Kicking Off The New Year With A New Me

Don't you just love starting over? A saying I've used many times with my kids is, "do you want to try again?" and that's pretty much how I view New Year's Resolutions, as a time to refocus, start over, and try again. :)
It's been a year since I've done any serious running and I miss it. Knowing the baby is due any time now, I've gone ahead and began setting my goals for what I'd like to make happen this year. I know I still have several weeks of recovery and that I can't just run right out and jump into a workout routine but I certainly can start planning for it all.
So, below are some goals and how I plan on seeing them through. I hope to add to them as the year goes, tweak what needs tweaking and overall enjoy 2012 to the max.
2012 Goals:
1. To Run: I picked up the book Run Your Butt Off back in the summer, gave it a quick read but didn't really tackle the program since I was pregnant and didn't feel it was the right time to pick it back up. However, it's been dusted off and I look forward to seeing it through this year. 
2. A Family Garden: I read up on this a great deal last year, buying several books that listed when and how to grow different vegetation. I even did a small pot garden next to the house which produce some good foods. This year I'd like to celebrate my birthday by purchasing a box garden and filling it with several different types of fruits and veggies and allowing the kids to really make this happen. Who knows, I may even look into canning. :)
3. Clean Eating: It's actually the research from The China Study that has lead me to reevaluate the way I eat and make changes for myself and family. According to this study, a diet high in meat/dairy products {20%} fuels the growth of cancer as well as other diseases, where as roughly a diet made up of about 5% of meat and dairy products can reverse and even eliminate many illnesses.
And, with this information I'm turning to the idea of eating clean - reducing foods that are made up of high, bleached sugar, chemically based, and turning more to whole foods. I recently found the book, The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids, which provides a great deal of recipes that kids are bound to love {I really hope I can introduce Jeremy to some fruits and vegetables that he'll enjoy}. And maybe with the garden this will spark more interest in healthy foods for the family.
4. To Be Less Judgmental: This is a very personal goal. I seem to pass judgement pretty quickly and it's an issue that I really want to work on. I can only think that through prayer, devotion, and spiritual maturity I'll make changes in this area.
So, there we have it, my first list for the year. I smile thinking about how it will all turn out. I hope to read this post periodically and really keep these ideas as a main focus as I go along. And now what about You, what goals have you set??

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Garden Time!

My first tomato from the garden. I probably should have let it ripen a bit more before picking, but I'm still new to it all so I'm learning as I go. :)

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Growing Our Garden

My mom loved gardening. I always enjoyed sharing that with her. :)
Last year I decided to plant my own garden. I spent several months reading up on it, and we have plans to begin tilling soon. While waiting for Spring to arrive, I wanted to see if I could start some seeds. I'd mentioned it to Sean before about saving the fruit seeds {from our food} and planting them in our garden. He didn't think it would work, something about...blah, blah, blah, I don't remember. I tried anyway.  :)

We started with a simple seed starter from the Dollar Store. Maddie enjoyed poking all the little holes for the seeds and then dumped half of them out in the flower bed {we shall see what happens with those this summer}. I placed my tray on top of my refrigerator to keep them warm. I checked 'em every couple of days or so but didn't really know when to expect anything. I came home today and Sean asked if I'd seen my sprouts.
I was soooo excited! :) We now have like a hundred little cantaloupe plants...OMGosh, what are we going to do with so much cantaloupe...homeless shelter here we come!

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