2013 Confessions and {Realistic} 2014 Resolutions

Every year we make resolutions. This year, I'm confessing first. Confession is good for the soul. 

1. I've gained weight. Yep, I said it. I did great before the Disney trip and lost 15 and almost got back to goal... then trying juggle teaching with family and a WAHM business combined with lots of fall allergies and sickness and having the house for sale did me in. I'm up 27 pounds from goal weight. I'm ashamed of it. I SHOULD do better. 
2. I've often fed my family junk. There, I said it. Yes, I reached into the freezer section for chicken strips and fries. We've run through too many drive-thrus. Maybe that's another contributing factor to number 1? 
3. I let my kids watch way too much tv. Part of the problem is working from home (I know, that's not a good excuse, but it is what it is). It's easier to turn on the tv and get a few uninterrupted minutes. Between sewing and grading papers, I needed a lot of minutes. I know, easy is not always best. I'm confessing. 
4. I let deadlines and events sneak up on me. Yes, I have them in my calendar, but I just can't seem to get a handle on a working schedule for us. I often forget until the day of that I've got something scheduled. I've spent many nights up late sewing to get an order out by my shipping deadline. I need to get a better handle on this. 
5. I haven't taken care of me. By this point, it should be obvious, right? But when I actually take time to get my hair cut and styled and take a relaxing bath or read a book for pleasure, I feel SO much better. I should really do it more often. I often forget to do those things for myself because I'm so busy catering to everyone else. 

So those are my confessions for 2013. I feel like a slacker. I feel like I've failed. With that in mind, 2014 is going to be a fresh start. Let's start over. Here are my REALISTIC goals. I've made goals in the past that I haven't kept, so I'm going to keep this year realistic. I'm also actually writing them down... I have no clue what my resolutions were last year (probably to not gain any weight...). 

1. I will get active. Yes, I want to lose the weight I've gained. However, I've decided to try and not focus on the number and instead focus on my activity. I'm going to start out with 3 workouts a week plus some running. I loved the 5K I did in August. I want to get back into running. So I WILL get active!
2. I will freezer cook once a month. Okay, that sounds nothing like eating healthy, but it is. When I do freezer cook, I use fresh ingredients bought in bulk to fix 6-8 meals. Then on those days that I have a sewing deadline, my oldest has an orthodontist appointment after school, then we have a band concert in the evening, I'll have dinner covered! Maybe we'll eat out less and I'll reach for the chicken strips and fries less often! See, it works! 
3. I will do more family activities. Let's get real, we're probably not going to watch less tv. We can do more family activities. More family cooking. More family hikes. More family games. More family crafts. My goal will be one planned thing a week. That seems realistic to me. Then when some other mom shows me pictures of the salt dough ornaments she and her daughter spent a whole afternoon decorating, I won't feel as if I've failed because we haven't done salt dough ornaments. 
4. I will get organized! This is a whopper! I probably need to research time management. I need an app or something to keep me organized. I don't need to look up at the calendar and go "Oops, Jenna has a birthday in two weeks! CRAP!" Yeah. That happened this year... 
5. I will take care of me. Maybe part of the reason I've been so sick since August stems from this confession. When I don't get enough sleep and eat junk and don't work out, I get sick. When I don't take time to pamper me, I don't feel like getting active or staying on schedule or fixing something healthy, or doing anything extra. 

So I guess this is the biggie. I think maybe, just maybe, all the other resolutions will fall into place if I just take care of me. Taking care of me allows me to better care for my family and my business. Moms everywhere should take time for themselves. Maybe we could all be better moms if we did!