Resolutions: 2015

The past week or so I've been pondering the goals I want to set for the upcoming year. It's been tough deciding how I want to go about it in 2015. I've decided that I don't want to do quite so many year-long goals. Rather, I want to focus on some monthly goals. Naturally, I'll still have resolutions that will last 365 days, but I feel like setting a goal one month at a time will really allow me to give it my all instead of being torn into 50 directions at once.

Long Term Resolutions:

-Read the Book of Mormon from start to finish by the end of the year
-Read material for weekly Sunday School & Relief Society lessons and discuss with Paul
-Attend the Temple 12 times in 2015
-Lose 17 (!) pounds by Kate's 1st birthday-- this will get me to my pre-pregnancy weight from Vincent
-Try 12 new recipes
-Create and stay within a budget
-Crochet, sew, repurpose, and read something

I tried to aim my monthly goals to aid me in accomplishing my yearly goals.

January: Fast Food Fast: A month of home-cooked meals
I'm hoping to start the new year off right. Our fast food fast will be a great kick starter for multiple goals: losing weight, making new recipes and staying within a budget. Phew. This one will be tough.

February: Social Media Cleanse: Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest once a day for less than 30 minutes
I waste copious amounts of time sifting through social media all throughout the day. I think it's great to blog, keep up with friends and get crafty ideas, but I spend too much time perusing and not enough time doing. Limiting my time on these sites will free me up to read scriptures, track the budget, go to the temple, craft and exercise.

March: Lazy Man Iron Man: Swim 2.4 miles, Bike 112 miles, Run 26.2 miles
I did this last year when I was pregnant with Kate. I felt like I was exercising during every spare moment! The running was a little too tough with my huge prego belly so I used the elliptical to get my mileage in. This year I'm set on doing some legitimate running.

April: Spring Cleaning: Throw away/donate three garbage bags of clutter, wash walls, odd jobs, etc.
Paul will be finishing up his Master's this Spring, which leads to the possibility of us moving here or there for a new job. A deep cleaning and removal of junk always feels good, but it will be a little more necessary to prepare us to uproot and relocate our family.

May: Muscle Mania: Lifting weights and actually using all of those machines at the gym...
I walk in the rec doors and head straight for my beloved stair master or walk into a zumba class. I've forsaken the elliptical and haven't picked up a weight in who knows how long. Being toned is where it's at, and I'm not going to get there no matter how many stairs I climb.

June: Budget Review & Evaluation
This will be our first year really trying to stick with a budget. I want to do a mid-year review to see if we need to change any allocations and determine if our tracking system suits our needs. I'd also love to see if we can underspend during the half of the year.

July: Outdoor Extravaganza: Swim/splash pad, bike, concerts at the park, hike, camp(?), picnic, play!!
I generally have the mindset that getting sweaty is the worst thing in the world. It keeps me indoors too much during the hot months. Kate will be a year old and I want to get out with her and Vince and this Summer. I'm just going to plan on being a sweaty mess the entire month. So if you see me, just remember that I'm making memories instead of doing make-up this month.

August: Run a 10K race
It makes me nervous to set a goal like this. I ran both track and cross country in high school. Since the glory days, I haven't done much running. However, with the Lazy Man Iron Man in March, I should have a good excuse to get back into it. A 5K doesn't seem consequential enough to get me training, so I'm upping the ante to 6.2 miles.

September: Scripture Reading Marathon: Two additional hours devoted to scripture study each week
Either I will be well on my way to finishing the Book of Mormon, or I will need some serious help. Either way, this month will help me complete that goal, as well as prepare for General Conference the following month.

October: Day of the Dead: Family History Emphasis
Spend 1 or more hours on family history each week. The main goal is to find and take a family name to the temple and complete all of the work for that person.

November: No Sweets November
A former roommate of mine did this last year. Paul and I attempted to do it in December but it was just a little too much to ask us to throw away hand delivered goodies from neighbors and friends. I think doing it in November will be a much better way to prepare for the holidays.

December: A Homemade Christmas
This Christmas I've made an effort to use what we have to create and make presents for the kiddos. I've had so much fun that I want to do it again. Not only is it enjoyable, but it's also cost friendly.