My New Year's Resolution For 2012

Sorry, I have been busy, busy, busy and have not had any time to do much blogging. There's just too many things to do and too little time. Even if I were an octopus and have more than enough arms to help me get around, I'd probably still have a hard time getting everything done--there's the house, the baby, the hubby--and then there's work, I need to work too ya know? The only solution I can come up with is properly managing my time. I used to be very good at getting things done and can multitask even with eyes close but darn, lately it's been a struggle! I need to FOCUS.

First thing I should do is get back to my TO-DO list. I think it's the easiest way to get organized.

Next thing to do is free myself from ALL distractions. Easy to say but not very easy to do! No harm trying though. (I can do this, I can do this!)

Third and last, is to find more time for myself and relax MORE. If I don't take it easy, I'll look like an 80-year old in a week's time!

So there!

Now for my New Year's resolution(s)--I suck at this but still make them when I can!

1. Live more frugally.

Money is for spending. You agree? Well, not this time. Now that I have my baby to think of, I should start spending my money more wisely. I'd hate to get caught with an empty wallet and zero pesos in the bank. I've already started by sticking to a weekly food budget. My hubby and I also agreed not to go out for dinner anymore. Besides, eating out is getting too expensive.

2. Eat healthy.

This one's easy since we have decided not to eat out anymore. We'll stick to home cooked meals and make sure veggies get included in our diet. No eggs and chicken for now. The doctor told me not to eat any until my baby is six months old as these can trigger allergic reactions in babies that are exclusively breastfed. Wow! For real? I did a little researching and found conflicting information online. Like what it says in this article for instance:

Although in the past doctors have advocated that breastfeeding mothers avoid allergenic foods such as cow’s milk, hen's eggs and nuts, as traces may appear in breast milk, recent studies indicate it makes little or no difference to allergies what the mother consumes in her diet while pregnant or breastfeeding.

Expert allergists and consultant dieticians have pointed out that avoiding all potentially allergy-provoking foods after weaning is more likely to cause malnutrition and less likely to have any long-term benefit for preventing allergies.

There's good evidence that exclusive breastfeeding for the first four to six months has some allergy-protection effects, but avoiding potentially allergy-provoking foods such as cow's milk, hen's egg, wheat, soy, fish and nuts in the infant's diet beyond this period offers no benefit to the allergy-prone child.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/in_depth/allergies/allergicconditions_food.shtml

And this article as well:

As well as eating a nutricious diet, a breastfeeding mother must make sure that her fluid intake is increased. As mentioned above, around 800ml of milk is made per day and baby drains that fluid from the mother’s body. She must replenish her breastmilk so therefore needs to increase her fluid intake to keep herself hydrated and her body producing milk for her baby. Whilst baby is breastfeeding mum is likely to become thirsty so it’s a good idea to have a glass of water with you whenever you are feeding your baby.

Women usually need about 46gm of protein a day, but this amount increases to about 67g for women who are breastfeeding because a lot of protein goes into the breast milk. Examples of foods high in protein are roasted chicken breast, ham, almonds, cheddar cheese and boiled eggs. These are great additions to your diet when breastfeeding.

Source: http://www.ninemonths.com.au/what-to-eat-when-breastfeeding

What do you think of the above articles? Any breastfeeding moms out there with something to say?

3. Start the day with exercise.

I'm surprised to find out that I actually lost 5 lbs and have shed quite a bit of tummy fat after I gave birth. I owe it all to my baby. Being a breastfeeding mom means taking care of the baby's needs 24/7. I nurse every 2 hours. I even wake up real early in the morning to make sure he's fed and not too cold or too warm. I change his nappies myself and don't have anyone else other than my hubby to help me out. Just doing all these gives me all the exercise I need.

4. No to impulse buying.

I'll probably have a harder time with this one. I tend to overspend and buy on impulse when I find stuff that I really, really like being sold real cheap. Do you ladies have impulse buying issues like I do?

5. Reduce my Internet hours.

I'm thinking of following the Sunday rule. No Internet on Sundays. No Skype. No Facebook.

6. Spend quality time with both hubby and baby.

Spending quality time with the family is a top priority. No excuses!

7. Do more fun projects, get rid of dead weights!

There's a few I want to get rid of. I'd feel sooooo much better with these dead weights gone. Like the saying goes, out with the old, in with the new.

8. Make good use of time by following my to-do list and being more time conscious!

I really, really should get back to my to-do lists. Not tomorrow but tonight, right after I finish this post.

9. Be as debt-free as possible.

Very doable!

10. Blog more often.

I'll try!