Brand New Year - 2012!!!

It's a brand new year and what am I thinking? I've got to make some resolutions, but then again I don't want to disappoint myself, so I've been avoiding it. I did find some really helpful hints for living happier and healthier in yesterday's Parade magazine--

"Make One Healthy Move a Day - 7 tips to get you started" by Jessica Cassity

1)  Create a list of five things that make you happy. Commit to at least one mood-boosting act every day. Write a blog, stew a stitch, bake a cake, help a friend, cook a meal, paint a picture, read a book, take a walk, would all work for me! And or course, being thankful always helps people be happy!

2)  Cut calories, not taste. Swap high-calorie ingredients for healthier options. Thanks to my beautiful daughters and disciplined husband, our table is healthy and nutritious most of the time!

3)  Quit waffling on our decisions. Washing your hands can help you stop questioning a decision. I really need to take the kitchen sink with me when I go Christmas shopping! :)

4)  Sharpen your short-term memory. First eliminate distrations like TV. Or barking dogs...

5)  Strengthen relationships. Pay attention to the small things your family and friends do for you. Parade also had the article, "Up Your Gratitude" (by writing handwritten notes) by John Kralik, which I highly recommend! But, do as I say, not as I do! Or at least not often enough. But I love stationery and cards.

6)  Get organized about paying bills. Go digital. My motivation this morning for collecting and documenting passwords in a safe, easily accessible place. Yay! I won't have to pay a late fee to Kohl's!

7)  Stop dwelling on past mistakes. We've all tripped on a stair or fumbled a word. But I have so many goofs...I resolve to try to replace the goofs with positive memories!

And in the Statesman's Wall Street Journal Sunday column by Katherine Rosman. "It's Jan. 1. I Resolve to Change...Quite a Bit." Very funny. Or impossible. Or not.

So, this afternoon, after making some attempts at being more organized - like safely documenting those passwords so bill paying isn't a hairpulling experience every time I forget them... Tom and I went out and did 2 things that we've been talking about for several months. We went to Costco and bought a membership, then bought the memberships to 24 Hour Fitness. Next we drove over to 24 Hour, signed up, and even tried out some of the machines. We both scheduled the orientations to fit our calendars, so in a few days we'll be good to go! And at least we will have a attempted to change a little bit, if not quite a bit.