2010 resolutions

With school holidays almost at an end and the beginning of a brand new school year which sees my kids in Years 10 (yikes! how did that happen????), 8, 6, 4, and 2 and new challenges for all of us, I thought it would be good to really set some goals for this year. These aren't hard and fast rules but things I would sincerely like to reach by next Christmas.

I have been feeling really unsettled for the last year or so, and never totally happy. I am happy with my family, I love them to bits but the unsettled feeling within me just won't go. I think it is because I just have so much I want to do and achieve that I just don't know where to begin.

This year my goals are:
To lose weight and get fitter. I don't need to be a supermodel with perfectly toned body, I just want to fit back into my clothes and look nice and just feel fitter and stronger. I have my nephew's wedding coming up in mid April and by then I want to at least fit into some of my nice clothes again.

To declutter our entire house and give alot to charity and sell the really really good stuff online to earn us a few extra dollars. We desperately want to save up for another trip with the kids to Queensland before my eldest gets to the stage where he doesn't want to be seen with us anymore lol. So if I can make a few extra bucks from our clutter all the better.

My plan is to go through the house room by room. and paint and decorate each one to make it more homely. My ex and I bought this house just over 8 years ago when I was pregnant with my youngest. We had wanted to redo the kitchen and paint it then. Well my new hubby and I have done the kitchen (except the tiling lol....just can't make a decision on that bit!!) but it still hasn't been painted!!

I have decided that decluttering is going to be done bit by bit. My aim next week when the kids go back to school is to tackle one shelf/surface/drawer each day and no more. I tend to want it all done at once but I realise that I am driving myself crazy with that approach so one shelf a day it is. I will only be keeping things we are using/things we love. All the stuff I keep for "just in case" can go. Surely if I haven't needed it in a year I won't be needing it and I'm sure most of it I could easily find something close to it in an op shop if I need to.

I also want to try to live by need instead of want. Even though we do that more or less now due to financial constraints I do believe we can cut down even more, particularly when it comes to food. Food seems to take up so much of our weekly budget its ridiculous. We don't eat alot of takeaways, but I think home baking needs to become the norm for me rather than buying biscuits and cake. The kids prefer it anyway. I finally found a really nice banana bread recipe that my family (well all except two that don't like banana lol) love, so I now don't throw out bananas!! Yay!!

I will keep you updated on my missions.....lol there you go maybe if I make it sound like a game I may just succeed!!!