New Years approaching

New Years is always a time for "resolutions".... I am not a fan of these, because I never seem to follow them to a "T". Things change; you adapt yourself and your plans. Especially with a new baby coming, a resolution seems silly... so here are a few goals I have in mind for the turn of the year:

* keeping better track of our food bill for the month. This is a HUGE one for our family. We have never really had a tough time with our finances (and still don't) but it would be nice to have a handle on what we really do spend on our lives. And food is always a constant! So, to do this, we have decided to try the envelope method: you decide how many envelopes you need and label them. We have narrowed it down to our two trouble spots - Food and Miscellaneous. Set a budget for yourself and put that cash for the month in the envelope. No more using debit and credit cards for these things, only use your cash stash. In addition to this, we plan on writing down on the envelopes where the money is going and when. Hopefully this will help us in our quest to gain insight in this area of our lives.

* exercise a couple days a week. I used to be really good about this; and then the kids came, and that went out the window! I only have been exercising when I feel like it. Walking is included in this goal... it is a great exercise and relatively easy to do with a couple kids. I also plan on continuing yoga weekly. I think this is improving my back and overall health. I really hope to lose this baby weight ASAP after little one is here!

* be more patient with the kids. Pretty self-explanatory. I feel like I get a little overwhelmed at times (which I guess is slightly understandable with little sleep and pregnancy and what not!), but I feel like I take it out on the kids for little things.

* stick to a punishment for actions made by kiddoes. Tyler and I both have a hard time with this. One of the kids does something really bad, something is taken away (either favorite toy or an activity) for a day or so, and we end up giving in before the allotted time. Or we say no treats until after dinner, and then I find myself giving them a little treat... it always seems easier at the time. Today they were really whiny at the grocery store and I mentioned to them that if they didn't start acting a bit better, they wouldn't get a granola bar that was picked out. Well, they didn't act better, and I didn't give them a granola bar! Yeah Brooke!

* start my projects earlier. I would love to make a list of birthdays, holidays and write down exactly what I would like to accomplish for these occasions. Time gets away from us all, and most celebrations seem to sneak up on me! So yes, I plan to think of next Christmas already! Ha, who am I kidding! This is going to be hard!

* appreciate my kids and husband every day. Maybe not every second or minute, but at least everyday! It is so easy to take these everyday people for granted and not let them know how much I love and cherish them on a daily basis.... I will try hard on this one. They deserve it!