2012 New Years Resolutions!!! Making it happen!

In previous years, this was me and my husband.  Except the roles were reversed. I have always been a "list" person.  I am the kind of person that lives off a to do list and I actually really enjoy checking things off my list.  I have a planner that contains pretty much my entire life.  My husband...not so much.  He is very much a "go with the flow" kind of guy.

This year is different though.  This year, we sat down together and discussed our goals for 2012 as a family and we are both very excited for what this year holds for us :)

Much like one of my favorite bloggers, Fat Chick Fed Up, we broke down our goals into categories.

Faith

• Spend time in the Word every day.  In 2011, I made a goal to read the bible in 1 year and I made it happen! (although at one point, I was 2 months behind because I was an exhausted sleep deprived mother.)  But I made up for it and by Dec 31st, I read the entire bible in 1 year.  Now it is a habit to read a little bit of the Word each day and I want to continue doing this.  I am currently reading THE STORY which is excellent. I HIGHLY recommend it.  It is a really fun way to read the bible.  My husband has committed to spending 30 minutes of quiet time a day studying the bible as well.
• Improve my spiritual walk by reading Christian books. I really didn't read much last year and I LOOOVE to read.  I haven't read much in the past few years because I was in nursing school and let's face it...you have no life in nursing school.  In 2010, I picked up reading again, but after having a baby in 2011, goodbye books!  I am currently reading "Hind's Feet on High Places" which is soooooo gooooood! 
• Tithe.  We have always tithed.  But somehow the past few months, we have fallen off the bandwagon.  I just plain forgot to bring the check and would intend to bring it the next week and forget.  I have set up an envelope system that will ensure this doesn't happen again.
• Bible Study with the hubby.  The hubby and I have committed to spend Monday evenings doing a bible study together.  We are both pretty excited about this :)

Family

• Date night.  So often after the baby is in bed, the hubby and I cuddle up on the couch and watch something on the Dvr.  And with so many good shows (Once upon a Time!, House, Fringe, Person of Interest, Chuck... the list goes on), we always have lots of good options.  But what happen to the days of long ago when we would play a board game, or sit outside and just chat, or play cards, or sit with guitars in hand and sing, or have a candlelight dinner in our own kitchen....well, those days are coming back!  One night a week the tv will remain off and we will have a date night in our very own home.  B.B (Before Baby), we had a going out date night once a week.  But A.B (After Baby), that isn't as easy so why not have date night in our own home. ;)  Thanks to good friends and Parents Night Out at Church, we can still have going out date night about twice a month, but date night needs to happen weekly ;)
• Establish Career and Move. This goes for both of us.  Hubby will finish up his PhD this spring and we will most likely move over the summer.  Hubby is hoping to become a professor and I hope to work as an RN with either an oncology unit, cancer center, or hospice center.
• Little E needs a sibling.  This is a BIG ONE! Once the hubby finishes up his PhD in May and we get all moved, we plan to go for #2.  We don't plan to start trying til late this fall.  But it is in the plans!!

Finance

• Budget.  We live debt-free and that is an amazing, freeing feeling.  But we need to focus on saving this year.  We have a system set in place that involves a budgeting app on my ipad called Ace Budget 2, logging receipts and being more aware of where our money is being spent.  We will also have a monthly meeting about our finances to review how the budget is working and what changes need to be made.

For Me

• Read.  As I mentioned before, my reading has been lacking the past few years.  And I miss it sooo much.  This year, I want to read, read, read.  I LOVE pinterest and thought of a fun way to track my books I read over the coming year.  I have a Pinterest Board for Books I want to Read, Books I am Currently Reading, and Books I have read.  If you follow me on pinterest, then  you will find that I read several books at once.  I always have read many books at once.  I think I got that from my mom.  She does the same thing!
• Blog.  I have so enjoyed my fitness blog and loved to see it grow.  It has been the best accountability partner I could have asked for.  For some reason, this works for me.  I would love for both my fitness blog and my craft blog  to grow and to help and inspire others.
• Craft Often. And blog about it.
• Learn to Sew.
• Cook Often. 

Fitness

• Spring Chick Challenge - I am super excited for this challenge.  There are guidelines, mini challenges and goals to meet for the challenge itself, but you also design the challenge to meet your own goals as well.  I have joined a great community of bloggers that are so supportive.  It is so fun getting comments from everyone and commenting on thier blogposts.  It is so encouraging!  My big goal for this challenge is to log 122 workouts by March 19th.  That is ALOT of workouts, 2 a day 6 days a week.  I plan to make it happen. :)
• Track.  Both the husband and I have committed to tracking on Myfitnesspal daily.  I even set an alarm on my phone to remind me!
• h20.  I really want drinking 64 oz of water a day to become a habit that I don't even have to think about.  Right now, I still have to think about it.  21 days to make a habit, right?
• Exercise 6 days a week.  I have a plan that involves jogging, ab workouts, turbofire, zumba, biking, circuit training and brazil butt lift.  Perhaps other workouts too?  It sounds like alot.  But really, I work out an hour and half to two hours a day...during Little E's naptime!  The hubby has plans to do circuit training, jogging and swimming, as well as racquetball and biking.
• Blog.  I know, I know, I already mentioned this one.  But I really want to blog at least 3 times a week.
• Video Blog.  I really want to tell my story about dealing with severe negative body image issues on my blog/fb page.  I feel very passionately about this subject.  I am excited about this project!
• Run a 5k this spring.
• Lose weight.  My original goal weight was 125 lbs.  But I think I am going to make that goal 120 lbs.  On Dec 23rd, I was 133 lbs.  I think it will take a little more than 8 lbs to lose the love handles and the thunder thighs. ;)  Especially since my body is so different post baby.  My ideal weight is 118 lbs so I am thinking 120 lbs is the ultimate goal.  My husbands goal for this year is 220 lbs and he is currently at 255 lbs.

So there you have it.