Happy New Year! (Now, Let's Get to Work...)

Last year, I made a bunch of really good New Year's resolutions. How many of them did I keep? Embarrassingly not enough.

I wanted to complete a triathlon (FAIL), exercise a few times a week (so-so), count calories for three months (succeed), record pedometer steps daily (succeed only for a few months), be less frustrated by the preschooliness of my preschoolers (FAIL spectacularly on some days, succeed admirably on others), and win an Oscar (FAIL). Okay, some of them were more realistic than others.

I did learn a few things about myself along the way, though:

* I don't really like to "play" with children. I love projects, cooking, art, board games, swimming, and outdoor activities with them. I loathe being the "red transformer guy" and being asked to recite a very precise script that Son has in his head to which I have never been given access.

* I am happier when my house is less messy. My children actually like to help me clean, though they won't pick up after themselves easily. There is a solution in here somewhere.

* I need to learn to say "NO" to additional projects more often.

* I need to exercise regularly for the mood enhancement.



So, here are my resolutions for this year:

1. Keep a monthly family calendar. Include on it:

* A specific project/activity for every day I'm home with the kids (can be something simple, like making a snowman or baking muffins for dinner).

* A chore chart of weekly tasks for each of us.

* Weekly exercise sessions scheduled.

2. Choose a triathlon, and follow through on the training plan I've already got laid out.

3. Schedule the home-improvement projects we need to complete, and work through them methodically instead of haphazard (most of them are currently in a partially-completed state).

4. Be more focused about my writing time. I am a terrible fritterer. I can get distracted by the laundry, the blog, Twitter, the messy dining room, and many other things. I need to be better about designating time for specific research and writing tasks so that I can get more done. In my heart of hearts, I want to write a children's book. This could be the year, if I could just get my time organized better. I've finally got my office cleaned out, so the space is ripe for progress.

5. Begin teaching my children to be less "gimme gimme" and more giving towards others. I haven't decided what this will look like yet. But here's what I have to work with: tremendous empathy on the part of Son, and great thoughtfulness on the part of Daughter (who always shares her treats with her brother, feeds the dog without being asked because she can tell when Dog is hungry, etc.). But Son is becoming a little too "I want this; I want that" for my taste, and both of them are old enough now, I think, to start understanding that they are incredibly fortunate compared to many people. So I'm going to try to figure out some way that I can get them (and myself) involved in some kind of community-service project or something else that will help them learn the value of generosity of spirit and lack of self-involvement.

So, how about you? What are your resolutions this year?