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Resolutions for 2010, by Sarah Lena

1. Eat Less, Move More. Bryan and I did this in 2009, and saw HUGE impacts from it.  This year, we will eat meals on salad plates instead of dinner plates to keep portions under control; we will walk the dog at LEAST once a day; and we will make smarter choices when it comes to food that we bring into the house.

2. Stop Feeding the Diet Machine. In my house, we often dissuade guilt by buying “Low Fat”, “Reduced Sugar”, or “Natural” food products.  Truth is, it doesn’t make a difference.  I read an article where a dietitian recommended eating full fat.  Whole milk, full-fat cheese, nothing called “diet”.  Because?  You’ll feel full faster, and you’ll enjoy food more.  I think we’re going to try that for a year.

3. Money.  MONEY. Bryan and I are doing SO MUCH BETTER about money, but 2009 was INCREDIBLY hard.  The economy was in the toilet, and when one income depends solely on commissions from sales?  Well, the whole house feels that pinch.  My goal is to live frugally enough to pay off ALL of our debt (excluding our house) by the end of 2010.  In fact, I’m going to do whatever necessary to have all credit cards paid and closed, the car loan paid off, and anything else taken care of.  I refuse to be a slave to money any longer.

4. Be a better pet owner.  We have a fabulous new puppy who needs to training and discipline.  We fell short with Charlie (God rest his soul) and I refuse to let that happen again.  We will be working on socialization and training this year with Beau so that he can enjoy being a dog and we can enjoy owning him.

5. Make any endeavor worth doing.  I haven’t really talked about it on here because I wasn’t sure of a timeline, but Ronda and I are starting an online venture called Southern Fried Snark.  We are SO psyched about it and we hope it becomes a regular thing because, dude, WE GET A FORUM TO SNARK!, and I’m really wanting it to be something REAL.  It’s a love of labor right now, but I just want to pour myself into it to make it successful, whatever success might be.

6. Go back to school.  I’ve been talking about doing this for years, but now?  Now I need to.  I’ve reached a place where I can’t move forward any more until I’ve got some schooling under my belt.  I haven’t figured out when or what school, but it’s gotta start this year.

7. Give $25 a month to a charity organization.  Bryan surprised me with my FAVORITE Christmas present: a donation to Operation Smile, which is a charity that I feel VERY strongly about.  I was surprised at the feelings that it brought out in me, and I think it made Bryan realize how important giving is to me.  We’re going to find $25 a month to give to various charities, and I also plan to have the boys make some blankets for Project Linus.

8. Cut myself some slack.  If I want two cookies?  I’m gonna eat ‘em.  If I’m too tired to clean after work, dinner, and putting the kids down?  I’m gonna watch tv.  If I want to sleep in instead of doing a long run on a Saturday morning?  I’m going to sleep in.  I owe no one any answers, and I owe myself a LOT more slack.  I juggle a helluva lot, and I need to remember that I’m only human.

Resolutions for 2009, by Sarah Lena:

  • Rid the drawers of maternity panties. I know, sounds silly, right?  But I’ve found that as long as I keep my maternity stuff around (and, honestly, most of what I’ve been borrowing from is what I wore EARLY in my pregnancy), I tend to wear it.  Guess what?  Sarah ain’t preggie no more.  Let’s mark the occassion by not wearing knocked-up knickers anymore.
  • Have home-cooked meals on the table at LEAST four nights a week. Notice I said I was not the only one cooking them.  I have found this fabulous online budgeting site (that has an app for the iPhone as well), and after importing all of our expense accounts for December, guess what I found?  We spent an APPALLING amount of money eating out.  We had gotten so good, and then we got too busy to plan.  NO MORE.
  • Budget, budget, budget. This one sounds so frickin’ easy.  Every year.  But then something happens and we go nuts (income tax return, sudden commission boost, inheritance) and end up kicking ourselves at the end of it.  We’ve set aside a budget, and Mint.com is going to help us follow it.  I recommend this program to anyone.. it’s free, it’s online, and it links all of your open accounts.  Your credit cards, mortgage, loans, and bank accounts, open on one screen.  Pretty damn cool.
  • Eat Less, Move More. Bryan and I have both taken this one on.  Instead of “dieting”, because we won’t stick with that, we’re just going to make smarter decisions.  We’re going to be less sedentary and not gorge ourselves when we have the opportunity.  Bryan and I have lost 10-15 (a piece) in the last month just by being smarter.  We hope to keep that up.
  • Evaluate any endeavor carefully. Again, this is a joint resolution.  Bryan and I have the typical actor’s ego that thinks we should go dive into any theatre endeavor that grants us an opportunity.  But I think we’ve finally gotten to the point that we’d rather sit and bide our time and wait for a choice opportunity rather than just be in any show that would have us.
  • Spend more time with friends. This one, too, sounds easy.  But somehow, it slips away from me every year.  It’s so easy to get overinvolved in life that suddenly you realize you haven’t seen someone in far too long; I’m going to make a point to NOT be that way this year.  I will see my friends more often than Book Club.  I deserve it, and it definitely makes me a better wife and mother to have that time to be Sarah Lena.
  • Take on some new online opportunities. There’s more coming on one front of this, but I’ve been given some chances to expand my writing circles a little.  I plan to take them, because of all my resolutions ever, blogging seems to have stuck.  Also, I want to start doing a monthly-or-so podcast with the fabulous Ronda.
  • Be a Real Wife of Huntsville. I haven’t figured out how to do this one yet, but by studying the last season, it looks like I need to start my own charity by funding an over-the-top fundraiser and drink water out of wine glasses.  Possibly buy some jewry.  Lastly..
  • Put these on their own page on the blog so I can see them all the time and remember to do the damn things.