New Year Resolutions I Think I Can Keep

Since Christmas just ended for us this past weekend, I am just NOW finalizing my list of resolutions. I have been through a couple of versions and thought I would share them with you:

Health:
By the end of March, lose the 10 pounds I have slowly gained in the last 9 months so I can fit back into my size 2’s instead of trying to uncomfortably squeeze my current size 8 body into my large size 4’s.
Scour the clearance racks for some mediums and some sweats to tide over the 6-month process of attempting to lose 5 of the 10 pounds I have gained.

Lovingly and logically convince the children to eat vegetables.
Spend extra time cooking food and disguise vegetables or other highly nutritious ingredients in order to naturally give the children fiber and vitamins.
Stock up on Flintstones.

Financial:
Develop a budget on our one income that incorporates paying the house off in 10 more years (instead of our remaining 22), saving enough to pay entirely for an out-of-state college for our two boys that are merely one school year behind each other by the time each is 18, retiring by the age 60, partaking in some recreational activity, and vacationing each year.
Meet our budget by finding creative ways to supplement our income while staying home for at least 2 more years.
Develop a budget. Do not go on vacation or have any fun. Save what we can. Start browsing classifieds. Do not incur debt. Try to stick to it.

Browse the weekly grocery ads to determine sale prices for the week, develop a weekly menu based on the ads, grocery shop once a week, and cook dinner 5 nights each week.
Cook dinner 4 days a week. Think about it more than 1 hour in advance at least one of those days.

Priorities:
Spend less time on the computer so the kids can play Webkinz and other educational computer games instead of watching Spongebob and playing Nintendo.
Spend less time on the computer so Brian can use the computer to organize and browse through his music collection in the evenings.
Incorporate the cost of a laptop into our already unrealistically tight budget.

Watch less TV.
Watch less kid TV.
Watch more grown up TV than kid TV.

Go on a date with my husband once a week.
Go on a date with my husband once a month.
Lock the kids in the basement once a week to have an uninterrupted conversation. Eat dinner at home at 9 pm after the kids have gone to bed once a month and call it a date.

Clean the entire house, top to bottom, at least once a week month.
Teach the boys about family responsibility and show them how to vacuum, fold laundry and clean the toilets.
Live with it. Complain less. Teach the boys how to aim for the INSIDE of the toilet.

Spiritual:
Be more diligent in my prayer time – “OH MY GOD! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THIS TIME?” does not count.


KEEP BELIEVING