So even though I actually started working on these starting in December I'm just going to call them my New Year's Goals. I really feel like I'm going to accomplish a lot this year.
In December one of the moms at school decided she was going to go walking every morning at a mall near my house. I jokingly told her that I could join her because then I could walk and wouldn't be out in the cold breaking out in hives. So the next day she asked if I was serious about coming and I told her only a little bit. But I decided to try it out and I love it! We walk around this mall twice which equals about 3 miles. There are usually 2 of us but sometimes we are up to 4 moms! We just go right after we drop the kiddos off at school. It's kinda funny because it's an old mall and almost all of the shops are closed, but yet I remember when it was the only mall around and THE cool place to go. It's been great having the other mom's to talk to while we walk. Yesterday we did 3 times around and I've really been feeling great. I haven't had the nerve to weigh myself. It helps that I don't have a scale! But I know I'm in better shape then I was before. This is also the longest that I have exercised consistently. And I'm already trying to figure out in my head how to keep going during summer vacation.
Also in December a friend of mine blogged about her card box. I had heard of this idea before and decided to check out the book where the idea started from. I looked it up on Amazon first and decided I was gonna check out another book at the same time. These were the two books I checked out.
I loved reading them (and I'm not a self-help book person). I read both of them within like 3 days. Both books just literally spoke to me. I found myself saying "That's just like me!" I then spent a while on www.flylady.net reading through some of the stuff there. I decided to do a combination of both programs. I love how Sink Reflections does the cleaning, but I didn't like the idea of a control journal. I love my card box. Every time I file a card under done I feel so proud of myself for accomplishing something. Which is also why I have a card for every chore. I need the positive reinforcement of filing the cards every time I do something. I HATE checklists, it feels like there is always something I haven't done. I love how neither book made me feel like a complete loser for not being a good housekeeper. I'm working on my "baby steps" and have to keep reminding myself that "It didn't get dirty in a day and it's not gonna get clean in one!" But I can already feel like I'm getting better. It's only little bit by little bit, but I really think this is going to work for me. I'm working on getting my morning routine down and some of the weekly items. But mostly I'm working on decluttering. It's been freeing to get rid of some of the stuff around my house. I'm using the "If I don't love it, or if it doesn't bless my home - it's gone!" There is so much stuff I've held onto just in case we might need it. And I have to say if I haven't used it in the 10 years we've been married - I don't need it and I'm okay with giving it away! That's been hard on me - I love holding onto stuff. But I just put it in a bag and put it in the car and don't think about it again. Then I drop by ARC when I pick the girls up. Thank goodness there is a drop off near by, it helps with getting rid of everything quickly! Here are some pictures of my box.
These are my cards I have left for today! 
See I even have a card for blogging (although today is the first day I've managed to get to that one!) I love that if I don't get something done, I can put it in the next days cards or I can just wait until it comes up again next week. Every day it seems like I'm getting more and more of them accomplished. Plus the decluttering just keeps adding up too. Eventually I'll be there. I even took pictures of my messy house and I'm going to take pictures in 6 months and see how I've done. And that is my huge goal for the year - to become a better housekeeper!!
While I was browsing around on blogs I found an awesome idea here for my menu planning. I always make a menu before I go grocery shopping on payday. Usually I would print up a blank calendar page and then sit and try to figure out meals. I love my new menu holder!
So to make it I picked up trading card binder pages (they were cheaper then the business card holder pages), and some blank business cards. I found out though that if you use the trading card pages you can cut a 3x5 card in half and use it instead of business cards (lots cheaper!) I sat with my recipes and cook books one afternoon and wrote a card for all the meals we like that I make. The name of the meal went on the front and the ingredients needed went on the back. Now I have a little expanding folder (picked up at Target's dollar spot) where I'm keeping all my cards. As I make the meal I take the card out of the holder and put it in the folder. That way when I ask what everyone wants for dinner, they can go look in the pantry and see what meals I have the ingredients to make. (I'm not one for planning out this meal on this date and so on, I like to be able to have what I feel like making! Because some days I don't feel like cooking, so I can pick an easy recipe that day.) Now when I need to make my menu for grocery shopping I just count up how many meals I need till the next payday (dang paydays that change all the time!) and pick out cards and place them in the holder. Then I flip them over (I use two holders) and write down my grocery list. Super easy! Now I'm not forgetting some weird ingredient when I make up my list. Then I hang them up on my little 3M Command Hooks (that were saved from the ones I bought years ago for hanging our stockings) that I put on the pantry door. I love it!!! It has seriously made menu planning/grocery list making so much quicker and easier. Plus I can set aside the cards I used and try to pick new cards, so we don't end up with the same 14+ meals over and over again.
This year I just feel like I'm becoming a better me! At least that's what I'm hoping for!
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