How To Finally Stick to Your New Years Resolutions in 2020

Following the indulgence of the holidays and with the thoughts of a New Year coming, it’s natural to start thinking about New Year’s Resolutions, and about the changes, you’ll want to make within the next year. 

The time following the holidays is the perfect time to indulge in retrospection and reevaluation of certain lifestyle choices (chocolate for breakfast may not be appropriate after January 1st!)

While making specific changes in your life can be done at any point in the year, month, week, day, or even hour, the New Year is the perfect time to finally start to make those changes that you promised over and over again to make.

If you’re struggling to think of where to focus your attention for the next year, this list should give you a few tips for how to finally stick to your New Years Resolutions in 2020. 

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Make a Plan 

You ever hear that phrase ‘fail to prepare,  prepare to fail’? This is often something that is associated with taking tests or planning an event- but how often do we apply this to making radical changes in our lives?

Setting goals or resolutions often requires careful thought and preparation. Want to quit smoking? Plan when you’re going to smoke your last cigarette. Think about what methods of withdrawing from cigarettes you will use. Will you use e-cigarettes as a transition tool? Before your quit date, go and buy all of the things you’ll need- such as the vape tank, tank coils and e-liquids (in various flavors) so you are prepared for when the date comes.

Want to eat healthier? Get some meal plans in place and buy all of the cupboard staples you’ll need to prepare the meals. 

With a plan in place, you will have to be flexible at times, but having the timeline in place helps to keep track of progress when it comes to making life changes. 

Track your Progress 

No matter what you resolve to do, make sure to find your own way of tracking progress. When you’re making a change in your life, tracking your progress is a great way of improving your motivation. 

Whether it is keeping rocks in a jar for every pound of weight loss, or a tally chart kept showing each day without drinking, or pictures of growth. Having a visual reminder of what you have accomplished will keep the motivation going. 

When reaching certain milestones, celebrate them with nice treats not related to the thing you’re trying to quit- for example, if your plan is to lose weight- your treat for losing a certain amount of weight should not be edible. A specific amount of days without smoking should not be celebrated with a cigarette. 

Be Proud 

It takes around 3 weeks to break a habit, but the truth is that it can take a lot longer to tackle a lifestyle change. When you finally crack it, be proud of yourself. Don’t compare your progress to others’- yours is the only journey that matters! 

Practicing What I Preach: Writing for Regional Parenting Magazines!

Originally posted October 6, 2014 and updated at the bottom!

Here is a link to Pittsburgh Parent Magazine and TWO articles I have in there this month (October)  (Halloween Traditions and Pumpkin Decorating)! Guess how much I got for both of these reprints? $75! Yes, for something I wrote a year ago and have been selling ever since, I got a decent amount of money and it is going to help pay something off this month faster than we planned!

Have files of article reprints that you own but have no clue where to start reselling them? Have ideas for some fantastic new pieces but no idea who might want them? Check out my 386-page PDF of tips, tricks, and insider information, as well as 384 paying parenting and family markets for only $9.99! Just head to this page to download How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids and get started immediately!

Sign up for an email subscription to The Published Parent and get two amazing freebies: 10 Parenting Markets That Pay $100+ and 10 Markets That Pay Writers to Write About Writing! And join my Facebook group called Parenting Magazine Writers ... it's FREE and full of tips and tricks and markets and like-minded writer friends!

Updated December 26, 2019:

Still going strong on writing for magazines, and I really enjoy it! Not only do I love the writing and the sharing of parenting tips and tricks, but the checks that arrive in my mailbox and PayPal account sure are helpful when Christmas rolls around! 

This month I was in Kansas City Parent and others, and when I checked Issuu.com a moment ago, looks like Kansas City Parent used one of my pieces for January 2020 as well, so that's pretty exciting.

You can find me on Facebook in the writing group I mentioned above, and also you can grab your freebies over at The Published Parent.

Hoping 2020 is your most successful writing year yet!

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Child Custody Tips for Fathers

                   

Divorce is a difficult time for any family. With so many things changing, it can be easy for your whole world to get turned upside down. If you have children, the process becomes even more complicated when custody matters are brought up. While most mothers get custody of their children in divorces, fathers do have rights when it comes to custody, too. Here are some tips for dads when it comes to gaining custody of your children during a divorce.

