Happy New Year from all of us at Texas Frozen Tropics. Texas Frozen Tropics is your premier frozen drink machine rental company in the Houston area. We bring the party to you! We have dozens of  premium flavor options that are sure to please your guests. Check out our website and book your frozen drink machine today!

To all of our customers, THANK YOU for choosing to book us for your events this past year.  You have trusted us with your business and we truly appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts.  We hope that you will continue to choose to work with us as well as spread the word about our business.  We love this community and are grateful to be a part of it. We are looking forward to the year 2022 with nothing but optimism.  No matter how difficult the last couple of years have been, we look to the future with hope.  Hope for health and wellness, hope for togetherness with the ones we love and hope for unity and peace.

3 Attainable New Year Resolutions:

Isn’t the start of a new year always so promising?  It feels like a clean slate; a fresh start.  I always try to set a few goals for myself at the beginning of the new year. This year, I am committing to 3 New Year’s Resolutions. I have chosen them based on what’s going on in my life right now.  In order to commit to your resolutions, you need to set goals that are attainable for you.  Don’t choose “running a mile per day” if you know there is no way that you will do that for the year.  Start simple and small. See what you can handle and what actually fits into your life.

1. Get (and stay) Organized

Organization is very trendy right now.  This is an advantage.  Stores all of the country are zeroing in on this popular ideal of purging, tidying, and organizing our homes.  Target, for example, has an entire brand now call Brightroom that is focused on whole home organization. You can check that out here.  Because of the popularity we are seeing with this organization fad, it is easy to find affordable organizational tools like bins, drawer separators, racks, etc.  The Container Store used to be the go-to store for these items but now you can find them pretty much anywhere.

My advice is to start with one room or closet or corner of your house.  Do not overcommit to an area that will take you days to clean and organize unless you actually have DAYS to complete it.  I started with my pantry and fridge.  I bought clear bins from Amazon; linked here. To purge, clean and organize both my fridge and pantry took about 3 hours.  I split the time between my kids’ nap times and got it done.  Let me tell you, I feel SO MUCH BETTER.  This success made me excited to continue this process throughout my home.  Here are a couple of pictures from my first official organization project of 2022:

BEFORE-I call this photo: “Don’t Judge.” I know my fridge was disgusting, y’all.  That’s why I cleaned it. Relax.

 

DURING-I pulled everything out and threw away anything expired (yes, there was expired stuff, OK?).

 

AFTER: Finished project thus far.  I am sure I will add/adjust as I need to. I love the bins; HIGHLY recommend.

 

I failed to take pictures of the pantry “before” but this is an example of how I used the bins in there. Putting snacks in the bins for my kids to grab on their own has been life-changing.  Do it.

2. Work Out

Yeah, I know.  Predictable.  I don’t go to a gym.  Let me rephrase that…I CANNOT go to a gym.  I have 3 small children and ZERO time.  However, I can pull up YouTube on my smart TV and commit 30ish minutes to working out 3-5 days per week.  You can pay for a subscription to a streaming workout service like Beach Body on-Demand or Peloton or Obe Fitness if your budget allows it. There are usually tons of workouts to choose from and even live classes you can participate in virtually.

Now, let me share my best discovery of 2021.  I have found a YouTube channel that I love called BodyFit by Amy.  If you sign up to be on her e-mail list, she sends out clickable workout calendars each month FOR FREE.  You literally don’t have to plan your own work out. It’s awesome.  I have been using her workouts for about 6 months and I feel great and am seeing results.  You are just going to have to trust me on this one…I refuse to post any revealing “before and after” pictures. Ha!

Here’s a screenshot of BodyFit by Amy’s channel.  I feel like I know her.  She has a great personality and is encouraging.  I swear, this is not an ad for her. I just genuinely like her and her workouts.

3. Read More

Notice how I didn’t write “Read one book per month.”  That is too rigid of a goal for this mom of 3.  I have 2 books that are on my nightstand currently.  How long will it take for me to finish them? No clue. Don’t care.  The fact that I have opened them and have committed to reading for about 15-45 mins per day is a big deal for me. Even if it isn’t every day, you just have to read MORE than you did last year.  Measure it however you like. Happy reading, y’all.

I suggest that you choose different types of books throughout the year: self-help, fiction, non-fiction.  Switch it up. Expand your vocabulary and your imagination.  I think holding a book in your hand and reading is becoming less and less common.  Most books and publications can be read on a device. I just think there is something nice about reading printed words on paper rather than on a screen.

If you are trying to figure out when you would possibly be able to read for more than 1 minute at a time, I do have a tip for you.  Make yourself get into bed 30 minutes earlier than you normally do and pick up that book.  Set a reminder if you need to.  Keep the book out on your nightstand to remind you. What I have noticed it that reading a book (and not looking at a screen) before I go to bed at night has helped me fall asleep faster and sleep better throughout the night.  I am really starting to love reading as a part of my nightly routine.

These are the two books that I am currently reading:  One is a self-help Christian Living book by Jen Wilkin (love her), called Ten Words to Live By. It is SO good thus far.  I have read other books by this author and she never disappoints.

The other book I am starting is a novel called The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles.  This was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law and I am excited to really get into this one.  She saw Jenna talking about it on the Today Show and thought it was something I would like.  The reviews and accolades this novel has received are insanely good.  I have high expectations for this one.

Every year is a chance to be better.  I want to be better at taking care of myself and the ones I love. Setting a few goals is one way to commit to spending time just for myself this year.  I hope that you spend time loving yourself this year.  Bring it on, 2022.  The best is yet to come.