Resolutions: 2012 - The List

1.  Plan nothing - happily do lots
This simply means that I will commit to very few events and say no a bit more often.  This will free up memory space in my brain, create lots of free space on my calendar and in general make time for me and my family of four to do whatever we feel is fun in the moment. 

2.  Answer of the year, "Let me think about it and get back to you..." 
As a former "yes!" girl, this in itself is a huge leap of ... FREEDOM!  Normally, I say "yes!" to most things, thinking I can pull it all off.  In 2011, I realized that most times I ended up with a lot of extra anxiety from all of the things I agreed to do, places I said I could be.  Most times, I would let friends and family down - and the inevidable guilt would ensue.  Now, I will say "Let me think about it..."  

3.  Facebook less.
For me, I often get sucked in and realize I have wasted a good chunk of time and then have to hurry, hurry to make up for the time I've spent.

4.  Meat + 2 Sides = Meal
That's it.  Recipe Queen here has noticed that her children eat much better when we grill a meat, and serve it up with two simple sides - rice, mashed potatos, beans, crusty bread with olive oil, etc.  All of these recipes for casseroles cloud my brain, add too much to my budget and take too much time.  When a haggard mom sits across from her two boys and they are not eating - after the time/money spent - this makes for one frustrated mama.   

5.  Two magazine limit
Everday with Rachael Ray and Health magazine - that's it.  Nothing else.

5. Purge
Gone are my collection of Country Living, Martha Stewart Living, Taste of Home.  My stacks of saved magazines became a huge stresser in 2011.  Suddenly, my hobby of casually flipping through a magazine became a To-Do Item at the end of my very long list.  I already decided to cut down my subscriptions to just two magazines, but the stress still seemed to linger.  It was then that I took my entire collection of favorite past magazines and purged them all.  Gone.  Just.  Like.  That.  I am in heaven... try it for youself!  Instant gratification!

6. Less Details
I love my peeps dearly, but sometimes saying too much can give a person permission to think they can offer up unsolicited advice to try to "help."  Less is more when it comes to friendship, I think.  At least for me.  Maybe it is my excitable personality - perhaps this can be misconstrued for lack of brain cells.   I haven't quite come to a final conclusion, however, my brain is fully intact and quite clever, in fact.  I don't need to be fixed, but thank you.  I am happy as I am.   

That's it.  This is the list - feel free to borrow a few items here if it will help to organize your mind and life!