Resolutions

Christmas has passed. The year is new. This week has been spent taking down Christmas decorations, putting away the kids presents, cleaning my house, putting away my kids presents, re-organizing...oh and putting away the kids presents. You get the idea! We had a wonderful holiday and are so blessed. It always makes me just a little bit sad to put my Christmas decorations away. I miss the lights, ribbon, and the way everything feels warm. I have to admit though, its nice for my house to feel fresh and clean.

I keep just a few winter decorations out from my Christmas boxes. Although winter is not my favorite, I enjoy all of the season and I'm hoping for a good snow day sometime soon. While I wait for that, I'm working on a few of my resolutions for 2012. Most of these are simple, common resolutions. I have made some that are deeper and more personal, but I thought I would share a few of the practical things I want to do this year. First, in an effort to improve my overall health...drink more water!

I know that I don't drink as much water as I should! I really don't care much for bottled water because as soon as its slightly warm I can't bring myself to drink it anymore. So instead, I plan to fill this bottle up daily and add a splash of fresh fruit (I do much better if there is just a little bit of flavor) and try to drink throughout the day. Not anything extraordinary, but something I need to do.  I also want to add more fresh fruits and veggies into my diet.

I love fruit and vegetables! I have a pretty well balanced diet but it could use a bit more fresh produce. Plus, I know this will help my kids to eat healthier snacks too, which is another one of my resolutions.

Savannah is loving these snapea crisps (which are really yummy!) Landon, on the other hand, won't touch them... I'm not fanatical - I let my kids have sweets, they eat pepperidge farms goldfish like they're going out of style, and they like all of the things that most kids do such as french fries and pizza. But I try to get them to eat the good stuff too - fruit, veggies, yogurt, whole grains, etc. In combination with my resolutions to eat healthier I have resolved to continue regular workouts. This past year I have been able to maintain a fitness routine and I have enjoyed it so much!

I workout a few times a week at a local health and fitness center at one of the area hospitals. It is a great gym and really good environment. The biggest plus is that they offer a great childcare program and my kids love going. So, instead of a dreaded chore, my workouts have become a nice break in my day. I highly recommend it to other stay-at-home-moms! I realized how much I enjoy it when after missing a couple of weeks over the holidays I found myself really excited to get back at it! Something else I have resolved to get back to is...Savannah's room!

I wanted to get it done before Christmas, but alas the holidays took over and it got sidelined. I hope that I'll be able to finish a couple of projects this month so that it will feel more complete. I would also like to spend more time in my own room because I am resolved to get more sleep! I am a night owl and I really enjoy my quiet time at night after the kids are in bed. It is the one time of day when I can relax without feeling like I need to get someone juice, or pick up messes, or vacuum the floors. I'm sure I'll continue staying up late, but sometimes I over-do it. Getting on Pinterest when its almost midnight already? Yeah...that leads to a bedtime that is sure to make me cranky the next day! So getting a little bit more sleep is definitely on my list (and maybe I'll even sneak in an occasional afternoon nap - something I almost never do!)

I'd also like to spend some time in my room curled up in my favorite reading spot! 

In any spare time that I find I want to make time for this one of my final resolutions. To read more. I love to read and I just haven't made the time in recent months. However, I got a Christmas present that should help. 

I am loving my Kindle Fire and I just downloaded "The Hunger Games" which was recommended to me by several different people. Sometimes as a stay at home mom its easy to get caught up in to-do lists and while it is of course important to complete necessary tasks, its also important to take time out in order to feel refreshed (and sane!) For this reason I resolve to find time for more afternoon reading with some cup of hot chai tea and my favorite blanket. Here's to a few simple resolutions for 2012. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, "Be at at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man." Happy New Year to you and yours!