New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year! Can I even say that still when it is the end of February? I truly don’t know where the time has gone but here we are, seeing St. Patrick’s Day and Easter decorations in the stores already. Meanwhile, I’m over here, writing my New Year’s Resolutions. In my defense, I’ve been busy. We had a baby in June, and we just started construction on our house, tearing down the old, rotting deck that was here when we moved in. We’re building a three-season room, storage area, and patio in its place. We started looking for a contractor at the beginning of November, and didn’t sign a contract until the end of January. There’s a lot going on!

It’s actually kind of nice to have had some time to try to put the resolutions into action already, before writing them down, because it gives me a chance to reflect. I’ve already failed at one of them, but I’m not giving up! And on that note – here they are…

1- Write one blog post a month

Obviously, I failed at this one, given that it is already February, but oh well. Better late than never. I fell out of my routine of writing, so I’m trying to get back into it. I have a lot I want to write about, or to add to a previous post, so I want to get started.

2- If it takes less than five minutes, do it now

This new year’s resolution has been a mixed bag so far. I like the concept, and chose to try this out because I hate clutter and my patience for messes is quickly diminishing. It is tricky because a bunch of things that alone aren’t more than 5 minutes can quickly turn into 20 minutes. I have an almost-three-year-old and an 8 month old, so any spare moment to get something done is precious. It is amazing, though, when I get a whole 5 minutes to do something. It’s crazy how much you can do with that time when you’re focused. This has helped me stay on top of clutter, which helps me feel less anxious and stressed, so that’s good.

3- Don’t buy anything unless you absolutely need it, and if possible, try to find the item second-hand before buying it new

I have high hopes for this resolution. Obviously it can help us save a little money, if we can find items “previously loved.” But I also truly hope to cut down on some of our purchasing of new items. I know that there is still plenty of use left in items that others have outgrown their need for. Just this week I found an awesome toy for the kiddos for $5, while the same type, new, is going for $20-$40. Some things can’t be avoided though, like a special baptism outfit for our son. That’s ok – even having this type of mindset is progress for me.

That’s it for now! It’s short and sweet but this is my attempt to not let a second month go by without a post!