First of all... Happy New Year!
I know a lot of people don't believe in New Year's resolutions, but think that's sort of sad. What's so bad about a New Year's resolution? A resolution is defined as a "firm decision to do or not to do something." For the record, there are things I'm absolutely determined to do this year. It doesn't mean that there's a 100% chance I'm going to accomplish all of my goals. But, why not try?
So, I am excited for 2012 and I'm making resolutions.
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt
Here are a few of my goals:
1) Get more organized. Thanks to Google for giving me a good jump start on this. If you haven't tried Google Calendar and Google Documents, you have to try them. My husband and I share an online calendar which syncs up to our phones. And, now that I use Google Documents, I never have to worry about my computer crashing and losing all my important work stuff. But, I also want to try and come up with a better system for keeping things organized off-line too, especially budget-friendly ideas for organizing our home.
2) Excercise more and weigh less. I've been battling my weight ever since I was a little girl, and for a while, I was winning. Then, along with babies came the baby weight, and now that my youngest is almost 4 and it's time to lose it. I know how hard this is, so I'm starting off slow. But, I am absolutely determined to make this a priority in 2012, and, I will definitely keep you posted.
3) Spend less time on the computer. I could spend hours and hours on the computer... learning, working, chatting, creating. But, because my top two resolutions involve getting more organized at home, losing weight and exercising, that means less computer time is a must! I feel like so much of the personal contact we have with friends is on-line, and most of the time that's great. But, a good old-fashioned phone call is nice too. I apologize in advance if the kids are screaming in the background... but that's a resolution all to itself.
4) Give back. This has been on my mind a lot recently. And, this year, I really want to demonstrate to my kids that volunteering to help those in need is an important part of life. The economy isn't the best, and there already aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. But, we need to look at the big picture and care for those who are less fortunate than we are.
5) Work on my "Parent Talk." A few years ago I stumbled across this book, Parent Talk, while I was on a weekend getaway. Every kid is different, and I don't think there is any magic formula to making kids behave perfectly all of the time. But, this book promotes talking to your children in language that builds self-esteem and encourages responsibility. There's something about this style of parenting that just makes sense.
So, those are a few of my resolutions. Are you anti-resolution or do you have a list of them like I do?