My Headstart on Resolutions

I am not a New Year's Resolution type person. I used to be but I have an inner rebel that as soon as I tell her that we're going to change something, well, she rebels. I have to be more slow and steady with my changes. Sudden moves make me nervous, so it's with confidence that I can write about some changes that I've already made. These are Houston area related but that doesn't mean you can't find a version in your neck of the woods.

Eat More Vegetables and Fruit

There is an amazing program that I heard about back in the summer. (Thanks Natalie!) It's a box full of all organic vegis for a comparable, if not less price than the grocery store. You may have farmer's markets or Whole Foods where you are, if not a farm share program. If you are in Houston, check this one out because it's a lovely community of people who are also part of the Raw food movement. They even have raw food coaching. Read about it for yourself at Rawfully Organic's website. We are not doing raw food but it has helped me be more adventurous in the types of food I eat. I tried things that I would have cruised on by in the store.

Eat Better Quality Meat

Have you watched movies like Food, Inc. or Fast Food Nation? It's appalling and maybe you want to do something about the quality of your meat like I did. I realize not everyone has access to a local farm, but we are fortunate enough to purchase from a farm about an hour away. They have delivery groups and it's so convenient. All of their beef is grass fed, chickens are pastured and eggs are super duper healthy and good. I also order raw milk that they deliver from a local dairy. This takes some advance planning because it's only once a month delivery, but I just fill in with trips to the store until I get a handle on how much I need. Visit the Yonder Way Farm website and see for yourself. Click to see the blog of the family who run the farm too. We have talked with the owner and they view their business as a ministry which I love!

Exercise More

My plan was to start exercising before the New Year so I would already be in the habit and this boot camp was perfect! I'm not going to lie, I'm officially the heaviest I have ever been, weighing in a full 20 pounds more than when I met my husband. These last 2 1/2 years of trying to have a baby, three miscarriages and losing my Mom have taken a toll on me. I have been extremely sad and it's also part of the reason I took a break from blogging. Doing this boot camp was the beginning of me reclaiming my life. I had to move on from waiting for a baby. It felt really good to do that. I think that exercise is a great way to boost your energy and your mood. Maybe you have something in your life that you can't control and this would be a way to deal with that situation.

If you are in Houston, they have several times of morning classes and also different locations. They are called Fit Body Bootcamp and you can go see them here if you need a kick start to your workouts too. I have a couple of $100 gift cards too if you email me, I can send them to you.

Give Back to the Community

A few months ago I was introduced to a woman from our church who started a ministry working with Bhutanese refugees. I started volunteering with her and actually ended up teaching English to two Colombian families in the same apartment complex. It was really fun and challenging. Now that they are going to real English classes, I am focusing on coordinating donations for the Bhutanese. You can read about why these people are here on the loaves and fishes site.

Since last September I've also become a Life Group leader in our church. I have around 9 girls in the 9th grade in our home every Sunday night. It has been a huge learning process for me, but I am getting in the groove now. My goal is to build relationships with these girls and hopefully lead them to seek God in their daily lives. The challenge sometimes is seeking Him in my own life! Being an example sure is a motivation.

So I kind of cheated on getting a head start on my resolutions. I definitely want to come up with more to give myself clarity and focus in this year. I really love this time of year, after the busyness of the holidays, where you can renew yourself and dream about the year to come.

Pic from here.

Happy New Year 2010!

Happy New Year to all of you! I'm so ready for a new year and looking forward to great things to come. I'm so thankful for this blog because it allows me to get to know so many like minded people.

I have some New Year's Resolutions up my sleeve, many involving organizing and simplifying as always! Even though I'm not a big resolution person unless I really know I will achieve it, I still enjoy reflecting and making new goals. I like baby steps instead of a grand gesture because I tend to fizzle out of the big ones.

My list is combined of things to do and things not to do. I have a long list of things I am not allowed to buy because I have so much, everything from toothpaste to perfume to kitchen towels. We want to save more and spend less, so we can spend that savings on more intentional things. We are going to Israel in April which is something we have wanted to do for a few years. I really want to expand my knowledge in some different areas. I've already signed up for three cooking classes at Williams Sonoma. (Did you know they are free!) I'd love to learn photoshop and how to sew as well. Of course I plan to continue writing on this blog and hope to inspire you as well as myself to stay streamlined and clutter free in our lives.

This past year's resolution was focusing on building friendships and I'm happy to say that we feel great about our relationships that have been formed. Family is always important and we want to make even more effort to stay in touch. We don't know how long we will have each other and it's so important to treasure each person in your life.

What about you? Have you done your 100 things challenge yet? I'm already working on my 2nd round. You can read about it here, here and here.

Photo from here.