New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions, Goals, or Both?

~ sweetlifestyle ~ 2 Comments

Happy New Year to all of my readers!

How do you feel about a new year? How do you feel about making New Year’s Resolutions? If you made any last year, did you keep them? Do you set New Year’s Goals as well?

To quickly answer these questions: I find new years and new beginnings to be generally exciting and hopeful. I’m okay with making some New Year’s Resolutions and managed to keep most of mine from 2016. As for New Year’s Goals, I think they’re as important as resolutions. When I asked my family if they thought there was a difference, we all agreed that resolutions are more like daily habits we want to work on while goals are longer term items we work towards that can be measured and tracked. (If you want to read more about setting goals, you can check out this link to the Mind Tools website.)

As I look back on 2016, I would say that I had a great year, for which I feel lucky given the many terrorist attacks and tragedies we saw. I traveled more than ever, which is a big deal for me as I overcame a lot of anxiety over traveling by plane. I caught up with more family and friends than ever, and I’m so happy about being in touch with them more regularly, thanks to social media and long distance conversations over the phone or WhatsApp. And, I got to spend time blogging, connecting with new people, and learning a lot about freelance writing. Continue reading →

Facebooktwitterpinterestinstagram

Frozen Fruit Smoothies – Even in Winter!

~ sweetlifestyle ~ 4 Comments
Frozen Fruit Smoothie
Frozen Fruit Smoothie

In my post on New Year’s resolutions, I said that I’d publish a post on frozen fruit smoothies.  Here it is!  Because eating more fruit is one of my resolutions, fruit smoothies are an easy way to meet this goal.

This time of year in Canada it can be hard to get fresh fruit that tastes good and is reasonably priced.  Of course, to keep your diet varied, you treat yourself to your favorite fruits from time to time.  Mine are pineapples and mangoes.

But, if you don’t buy as many fruits in the winter, or you find yourself not finishing what you’ve bought, then consider the option of freezing leftover fruits and making smoothies.  You can buy frozen fruits at the store but, by freezing unused fruits, I’m trying to accomplish another resolution, which is to waste less food.

Fresh Fruit to be Frozen in Glass Dish
Loosen Frozen Fruit with a Knife
Frozen Fruit

Here’s what I do.

Any fresh fruit that hasn’t been eaten within a few days of being ripe gets cut up and put in a glass dish in the freezer overnight.  I seem to have ripe bananas, pineapples, and strawberries left over the most. When I take the fruit out, I let it sit for a few minutes, then use a knife to loosen the fruit and store it in a freezer bag.  Voila: unwasted fruit and fresh smoothie material!

Continue reading →

Facebooktwitterpinterestinstagram

My New Year’s Resolutions for 2016

~ sweetlifestyle ~ 5 Comments
New Year's Resolutions
New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year!!

The beginning of a new year is when many people set New Year’s resolutions.

Admittedly, I don’t usually set resolutions on New Year’s Day because I make resolutions all year long.  Maybe that’s a good thing, maybe not.  Either way, January is as good a time as any to think about positive changes.

Here are 5 New Year’s resolutions that will make a difference for me:

New Year's Resolutions
New Year’s Resolutions

Get More Sleep
I used to sleep from 10pm to 6am every night.  That’s a solid 8 hours.  I felt great because I could get more done in the early hours of the day when it was quiet at home and on the roads. Since my second child was born, I haven’t been very successful and am lucky to get 6 hours.

I’m sure you have heard about many studies and statistics on getting more sleep.  I like Dr. Oz’s tips and website.  I know that getting more sleep will make me a more patient mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend.  My biggest challenge will come with getting to bed as early as possible because I seem to get up around 5:30 no matter how hard I try to sleep in later than that. If I had to choose only one New Year’s resolution, it would be to sleep. Continue reading →

Facebooktwitterpinterestinstagram