New Year Resolutions For The Whole Family
Every year I make a million resolutions. Okay, maybe not a million, but plenty, and then each year they slowly fade away as I lose resolve. Which is weird, because I'm stubborn and you'd think I'd want to stick with making myself better or whatever else it is that I had resolved to do at the start of the year!
This year is going to be different, the resolutions I'm making are less resolutions and more monthly family challenges, which we hope might stick around longer than the month we're challenged to do them.
The children are a little annoying at the moment and when Flyfour comes home, they barely even look up from what they are doing. So we're going to ensure that all of us are going to say goodbye and hello when we leave the house or arrive home.
We'll also ensure that we spend time each Saturday night playing a board game together too.
So, this is one that I'm hoping will help us all be happier. According to research, Dan Jon needs between 9 and 12 hours sleep, Top Ender needs between 8 and 11 hours sleep and Flyfour and I need between 7 and 10 hours sleep!
This month we're going to stick to our bedtimes and get up time to see if it improves our mood, health and the quality of our sleep too!
We need to exercise more as a family, so we're going to try and incorporate a few different activities into our week. A weekly walk, a weekly dance-off, a weekly trek around the Supermarket, the activities aren't set in stone, they are just anything that means we are able to get together and exercise and have fun.
Well, we eat a meal as a family every day, but these meals are extended Family meals and I don't mean they take more than an hour! What I mean is Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and even those who aren't actually related but we still think of as family are going to be invited round to share a meal or two with us.
I've wanted to do this for ages and, to be honest, I think I'll find it quite easy. It's Flyfour who will struggle! Of course, we'll still pay our bills, be able to buy fuel for the cars and food for the family but we'll be very careful with our budget and not spend on anything else.
As this is both Dan Jon's, mine and my Mum's birthday month we'll have to make sure we've done some GREAT planning to ensure there is no last-minute spending!
Each day we need to try something new... this could get quite complicated by the end of the month!
Basically, I figure we can increase our salad consumption this month as the weather will be kind. However I know that this isn't the only way to eat more healthily, so we're going to increase our fruit and veg consumption and drop all drinks other than water and some fruit juice (but watered down!) and perhaps squash!
We're also going to make sure that we make a lot of the meals together too.
If we can walk the journey instead of driving it, that is the challenge this month.
With the children being at home (as it is the summer Holidays) I foresee us walking to town a lot!
We all love reading in this family, but this month we're going to read a book together. It will probably only be ten or fifteen minutes each evening, but we figure we'll get through at least one book and have some brilliant family memories formed at the same time!
I'm not sure what we are going to learn together, but I do know that this month we're going to learn something together! I figure that it might be a language, but it could just as easily be figure skating or Golf!
All of us are addicted to our Electronics in our home and I'm not saying that is a bad thing, it's what we like, but I want to change that and so for a half hour each evening we're going to put the electronics down and either read, or play a board game or go for a walk or... just anything that means no electronics!
This is something we do every December already, but I'm hoping to have a project or two that we can also work on n December as well as the Light The World campaign.
I'm so excited and it's a whole year away!
So, there you go. That's what we're going to be getting up to. Have you thought about making family resolutions and if so what are they?!
This year is going to be different, the resolutions I'm making are less resolutions and more monthly family challenges, which we hope might stick around longer than the month we're challenged to do them.
January - Family First
The children are a little annoying at the moment and when Flyfour comes home, they barely even look up from what they are doing. So we're going to ensure that all of us are going to say goodbye and hello when we leave the house or arrive home.
We'll also ensure that we spend time each Saturday night playing a board game together too.
February - Be Well Rested
So, this is one that I'm hoping will help us all be happier. According to research, Dan Jon needs between 9 and 12 hours sleep, Top Ender needs between 8 and 11 hours sleep and Flyfour and I need between 7 and 10 hours sleep!
This month we're going to stick to our bedtimes and get up time to see if it improves our mood, health and the quality of our sleep too!
March - Exercise
We need to exercise more as a family, so we're going to try and incorporate a few different activities into our week. A weekly walk, a weekly dance-off, a weekly trek around the Supermarket, the activities aren't set in stone, they are just anything that means we are able to get together and exercise and have fun.
April - Family Meals
Well, we eat a meal as a family every day, but these meals are extended Family meals and I don't mean they take more than an hour! What I mean is Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and even those who aren't actually related but we still think of as family are going to be invited round to share a meal or two with us.
May - No Spend Month
I've wanted to do this for ages and, to be honest, I think I'll find it quite easy. It's Flyfour who will struggle! Of course, we'll still pay our bills, be able to buy fuel for the cars and food for the family but we'll be very careful with our budget and not spend on anything else.
As this is both Dan Jon's, mine and my Mum's birthday month we'll have to make sure we've done some GREAT planning to ensure there is no last-minute spending!
June - Something New
Each day we need to try something new... this could get quite complicated by the end of the month!
July - Eat Healthy
Basically, I figure we can increase our salad consumption this month as the weather will be kind. However I know that this isn't the only way to eat more healthily, so we're going to increase our fruit and veg consumption and drop all drinks other than water and some fruit juice (but watered down!) and perhaps squash!
We're also going to make sure that we make a lot of the meals together too.
August - Leave The Car At Home
If we can walk the journey instead of driving it, that is the challenge this month.
With the children being at home (as it is the summer Holidays) I foresee us walking to town a lot!
September - Reading is Cool!
We all love reading in this family, but this month we're going to read a book together. It will probably only be ten or fifteen minutes each evening, but we figure we'll get through at least one book and have some brilliant family memories formed at the same time!
October - Learn Something
I'm not sure what we are going to learn together, but I do know that this month we're going to learn something together! I figure that it might be a language, but it could just as easily be figure skating or Golf!
November - No Electronics Time
All of us are addicted to our Electronics in our home and I'm not saying that is a bad thing, it's what we like, but I want to change that and so for a half hour each evening we're going to put the electronics down and either read, or play a board game or go for a walk or... just anything that means no electronics!
December - Service
This is something we do every December already, but I'm hoping to have a project or two that we can also work on n December as well as the Light The World campaign.
I'm so excited and it's a whole year away!
So, there you go. That's what we're going to be getting up to. Have you thought about making family resolutions and if so what are they?!