01.01.10.

i don't really believe in New Year's Resolutions. i figure if something is worth doing, why do you have to wait for the beginning of a new year to start? and, if you slip up (which i inevitably will), why feel like a failure that you didn't keep your resolution? i like this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely...”

with that in mind, i *have* made a list of schtuff. call them new year's resolutions if you will, but i prefer to think of them just as hopes i have for myself. i am blogging about them because women who make their resolutions public have a 10% greater chance of succeeding with them. so i guess i'm counting on all of you out there in blogger-land to hold me accountable!

okay, without further ado, here's my list.

1. drink more water on my non-workout days. i drink plenty of water on the days i work out, but the days i don't i am really bad about remembering to drink enough water. i figure that by filling up my water bottle first thing in the morning and keeping it handy throughout the day, maybe i will have more success with this.

2. go to bed earlier. say, no later than midnight. that may sound late to you still, but for someone who regularly stays up til 1 (sometimes 2!) it will be hard.

3. get up earlier. hopefully this goes hand-in-hand with #2. i think if i can start my day more leisurely and NOT have to hit the ground running because i chose to hit snooze 53 times that it will make for a kinder, gentler mommy.

4. speak softly to my children. ugh. this will be a hard one. sometimes they are so rotten and i feel that i MUST scream at the top of my lungs to get their attention. i am going to try *very hard* to talk more, and scream less.

5. try harder to keep up with austin's confirmation homework. it really only requires about 10 minutes or so each night, yet somehow i can never manage to sit down and do it with him. right before bed (when he is supposed to do it) seems to be a hard time for us....perhaps restructuring and doing it during dinner might work better.

6. volunteer. this is something that i've been wanting to do for awhile. i would like to volunteer for a soup kitchen somewhere a couple times a month. it's just finding WHERE and also the logistics of what to do with the little ones while i'm there.

so. there it is. my list. i think it is a good balance of self, family, and others. i tried to keep it short enough to be manageable and not overwhelming. i will head into the new year with the best of intentions....but if i misstep i will not be discouraged, for tomorrow is a brand new start.