new year's resolutions

With the new year, I'm working on making some changes in my life.  I read the other day that the average person only keeps a new year's resolution until February 14.  Basically, a month and a half.  I'm hoping to go longer than that.  Braylon came home from school today and told me that he has a new year's "revolution" to keep his room clean.  He said he wants to keep it for ten days.  I couldn't help but giggle to myself.

So, what are my resolutions?

Cook at home six times per week.

   We eat out way too much.  In fact, we have gone through spurts of eating out almost every day.  It's ridiculous, I know.  Not only is it completely unhealthy (because you know we aren't eating a salad when we eat out), but it's also extremely difficult on our pocketbook.  Recently I made a list of meals that I can make.  I've always told myself that I'm not a good cook.  Of course, years of other people telling me that, I've believed them.  I am trying to tell myself that I'm not a bad cook.  It's hard when the boys come in and tell me that what I'm cooking smells disgusting, but after about a week of meals at home, they're getting better about eating it.  I also like it that we're eating as a family at the table.

Lose 40 pounds by September 1.

  I have so much more than 40 pounds to lose, but I think that this is do-able if I set my mind to it.  Our all school reunion is over Labor Day weekend, and I so do not want to go looking like I do right now.  I weigh entirely too much and do not like the way that I look.  I know that I can be skinnier because I have been before.  Jerad always says that I have a problem with my weight because I have been thin in the past.  He says that he's okay with the way that he is because he's always been big.  I think that eating at home in the evenings will definitely help with this.  I am also sticking with the Figure 8 plan from Arbonne.  I haven't incorporated exercise yet, but I plan to after a couple of weeks of sticking to the diet. I have the ten minute trainer that I bought last year but didn't use.  Maybe I should get my money's worth out of it this year!

Clear out clutter from the house.
  I've already started on the de-cluttering.  Jerad and I have both cleared out our closets, which equated to ten bags of clothes to get out of the house.  If it were up to Jerad, he would just throw it all away, but I know there are people who could use the clothes.  I realize that a lot of the clothes are out of style at this point, but someone may want them.  I really want to get them out of the house soon, hopefully, by the end of the week.  We also cleaned out all of the baskets that have been around our bed for the past several years.  It's ridiculous that I let it get to the point that it was.  We now have lots of space in our bedroom, and I don't feel like I'm in total chaos when I'm in there.  The next projects are the office and the spare room.  By the end of the year, I hope to have things in order around the house.

Make three Arbonne related calls per day.
   Over the past three years, I've worked my Arbonne business on and off, but I am determined to make it work this year.  If I can make three calls per day, that will be 21 people contacted per week.  That amounts to a lot if I can be consistent.  I'm really excited about the new calendar and system that they've offered us this year.  It's not about time management, but rather activity management.  I love that!  For so long, I've thought that I needed to put myself on a specific schedule in order to get things accomplished, but that really doesn't fit my personality type.  This system teaches activity management.  It really doesn't take long, if you just do it.  I need to remind myself of this throughout the year in order to stay on task!


So will I quit by February 14, as the average person does?  Heck, no!  I am not the average person!  Here's to a new year, with new possibilities and new habits to create a better me!