Reset

I don't know about all of you, but December was a tough one for me.  So much needing done, unexpected auto repairs, having to retrieve DD1 from college out of state (and the rockiness that has been transitioning back to having her living at home again), the death of my grandmother. . .  and less than a week later having to put Old Dog to sleep. . .  Well, I'm really glad to see January get here.

With the new year, I'm pushing the 'reset' button on life.  Taking a deep breath, taking a step back for perspective, taking notes on changes to make and prioritizing things that need to be done, taking charge again.

Reset on my weight loss/exercise efforts, which got totally blown out of the water the last half of December.  I'm glad to only have gained 2 pounds over the holidays, but I miss my daily workouts during the week.  Time to re-implement those.  Not only do they keep me trimmed and toned, but getting a good heart-pounding sweat on boosts my mood for the day too.

Reset my decluttering and cleaning efforts.  Somehow what DD1 was able to fit into half of a dorm room seems to be sprawled throughout my house, no longer containable in a small space.  Add to that the influx of new items from Christmas gifts and I'm getting positively itchy from all the disorganization.

Reset on a daily and weekly schedule now that the holidays are over, guests have returned home (or will be returning soon--DS1 and crew left today, DS2 leaves this weekend to go back to college).  It sure was nice to have all of my children home for the holidays this year, and to see all the extended family that we did, but it will be nice to get back to a predictable routine.

Reset on my menu goals.  I haven't posted any new squash recipes in a few weeks because, well, we slacked off on eating squash.  The one time we did cook it, it was an old favorite method: steaming.  Also with the busy-ness, we fell back into the old high-carb way of eating--lots of pasta, lots of potatoes.  Time to get back to the more balanced protein to carb ratio, with the carbs being veggies other than potatoes.

Reset the household budget.  With tax changes, and other costs increasing, time to examine our income and expenses, check if we are meeting our financial goals, and rewrite the budget if necessary.  It sure would be nice to put a bit more in savings this year, especially since what we had got eaten up with repairs to vehicles (water pump, plugs, wires and O2 sensor on the Suburban; new battery for the little red car) and travel expenses (1500 miles of gas to move DD1 home, plus another 500 miles worth or so--plus a hotel room and eating out--for attending my grandmother's funeral).

How about you?  What things are you wanting to push the reset button on now that a new year is started?