Monday, January 2, 2012

New Year's Choices (I think I can, I think I can)

Well, another year has come and gone. I will eventually take a look back at 2011 and ruminate on all that that crazy year held, but for now I want to look forward.

Here it is, January 2, and I’m already behind! But better late than never, right? I have been thinking—mulling, if you will—over the last few days about what I would like to change in this New Year. I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions. But that’s probably because I never stick with them. So this year, I have resolved (hehe) not to have resolutions. Yes, you read that right. I am SUCH a rebel.

Now before you write me off as being content with my chubby, unhealthy, messy lifestyle, let me tell you what I have resolved to make a part of my new year. Drum roll, please. : )

Choices.

Specifically, New Year’s Choices.

They are different from resolutions in one very important way: while a resolution seems so strict, unforgiving, and controlling, I think of a choice as being much more of a personal decision. The bottom line is that I will probably screw up and miss a day of this or that, but while a resolution would then feel broken and hopeless, a choice can start fresh the next day. 

So, without further ado, my New Year’s Choices! 

Make my bed in the morning – I think this is totally manageable! I have actually done this before and been pretty successful in doing it but have dropped the habit. And as soon as I get my sheets out of the dryer (where they’ve been for the last two days) I am totally doing this!


Send out birthday cards – I usually start out doing pretty well with this every year and then by May or June I just start to suck. (Although last year I didn’t even try. Seriously. As far as I’m concerned no one had a birthday in 2011. I’m still 27.)


Wash my face before bed – I know what you’re thinking. And I agree. Washing my face before bed is going to seriously hamper my ‘get up off the sofa and stumble mindlessly into bed’ tradition. But I can make small sacrifices for the sake of not looking 96 years old by the time I’m 30.


Say ‘yes’ to my kids more often – This is actually a pretty big one for me. I often find myself telling my sweet girls ‘no’ to doing fun activities because it will make a mess or something else like that. But what I would really like is to be able to set aside my unwillingness to make myself uncomfortable for their sakes. They’re only little once and I don’t want them to miss out on fun stuff. (Sniffle, sniffle)


Write – This one is purely selfish. I want to do something for me. Something I can feel good about and be proud of. I know that my kids are my biggest project and reward and blah blah blah but the truth is I can’t have ‘Mommy’ be my only identity. I need something that’s just for me, or even my Mommy hat is going to be worn to tatters. I would like to blog at least once a week, although I’m not sure I have enough interesting things to talk about. I would also really like to try and write something a little more substantial like a book or short story or something, but I’m not really sure I’m brave enough to try something like that. We’ll see. : )

Exercise – I have a gym membership that has been completely unused for the last two weeks. I would like to commit to going to the gym three times a week. If I happen to work out while I’m there, even better! Maybe this is the year I can stop feeling like I look so ‘mother of three’-ish.


So those are my official New Year’s Choices. Other things I would really like to work on this year are cooking better meals for my family, going on more date nights with the hubby, be more orgaized, being smarter with our money, picking up after myself, and putting away laundry when I fold it. ‘Cause apparently it’s not okay to keep all your clean clothes in a laundry basket on your bedroom floor. Whatever. : ) 

Here is an example of what I want to change in 2012. You may not be able to tell, but that’s actually my computer desk. But that’s normal. Right?

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