So we’ve made it to February, which is usually the time when folks have either fallen off the New Year’s resolution wagon or take a step back to assess how they are doing.

I am happy to report that I am doing great! OK, it might have something to do with the fact that I don’t really do resolutions. My theory is that I suffer enough. So, while I’m raising small kiddos, I get a resolution “free pass”. Do we mamas really need extra stress and self induced pressure?

I get that everyone wants to be healthy and lose a few pounds. I’ve got a postcard on our fridge that has an illustration of a goddess woman, with the words “Can you pinch an inch? Do you give a shit?” It’s just a reminder that maybe mamas need to cut ourselves a bit of slack – a few pounds and an extra inch or two is a small price to pay for getting to grow humans in our bodies.

Rather than putting pressure on myself this year, I am relieving myself of it. I have two examples:

1) My photo dilemma: I had five years worth of unprinted photos hanging around my neck like an albatross. I finally admitted that there was no time in the foreseeable future that I could dedicate to this project, and it was only getting bigger with each photo taken. A quick Facebook status update asking if anyone was up for a project put an end to my photo woes. Project has now been completely outsourced. The weight that has been lifted from my shoulders is indescribable.

2) The next outsource came in the shape of a teenaged homework helper who has a 95% average in French Immersion. My son’s FI was causing me an incredible amount of stress. My lack of French rendered me useless – throw in the fact that I don’t really get Gr. 5 Science either and I was a complete waste of space. Now, three times a week my angel teenager relieves me of that aggravation. My son does well on his homework, understands the material and I am no longer pulling my hair out every evening.

Outsourcing these little projects certainly ends up costing a mama a few bucks, but I am a strong believer that at whatever cost, you can’t put a price on mama’s sanity!

A new year usually brings on the notion of new resolutions. A simple definition of resolution is: “A decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner.” I think looking at the big picture of a resolution can be a bit of a daunting task.

To say “I am going to organize my whole house this year!” and wake up on January 1st with the idea that you are going to make huge changes right away can lead to a feeling of discouragement if you don’t see some real changes soon.

We all naturally like making lists of things to do and checking them off to get that sense of accomplishment. So this year instead of saying you’re Going To Get Your Entire House Organized, sit down and make a list of each room in your house. Then break it down even further. List each area in that room and what you want to see accomplished. Next, set a weekly goal of tackling each area until you are finished. Here is an example of what your list may look like:

• Living room

1. Find hidden storage for toys.
2. Need storage for DVDs, get rid of cases.

• Dining Room

1. Go through china cabinet and see if there is anything you want to part with.
2. Store linens properly.

• Kitchen

1. Dump the junk drawer.
2. Create vertical storage for cookie sheets and cutting boards.
3. Get basket for potatoes.

Remember to break down your organizing list into small, accomplishable tasks to avoid resolution run-down. It might be a long list but it will be empowering watching items get checked off as you go. Add a couple of fun ‘to-dos’ on the list too, like a manicure or movie to reward yourself for a job well done.

For this week’s blog post, guest blogger Christopher McGrath provides some timely inspiration about getting healthy in the New Year.

Chris before his journey

It’s that time of year again when many people reflect upon the previous year, wondering what could have been, and contemplate the year ahead, dreaming of what could possibly be.  While I’ve never been a huge fan of resolutions (mainly because I’m no good at keeping them), two years ago, I promised myself I would try to make a change that would last a lifetime.

Two years ago, I was a 435-pound man.  And for the last time, I resolved to get healthy.

And while I had tried almost every diet, gimmick and trick out there, I was not thoroughly convinced that surgically wrapping an elastic band around my stomach was going to be the solution to my problems.  Why?  Well, it wasn’t modern medicine’s fault that I was a morbidly obese.  Over the twenty previous years prior, I made a series of bad choices in terms of my eating habits and my inability to manage my emotions.  So while I didn’t resolve to go on a diet, or read yet another self-help book in search of the secret to happiness and weight-loss success, I did resolve to do one thing very differently. 

I made a resolution to hold myself accountable to my own choices.
Finally.
I chose to live my life differently.  Quite simply, I chose to live.

Because 20 months ago, I used to pray at night that I wouldn’t die in my sleep – feeling the weight of 200+ extra pounds, depression, sadness, disappointment, and anxiety pressing down on both my body and my spirit.  And I made a deal with myself on April 19, 2008 – that if I woke up the next morning, I would not only choose to make a change, but I would actually do it.

And I haven’t looked back since.

I hired the best trainer in the world (I think!).
I actually applied everything I had learned from 20+ years of dieting, to fuel my body in healthy and wonderful way.
I learned to enjoy sweating…running, indoor cycling, and kickboxing.  I’ll try anything now, and in the process, likely grow to love it.
 
And most importantly…
I dropped over 200 pounds of body weight…the old fashioned way!
I’ve lost 7.7 feet (yes, feet!) of fat from my body’s girth measurements.
I’ve learned to take control of my life, and forgive myself for the consequences of negative choices.

I learned that the problem with all of my previous resolutions was that they weren’t about making a change in how I think, or how I see myself in the wonderful world around me.  They were about changing something that existed externally to who I am as a person, in hopes that changing that one condition alone would create an imbalance in my already chaotic life that could prompt much-needed change.  But now, the resolution – the best one I ever made – was about not feeling victimized by my bad choices, but instead understanding that the most powerful thing I have as a person is the power to choose.  I can choose to live my life in whatever way I wish.  And once I made the choice to eat more healthfully (I still eat burgers!), exercise daily, and forgive myself and others for everything I had been hanging onto for so very very long, I drew more strength and motivation from that choice than I had ever found before.

And for me, that was the secret to my resolution.

May 2010 bring you the same power and inspiration – from your own power to choose.

Chris today

 To read more about my journey, visit: http://www.secondcomingofchris.blogspot.com

So like any ‘normal’ mother, a New Year is upon us and it’s time to start thinking about those resolutions. I’d say my list is not unlike most. This year I will:

- get fit

- start eating right (and feeding the kids healthier)

- get organized (luckily Mabels has already helped with that!)

- stop drinking in the afternoon (just seeing if you’re paying attention)

- be more patient with the kids/my husband/my business partners (just seeing if Mumby is paying attention..hee,hee)

I’d guess these are pretty typical on the mommy circuit. Seems the list doesn’t change that much year to year. Strangely, the year plods along and I seem to be satisfied that if by December 31st I look at my kids and the head count is still the same.