It’s The Busy Mom New Years Resolution. It’s the beginning of the year and for as long as I can remember this is always the time I claim to start my journey on becoming the new me… but lets be honest. I am sure you are like me and you love the you that you are. After all it’s taken years to become who you are today. Now that I’ve said that, I am not knocking a fresh new you. This is a blog for the moms out there that want to make a change without spinning their world in a whirlwind.
A new year doesn’t mean you have to be a new you.
Think about your car. Most people don’t replace it yearly but we do have to maintain it throughout the year. The more years you have it with high miles the more self aware most car owners become. That’s where I am here in 2023. I am self aware that I am a young 25 year old born in 1985. Here are the five things I plan on doing this year. You may not have thought about when it comes to a New Years resolution so I help it helps you!
ONE
80/20 Healthy Eating. The first thing on my list for The Busy Mom New Years Resolution is heathy eating. Don’t worry- its not what you are expecting. I read a bloggers post on Instagram last year and she said you don’t have to stress what you eat all of the time. If you are working on trying to eat healthier its ok to eat 80% healthy and 20% freedom. This can help avoid the resistance that some have from giving up the foods you love. For me this is huge. I love food, but my body doesn’t agree with what I put it in at times. So I have made a deal with myself to ensure I have two healthy low carb meals and it is working well so far.
TWO
Me time. This is a big one for me on the The Busy Mom New Years Resolution. For years I have spent all of my time and energy on being the best for everyone else around me and never spent time to myself.
Last year I slowly started to find time for just me and I loved it so much I am making it a point to do so this year. Some times I’ll do bigger things like grocery shop alone or get my nails done. For the most part its sneaking inside when I see the kids having quality time with their dad or I’ll wake up before everyone else is up to enjoy a cup of coffee. It doesn’t matter how big or how small it is, when I tell you it’s nice to have 20 minutes knowing you aren’t needed – it can really lift pressure off of you.
Here’s a few things you can do on your own
- Wake up before anyone else is up to have some alone time
- Just as you might wake up before everyone, sometimes stay in the living room after everyone has gone to bed. It’s amazing how quite and clean the room and can.
- At the end of the day after everyone is settled but might still be up, pop in your headphones and listen to a podcast. If anyone needs something direct them to their dad and let them know you will be done at X time. I’ve found that if I set the Alexa in the kitchen my toddler will wait until the time goes off to approach me.
- Of course shopping isn’t always an option for everyone but I will say that running up to the gas station without my kids can make me feel like a child again lol. Something about not having everyone ask for everything they see it therapeutic of its own lol.
- Go for a walk or bike ride with your kids BUT from the beginning suggest that it is a quiet activity to view the world around. If you are on the bike this is easy. When it comes to walking have short breaks to look around and chat but when on the move lean the focus into taking in what’s around you.
It can be hard for kids to understand that you might need just a minute but if you suggest for them to do the same it can become a wonderful time for everyone to rest. When you are in a busy home like ours with 6 of us its ok to set time to yourself.
THREE
Cleaning timers. Third on the The Busy Mom New Years Resolution; cleaning timers. It’s funny that it took me roughly 13 years to figure this out. But setting a timer or cleaning goal can change your entire day. I’ll be honest, I have spent some days/weeks stuck in a cleaning rut because I feel like its all that I do. Then I started setting limits for myself. Sometimes it my be bigger, ei: cleaning an entire room. But when it comes to that, that is typically a bedroom deep clean. For everyday things I will set 20 minute times here and there to just pick up the area around me.
FOUR
It can wait. I know this is a hard one for a lot but I am telling you, once you get there you will see it was WELL worth it. So, what can wait? Cleaning, meal prepping, big dinners, random not important request a child might have. Anything that isn’t truly important, it can all wait. Unless your health or job depend on it, more than likely it can wait until the next day when you have a fresh outlook on the day. Typically I will apply this to cleaning or one of my teenagers ridiculous request but also to dinners- sometimes chicken nuggets and fries are the winner for the day. You don’t have to be a super hero. You don’t have to check every list. It’s ok to let something’s wait.
FIVE
Finance Recap. I am sure you are wondering what I am talking about so let me explain. This is a big one for me on the The Busy Mom New Years Resolution. Over the year it is quite possible that bills have gone up, monthly memberships are being charged and you might not be using them or you might not have ever even looked at your spending. This is the perfect approach to being more aware of your spending and setting small goals.
I’ll be honest, budgeting can be every overwhelming. For some you are forced to face facts you might not want to face and that is perfect normal. Some years I will simply reset my monthly budget sheet and other’s I will create a full blown budget thanks to so many motivating Pinterest budgets. Either way I am still in the exact place I need to be so for me it’s all worked out according to plan.
So there is a lot I could go into when it comes to all of this but it’s best to keep this particular blog short and sweet.
The what and how’s..
Look at your bank account. Start at the first of the month and go down to the last day looking at everything you spend. I suggest inputting it into an excel spreadsheet but pen and paper works too. Make a few columns for: bills, monthly subscriptions, food and “other” spending. Depending on if you are looking to budget more or recap your spending will depend on how you do this.
This year I was a little more motivated and have set a few saving goals, so along with pushing myself more I wanted to see where I can cut our spending. I decided to break down the “other” into their own categories and I found we were spending WAY to much on fast food and monthly subscriptions. We had almost every paid channel that I am almost embarrassed to write that out lol. I also came to the realization that I need to step away from my beloved candy crush and my husband needs to limit his on duty gas station stops.
For our family these are areas we can cut and move money to other places. For you you might need to cut down on your going out or make up addiction spending. We all have our own needs so find yours and see just how much you need it when you can look at a bigger picture.
Here are a few of my favorite budgets I’ve stumbled upon this year. Let me know if you have any questions.
That’s it!
I hope these small changes can off set the need to make a new you this year and focus more on The Busy Mom New Years Resolution. Rather then looking for change it’s ok to maintain with 100,000 miles maintenance. The extra additives can make the difference you might be searching for.
For more ideas check out what goals the GalPals are sharing this month.
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/advice/g985/achievable-new-year-resolutions/
6 Comments
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January 10, 2023 at 1:17 pm[…] The Busy Mom New Years Resolution – mamallamallama.com […]
Roslin Dwivedi
January 10, 2023 at 3:21 pmI agree with you on so many points. I wake up early before everyone does, which is the best time I get for myself all day. And, of course, we don’t have to keep doing cleaning and dishes and requests for everyone in the house—all excellent points.
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Alex
January 13, 2023 at 1:46 amI definitely need to do all of these. It’s so hard for me to get up early. Hoping I can manage once the baby gets on a regular sleep schedule.
Michelle | con limón, please
January 13, 2023 at 2:33 pmI definitely need to get better at focusing on myself and taking some me time. Thanks for the tips!