Wednesday, February 4, 2009

February Resolutions

It seems that February is becoming the 'new year' marker in our family. My husband started his current job a year ago today, we'll send out our Christmas letter this month, and I'm starting my new year's resolutions. I've had a month to really consider what 2009 can handle. So here goes:

- Composting: we've got a backyard composter started, and I even took a class from the City of Sunnyvale to find out exactly how to do it. The kids love to help put stuff in it and turn the pile. And we sure do end up with a lot of compostable kitchen scraps.

-Exercise: I had a good year last year with exercise, thanks to my sister-in-law's infomercial find. I'm hoping to get back in the habit of regular exercise, including walking with the kids.

-Eating healthfully: I have a huge sweet tooth and have always had a haphazard relationship with food and dieting. My uncle recommended The Beck Diet Solution, and I'm ready for 2009 to be the year I change my eating habits for good.

-Dissertation work: I took almost two months off for holidays and moving, but I'm getting back in the groove. I'm aiming to have a prospectus done in June, and I'm working now on ways to expand my work hours in the coming year (read: finding a preschool).

-Laughing: I told my husband last night that I don't think we laugh enough in our house. Whenever we go to my parents' house, we end up laughing for an hour the first night about all the crazy stuff our kids have done. It gives us some much needed perspective. So I'm hoping this year we can laugh more with our kids and about our kids.

-Limiting commitments: I've been realizing in the last few days that I absolutely cannot over-commit if I want to accomplish the things that are really, really important to me (as opposed to just 'really important'). I think it will take me a few weeks to figure out what commitments should go on each list. At the top of the 'really, really' list: Sleep.

Since I'm so prone to over-commitment, I'm going to stop there. Of course, there are oodles of other things I want to do: play the banjo, play the guitar, write songs, learn to speak French, keep the house uber-tidy, teach my son to read, take the car to the shop when it needs to go, knit a lot, organize photographs, hang the pictures in our new place.  But they'll get done when they get done. Maybe that's my last resolution: to really believe that.