How is January mostly over?

Somehow, I have a feeling this is how I’m going to feel at the end of every single month. In fact, I might just decide to start with that sentence variation every time because stupid things like this amuse me.

Anyhow, I thought I’d take a page from Wil Wheaton’s Life Reboot Series and do a monthly check in. After all, what’s the point in having a yearly theme if I don’t follow up on it?

So, without further ado, here is my first official check in (even though I’ve been actively trying to change my lifestyle since December 2016 when I came up with the theme).

1) Take family and personal health seriously.

What does that look like? I want to:

a) Cook at least 5 meals a week. 

Surprisingly, I’ve been doing quite well in this area. I have been cooking a lot more in the Instant Pot (affiliate link) – not recipes because quite frankly, I am not a fan of following recipes on a regular basis. I much prefer to dump a bunch of stuff in the Instant Pot and set it to soup or stew. I either add pasta or pour it over rice.

A corollary to this goal is to limit my eating out to at most, once a week. (As well as to limit my boba purchases because my teeth are rotting and who needs empty calories, I guess.)

Incidentally, what I define as cooking is to make something that is not prepackaged. (Dumplings or pasta count as cooking.) I am more trying to avoid having kids eat nuggets or frozen pizza or quesodillas or dried cereal as much as possible.

b) Be active once a week.

Uh, utter fail.

I bought a Krav Maga groupon at a local studio so eventually, I will make it there on a weekly basis.

I may just have to remove this goal because I’m not really into it. And I know that if I’m not into it, and that it’s just a token add, that I will not do it.

But maybe I will love Krav and then fork over the ridiculous amounts of money to go. (I doubt it, but I want to kickass and you can’t do that sitting on your ass, afraid to look foolish in order pick up a new skill.)

c) Wash face and brush teeth twice daily.

Um… 50% for effort?

I still can’t manage to do this in the morning. I’m sorry. I just want to maximize my in bed time.

However, I have much improved into doing so at night. YAY! (Also, I think I really do have several cavities that need to be taken care of.)

Also, I have been much relieved to hear from many of you dear readers that you, too, have difficulty remembering to brush and floss and wash your face.

Is it any surprise that you are all SAHMs?

d) Take vitamins and supplements.

I am a little more consistent at it. I think there is a good reason Sasquatch was my largest and fattest child and that my body has recovered faster than my previous pregnancies and births. It is all due to the supplements I have been taking. And the iron pills. And the calcium.

Here’s to hoping that my bones are not nearly as hollow as they were after having Glow Worm. I think he was the smallest (though fattest at the time) for a reason – I did not take good care of my body and four years of back to back pregnancies and breastfeeding did a number on me.

Even though Sasquatch is my last baby, I need to make sure that I take my health seriously. After all, when Mama’s down and out, Hapa Papa has to pick up the slack (like he did the back half of my pregnancy).

e) Go to sleep when the kids sleep 4x a week.

FAIL! UTTER FAIL!

I was doing pretty good about this in December, but ever since Sasquatch has been sleeping through the night, I have failed. FAILED.

Also, I blame adulting.

I have been doing very well in the adulting department. But as such, my “free” time during the day is now taken up by cooking, cleaning, bills, etc. instead of whatever mindless activity I am now doing at night.

No. It is not all playing Two Dots. Sometimes, I’m playing its sequel, Dots & Co.

I kid. I kid.

I’m not really clear as to what I’m doing late at night, but it involves food and reading (either on a screen or in a book), and sometimes, it also involves Two Dots.

To solve this for February, I have been trying to ease the kids into sleeping 30-60 minutes earlier. That way, even if I stay up a few hours after their bedtime, it is STILL early enough that it won’t kill me on lack of sleep the next day.

f) No texting while driving.

I’m doing AWESOME on this one.

Seriously. I never thought I’d get rid of FOMO enough to do this. But it turns out, I can receive (and skim) texts while they come in (my phone is on a stand on the dash) and NOT respond. I can also NOT READ them!

AMAZING.

