welcome 2016

Some years, when I look back over what my goals were, I am wracked with guilt!  Not so in 2015.  Hooray!  I had two major goals for this past year.

1. Take control of our budget
Man, we killed it in budgeting this year.  A HUGE step for us was moving from monthly to weekly budgeting.  We have an entire year of finances in our excel spreadsheet.  We know where our money goes, and so we always know how much we are spending.  We went from almost always being $200 or more over our budget to being under budget more than half the time.  We started a teeny, tiny retirement fund and purchased a life insurance policy for Tyler.

2. Plan meals
This was to help with our budget, and it made a huge difference.  We ate out significantly less when I didn't have to think of something to make every night.  At the beginning of the year I planned a month at a time, but now I only plan a week at a time and we waste a lot less food and have cut about $50 out of our grocery budget.

I'm not sure I want to make goals, but I want to have a new attitude as a mom.  I've been marinating a couple of phrases and here is what I am down to:

I call these my "mom rules."  It seems like a lot, but they all contribute to the overall attitude and spirit I want to nurture in our home.  

Lighten up is the big one - to me, it means let things go.  TJ spills his cereal?  Say uh-oh, clean it up, and let it go.  Don't lecture.  Don't let it make me super mad.  Because he is little and that is okay.  

Right along side that, I want to take more time to play with the kids.  I want to be present and enjoy my kiddos - stop to play, go outside, and do it now because maybe he won't want to play with me later.  

Last but not least, if  I am happy and if I have fun, my family will too.  I am a firm believer that if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy so I need to set the tone for everything from family interactions to discipline.  

I am so excited to work on the "spirit" of our home this year, and I hope I can be as successful as I was in last years goals.  Wish me luck!

I did think of one GOAL goal I want to have - return to writing.  I am a huge journal-er, but my entries are getting farther and farther apart.  I love, love re-reading my journals and I don't want to miss anything from this time in my life because I was too lazy to sit down and write once a week.  I guess this falls right in with my mom rule - do it now!

Do you set goals or resolutions?  How do you stick to them?