My New New Year’s Resolutions
I hate New Years resolutions. Always have. Sure, over the years, I’ve made all the classic resolutions: I’m going to lose 5 lbs… or start taking that yoga class… or find time to meditate… Ha! I’m all for a little self-improvement, but I think making unrealistic resolutions is just setting yourself up for disappointment. So for 2015, I’m making some new resolutions to replace my old, unattainable, guilt-inducing resolutions:

Old Resolution: Hit some magical, perfect goal weight on the scale.
New Resolution: Don’t worry what the scale says, and just make sure I’m eating well and feeling healthy.

I’m having a baby in 2015. And I know so many moms who put SO MUCH PRESSURE on themselves to get back to their pre-baby weight as quickly as possible. Well, that’s just not going to work for me. I want to be a happy, healthy momma so that I can keep up with my little one. If I’m on a starvation diet, do you think that’s going to happen? It takes a lot of fuel (calories) to be a mom, especially a breastfeeding mom. So, no diets will be happening in this house! I’m all for eating right and staying active, especially if it makes your body feel better, but I’m totally against obsessing about weight and pants sizes. Healthy moms come in a variety of shapes and sizes, after all!

Old Resolution: Join a gym, sign up for that yoga class I’ve been meaning to take, etc… Go, go, go!
New Resolution: Sleep as much as humanly possible in the month of January.

Yeah. So. That baby. He’s due February 1st. So if you don’t hear from me in the month of January, it’s because I’m trying to set the world record for longest nap. Good for you if you’ve decided to get more active in 2015. Staying active is a good thing. I’m not saying that it’s a great idea to become a total couch potato… but setting some unrealistic goal that’s going to overwhelm you is never a good idea. Start somewhere and enjoy being active, but don’t feel guilty if you really need to be lazy every so often. And if you do decide to start a new fitness routine in 2015, maybe you could pick me up a veggie burrito on your way home from the gym?

Old Resolution: Keep my house Martha Stewart –level- clean.
New Resolution: Accept that my house isn’t going to always look as perfect as I’d like it. (And recruit my friends and family to help pitch in with the housework when I’m learning to take care of my newborn!)

This is probably my hardest resolution, because I really enjoy a tidy house. I like things in their place. I cringe when people wear shoes on my freshly mopped floors. I get stressed when I see piles of clutter. I’m really going to have to work on letting this one go, because, before I know it, I’m going to have a toddler-tornado living with me!

Old Resolution: Meditate daily, and achieve a level of extreme, Zen-like self-awareness.
New Resolution: Screw up a lot, and realize that that’s ok.

There’s nothing I look forward to more in 2015 than cuddling with my sweet little newborn. I’m going to soak in every single minute of snuggling and nursing, and try to remember that even when I’m exhausted beyond comprehension, and I feel like I’m the worst mother in the world, that it’s perfectly ok not to be perfect. After all, I’m learning to be a mom for the first time, and my baby will be learning to be a human for the first time. When you’re new at something, mistakes happen. And that’s ok. In fact, that’s how we grow. There will be a lot of growing for my little family in 2015, and I’m looking forward to our journey, bumps and all!

No matter what your goals are in 2015, I hope you stay kind to yourself! And just so you know…. I was serious about that burrito. Extra guac, please!