Thoughts on 2016

Here we are. Starting another new year. Whether you want to call them resolutions, goals or intentions, I've been having a lot of thoughts looking ahead to 2016. 2015 was a pretty good year overall. It definitely had its ups and downs, but in the end, we are all healthy and happy. And I think that's what matters most.

Looking ahead to this new year, I have some thoughts (of course) on how I would like my year to go and what I'm going to do to make that happen. I want to improve both my mind and my body.

My major focus is just going to be living a more positive life. There seems to be so much negativity surrounding us these days. I'm determined not to let it get me down. Now, this will take a bit of work, too. I'm going to really analyze the people in my life and make the conscious decision about whether or not they all need to remain. That may seem pretty rude, but some people are honestly just downright exhausting! They seem to suck all of my energy!

Just look through your FB news feed. They're easy to spot, constantly complaining about things. The time I spend with and on these people will greatly be minimized in this new year. I realize that some of these people will have to remain for "political" reasons :-) but I can still minimize their impact on my thoughts and life.

Of course, I'm starting the new year off with the 24 Day Challenge. This is exactly what I need to finally shed these last few pounds and get ready to tone up throughout the year. I'd love to be able to run another half marathon, but the training takes up a good bit of time. So, we will have to see what all we have going on before I decide whether or not I can do it.

I want to spend more time with those people that mean the most to me. I have made some new friendships this past year and I would love for them to grow. One of my mom's favorite sayings is, "Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver, the other gold." This perfectly sums up how I feel. I want to make time for both old and new friends!

Finally, I want to spend more time on my blog. I have been pretty inconsistent with my posts this past year and I would like to change that. I love interacting with all of you. So, please give me suggestions. What would you like to see this coming year? More recipes? Workouts? Day in the life? General life lately updates? Tell me what interests you!!

I hope you all have a happy and healthy new year. And I hope that you will all stick around!

So long for today...

Thoughts for 2014

I know there are so many bloggers out there that are writing posts about their New Year's resolutions or goals for the new year. But I'm not going to do that. I don't like to label my ideas as goals or resolutions for the new year. I do have some things that I would like to start doing during the new year. But at the end of the year, I don't want to check it off of a list as done. With the exception of one item, everything that I add to any type of list is something that I want to continue to do beyond 2014. So, after saying all of that, here are my "thoughts" for 2014 and things that I would like to start.

1. First and foremost, I want to drop these last remaining pregnancy pounds. I really got off track during the holidays, but now that they are over, I really need to get serious. I have gotten out of my exercise routine and I really need to get back to it. So this is the one item that I will be able to check off my list for the year.

2. I want to eliminate the majority of processed foods from my family's diet. This will be a hard one since my husband is a junk food addict and Addison is following in his footsteps. Yes, it is a lot easier to open up a package of something to eat, but at what cost? I know I will not be able to eliminate 100% of the processed foods, but I think 80% non-processed would be pretty good.

3. I want to start running half marathons. I guess this could be another one that could get checked off, but I don't want to run just one half marathon and be done with it. I want to continue with them. I would love to run a marathon some day, but I'm not sure I ever will. It's unrealistic for me to even consider that, especially at this point in my life with two small children, one being under age 1. I don't have the time to train for one, so for now, I am sticking with a half marathon.

4. I have a ton of cookbooks. That's probably not surprising to most of you knowing how much I love to cook. I spend a lot of time reading through these cookbooks, but not nearly enough time actually cooking things out of them. So I would like to start trying more recipes from my cookbooks.

5. Finally, I would like to have a more positive attitude. Too often, I allow negativity to cloud my thoughts. I'm tired of doing that. I want to be a more positive person. My hope is that by doing this, that positivity will rub off on others around me. Can't hurt, right?

I think I will leave it with that. Sure, I want to be better about tracking my food with WW. I want to work harder to reach my 10,000 steps a day goal. I want to exercise more. In general, I can sum it up quickly by saying that I want to live a healthier lifestyle. That isn't vague at all, right? Lol!

I might try to come up with some cooking/baking goals for the year and share them with you later in the month. But we will have to see how that one goes.

I hope you all have a great day and rest of the week! Stay tuned for my progress reports.

So long for today...