Every year I causally claim that I'm not really into making New Year's resolutions - after all, it's a given that I'll break each resolution within oh maybe six weeks at the most after making it. But don't believe me - I can't seem to help making well intentioned resolutions. Sometimes I even achieve them! So without further ado, here are are my resolutions for 2011:
1. Finish the ongoing house projects. During 2010, we did a LOT. The major work on the kitchen, bathroom, and new tile in most of the house is already done, not to mention lots of other smaller jobs, like changing out the ceiling fans (no easy trick when you have 18 foot ceilings). But the last 5% on the big jobs is the killer. It's little things like fixing the wall in the bathroom where we had to cut a hole in the drywall to repair the leaking shower, installing crown molding in the kitchen, and grouting the last section of tile in the hall. It would be so nice to actually have a finished project! So this year I'm going to get it done, preferably in the next couple of months.
2. Renovate the laundry room. The dryer died last week, forcing an unanticipated trip to Sears for a new washer and dryer. The good news is that I am now the proud owner of a brand new front loading Samsung washer and dryer that are infinitely more water and energy efficient (and best of all, they were seriously marked down!). The bad news is that the laundry room needs to be painted, tiled, and have new cabinets hung.
3. Take a vacation. All that renovating can wear you down after a while. Last year I only took six vacation days, and I am beginning to feel it. I never even call in sick! This year I want to take a real vacation, and I don't care where it is, as long as it's somewhere other than here.
4. Be a nicer person. I get cranky occasionally - just ask my kids. Sometimes I realize I'm beginning to suffer from "compassion fatigue," but when I come to the end of my days, I want to be remembered for the person I was, rather than for the things I did. As such, I am resolving to be more considerate, even to people who need to have their heads examined.
5. Exercise more. Or even some would be good.
6. Get the kids involved in an extracurricular activity. I keep saying I want to enroll Aislin in ballet and Declan in music, but haven't found the time. I don't want them to end up as stressed out, overscheduled little zombies, but I also think it's important to give them the opportunity to explore different things and find out what they are interested in.
7. Be more efficient. Sometimes it takes me an hour to do things that shouldn't take more that 15 minutes, usually because I'm as easily distracted as a dog in a park full of squirrels. This year I'm going to focus more.
So there they are - nothing too grand or ambitious, like learning Latin or travelling the world. But just maybe I can knock a few things off my list this year for once!