New Year, New Goals (part II)

Well, the Holiday season is officially over. I don't know about you, but I'm definitely feeling that post-Holiday depression. Just the thought of beginning to take down my Christmas decorations makes me want to take a nap! So instead of doing all that not-so-fun stuff, I'll blog!

Last week I shared with you my New Year's resolutions. Here they are again:

1) Be a more patient wife and mother.

2) Try harder to give others the benefit of the doubt.

3) Be more charitable.

4) Give more offerings to the church.

5) Institute a permanent Family Home Evening night and stick to it.

6) Be a better friend.

7) Figure out a way to tell my toddler "no" a little less often.

8) Lose this baby weight.

9) Join a gym and go 3 times a week.

10) Try new foods (vegetables).

Now, I realize some of these are a little vague and difficult to measure (Stephen Covey would not approve). I mean, if I ask my husband if he thinks I've been more patient, he had better answer "yes" if he wants dinner. Ha! Just kidding... sort of.

Stephen Covey, in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, says that "an effective goal focuses primarily on results rather than activity." He goes on to show how to properly write, order and manage goals. Quite frankly, that takes the fun out of it for me, so here's my much briefer version of Covey's goal setting techniques, using my goal to lose weight has an example.

Define the goal. "Losing weight" is not enough information. I need to know what I want to accomplish (how much weight I want to lose), how I'm going to accomplish this, why this is important, when I want it done, and who is going to help me.

What? (What exactly do I want to accomplish?)

I want to be the weight I was before I had kids, therefore I want to lose 50 pounds. (whew! just typing that is hard!)

Why? (Why is accomplishing this important to me?)

I want to be a healthy wife and mother. I want to set a good example for my girls of positive self image and healthy eating. I want to have enough energy to keep up with them. I want to fit into the clothes that fill up my closet.

When? (What is my deadline?)

I want to accomplish this goal by the end of the year.

How? (How am I going to accomplish my goal?)

Join a gym with child care and go at least 3 times a week. Join a group-exercise class. Journal food. Write weekly menu plans. Seek support-tell everyone!

Who? (Who is going to help me?)

My family and friends. All of the SMMWR readers and contributors.

Mini Goals. A big goal needs to be broken up into smaller, bite-size goals to be celebrated. This will keep the morale high and the motivation flowing. My mini goal is to lose at least 5 pounds a month. Suddenly 50 pounds in one year doesn't seem so daunting!

Alright, one down, nine to go! I'm off to organize the rest of my goals. See you next week!

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In an effort to keep myself on track, I'll be sharing my weekly meal plans with you. Please feel free to holler at me if I try to sneak by without sharing because that probably means I didn't do it!

What we're eating for dinner this week:

Monday: Stir-fry with beef, snow peas, and carrots.

Tuesday: Parmesan chicken with roasted green beans and potatoes

Wednesday: Spice-rubbed fish with lemony rice and peas

Thursday: Roasted chicken with herb rub and whole-wheat couscous

Friday: Whole-wheat pasta with sriracha marinara and turkey meatballs

Saturday: Homemade whole-wheat pizza

Sunday: Roast beef with potatoes and carrots