Build Relationships

Not only should you build strong relationships with your children, but you should also make a point to build relationships with adults who are also involved in your children's lives. For example, stop by the school and introduce yourself to their teachers. Make it a point to go to as many parent-teacher conferences as you can. Many teachers understand that their students may live at two houses, and will make accommodations so that both of you can attend - separately if necessary. You want to be just as involved in your child's activities as the other parent, if possible.

Hire a Great Lawyer

While around 90% of custody agreements are decided outside of the court, there are times where you'll need a lawyer to defend your rights as a father. You want to make sure that you hire the best lawyer you can. It's helpful to find a professional who is experienced in winning custody battles for fathers. Cordell and Cordell, for example, is a firm that is dedicated to men's interests when it comes to domestic relations. Make sure that you employ an attorney who will champion your rights instead of succumbing to the stereotype that the mother should automatically get custody.

Check Your Attitude

When it comes to determining custody - and the respect - of your children, how you treat their mother will likely be a deciding factor. You should never say derogatory things about the other parent in front of your children. Not only will this hurt your chances of gaining custody, but it's damaging for the children. It places them in a position where they are torn between pleasing you and going against themselves. Regardless of what you think of the other parent, your children still love them. If you make them feel uncomfortable by silently putting pressure on them to choose, it will only create resentment in the long run.

Keep Accurate Records

According to Cordell & Cordell, the odds are often against dads during custody battles. Because of this, keeping accurate records is a must when it comes to fighting for custody. You should not only keep accurate records of your visiting agreement and visits, but also any breaches of the agreement that your ex may have made. You don't have to write down every single little thing they have done wrong. However, serious infringements or anything that progresses into a habit should be documented. This includes things like not letting you see your children during your visit time, failing to pick the children up on time, etc.

Although it's common for the mother to get custody during a divorce, that doesn't mean it's the only option. Households that are headed by single fathers have increased since 1960 ninefold, according to Pew Research Center. There are things you can do to help you win your case. Remember to always be respectful to your ex in front of the children. Keep great records, and make sure that you are involved in your children's school and extracurricular activities. The better the relationship you have with your children, the more likely it is that you can win a custody battle.





               

Crawling Back to Weight Watchers with my Tail Between my Legs

Back in 2016, I wrote a post about how I hated the new Weight Watchers points system. I know they need to change it up to keep members interested, but I was CHEESED OFF and didn't like how it worked! 

Fast forward a few years, and I hit over 160 pounds on my 5 foot 2 inch frame over Christmas (Hershey kisses while wrapping presents is not a good idea). My back and knees have been hurting (among other issues), and I realized I needed to do SOMETHING. 

Honestly, I feel so powerless over food sometimes that I cry, but I don't see a healthy future for myself if I don't make a change. I'm also trying to avoid thyroid medication for as long as possible, having been diagnosed with Hashimoto's autoimmune disorder in August of 2018. It's probably time to have a little less gluten, dairy and sugar and see how it makes me feel and behave.

So on a whim (which we all know is God talking to us), I signed up here (you can get a free month and so can I if you sign up using my link) and answered some questions, which determined I'm in the Weight Watchers BLUE plan (you could also do GREEN or PURPLE... they each have a different number of SmartPoints versus ZeroPoints). Then I printed off my monthly pass with bar code so I can get into the meetings and printed off my 200+ zero-point foods list.

I need to weigh in soon to figure out where I'm starting, but I think I'm going to try to stick with a Monday night weekly weigh-in. I'd love to know what I weight right now on their scale, but I should probably just start following the plan and hit a meeting in a few days for the first weigh-in.

Okay, so here are your steps:

1. Sign up (for a free month on me LOL).
2. Answer the questions to determine your plan.
3. Print your monthly pass.
4. Get the WW app for easy tracking on the go. You can also track on your PC. I do both.
5. Print the zero-point foods list if that is included in your plan. This is my BLUE list (purple has more and green has fewer).
6. Start working on your meal plan. The more prepared you are for each day, the better you'll do and the easier it will be to say NO to certain things. Don't say, "I can't have that" (because you can eat anything you want on WW) … instead say, "That's not on my plan today."
7. Figure out the weekly meeting you want to hit and go to your first one for your first weigh-in.
8. Come back here and let me know how you're doing! Or you can find me on Facebook and post on the page or leave me a message!

