I admit, I have been avoiding this as much as I try to avoid handwashing a sink full of grease-stained and moldy, macaroni and cheese-crusted dishes, and this time, I am not talking about having to change my two year old’s poop-stained diapers.  Believe it or not, I get frustrated with making New Year’s Resolutions.  I envy those blog writers who naturally know how to narrow their thoughts to a few attainable goals, and I especially commend anyone who can stick to their goals until the end of the year.  Unlike these great goal-setters, making realistic, honest resolutions that I know I can stick to and not break before the end of January has always been difficult for me.  However, after much pondering (and chewing through the end of my pencil to the point of no recognition), I have finally come up with just a few goals that I would like to share.  By writing them down and sharing them this year, I am also hoping that I won’t give up on my goals as easily as I give up on a pair of too-tight, pre-pregnancy jeans.

1)  Spend more time with and show more appreciation for my family.  I love my family and do all that I can to support my husband and each of my kids.  I am there for them, praise and help them, and do all that I can for them; however, this year, I want to take more time to do special things for each of them to show them that I appreciate them.  Through the busy and hurried confines of everyday life, I think my feelings of gratitude sometimes aren’t conveyed very well.

2)  Grow and manage our finances better so that we can save.  We aren’t people that like to splurge, and rarely do we find ourselves dining in fine restaurants reserved for only the wealthy.  However, if we could cut the costs of unnecessary things (like spending high dollars on extra cell phone internet) or substitute non-name brand items for more expensive items, we could save a little here and there.  We probably won’t become millionaires, but every little bit still counts in this economy.  Finding more creative ways to market and grow our tire and car business to bring in more income will probably also help us in being able to put money away.

3)  Make healthy choices.  I am not talking about stuffing myself with only tofu-made concoctions and salads everyday.  I am not a going to be the food Nazi here.  However, if I moderate what I eat and when I eat it, change some cooking methods (e.g. broiled versus fried), and balance exercise with moderated eating habits, I can still achieve the same results.

After thinking long and hard about these goals, I also realize that these and other goals that I set for myself are not set in stone and that I may need to change them to meet the demands of our busy, ever-changing life and world.  Too many times have I clutched ignorantly to New Year’s resolutions made at the beginning of the year.  Too often have I felt defeat when I don’t meet those goals because things in my life have changed one way or another and I have been too rigid with myself in trying to meet my goals.  This year, I vow to keep my goals attainable by changing how I can accomplish each goal when I need to, or by changing them altogether if they no longer apply to my life. With that said, I hope that you have resolved your own resolution frustrations, if any, and again, have a blessed New Year!