Each year we stop and think about the things we want for the upcoming year and we make a promise to change it, and each year we do well for awhile and then give up on some things and keep working on others. I started making changes in November and failed miserably at a big one, getting up each morning and exercising. I'm just not a morning person and I can't talk myself into getting out of bed even 20 minutes early. I have to change this however because Jon and I want to renew our vows this coming Summer and I really want a dress with spaghetti straps and that is just not happening with these arms.

I spoke to a very wise friend this past week and told her my list of things I want to change this year and she gave me some very good advice.

Here is my list:

Budget is out of whack and we want to buy a house next year
The house is a mess
The kids aren't getting homework done
The kids aren't nice to each other
Ethan says his mama dresses him funny
My weight
The house looks like a thrift store threw up in in and not in a classy chic way
The foods I prepare - I'm bored with them and need to find healthy foods that fit in our budget and taste good
I don't like me anymore. I don't feel nice or happy or fun.

Her advice was to pick one thing and work on just that thing for 30 days. My dad, Norm, used to tell me to do something for 21 days and it would become a habit and in that moment when my friend told me to do something for 30 days I realized I had the answer all along, I was just too stubborn to listen to my dad. She also said to start with the budget and a lot of that other stuff would fall into place. So I spoke to Jon, we don't work on our finances together, I handle everything and I've messed it up badly. I have trust issues so I can't let go and just let him handle it but he gave me good advice as well and I'm going to try things his way and see how it goes. I pay everything as it's due, often leaving us strapped some weeks and seeming to have plenty other weeks so he's asked me to divide the bills into four and pay a little each week. I can try that. Also, I'm working to clear our credit to buy that house. I made some good progress on that this past year and hope to have everything but my student loans gone by the end of 2016.

I also gave up soda this past Sunday. I have seen what drug addiction does to families and if I can expect those I know to give up drugs then I should at least be able to give up soda, right? So that's what I'm treating soda as from now on, a drug, and I don't do drugs. EVER. I just can't handle them after all of the people I have lost in my life because of drugs. They should be here with us, not dead. It makes me sad, angry, and frustrated and I don't want to do that to my kids.  Not to mention the $20-40 a week I can save by not buying soda and the weight I can lose by not putting that into my body. I'm not buying it for my family anymore either, so their health should improve as well.

I won't be successful if I bite off too much all at once but all of these things need to be addressed. I don't necessarily need to work on some of them daily though so I'll just keep doing my best until I figure out how to better. After spending some time with so many amazing women this year, I've learned a lot. Being willing to take some of the advice from my mom and sister has helped as well. I find it easier to see them do things and follow suit than to be told I should do things, but they know that and tell me what they are doing and I'm blessed that they love me enough to work around my quirks.

Happy New Year everyone, let's make 2016 better than 2015, even if it's only by small increments, eventually our lives will be better!

Love and hugs!