Resolve

This post is a little late, as are most things in my life these days. 

Last year I made four resolutions, and did pretty ok with them. Short recap:

1) Exercise for 20 minutes per day. I did pretty good with this overall. Less when it was hot, and less when I was pregnant, but still not too bad. 

2) Send one letter per week. This one fluctuated the most. Over the year I certainly sent more than 52 letters, but they tended to happen in bunches around holidays and birthdays.  

3) Bake and decorate one thing outside of work per month. I definitely baked a lot, decorated less.  

4) Stop comparing myself to other moms. Still workin' on this one. I think it will be a constant struggle. 

So, overall I would say my resolution making was a success. This year things are a little different. My official New Year's resolutions are pretty small and of a temporary nature. This spring I'll turn 29, and I'm saving my bigger resolutions for then, to be accomplished by the time I turn 30.

Now for the big reveal.... this year's resolutions:

1) Go outside every day. This sounds lame and deceptively simple. As someone who needs daily doses of sunshine and fresh air, it's a big deal. As a new-ish mother of two, it's a big pain. Getting them both bundled up, strapped on or in something, chasing one, pushing or carrying the other, it's a lot of work. But, I find that it's always worth it. This resolution serves multiple purposes: fresh air and sunshine, obviously, but also it forces me to get out of the apartment thereby increases my chances for human interaction, a little bit of exercise, and it helps fill the hours. So even if it's only the time it takes to get to/from the car, it counts. (I would have made this 'walk outside every day' but I still don't have clearance from the midwives for exercise. So in a few more weeks this will morph into an exercise resolution.)

2) Keep up with the housework. This sounds lame and unimportant. There's been a lot of people writing about not sweating the small stuff, focusing on your priorities, etc etc. Well, for me, sweating the small stuff is what allows me to enjoy the important stuff. So strapping Thomas in the Baby Bjorn, letting Lily watch some TV and taking thirty minutes to an hour to get the dishes done, laundry folded, mail sorted, or toys picked up allows me to be more present and relaxed for the rest of the day. 

3) Cook dinner once a week. This sounds lame and uninspired. I usually cook lots of things. Since Thomas was born Joe has been doing most of the cooking and we've had some very generous friends and family provide us with meals. But I miss cooking. I enjoy preparing good, healthy food for my family. So for this resolution, I mean that I want to really cook once a week for my family. Nothing super elaborate or awe-inspiring, but more than just pasta, or warming something up, but real food. And I want to do it alone (i.e. Joe watches the kids). 

So that's it, just three little resolutions (or should I make a fourth to stop starting sentences with the word 'so'?). For now.