Resolutions - will they last?

I know, everyone laughs at resolutions - more often than not they are broken by January 3rd! However, after the crazy 2006 I had, I have decided to set real and measurable expectations for myself for this new year. The Loveliness of New Year's Resolutions has really inspired me to take a hard look at what I want to accomplish this year.

2007 Resolutions

• Start with 14 week plan to get house clean and organized
• In my quest to find a plan to get myself organized in regards to keeping up my house, I stumbled across this website -Organized Home It has inspired me to really get my home in order. I have begun a home management notebook, and prepared my weekly plan for cleaning and de-cluttering my home. I started this week with the Entryway/Foyer. Now, since my home doesn't really have a foyer, I have expanded my efforts to the hall closet, half bath, and half of the pantry (I know that the kitchen week is going to be a killer!). I'm definitely a person who needs a checklist so that I can see what I've done and what is left to do. I'm really excited to get my home back in shape after these past few months where I was just getting by day to day.

• Keep my home running with a weekly chore list
• This one kind of goes hand in hand with the cleaning and de-cluttering above. In my home management notebook I have a section for the home management - day to day chores to keep the house running. There will be certain days that I do laundry, vacuum the carpets, clean the bathrooms, you get the picture. Once again, if I have a daily list of items I need to accomplish I find it easier to get done. Not saying that I don't ever fall down on the job when I have a list, but I'm much more apt to be successful in I have it written out.

• 36 X 36
• After being pregnant or nursing for the past 4 years, I have some weight to lose. I am currently 13 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Colin (there's got to be some silver lining to having a kidney stone while pregnant, right?). However, I still have 17 pounds to lose to get to my pre-first pregnancy weight. And then, as long as I'm at it, let's just keep going so I can look smokin' hot again :-)! I'll be 36 this summer, and while I'm not really expecting to lose 36 pounds in the next 5 months, it's more of a yearly goal and it has a catchy ring to it. In order to accomplish this goal, I have signed up on the Weight Watchers web site. I've done WW before and have been successful with it. With 3 kids under 4 I really don't have the time to go to the meetings, but as I've said before, I'm a visual person, and the tracking feature on the website will keep me motivated.
  

• Read bible daily
• Fairly self-explanatory. I purchased a Catholic Daily Bible that provides me an Old Testament/New Testament/Psalm and Proverb reading every day. So far, so good. This one came about after I got involved in a 54 day Novena back in September. I have continued to say a daily Rosary, and feel this will only enhance my understanding of my faith.
  

• Got to confession once per month
• This is one area that I really want to improve on. I can actually tell you the last time I went to confession. Okay, you have to promise not to kick me out of the Church - it was October 5, 2001. You know the reason I remember this? Because Chris and I decided that we wanted to go into our marriage "clean", so we each had a confession before our rehearsal for our wedding. My plan is to go each month on or around the 15th of the month. This will be written in the home management master calendar.
  

• Celebrate the liturgical year with my kids - at least 1 holy day each month
• My husband laughs that I'm trying to win "Catholic of the Year", but being surrounded by the wonderful women on the 4 Real board and seeing all of the richness they are bringing into their children's lives has really inspired me. The reasoning behind my "Catholic of the Year" nomination is for another post, but Elizabeth has given me some wonderful ideas and I am utilizing the board as well to bring the Faith alive for my kids. I will choose one holy day each month and start that way.
  

• Exercise for at least 30 minutes 3 times per week – use pilates machine as well
• I have my 6 week post-partum check up tomorrow and am hoping to be released to exercise. I have a Pilates machine that I have had great success with. It's pulled out from under my bed and ready to go. My husband and I are also planning on bundling the kids up and taking walks in the evenings.
  

• Play more with my kids
• I know this is kind of generic, but I really feel bad that I had to stick my kids in front of the t.v. so much during the fall. Now granted, I tried to have them watch some educational shows (Signing Times, Leap Frog, etc.) but I really want to get down on the floor with them now and color, and play with the Legos, the trains, and do our "work" for school. This will be a daily occurance.
  

• Get SU! Business back on track
• Now this one is all about me. I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and really slacked off this fall. I love creating things with my rubber stamps, and love to share it with others. I'm planning on contacting all of my previous hostesses to see if they would have another party. I also make cards for people, and want to get that business running. I have a website, and I have begun advertising in the church bulletin. I just finished making 92 birth announcements for Colin, and would love to follow up with the people I don't speak with all that often to see if they would be interested in having me make cards for them.

I know this may seem like a lot, but with the Loveliness of New Year's Resolutions, I really wanted to define my goals for this year. I'm looking forward to growing in my faith, and becoming a "better" Cindy in 2007.