Ring out the old...

and ring in the new!

How do you feel about New Year's resolutions?  Millions of people make them (usually the same one over and over) and not many of those millions actually keep them.  In a way I feel that new year's resolutions are kind of corny.  Why do you have to pick something you're going to change or you want to change, just because it's January 1st?  On the other hand, I'm sure there is something in everyone's life that they would like to stop, start or do differently, and picking a day to put that plan in motion seems like a good idea.  The start of a new year is sort of symbolic in that way.... starting "fresh" and all that.

I have never really come out & said "My new year's resolution is _________".  I don't plan to this year, either.  That doesn't mean there aren't things I'd like to change about myself, and since everyone else is passing out their good intentions, I thought I'd mention a few of the things I want to focus on:

• I want to exercise more and eat less.  That could be a huge problem because I love to eat and I hate to exercise.  Once the kids are back in school, though, I hope to get back on a more regular walking schedule and actually use my exercise bike for something other than a dust collector.  I try to eat relatively healthy and I'd succeed if I didn't have such a sweet tooth.  I can bypass the chips and the ice cream, but if there's chocolate anywhere near me, you can forget it.  If I need to have a goal, it would be to lose ten pounds, but as I have no intention of stepping on a scale, I'll have to judge my success by how my clothes fit!
• I want to say yes more often than I say no.  Admittedly I am a creature of habit so when someone else suggests something, my first inclination is to say no.  Not because I don't really want to do it, but mostly because it wasn't my idea and I hadn't given it any thought.  This is also true when it comes to my kids.  Is it a huge deal if K wants to set up her room to have a concert or if J wants to build a Lego set on my kitchen floor?  No.  The clutter and chaos will bug me, but sometimes I just need to relax a little.  I want to be someone that people want to be around, and that includes my friends, my children and my husband.  
• I want to do a better job keeping in touch with my friends.  A lot of my friends do not live near me, and it's SO incredibly easy to let life take you away.  Getting caught up in everyday wife and kid stuff is not an excuse to put aside the people who mean so much to me.  A ten minute phone call or an email every few days is not that hard and I want to do better!
• I want to be a woman my husband could fall in love with.  Talk about getting caught up in everyday life.  After ten years of marriage and two kids, it's ridiculously easy to forget to put forth the effort to make him feel special.  Hubby is a really good guy and he has enriched my life in so many ways.  I don't want him to take me for granted or feel like I'm the roommate who helps with homework and washes his socks.  Twelve years ago he fell in love with me, the woman, and every now and then I'd like to recapture that in love feeling with him, whether it's a date night or a loving note or doing something special for him.

I hope that 2011 was a good year for you.  I hope that 2012 will be even better. 
Here's to good health, laughter and love.  Happy New Year!