Showing posts with label changes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label changes. Show all posts

Monday, 7 January 2013

New Years Resolutions

I didn't make any New Years resolutions last year, I knew with a new baby on the way I would have enough challenges to face in 2012.  As we begin a new year, I have to say I am really glad that I didn't make any resolutions, but now I am feeling ready to make some changes in my life for the better, I have got lazy over the last year, lazy with eating, drinking, reading, TV watching and surfing the net, I want to clean up these areas of my life a bit and make my life more like I want it to be.  Also it's not just about me this year, it is me and Orren and our family generally.  So after much thought and editing, here is my list of New Years Resolutions.

I often wish that we didn't have a TV, I envy others who are able to go without watching it at all.  I want the space in my head and life, I also don't want Orren watching the TV and he has been recently, which is totally against my philosophy and I can't even believe I have allowed it, so my first resolution is no TV during the day, the TV only goes on in the evening.   I know this is going to be hard for me because I do enjoy watching the TV while eating my breakfast and lunch, and when breastfeeding, but I really want this change in my and Orren's life. If any one has any tips on giving up TV I would love to hear them.

Having a baby changed me, no doubt about it, mostly it made me a stronger more passionate, empathetic person, but there have also been some negative changes.  I am far more insecure than I ever was and find myself feeling bad about so many things and worrying about upsetting people, getting upset about being left out and worrying that everyone else is having more fun than me. One of the causes of me feeling bad is b**dy Facebook.  Seriously, I hate the thing, and yet I don't seem to be able to stop myself going on a seeing what everyone else is up to.  The result, "X, Y and Z seem to be so happy and having so much fun, my life is s**t".  So, my next resolution is not to avoid Facebook altogether but to only go on to add photos for my family a friends to see and to arrange get togethers with friends and groups etc.  No more scrolling through other people's activities and making myself feel bad, Facebook doesn't control me, I control it, I will use it only on my own terms.

This year we have been pretty lazy when it comes to food, not planning in advance and eating a lot from the freezer. I can forgive myself this since we were getting to grips with a new baby, but I think now is the time to improve our diet, not just for our sake but because Orren now joins us for three meals a day and I want him to develop healthy eating habits. I also think making more food from scratch is beneficial in terms of self-sufficient, it will also challenge me to think more and be more creative with meals.  So basically this resolution is about avoiding processed food, planning all our meals much more carefully and being more creative with what we are eating (i.e. not just variations of beans on toast for lunch every day).  To add to this I also want to dramatically reduce the amount of sugar I am eating.  I usually have a tablespoon of golden syrup on my porridge every day and I think it is making me feel bad, itchy and runny nose bad.  Oh and caffeine.  I should probably try to reduce the amount of that I have too.  Green tea from now on. The ultimate aim of all these diet changes is that I will be able to get back to the weight I was at my wedding, and I will be able to stop taking anti-histamines for allergies and using steroid creams for my skin.  I also want to make more of my own natural remedies and home remedies for minor ailments.

Although I am planning on not watching TV during the day, I do enjoy some down time in the evening where I can stop thinking and zone out for a bit, however I do feel like this is wasted time, especially as this is the only time during the day that I get alone without a small child to look after (who by the way is into everything), so my next resolution is to do a craft project in the evenings while I am watching TV.  To help me with this resolution I am going to get the craft activity ready during the day because if I leave it till the evening then it's too late to get craft supplies out of the cupboard in the bedroom next to the cot where Orren sleeps.

Two years ago I started reading "The Bible in a year"  This year I will finish it!

On top of theses main resolutions I have a little list of other changes I want to make:
 

Do you make New Years Reolutions?  What are they this year?

Wednesday, 5 September 2012

The start of Autumn

Saturday was officially the first day of Autumn, (well ok officially the 22nd of September is the start of Autumn because that's the autumnal equinox, but I say 1st September because if you divide the year into four then there are three months for each season and September is the first for Autumn so there we go) and it had started to feel like it at the end of last week; we woke up to a bit of condensation on the windows and a general sense of chilliness in the air.  Normally this time of year fills me with dread, all those dark mornings and evenings, the cold, the wet, but this year I feel different, I am looking froward to watching the leaves change colour and walking in them through the woods hearing them crunch underfoot, I am looking forward to pumpkin pie and fruit cake and other Autumnal delights.  I am finding myself fantasising about frosty mornings, seeing my breath in the air, walking on crunchy grass and best of all, our first Christmas at home!
I always vowed that once we had a baby we would no longer be performing the yearly ritual of travelling from one side of the country to the other, visiting one set of parents in London and another set in Wales, so this is the year when we get to snuggle up in our very own beds on Christmas eve, fill a little stocking for Orren then wake up and settle in on our own sofas with some chocolates.  Oooh so excited about our first Christmas dinner our way, making our own Christmas traditions, watching what we want on TV and much much more.
I can also put the past year of veg growing (or lack thereof) behind me and start thinking about growing lots of lovely things to eat at the allotment and let Orren have a good dig around in the mud too.  I am still chasing my tail with him, stressing about not taking enough photos and not recording enough.  But I am just trying to enjoy life generally and not worry too much about the endless recording, I don't want to miss the real thing!
Today however is glorious sunshine and I have been sitting in the garden feeling like summer has only just begun!
How do you feel about Autumn, dread or look forward to?

Here are some photos from past Autumns and Winters: