asking God for what I want and what I hope for, I've started off my prayers telling God what I'm thankful for and thanking Him for bestowing so many blessings upon my life. I think oftentimes in life we are so overwhelmed with all we have going on that we sometimes forget to thank God for how incredible our lives are and instead we focus on what we feel we are missing. Of course you should always ask God to help you through your struggles and we should all pray for those facing difficult times, but I always try to tell God a few things I am thankful about first because I think it's important to acknowledge those blessings.

On New Years Eve, H and I decided to take it easy and stay in and cook our own dinner. We went grocery shopping to get what we needed and prepared a yummy chicken parmesan dish.