Just a Little Bit Better

Having a kid is all kinds of wonderful.

It's magic.

It's beautiful. 

Motherhood, on the other hand, is sometimes zero of those things.

I had a really challenging mom day. 

I felt like my judgement and intentions as a mother were questioned. 

(for those of you who saw my Facebook status about my doctor suggesting I ween Ainsley off breast milk and give her chocolate milk instead, that was only a small portion.)

I'm in dire need of a pick me up, and although doing some yoga helped, I need more. 

I thought I'd share my New Year's Resolutions with you.

I love the idea of sharing New Year's resolutions with others. 

It holds you more accountable, often yields support for your goals, and it's just plain fun. 

I've always loved goal setting. I've had a hard year and grown a lot and the opportunity that lies within a new year excites me to the core. 

2014 has been a great year already.

Let's get down to business. 

First goal: Read one book a month. 

I'm almost finished with Heaven is Here, by Stephanie Nielson. It's my ideal book. It's real, uplifting, and well written (if you have suggestions of similar books, please share them!). 

Some books I hope to read soon; both the Duggar books, the Elizabeth Smart books, The Fault in Our Stars, The Happiness Project, Master your Metabolism, I am a Mother, and Yearning for the Living God. I would love more suggestions. 

In Addition to reading a book a month, I'm also reading Deliberate Motherhood and trying to follow the plan. You work on one principle a month to become a better mother. I would love anyone who would like to join me. This month's principle is acceptance. 

Additionally, I'm reading the Book of Mormon again this year. Clint and I are reading the New Testament together, so this will be my individual study. I've struggled with finding a routine to study the scriptures, and I heard about bofm365 on instagram. They tell you what verses to read every day to complete the book by the end of the year as well as ask thought provoking questions and start discussions. If you're interested in doing this, I highly recommend following them and getting on this program. It's totally manageable. Perfect for a mom. 

Next, work out 3-5 times a week. I strive to get on the higher side, but I wanted a goal that felt manageable even on the busiest week. I have been really wanting a gym membership for a long time, but we can't afford it right now. For now, I'm working out from home. If you want your trash kicked, Ripped in 30 by Jillian Michaels will do that. I do 30 day shred on the challenging but not as intense days, and I also enjoy yoga. I'm wanting to start to implement short yoga sequences in the morning in addition to my evening workouts. I also am striving to be more active in general. Taking Ainsley out, playing at the park, walking whenever possible, etc. I want to be my best self, and part of that is being healthy. 

I also wanted to learn to make bread. This might seem counterproductive to the above goal, but it's not. I just want the skill of being able to bake bread. It's significantly cheaper, and can be good for you too. This week I made bread with almond milk and whole wheat organic flour which was delicious with our vegetable soup. I've never been able to get my dough to rise, and now I think I might even be ready to check this off my list!

I want to learn to sew as well. I think this has been a resolution for the last two years! My sweet mother in law bought me a sewing machine for Christmas which will surely accelerate the process. Life has been crazy since Christmas but I look forward to whipping it out soon! (tips for beginners are welcome!)

Run a race. I ran Pat's Run (4.2 miles) two years ago and it felt like such an accomplishment. Now, I'm not a runner, which is why I have this goal. I actually kind of hate running, but that's the point. I want to push myself. Get out of my comfort zone. That being said, I'm not training for a marathon here. Maybe a 10K? That might be giving me too much credit... ha!

Blog a recipe once a month. I recently posted my recipe for lasagna spaghetti squash. This helps me tremendously because I am constantly forgetting recipes I come up with and hopefully this will be fun for you as well! Plus, let's be real. I could use the practice. My food pictures kind of suck. A lot. 

Blog once a week. Oh, look at me, working on a resolution right now! But really. I've missed blogging a lot lately. It's something I can't do with Ainsley around (she freaks out when I'm on the computer and tries to pull everything down) but it's still something I want to make time for now and then. 

Journal weekly. In the interest of keeping it real, I haven't done this once this year. I stink at journaling, but I also think it's super important. Someone needs to do this with me so we can remind each other every week!! Or maybe I just need to suck it up and get my butt in gear. 

Lose 10 pounds. I would like to lose more, but I've had a hellish time trying to lose my baby weight so I'm trying to be realistic. I've seen two different doctors who were convinced I'm having thyroid issues but when that test came back normal, I'm hoping we can look at other possibilities. While I'm being honest, it's been depressing. I've had a really hard time accepting my new fluffy body, but I'm working on it. Please don't judge me. I'm working my butt off every day! Also, I really believe having a healthy lifestyle matters much more than your weight.

Organize! This is hard to put into a specific goal, but I just want to be more organized in general. Clint and I have already tackled the project of our hall closet so now we can move onto other areas. I rather scrub a toilet than put things away, but unfortunately that's not an option. It does feel good to be organized, and I'm trying to be more like the person I want to be. 

I recently watched a TEDtalks (they're the best. Google them if you don't know what they are) and one speaker said that will power is like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. It's hard to follow through with resolutions. The exciting, motivating spirit that you make the goal with fades, and you have to exercise even more willpower to follow through. But that's who I want to be. I want to be dedicated. I want to get things done. I want to be my better self. 

Let's make 2014 our best year yet!