Hello there 2012

Hi all! It's been a really busy holiday season for us. The first time we've been in our new, almost-done remodeled house for the holidays, the first time our kids were sort of aware of what was happening, and the first time I've seen my brother and his kids in about 2.5 years, so I haven't had much time for blogging.

It was a really nice time for us, I'm happy to say. We did a lot of relaxing, a bit of present-opening, and a lot of time spent with family and friends. We hosted Christmas brunch and dinner with my family, New Years Eve dinner and New Years breakfast with a group of friends who spent the night, New Years Day lunch with my family, and New Years Day dinner with another group of friends. In between, we went to the zoo, the park, my mom's house, and the mall to get professional pictures of my kids with their cousins. It's been fun!

The kids love their new tricycles, by the way, along with every other kid we've seen when we're out and about, and now I've got to learn about how to handle it when other parents aren't really parenting their kids (i.e. teaching them manners and how to share) - so far, I'm doing a really bad job.

And what about resolutions? I'm generally not a resolution kind of person, for the same reason I'm not a diet kind of person - I believe in making long-lasting lifestyle changes and goals, not short-term strict rules that I HAVE to follow to the letter. In past years I've not even made resolutions, but this year I want to do something. Two somethings, actually.

First, I want to try to think more about how my choices affect my life. That's my resolution, I suppose, to just think a little harder about consequences when I make choices. The choice to eat an extra cookie or an extra serving, to skip on running, to not drink enough water, and so on. I want to be more grateful for what I have, kinder and more thoughtful with others, to work on friendships instead of waiting for my friends to do their part. I just want to try to be the person I wish I could be, that I hope I can be, and I want to actively work on it rather than hoping that someday it will just magically happen. A tall order, I know.

And second, I think I want to set some mini-goals for myself, month by month, things that won't be hard to do and that I won't beat myself up about if I slip up. For January, I'd like to try to avoid bringing any more plastic bags into my house. I already shop with lots of cloth shopping bags, and I got myself some mesh fruit and veggie bags to replace the produce bags I sometimes bring home. I know I will occasionally buy something that is pre-bagged and I won't be able to do anything about it, but I'm going to do my best. And if I can do it for the whole month of January, hopefully I can turn it into a good habit!

Good luck with all of your New Years Resolutions! I hope you and your families had a great holiday season!