2016 Goals

Happy New Year!

The start of a new year makes me reflect on my life and goals. I have shifted more from resolutions to goals. I have also been thinking about my habits.

With the start of a new year, I want to try this daily tracker to work on my daily habits and goals. I am going to try to track 4 daily habits that I want to strengthen:

1. Counting my calories (I really like the Lose It app.)
2. Drinking one healthy smoothy a day (I get in more fruits and veggies this way. My preference is to have a smoothly for breakfast.)
3. Doing daily activity (I am going to be quite broad on this one. It can include a bike ride, walking the dog, an exercise DVD, going to the gym, etc.)
4. Flossing (Because I hate having extra dental work done!)

I am also staring off the year by reading Gretchen Rubin's latest book, Better than Before. I have been listening to her Happier podcast and am familiar with some concepts from the book. (I quickly have realized that I am an Obliger in her 4 Tendencies model.)

Another thing that I will be tracking in the new year is my reading. My friends shared this 2016 Reading Challenge, and I am giving it a try. I like the balance of structure and flexibility with the challenge. I gravitate towards nonfiction books, but then I will slow down and get stuck not finishing a book. I also enjoy fiction and love getting lost in a good novel. There is a risk of "ignoring" my family when I get engrossed in a novel.

As in past years, I continue to look for ways to simplify and declutter my life. I am looking forward to see what 2016 has in store!

Cooking

Our goal of creating a healthy lifestyle has involved more cooking around here. John and I have both been doing more cooking and have been buying less processed foods.

Last weekend, John made Alton Brown's French Onion Soup. It was quite yummy and filling!

I had a variety of ingredients on-hand and found a Chicken Black Bean Soup recipe, which we all enjoyed. I have actually been using some of the recipes that I pinned on Pinterest!

I did start the new year with a bad cold, but I have slowly been starting on my goals for 2013.

Goals for 2013

I started thinking about my 2013 goals on the way to Ohio. During our trip I decided to chose CREATE as my "one little word" for 2013 and use this word to frame my goals for the year.

In the freshmen seminar class I taught about setting SMART goals. Your goals and their corresponding objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and have a Timeline.

The timeline for all of my goals is one year, and I plan to check on my progress and blog about my goals every three months.

Here are my goals for 2013:
1. Create a healthy lifestyle for me and my family:
Plan healthy dinners for my family and try new recipes.
Track my calories for at least one month.
Focus on eating more fruits and vegetables each day
Exercise at least 3 times a week.
Lose 10% of my current weight.

2. Create balance between work, family, and fun:
I joined a local Stamp Club for fun. Besides this, I do not have set objectives for this goal. This one I will have to figure out as I go through the year.

3. Create (literally):
Find time to scrapbook or stamp each week.
(Re)learn to sew
Submit at least 3 cards for online or magazine publication