I'm a pretty transparent kind of girl, so I'll let you know how it goes on the sidebar every week. This is like my 5th time around with WW, so I'm praying and hopeful.

My plan is BLUE, which means I get 23 points per day to use however I like plus 28 per WEEK to use all in one day, over the week, or not at all. Very flexible. I also can eat from a large list of 0-point foods, like tuna, beans, fat free this and that, veggies and fruits. It works if you work it, no joke.

How much am I paying? About $30 a month since I got the 3-month plan. You can save more if you sign up for 12 months. If you are entirely unsure, you can go month to month.

Tips for Cubicle Sound-proofing

Nobody likes going to work. Especially if you are working in a small cubicle. It feels like an experiment has been going on all the time while you've been working. And in a few days, or maybe today somebody will come and tell you it was all a big joke. The only thing that makes people feel like this is the small space and all of the noise.

Of course, you have a bit of space, but that's enough only to take a step, and then you are out. The job itself can be great, and if it was a different environment, everyone would love it. Well, since you can't do anything about the space, what can you do about the noise?

Talk to your boss or manager first
Before doing anything, you should have a conversation with your boss or the manager in charge. By doing this, you will let them know that there is something that might bother more people. They might have already thought of ideas that they wanted to implement. This is a win-win situation if someone one else has a problem with the noise too.  And, as you read on, you will also get a few thoughts on what to recommend to them to reduce the overall noise.

Add a carpet for the floor
Most of the noise that goes on in the office is people walking in a distinct matter. If you've worked there for a long time, you already know who is going, whereby the sound of their particular walk. As well as that, high heels make a lot of noise. You can be focused and doing something important, and the tick-tock sound of high heels will make you forget it.

The solution you can suggest is to get a carpet that will cover the tiled floor. This will make a much more comfortable working environment. As well as that, that can make it feel more like home. Also, if there is a lot of noise from the floor beneath you, the carpet will block it out. The thicker the rug, the better. It also serves as insulation, and all of the noise will be absorbed by the fabric.

Raise the height of the cubicles

If you have an open cubicle, chances are that the side walls are pretty short. By standing up, you can take a peek in your neighbor's workspaces. If that's the case, you can suggest raising the height of the cubicles. This will reduce the sound from your neighbors, and everyone will gladly appreciate some more privacy. There are a lot of options, and the best one is freestanding partition walls. They are all quite well build, and they all absorb sound at a fantastic rate. You can either get them one by one, or you can just put them all together.

The negative thing about this option is that it can be a bit expensive to do for the whole office. Your boss or manager might even tell you that you can't do that to your own workspace. That's because some people will feel jealous and it will cause a lot of bickering around the colleagues. If they say no, you have a few more options to work with. Click here to read more.

Hang curtains or attach soundproof panels
Instead of going up, you can try and make your existing walls a bit thicker. A professional option is to attach soundproof panels. They absorb the noise, and they don't let it go through. This will definitely make your sitting station more enjoyable. But they can be a bit pricey. So, the next best thing is to add a few curtains on the walls. Since the walls themselves are very thin, the added textile layer will make it harder for sound to pass through. You will feel the difference immediately. The reason high-end theaters use top curtains is precise because of this quality.

Install a white noise fan
If nothing goes your way, then you can just put in a white noise fan. This is a good thing because first of all, it will keep you cool and calm. The second thing is that it's loud, and it will cancel out a lot of the noise coming from outside. It's just the right amount of loud. It's perfectly enough to make everything pleasant for you, but it's also quiet enough not to disturb your coworkers.

Get a pair of headphones

The first thought that comes to mind is that you get a couple of headphones, put them in, and problem solved. Well, yes, that can be an option. It's a pretty good option too, but it doesn't solve the problem of soundproofing. What we meant by getting a pair of headphones is switching the old phones for newer technology. Simple wireless Bluetooth headphones will work wonders for the entire office. No one will be yelling on a handset anymore. Instead, the volume of the whole office will go down. Here’s some more info: soundproofpros.com/soundproof-cubicles

Finally, soundproofing an office is a common issue to solve. There's no way that only one person is bothered by the noise from everyone else. You need to organize a meeting and acknowledge that there is a problem. This will make it easier to solve. If everyone chips in with a small amount, it can make a drastic difference in the working environment. Of course, that's only valid if the upper management decides not to interfere.