New Year's Resolutions: Let's see if I can do better this year.

 

I'm fully aware that it's almost the middle of February, FAR past the time when I give out the grades from my New Year's Resolution from the previous year. In this case, the previous year being 2022.   Oh yes, 2023 was that kind of year.

So here are the resolutions I made in 2022:

5) Stop using my Visa after February 1, 2023.

 Yeah, that's an F.

4) Time at the computer means working or writing. Not shopping.

Please refer to #5.  Also F.

3) Get back on the program!

Okay, I was actually sort of okay with this. I didn't lose any weight, but I didn't gain anything from my start of 2023 numbers.  Give me a C+.

2) Take a class.

I actually looked around for a class to take.  And then I got bogged down in getting hired by two companies at the same time, quitting my job with Stuff Recovered, and starting at "Stuff Sorted."  So, figuring out 2023's version of applying for and interviewing for jobs and then starting a new job, that's kind of like taking a class, right?  At least I'll give myself a solid D.

1) Replace guilt with self-care.

And we're back to failing.  F

So, in review, 2023 wound up being Three F's, a D and a C+.  Not great. 

I made one simple resolution in 2024.  Ready?

DO NOT USE THE KOHL'S CARD OR THE TORRID CARD OR PAYPAL.

2023 Was kind of rough on the credit cards. I was easing my general sense of depression with online shopping. A LOT of online shopping. A LOT.  So, this year, I've put away my two store cards and promised myself not to online shop with PayPal this year.  

Six weeks in, how am I doing?

Well, I used PayPal one time. In my defense, it was the first time I'd been on eBay in two years and it was muscle memory.

okay, clearly I have no defense. LOL

As for Kohl's, so far, so good.

Torrid, well, I found a wee loophole.  They let me use my Torrid awards and all that even if I pay with my Visa. So...I shopped AT Torrid, but not WITH Torrid.

So, now Lent is upon us, and as you may know, I like to give up something for Lent.  So, here we go:

Yeah, I'm not giving up coffee. That would be silly.

No, here we go:

NO ONLINE SHOPPING FOR LENT.  That's right.  40 days of no online shopping. 

I have to be organized enough to get my book order in for the big event I'm doing in April.  I'm the keynote speaker for the Sisters in Christ Retreat in Michigan April 19-21. So, yeah, I have to get my book order IN before Fat Tuesday.  (That'll be a huge hit on my poor, over-used credit card.)  And then....NO ONLINE SHOPPING for 40 days.

Which will be fine, since I'm trying like the dickens to get my newest MAX MARCHINO novel out by April 1.  I'm way far away from that. So, yes, what I need is 40 days of NO SHOPPING.

Oh, BTW, here's the new cover for the newest book:

Pretty great, right?

So there you have it. I'm doubling down on giving up retailing.  Let's see how we do!

2019 Resolutions Report Card (Just so you can feel good about yourself!)

Hello everyone!  Here's hoping your holiday season is going well.   With Christmas in our rear view mirror now (How did it go so quickly?  I've been working on it since August!)  it's that fun time of year again when many of us sit down and evaluate what we need to change about ourselves next year.  For fun, I thought I'd go back to my resolution list and give myself a report card.  You know, accountability is the only way to learn.  Or something like that.  So, here are the resolutions I made a year ago, and how I did.

1)  Average 12,000 steps every day.  

2019 Results:  I was actually getting over 12,000 steps a day most of the time until June when I found out I'd torn a tendon in my foot and wound up wearing a walking boot and physical therapy until October.  Realizing it's an unrealistic goal at this point for me, I've dialed back my steps. Now I focus on a weekly average between 65Kand 70K steps and really work on getting 40-45 minutes of active time.  Overall, had I not torn my tendon still probably would not have kept up with the 12K steps a day, so I'm giving myself a C- here.

2)  Drink more water.

Nope.  Was doing great until it got cold and my water drinking level dropped way off.  Gotta give myself a D-  Will have to work on this again in 2020

3)  Be more disciplined with my writing.

Well, yes and no.  I'm not more disciplined because of anything I did.  When I cranked out my birthday/Christmas wish list for my family I asked for a cleaning service to do the kitchen and the bathrooms so I would have more writing time.  Hubby stepped up. He takes care of the bathrooms B+.

now (the kitchen is still pretty much up for grabs, but he's a big help there too) and I've got a writing schedule posted on the kitchen menu board. I don't always follow it, but it's there, and participating in Nanowrimo this year really got me into the frame of brain to sit down for set amounts of time and work on a project. I've managed to complete much of my portion of a 4th movie review collection and I'm well along with a new novel that's going to shake my reading fans' cores.  Thanks to hubby's help, I'm giving myself a

4)  Take care of my health issues inside and out.

