Resolutions

I usually don't make New Years resolutions because I think the whole New Years Eve hoopla is kind of overrated. For example...this year I was asleep by 11:00, and not upset about it in the least. Most of the big and exciting plans I've ever had for New Years Eve never really live up to my grand expectations. And I also think that the older and farther removed I get from the "party" lifestyle, the more annoyed I am at the idea of New Years Eve.

Anyways.

This year I've found myself subconciously making "resolutions" for the new year and hopefully I'll be able to make these stick because I can already tell that I feel better about life in general.

1. Make grocery lists. I absolutely detest going to the grocery store and I think it's because I hate being disorganized and not having a clear plan in life. Since school has started Craig and I do our grocery shopping for the week on Sunday evenings and they have typically consisted of us drifting around the grocery store and not really knowing what we wanted to eat...other than his meals for lunch. Therefore that led to a lot of nights eating at restaurants and grabbing fast food which isn't healthy for Craig, myself, Natalie or our budget. Now that I am completely done coaching for the year since both volleyball and cross country are over, I have more free time after school since I leave work at 4:15. I am determined to plan out our dinners according to the nights we'll be at home (obviously working around Craig's basektball schedule) so that I have a clear list of items that I need to purchase at the grocery store on our Sunday night trips. I also hate getting home from the grocery store and then remembering that we need detergent or shampoo or whatever else I forgot to get because I didn't make a list. Growing up in my house I can still remember telling my mom that I was running out of shampoo or toothpaste or something similar and all she would tell me was "put it on the list or it won't get bought." The Nelson household now has a pad of paper on the side of the fridge and when I realize that we're almost out of something, I write it down on that list so that I can purchase it the next time I am at the grocery store. Hopefully this resolution will make our dinners and bodies healthier and trips to the grocery store more organized and less dreadful.

2. Acknowledge and accept my limitations. Maybe it's from my years of playing basketball and being part of a "team," but I am a "just get it done" type of person. If no one else is willing to step up, I will take care of it. In doing so, I sometimes get in the habit of trying to be everything to every person or organization that I encounter. I over-commit myself and beat myself up when I can't attend all the functions that I would like. Not only is this harmful to my own personal well being, but with a new little baby girl on the way there are going to be things that come up in my future that I just won't be able to do or attend. I have to know when to say no and how to pick the events or activities that are important and should have a space on my calendar. This resolution isn't just confined to myself but stretches out to include Craig as well - I need to allow him to have his own personal events on the calendar but as a couple we have to know how much is too much and how to peacefully compromise on certain events.

3. Read more books and watch less television. I watch crappy tv. The Real Housewives series, as entertaining as it might be...is not making me a better person. All the true life crime shows that I watch just give me nightmares. So last night since there was nothing that I wanted to watch, I curled up on my bed and read three chapters in a book that my mother gave me for Christmas. And I felt relaxed, cozy and comfortable. It was 8:30 and I could have closed that book and drifted off to sleep right away. So my goal is to turn off the noise on the television and pick up a book off my nightstand instead. I'm sure that after Natalie arrives, I will relish the silent and still moments that I have when she is sleeping and I think that reading a book will nourish my soul more than watching catty women duke it out on Bravo.

4. Walk Angie at least three times a week. Poor baby...she has no idea what is heading her way once this baby arrives. I know that I love my daughter and the love for Natalie once I hold her and know her will be greater than anything that I have ever experienced. But Angie is still an important member of our family. She's the one that was by my side in the bathroom every time I threw up this fall and no matter how old she gets, I know that she will always be willing to cuddle with her momma. I know that her life and status in our family will change, as it should with the birth of a baby, but I want to still value Angie as a member of our family. Taking her for walks (with or without Natalie) can only do her good both physically and mentally, as was noticed in her comprehensive exam last week - she's lost three pounds and her weight is considered ideal!

Those are the four big "resolutions" that have been floating around in my head lately...the ones that I have noticed to already have impacted my life in a positive way. I don't feel like they are "rules" that I have to live by like setting up a new diet or something similar, but instead installing a new way of life so that I can create a better and healthier environment for myself, Craig, Natalie and Angie to live in.