New Year, New You — Homegrown + Lovely

I've never been big on New Year resolutions. If I've ever had one before it must've been quite lackluster because I can't seem to recall a single one. That being said, I'm not opposed to the idea of them. I like a little reason and motivation to try something new. This year, one bandwagon I almost jumped on was the Whole30 challenge. And after some consideration, I decided the time isn't quite right for me. I'm still exclusively breastfeeding and worried about a drop in supply. At some point when we are already supplementing I'd be more apt to consider it, but I didn't want to jump in with that risk. That being said, my diet has PLENTY of room for improvement. For the last few years I've tried to be conscious of what I put in my body. Fast forward to today, and life is busy. It's hard with two kids under two. First priority - make sure the babies have food. Next falls the husband, dog and me, in no particular order. I will easily grab cookies, chocolate, cereal, etc, when I'm hungry and don't have much time to prepare anything. After taking a look at the concept behind the Whole30, I still felt inspired to take away something from that. So... baby steps here, I am cutting out extra sugar. For one week. That doesn't include things like flavor for my coffee (although I'm limiting that to some degree), or sugar from fruits, or sugar in things like spaghetti sauce or dressings. What it does include, is plain old sugar treats. Chocolate bars, ice cream, chocolate covered pretzels, cookies. I find myself going for those things way too often, and need to scale back. I've gotten through three days so far. It's hardest in the evenings, after dinner when I want a little snack. But the good news is that I'm going to have healthy snacks prepared this week, so I can go for those instead of the sugar snacks. And what I'm really hoping, is that once my week is up, I will add another week on. And then after that, another week. All the while, modifying it to get to a place where I'm not taking in so much extra sugar each day, and in addition to sugar, limiting my carb intake as well. I want to focus on eating more protein and veggies, which will actually provide substance for me, rather than empty calories from sugar treats. So, I'll make snacks like hard boiled eggs, veggies with hummus, hearty salads with protein and lots of veggies, peanut butter toast, and add in a serving or two of fruit as well. I'd like it to become a lifestyle change, and not just a resolution fad.

The other thing I'm doing this month, is no-buy January. What this doesn't include is Costco, groceries, diapers, etc. What it does include is online shopping, trinkets, and such. We don't ever really go overboard on Christmas gifting, but it's still extra money spent. We also are just wrapping up a kitchen remodel, and felt like it was a good time to halt the spending. Honestly, coming down from the flurry of Christmas shopping was tough. I love gift giving, maybe even more than buying for myself. I had gotten in the habit of visiting certain sites (...cough, Nordstrom, cough...) almost daily, just browsing to see if something caught my eye. So the first week was a challenge, which I hate to admit. But then the second week was much easier. There's a thing or two I may consider getting once the month is over, and I need to replace some of my makeup that is almost out, but I hope to do another no-buy month. Now that I'm finding my groove, and realizing I really don't need the things I think I do, it's a fun challenge and I love to watch money grow. I see it more as a challenge I want to win, rather than something holding me down.

Overall, they aren't grand, impressive plans. But they are things I seriously considered and decided to implement. What I'm hoping for, is a lifestyle change. For me, it seems best to work my way in to something new. I don't want to set expectations so high that they aren't attainable, therefore getting discouraged and quitting. I'm hoping that this way, with my current plans, I'll be successful and encouraged to keep going. Life is all about growing and learning and growing some more.