This is something I attacked with a vengeance.  I began a course of iron infusion treatments that have really helped my energy level. While I don't manage my iron and ferritin levels well, and I'll probably need more infusions along the way, I'm less in need of long naps every day. I can make it through a whole day without a nap if I need to.

I also got on top of my mental health by starting to work with a therapist on a regular basis.

I'm still gaining weight instead of losing, my stomach still bothers me from time to time, and my arthritis is still an issue, but overall I'm on my way to better health and better self care.  Giving myself a B+  (had I lost weight instead of gaining, I would have hit an A.)

5)  Read 21 books.

We have a week to go and I'm almost done reading two more books which means, yes, I will reach my goal of 21. My goal on Goodreads is actually 24, and if I count the book I wrote this year ("Freed on the Fox") I might just hit that goal. And not one kid's book on the list!  So yes, I get an A for this.

6)  Be more patient all around.

I think I was more patient.  Although...if you talk to my family members maybe not. I continue to wrestle with certain issues I want fixed RIGHT NOW.  I have trouble putting those things in God's hands and letting Him handle it all in His time.   So I guess I'm slightly more patient with people, not so much with God.  What kind of grade does that earn?  Let's go with a C.

Next week I'll be announcing a new list of resolutions, hopefully my reviews at the end of 2020 will be a little less mixed!  But hey, if we all completed our resolutions every year, what a boring world this would be because we'd all be perfect. And I would have no reason to write this blog.

AND THAT WOULD BE TERRIBLE!

2018 Resolution Report Card

Hello everyone!  For those of who are still celebrating holidays (Boxing Day, Kwanzaa) Happy Holidays to you!  For my American friends, we know this week between Christmas and New Year's as sort of a semi-shut down week. I mean, retail is open, of course.  And medical.  Aaaaaaaaand, yes, my day job is open.  But still, there are a lot of people out there who get to sleep in and do nothing for a couple more days.  Or, conversely, you're stuck at relative's homes for a couple more days and you can come back on Sunday just in time to start back to work.

I digress.

Today's blog is NOT about post Christmas Blues, which I have, but about looking at the resolutions I made for this year and how I did...


To remind you, here are my resolutions from December 31, 2017:

1)  Give up French Fries.

Yeah...I did it for Lent last year.  Not easy.  But let's face it, the art of making a good French Fry is dying and really I'm only in it for the mayonnaise or ketchup.  So...let's just give those up for a year.

Well, this one was up and down. I've been very streaky in when I am and when I am not off fries.  I would give myself a strong C-.  I haven't failed, but I have eaten enough fries this year to keep me from being proud of myself.

One a brighter note, I gave up bread for Lent this year, which was tough, but I've stayed away from much of my previous bread consumption (I'm down to less than one serving a day).

2)  Increase daily step goal to 12,000.

Just means more marching at 11 PM while watching "The Tudors"...again.

This I have done.  The vast number of my days have registered at 12K or more steps per day. The last two weeks haven't been my best, but overall, I believe I've achieved this one. Give me an A-.

3) Go to the gym more than I did in 2017.

Shouldn't be hard...since I'm pretty sure the number I have to beat is a single digit and we have 365 days for me to get it done.  On a related note, watch for me to really get my workouts going well about December 14.

I actually also managed to complete this one. I did attend the gym more than I did in 2017. And then I cancelled my membership this summer because, who are we kidding?  A for getting there, but stick an asterisk on this one because I did cancel.

4)  Drink more water.

This year I'm not going to count the ice I put in all my mixed beverages as water consumption.  I'm also pretty sure I can't count the water I use in coffee...since I also add creamer.  And I'm not giving up dairy.  We all know that's not going to work in my world.

This has been up and down.  There are days I get over 64 ounces and days I do not.  I give myself a B, although my doctor, who believes I should actually be drinking 128 ounces a day, would give me a D-...

I'm still very aware of drinking water and have cut my soda intake down to less than one 12 ounce can per week.  I've also completely cut out artificial sweeteners and I've dropped my adult beverage consumption to 1 per week on average.

5)  Take all my supplements every day.

2017 proved to my I can't just do a "catch up day" on Thursdays with one big giant, vomit inducing day of vitamins.  Not really getting the best benefit out of that, I think.

I decided to stop taking supplements altogether in 2018. They made me nauseous.  That said, my doctor is insisting I get back on the iron and I've started taking Vitamin C. So maybe cutting down on the number of supplements will help in 2019.  I'm giving myself a D- on this one, because I did actually take them every day for a while, but then stopped completely.

There you have it. Much like school, my report card surprisingly up and down.  But isn't that like life?

I've got a couple more days before I have to cough up new resolutions.  Let's see if I can be more creative!