Setting a Million New Year’s Resolutions

There is something about the time off at the holidays that is a precursor to setting a million resolutions for the coming new year. Probably all the time to think, which doesn’t seem to come easily during busy harvest season or any of the other seasons before or after harvest season. Not to say these resolutions aren’t well thought out; they have been peculating for months and now it is time to pull the trigger. So without further ado, the list…

But wait. A little review of 2021, as this was the lead up to what resolutions I set for 2022. Halfway through last year, I realized that I needed to focus on relationships. I felt like I had been so busy with my plan for self sufficiency, that I was missing big things like reading at bed time, camping, and just fun. Even though I do think of everything I was doing as fun, but it was fun for me and not always for my kids. So this is when I got off insta and decided to be more present. Not always an easy thing to do, but it felt good. Fast forward six months ish, and those feelings are still on my mind. I am back on insta for now, but I can tell I am craving that refocus so I can really be with my kids and partner intentionally. So how does that look for my resolutions…

Have fun

This might sound crazy to some, but being present and having fun isn’t always easy when you have a list a mile long of things you have to do. But I have a plan. Similar to Jordan Page’s block scheduling, this plan is about mapping out my day so certain parts are reserved for cleaning the kitchen and prepping dinner, other parts are for work for our company, and the rest is for being with my kids and partner and being more fun.
For example, if I prep dinner in the morning, then when I pick up my son from school, we can go outside and play or build forts inside. Or maybe we can drive straight to the ski trails or bike trails. But this doesn’t come without effort as I will need to make sure I am thinking ahead and making sure I have dinner ready. Dinner is always the biggest thing, eh? So funny. It also helps to have a few ideas for after school activities lined up. Some of our faves are listed above, but we also like making squirrel houses and outdoor obstacle courses or going to the river and making canals in the sand.

Date nightsssss

Why is it so hard for me to just sit down and watch a show with my partner? After the kids are in bed, I am running a marathon to do all the things I couldn’t do while they were awake. And again, that is enjoyable for me. But when this is what I always do, and I don’t make time for a card game with Cam, it means that we can go weeks without time for just us. It also means we don’t have conversations that aren’t about tasks or kids. I mean, we didn’t always have kids. We know how to have conversations.
And date night for us can simply mean sitting down together to watch a show after the kids go to her. Sometimes this is watching a cabin building video on YouTube or a cheesy action movie. And having a tea. It sounds weird that this is something that is so hard for us to do, but with my obsession to constantly do stuff and Cam sometimes falling asleep at 8:30pm after a day of hard work, means it very rarely happens. So there it is. Friday night dates. I bet this will be the hardest one to make happen. Fingers crossed.

Yoga Every Day

After kids and cows and animals and gardens, I haven’t made time to exercise consistently for a long time, say about seven years. I did try doing Sweat workouts in 2020, but it was too busy to do it consistently. So I am trying again and my goal is to do a minimum of ten minutes of yoga per day. Knowing how my days usually go, I know I can fit in ten minutes. And I also know that ten minutes can make a difference in how I feel, so it is worth while. I think a nice and easy goal like that is achievable and will keep my back from going out.

Hiking/Dog Walks

Rodge, our live stock guard dog, needs serious exercise to keep him from jumping on us like a wild man and I need exercise to ensure I don’t freeze up before I turn forty. And honestly, this is my life. Waiting to exercise after the kids are in school is ridiculous. Life is now. And if I exercise with Alby, whether he cries or not, he will learn that exercise is something everyone does and has to do. Plus it also means he will get outside every day and get fresh air and vitamin D. So it is happening. I had started this in the fall, so it is another thing I can keep doing that doesn’t seem impossible.

Cut out Refined Sugars

My obsession with the microbiome this year has been strong. Well, it started last year when I had my appendix out and I had to take antibiotics for a while because it had ruptured. And I wanted to rebuild my gut flora. So I started listening to podcasts and watching YouTube videos on the subject, and that lead me down the road of learning about how basically humans onlysurvive because of our microbiome and it essentially runs so many of our body’s functions. Did you know that you have a whole ecosystem of bacteria, virus, and fungus that live in and on your body? Even your face has beneficial bacteria on it that is different from your armpits that is different from your gut. You have more genes from your microbiome than your own human genes. And certain bacteria in your body can actually activate parts or your genes or even swap them?! It’s so crazy. And essentially if your microbiome is healthy, it works in harmony with your body and if it isn’t healthy, than things fall apart. So there is that. And if you want to keep your microbiome healthy, you need to give it what it wants, fiber. Fiber! Fiber from all the colours of the rainbow. And like 90% of your plate should be veggies, nuts, and seeds.
But guess what can hurt your microbiome? Yep, you know where I am going, sugar! Sugar! Evil sugar. Sugar feeds the bad bacteria, that can eat the good bacteria. And if you don’t feed your microbiome properly, you will get sick. Maybe not right away, but eventually, you will. Most non-communicate diseases come from problems with your microbiome. And I don’t want any diseases. So I am cutting out the sugar. But I am not cutting out maple syrup or honey. I will be reasonable about it, but I am really done with it.
And this part will probably sound nuts to most, but if you cut out sugar and too many carbs, you can actually heal cavities. How and why? I don’t know. Probably has to do with your mouth microbiome, but it is true. Since cutting back on heavy carbs and sugar a few months ago, my oldest sons cavities are actually getting smaller. Seriously!! Have you seen this too? Tell me so I don’t feel crazy. His appointment for the pediatric dentist isn’t for a few more months so I am doing all I can to keep his cavities from getting worse. And I think this is working. Or at least that is how the one cavity that looks like a black hole looks.

So long story short, no more refined sugars. And the trick to success is to have lots of healthy snack premade and ready to go. Think peanut butter balls and yogurt with chia seeds, etc etc.

I will share links on this in a more detailed post and on YouTube and insta later. I am obsessed.

But How?

How will I do this? Most of these resolutions were started in the fall so I will just get back on track after eating all the sweets and sitting around for three weeks while on vacation. And I may or may not forget that I even had resolutions come June, or probably even March, but I don’t think I will forget that I don’t want to eat sugar and I do want to exercise every day. The difference is that now my youngest is almost two and I feel like I can do them.
A big theme in my life these days is to live the life I want to live. No more waiting and dreaming. I want this now. And I am doing it. So maybe we eat eggs and toast for dinner one day or leftovers another because I was going for a hike in the morning instead of prepping dinner, but it is worth it. And we don’t have to eat a meal from scratch seven days a week either.