Peace: My 2015 New Year’s Resolutions (+ A Free Printable)

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I didn’t write down and New Year’s resolutions last year and I kind of regret it. I know they’re cliche, they’re not usually successful and blah, blah, blah, but there’s something about physically declaring one’s goals that really helps to define a fresh, new beginning. I blogged about my resolutions in 2013, and I thought I’d revisit that idea for this year and do it again. Plus, I missed my annual reflective birthday post this past September like this one and this one. I hope you don’t mind me sharing a little bit of my personal struggles and wishes here today!

Here are my New Year’s Resolutions for 2015:

  • Stop eating white flour and white sugar (mostly). I stopped eating these in September and I feel AH-mazing. I’ve been battling with some weird digestive maladies last year, plus gross things left over from my 3rd pregnancy (kidney stones – OH MY), and this change has made a huge difference in how my body feels. I won’t say that I didn’t cheat in a BIG way over Christmas, but I’m back and ready to commit again. Deleting these from my diet is a very concrete and simple way for me to make my diet healthier – it automatically removes the snacks I usually grab (like cookies and bread things). I’m also starting this month with Amazon Ashley’s #januaryjumpstart2015. It’s a great list!
  • De-clutter my home. If you know me, you probably just spit out your coffee and had a big belly laugh. I’m really quite messy and disorganized in general. HOWEVER, I did find a couple of great and easy looking challenges for this year that will help me de-clutter and organize my home day-by-day. This declutter calendar from Home Storage Solutions 101 is one that I’ve started on, and you can follow my progress on Instagram.
  • Go on more date nights with my husband. We’ve been lacking these, and I’m hoping we can do them more often this year. Now that Baby B is 10 months old, I think we will!  I keep being reminded that actively working on our marriage is incredibly beneficial to our family as a whole and I love my hubby to bits.
  • Invite more people over for dinner. Somehow I’ve gotten out of the habit of inviting families over for dinner at our house. There are so many wonderful families in our lives that I want to hang out more with! Sometimes it’s easy to get used to being alone, especially when you have young children and limited income. I wan’t to reach out more to my friends (and people that could be friends!) this year.
  • Pray instead of worry. Like a lot of people (I realize, as I read social media posts and blog posts this month), I kind of had a challenging 2014. Don’t get me wrong: there were some incredible things that happened last year (like the birth of Baby B!), but there were also a lot of bad things that happened in the family/relationship category of my life. I learned that there are a million things that are out to attack my relationships and the peace in our home. It’s discouraging (and sometimes just plain bewildering) what people can do. Instead of hardening my heart and/or letting worry consume me (Who else is going to let me down? What’s going to happen next? Hellloooo, anxiety!) I am going to pray. I believe that God holds our lives in his hands and I want to choose to look to Him in 2015. Yep – there is a ton of evil out there and it’s seeking to destroy the good in the world. What can I do? Pray, pray, pray. A Bible verse that I really need plastered on every wall of my home is Philippians 4:6 & 7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” So, guess what? Not only am I going to work on my health and my relationships this year in practical ways, I’m going to pray my heart out for them. There’s only so much I can do, and I’m going to lift up the rest to Almighty God.

Here’s a free printable for you if you have the same goal or resolution this year – to pray instead of worry. (Click on the image to download a PDF.) This is a nice, large 13 x 10″ printable that I used on my TV gallery wall. Just shrink it to fit an 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet if you want to print it that way, or send it to a copy shop to get it printed at the large size. (For personal use only.)

Peace. Philippians 4:6. Be Anxious for Nothing.

Happy 2015, and I wish you PEACE in your homes this year! Do you have resolutions for this year?

14 Comments

  1. I could have written every item on your list! Best of luck with it all. I hope you have your best year yet in 2015. I haven’t written anything down yet, but I have been feeling quite resilutiony lately. If I do end up making a real list, it will include decluttering, better time management, and a move toward real food. Baby steps though. I feel like I can’t really make any commitments right now because I have two big deadlines looming this month.

    1. Thanks so much, Jo! I hope you have a wonderful year too. Yes, I think taking baby steps is wise. If we suddenly throw all of these expectations on ourselves, that might backfire. 🙂 Happy 2015!

  2. I’m going to buy some new summer clothes. I got into skirts and tops when I was nursing, but it’s been a LONG time since then, and I haven’t gotten out of that rut! So this is the year. I’ve tossed everything, so I have to! LOL NEW SUMMER CLOTHES!

  3. I just love you and your DIY ideas. I always plan to do all that I read but I am yet to start. I’ll start tomorrow…. . .

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