2) Take my responsibilities as a grown up seriously.

You guys, you guys!! I HAVE BEEN ADULTING ON A REGULAR BASIS.

It’s sad that this makes me feel so proud, but I do something at least once a day! I’ve kept on top of bills and mail and doing things that are due on a more immediate basis vs letting it procrastinate and pile up and make me feel like crap due to guilt.

Dr. T is totally right.

For me, self-care equals taking care of my adult responsibilities instead of hiding from them and acting like my middle child, Gamera.

Also, HuffPo agrees.

Of course, this does cut into my ME time, but ultimately, I feel a LOT better about myself.

3) Write.

I didn’t write much in December, but I am slowly getting back into the swing of things in January.

Because I usually write at night or on weekends, I was limited by Sasquatch’s feeding schedule. But now that I am pumping consistently and Sasquatch is a little easier, Hapa Papa is cool with me leaving for about three hours at a time so I can write.

I have to be much smarter about my time as I write, but I think this is a good thing. Procrastinating will literally kill what little time I have to write so I am better about putting away distractions.

Incidentally, the side benefit of me sucking it up thus far is that I am far more conscientious of Hapa Papa, his feelings, his desires and needs (HE ACTUALLY HAS THEM??), and making sure that I am not taking advantage of him.

On the days that I go write, I try to make sure that I give Hapa Papa an almost equal (I am, after all, still myself so I am still more selfish than the average person) amount of time for himself to either spend on work, watch football, read sports, or do whatever it is that he does when he has alone time.

Also, I know it bothers Hapa Papa that we have freezers (yes, plural) full of “food” and yet I keep buying more stuff every week at Costco. So, in an effort to reduce spending (because I single-handedly keep Costco and Amazon in business), as well as cook more, I have resolved to follow in the footsteps of my friend, Fleur.

Instead of buying more stuff at Costco (other than the weekly barrage of fruit I purchase), we will be “shopping” in our freezer. I have already begun to use up the items in our refrigerator’s freezer. When we eat through that (I went crazy the other day and reorganized the whole thing so I could actually see what we have), we will start eating through our chest freezer in the garage.

I have a feeling we will be eating stuff that I bought 2-3 years ago.

It’s a deep freezer. It should be fine. (Likely, it is full of the green part of the watermelon rind because I used to keep those parts to put in juice. I know. I’m weird. I dedicate lots of freezer space to random bits of veggies and fruit that I will eventually put into smoothies. It has been YEARS.)

Also, since Hapa Papa bears the sole burden of providing financially for our family while I bear the sole burden of spending financially (and saving and planning and EVERYTHING ELSE), I am actually listening to his request to save more.

Now, we are already saving 20-25% of our income, so that’s not too shabby. But since I made the mistake of telling him that a friend’s family saves 50-60% of their income (seriously?? WTH, people??), he wants to save an extra 5% this year.

This would totally be doable if I weren’t addicted to doTerra essential oils and their supplements. However, as it is, I have trick myself into saving because I am used to seeing the cash level in our main account at a certain level. And I work really hard to spend our cash until I hit that level. (The sacrifices I make, people.)

So, I am opening up another account into which I will siphon off a set amount each month. Because I am an infant playing Peek-a-boo, if I don’t see it, it isn’t there. (And thusly, won’t spend it. I know. I am an ass.)

I would report on this monthly except that it isn’t anything I am actively doing. Once I open the account and set up the monthly transfer, I will never have to think about this ever again. (Except when trotting out the account at the end of the year as evidence that I do, occasionally, take Hapa Papa’s feelings and thoughts into consideration. I try not to make it a habit.)

Also, Hapa Papa has picked up a side gig consulting at another company and once I pay our property taxes and fund our IRAs (SAHMs, you especially need to fund your IRAs), I will put all his consulting money into this side account, too. (I swear, if you’re lazy like I am, the key to financial stability is to marry a workhorse.)

Anyhow, looks like Suck It Up 2017 is off to a great start. How are you doing on your goals for the year?