2009, I may be a bit behind, but I'm coming!

I know, I know, everyone else is doing it... I may as well too.

I'm honestly not sure I want to write down goals/resolutions for the new year. They never work :) I resolve to lose 10 pounds, and I end up pregnant. I resolve to save money, and we buy a house (as an investment), I resolve to keep the house cleaner, or get up early and exercise, or whatever.... And frustration or anger is generally the result.

A friend once defined anger as what we feel when something (or someone) beyond our control intereferes with goals that we have set. Her admonition was that perhaps a young mother should know better than to set goals.

And I've learned a couple of lessons. For example, sudden lifestyle changes don't work for me. Yes, I want to lose weight, but really, I want to incorporate exercise into my lifestyle. Instead of doing this all at once, I'll start with five minutes a day of aerobic activity, working up to 20 minutes a day of aerobic activity in a month (five minutes this week, ten next week, etc). Maybe that will work? maybe by the end of the year, I'll have lost 12 pounds?

And I want to read through the Bible this year. I usually come close to completing this anyway, so it's not a lifestyle change.

I want to increase my compassion for others. Something about sleep-deprivation doesn't make me compassionate. Something about having kids makes some kinds of bad news utterly intolerable for me. So I don't read the news. I want to start reading the Voice of the Martyrs newsletter again. This stuff is really happening. I want to let my heart break over it.

I'd like to read a fiction book for my own enjoyment sometime this year. I haven't made time for fiction since I was in high school. It's a shame. I also want to read some key homeschooling books -- the Charlotte Mason series, and some related books.

I want to get better with stewardship of our money. We spend less than we make, and we make financial decisions carefully, but we don't budget. Maybe this year we'll figure out something along the lines of budgeting that will work.

I want to establish some sort of a morning routine. This will likely include the 5 minutes of exercise above.

I want to introduce 1-2 new healthy eating methods into our family. Two years back, we switched from white flour to grinding our own whole wheat. It's heavenly. I think it's time for a next step. maybe eliminate margarine in favor of butter? Maybe using alternate sweeteners? Maybe using olive and coconut oil? Trying out making my own kefir? Actually maintain the garden that we plant? I don't know yet.

I'll continue weekly dates with my husband. It's a life saver. A babysitter is way cheaper than a broken marriage.



With the kids:

I want to get gradually more disciplined in doing school, and scheduling our days (mostly so that the kids know what to expect from the day).

I want to continue with our Bible verse memory program (which I'll eventually post about here).

I want to play with my kids nearly every day (I already do this, I just want to guard my time to not get too busy for play time).

That's more than enough. I've joined the masses and posted my ideas for what I'd like to change (or stay the same) during the new year.