Hey all and happy New Year!!! I love the New Year because I love a fresh start; a fresh start for my home, my mind and body! I don't really do 'resolutions' per say, but the beginning of the new year always motivates me to be the best version of myself. Here are all of my focuses for 2020, and I hope by writing everything down I can keep my motivation level up. I would love to hear from you all about what your family will focus on with 2020 now upon us.
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Mmm home, my favorite place to be. But I haven't been treating it as well as it deserves. I look around and I see clutter and disorganization... which results in feeling a little anxious inside. I really want to minimize our 'stuff' and also focus on keeping a very clean and organized space as much as possible. I really used being pregnant and having a baby as excuses to 'let things go.' But a clean and organized space makes me happy, so I need to make that more of a priority in my life. I plan to go through each room, get rid of things we do not need/use, and organize the things that we do have. Creating a daily check-list of cleaning tasks will help Michael and I stay focused on the task of maintaining our clean and organized home.
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle
This should be a goal for everyone in the New Year... being better to Mother Earth. I think Michael and I do a decent job at this; we recycle and we try really hard not to waste, nor do we use an excessive amount of water, heat, electricity. But, we can always be better. I think as a family, we could be better about reusing, buying less plastic and eating less meat; major changes that could really help us be better for our environment. I hope to participate in biweekly beach clean ups in our community as well. We aren't going to save the planet ourselves, but we can at least try to do our part.
Mindfulness - Presence - Patience
Mindfulness is something that really changed me as a person. I used to be incredibly anxious and stressed. Focusing on being mindful and practicing mindfulness has helped me a lot, and I want to continue this practice. As a mother and a wife (basically) I want to be a more patient and present person. When I am playing with Ella, I want to be present and really focus on playing with her... Not checking my emails. Another thing I recognized about myself this year, is that I have grown incredibly short and snappy. I really want to be a more patient person.
Clean eating - Daily exercise
This is fairly straight forward. I want to eat out less and make cleaner, healthier meals at home. Meal planning is going to be HUGE for us and we need to stick to it if we want to stick to our goal. I want to start working out at least 4x a week, even if it's just for 15 minutes. Something is better than nothing and I need to get my butt moving!!!
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If any of your resolutions look like mine, this list below may be helpful for you! I made a quick list of ideas and products that can help you stick to your New Year's Resolutions!
Healthy Eating & Meal Preparation-
Healthy eating all starts with meal planning. I highly recommend using Pinterest to find healthy, quick meals for yourself and family. Pinterest is where I find almost all of our recipes and we also love browsing through the Hello Fresh archives for fun new recipe ideas.
We did a few weeks of Hello Fresh meals when I was feeling stressed, overwhelmed and just DONE trying to come up with meals every week. Now we have quite the stack of recipes, and I have been using those to do my meal planning and grocery shopping. SO helpful!
We did a few weeks of Hello Fresh meals when I was feeling stressed, overwhelmed and just DONE trying to come up with meals every week. Now we have quite the stack of recipes, and I have been using those to do my meal planning and grocery shopping. SO helpful!
Here is my personal Pinterest "food" page. I go through it often and delete recipes that we have tried and didn't like, or ones that I tried and have already recorded the recipe... that way it's easier for me to find recipes we haven't tried yet. Feel free to follow along!
It's nice to keep all your weekly meal plans in an organized space. I keep a little book, but I also record the meals on the fridge calendar so Michael always knows what we're eating.
I really like this Erin Condren meal planner book, but a simple notebook will do as well. There are lots of fun meal notebooks out there. If you have one you use and love, please share in the comments!
Glass food containers are perfect for preparing your meals ahead of time. They won't collect stains, they are easy to wash and durable. I love these ones on Amazon because of the separated sections. Costco always has great deals on glass food containers too. Being prepared with your food makes healthy eating 90% easier. Half the battle is just being prepared!
Reusable baggies for storing nuts, fruits, cut up veggies etc. Again, being prepared will set you up for success. I actually need to add these to my cart because I hate using and throwing away so many baggies when they are so bad for the environment. It's just so wasteful.
There's another fun set of glass food containers that I love simply for the color. I am a pink fan!
These dissolvable food labels are perfect for storing prepped food in your fridge. Once you've prepped some things, make sure to label/date it. When it's time to wash the container, these labels dissolve in 30 sec or less, and leave no residue. (I have not tried these, but the reviews are great and back up these claims!)
If you're getting serious about overhauling your diet, a food scale can be incredibly helpful. We have one and I use it a lot for baking as well.
A nice large lunch bag for taking your food on-the-go is essential. I find most lunch bags to be too small, but this one looks to be a great size. I love the removable strap too!
I love this water bottle that keeps you on track. You can get an entire gallon bottle or 64 oz.
Focus on your Mind-
So many of us want to get healthier in the new year, but we forget one of the starting points... a healthy and clear mind.
A journal for practicing mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness changed my life and reduced my anxiety and stress significantly. There are so many great books on mindfulness. This one caught my eye because of the title, haha, but it has great reviews as well. Might add this to my cart now!
To go with your mindfulness journal, you can get this coloring book which is proven to reduce stress. I think adult coloring books are such a great idea.
A gratitude journal. We can all use reminders of why we should be grateful and thankful for things in your lives. This journal allows you to record 3 things you are thankful for each day of the week.
Another part of keeping my mind healthy, is keeping my stress as low as possible. I love clean and organized schedules and spaces to accomplish this.
A Clean Space = A Happy Heart!
A Clean Space = A Happy Heart!
A planner helps me keep everything in my life organized and structured so I don't get overwhelmed. I like physically seeing everything we have to do. I have not 100% decided on which planner to get this year... I really want to splurge and get the Erin Condren, but The Happy Planner has always been good to me! Either way, my phone calendar is not my first choice. I am on my phone enough and I like the paper in my hands. Plus, the accessories are FUN!
I like this household extension pack, which includes sections for chores, meal planning, budgeting and projects!
I like this household extension pack, which includes sections for chores, meal planning, budgeting and projects!
CLEANING cleanses my soul. I swear. I love a clean and organized space...
I love Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products, especially the seasonal scents. Using more natural cleaning products is something I want to start doing and continue doing in the new year.
I am also working on some chore charts (I will share later on) which will break down which chores we need to tackle each day, each week or biweekly. The benefit to living in a smaller space is there is a lot less space to clean!
Staying physically active!
Don't be afraid to join a gym, start a class, find a local running group or see a trainer. These are all great ways to start getting our bodies healthy... I personally prefer at home workouts. For me, it's more comfortable and sustainable if I do them at home. Here are a few basic products for getting your home ready for some working out.
An exercise mat with carrying strap. This one is thick and anti-tear, so it will be durable and hold up over time. It has GREAT reviews.
A nice set of weights is a good thing to have for quick at-home workouts.
A kettlebell is another great thing to have for home workouts. The first time I did a kettlebell workout I almost threw up- they can be INTENSE but super effective.
A foam roller is great for stretching out your muscles. You can also use them for balance, strengthening and flexibility.
And those are just a few of some fun items that can really help you achieve your goals this year.
Thanks for reading. I can't wait to get healthy, fit, mindful and organized with you all.
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