Do you know what my FAVORITE number is? Wait, do you have a favorite number? If not, you need one. I'm not sure exactly why, but I LOVE having a favorite number. It helps when you're deciding things like, how many M & M's should I eat? How to randomly pick something out of a list? Things like that. Anyway, my favorite number is 17. It has been my favorite number since, hmm....Actually, it's funny, it became my favorite number when I was 17. So, I'm thinking that this year is going to be OFF the charts AWESOME! I can't wait! I came up with 10 super awesome goals for 2017, and I'm hoping to update you on those goal this year.
Alright, here's my new awesome goals for 2017.
1. Complete the #DeanNoSoda17 Challenge.
This one is going to take the WHOLE year to accomplish! Tim, Roman, Raiden, and I are challenging each other to go without soda/soft drinks/pop, whatever you call it for as much of the year as possible.The only exception is one drink on your birthday, other than that, NONE! Everyone can win by remaining Soda-free all year or the last one standing wins. Any winner will receive $100 to do as they wish. It will be a fun and healthy challenge, we hope.
2. Get back to the Paleo lifestyle.
Paleo is a lifestyle, not a diet. It's a way of eating, and a plan to be physically active and get more sleep.We switched to Paleo back in August of 2015 and maintained it until about Mid-December. I lost about 25 lbs and 2 pants sizes, but more importantly, I felt better. This time I'm hoping to have similar results. I'd also like to be more physically active to help make these dietary changes more sustainable. I'd also like to strive for the 80/20 lifestyle, so that I don't beat myself up when I'm not eating 100% Paleo. Just 80% is the goal. It's also, like I said, not just eating, it's about living the lifestyle. Being more active, getting more sleep, just being more healthy.
3. Go to bed by 10 pm Sunday-Thursday.
If you know me very well, you know I'm a night owl, but being nocturnal is not effective during the school year with 4 kids, a full-time job, and trying to be healthier. So Friday and Saturday Nights can be all-nighters, but during the workweek, I'm striving for more healthy sleep decisions.
4. Weekly "Power Cooking" Hour.
This one goes along with Paleo, but it will also go along with another goal coming up. One of our biggest obstacles for Paleo is the prep work and cooking for weekly meals. Between schools, scouts, sports, camps, the gym, church, and everything else we are doing or are involved in we often get caught up in the hustle of the week and want to swing through a drive-thru or order pizza. We did a little meal prep last time when we were doing Paleo before, but I want to dedicate one hour each weekend to meal prep. I got most of my inspiration from here. I know some weeks will be tougher than others but I know it will be so much easier and better for us during the week.
5. Invite at least one family over for dinner each month in 2017.
Let's be honest, we're busy. We don't spend enough time with other families because we let time/no planning get in our way. So this year I'm writing it down as a goal. I must also confess that when I mentioned this one to Tim, he said, "Ok, so who's eating bologna sandwiches with us in January?" Don't worry, he's just kidding. So if you are just dying to be on our guest list, feel free to comment your month. That would really take the leg work out of this goal. Hee hee.
6. Eat more meals from the food in cabinets and refrigerator.
Let's face it. Some months we feel like we can splurge a little more on food because "we don't have time to cook." REALity is, we don't plan or make time. So we are going to start the new year off with a new trend. Something my parents always called "Cobbs' Kitchen". Growing up in a house with 3 kids, it was expensive to eat out a lot. So when someone asked what was for dinner, the answer was often "Cobbs' Kitchen". That just was fancy talk for "We're finding something to eat at home." Dollar menus have come along and my last name has changed, but the cost of eating out is not only a food budget killer, but it's also a waistline killer. 2017 will hopefully help us find more change at the bottom of our pockets while we look into the cabinets and the refrigerator to feed our bellies.
7. Read more for purpose.
I'll be honest. I read a lot. I love to read. I have spent hours of my life buried in novels, magazines, and on websites. I've read less the last few years from books because of the littles, but probably just as much from Facebook, Twitter, Google, and search engine finds. I just haven't been spending enough time reading for purpose. For example, I need to find myself more in love with reading Scriptures instead of a few lines for a short quiet time each day. I need to make sure that the reading I am doing is purposeful and valuable. I've began exploring the idea of minimalism, which to me, ties very close to my spiritual beliefs about following and having a relationship with Christ. I want to explore these things, but wasted time on articles about the top 10 things NOT to wear this Spring is just not going to cut it.
8. Date nights each month with my sweetie.
Tim and I have always tried to have time together. We lead super busy lives and our kids are part of the busyness, to be honest. We often have to ask others to watch the kids for us to do things with our other kids or for work, which leaves us with (a) little time to do things for just us or (b) guilt over asking for another night of babysitting. Our other issue is always the money factor, but this year, I'm not going to let either of those stand in our way! We are going to make it happen! It might be popcorn and a movie when the kids are tucked in bed (on a Friday or Saturday if it's after 10 pm of course), but it's going to happen!
9. Update my blog (at least once a month).
I know, it seems pretty impossible for this one to happen, but come on, once a month?!? You can do this Renata! Ok, so this one is already requiring a pep talk. I'm going to try! Every time I look back at this thing, I'm amazed at everything I've written and what I was thinking at that point in time. I also love the idea of a journal for the future me to look back on. So I'm going to add it to my list and see what happens.
10. Finally, my WORD for 2017 is CONTENTMENT.
As you can tell, many of my goals have to do with consuming less, finding more in less, doing things with purpose. This year I want to focus on CONTENTMENT. I want to be more content with the things I have. I want to plan my food choices and routines better so that I can be content with the meals that I have on hand to prepare and feel good about spending time with others, going to bed early, dating my spouse, sharing with others how life is going. No matter where my goals take me, I want to find contentment in my year.
