My New Year's Resolutions

Like almost everyone else on the planet, I make New Years Resolutions every year. Sometimes I do well, and sometimes I do not. Last year, these were my resolutions and my analysis of their sticking power…

1. Go on a diet!

Verdict: Until Jan. 15, great job! For the other 11.5 months, not so much.

2. Lose weight!

Verdict: No. Maintaining counts for something, doesn’t it? :)

3. Cook more meals at home instead of eating out.

Verdict: Yes! Last year, we ate at home 4-6 nights per week.

4. Stop using the computer when Katie Anne is awake … aka be more actively engaged in her playtime.

Verdict: Yes! I rarely use the computer when she’s up and about, and we spend tons of time playing together.

5. Stay on top of the filing/organization in the office.

Verdict: No. The office looks like a paper bomb exploded in there. I just close the door and try to pretend it doesn’t exist. I think the reason I did poorly on this one is that I had no real plan… just a vague idea to “do better” than the previous year.

So, I’ve been thinking about my New Year’s Resolutions for this year, and I’m trying to be more proactive and think of some I can achieve. Here are my thoughts…

In the New Year, I will…

1. I will be more physically active.
2. I will walk the dogs more often.
3. I will set up a new filing system to keep our home office more organized.
4. I will uphold Tuesday Night Chore Night.
5. I will get the playroom finished.

Every year since I was a teenager, I’ve made the same ones – diet and lose weight. I always pick some hare-brained diet, do it for two weeks, and then go right back to my old habits. I’m not making those these resolutions this year! I’ve decided my problem isn’t really my food- I do go wild on occasion, but we really eat pretty healthily. We eat a lot of steamed vegetables, don’t ever fry anything, and have cut bread from our evening meals. So, instead I’m going to focus more on my activity level. All of my hobbies (sewing, scrapbooking, knitting, reading … and, um, hello, Blogger) are sedentary, so my health-related resolution this year will be to be more active. I’m going to use the Wii Fit mainly, with a little weight lifting with Saunders, sit ups, and jogging on the treadmill thrown in for good measure.

I also feel really bad about how little physical activity our dogs get each day. Before Katie Anne was born, I walked the dogs several times a week. When I was pregnant, I walked them almost every day. After KA was born, I tried to figure out how to push the stroller or carry her in her Baby Bjorn and walk them, but it was too much trouble. I always wound up walking half the mile with a screaming baby and/or miserable dogs. So, I just gave up. Now that she goes to sleep at a reasonable 7:30 pm, there’s no reason I can’t stroll with them at least one mile around our neighborhood at least 2-3 days per week. Plus, that activity can accomplish resolutions 1 and 2 in one fell swoop!

I have a great plan for a simple filing system for the office papers. Not to go into too much detail, but I’m really cutting down on the number of files, so it reduces the separating and filing time. I’ve been saving a lot of unnecessary papers, so I’m cutting back on volume, too. Also, this will be a system Saunders can do instead of me having to file everything… my other system was way too complicated. Probably why no one filed anything!

My house is driving me crazy. It needs a deep cleaning badly. I mean dusting light fixtures, wiping baseboards, cleaning blinds… really deep cleaning. So, I’m instituting Tuesday Night Chore Nights. This means, on Tuesday nights after KA is asleep, I am picking one room and going crazy on it. I mean, I’m locking myself in the chosen room with a bottle of 409 and a sponge, and only one of us is walking out - me or the filth. I hope Saunders will join me in this endeavor, but even if he doesn’t, I’m declaring war on dust bunnies and getting it done. First room up: the master bathroom.

Finally, I am finishing that playroom if I have to freaking knit the carpet myself and glue it down with my own spit. I am so ready to have that project finished! We were on a roll and did a ton of great work, and then we got tired and ran out of money. Well, we’re still tired and still out of money, but we're going to cut back in other areas and finish the drill!