Resolved

I have spent the last 10 years refusing to make new years resolutions. "You are only setting yourself up for failure!" I would proclaim to my resolution making friends. "A week after New Years, you are going to be depressed because you failed. Why do that to yourself?"

But this last year sucked. And it occurred to me a few days before New Years that not making resolutions really didn't make much difference. I am still fat, poor, unorganized, unhealthy, and occasionally mean.

So this year, I am trying something new. Nothing too structured, nothing too hard to stick to, but hopefully a start to a new "me".

1. Lose weight. I don't care how much. Just lose some weight. I am already on the right track, I have been walking with my aunt for 3 or 4 months now, 5 days a week, usually 2 miles a day. Now I just have to cut down on all the junk we eat around here. Which leads me to:

2. Cut down on all the junk we eat around here. My sugar-addict daughter actually CRIED when I told her we were not buying any more poptarts. CRIED. She won't eat hardly anything that is not coated in sugar or dipped in chocolate. She gets this from her sugar-addict father. The two of them can eat a box of Little Debbie's in one sitting. Colby and I are uninterested in sugar, give us a cheeseburger or a pizza. So, mealtimes have got to change. (Anyone have any quick, easy, child-friendly healthy meals they want to share? email them to me at ornamentfairy@yahoo.com)

3. Get organized. This is huge for me. I used to be very anal about a place for everything and everything in its place. 11 years of Marty, 6 years of Elizabeth and 20 months of Colby and I am beaten down. I have given up. I can spend two hours looking for a bra, or a pair of scissors. (only to find the bra in the utensil drawer and the scissors in the cereal box.) I have got to get back on track with organization.

4. No going to bed until all checks and atm withdrawals are posted in my check register. Financially, this year has been The Great Depression. Meaning everytime I subtracted the debits and the checks, I got depressed. No money left to pay bills or buy groceries. So, I counterattacked as any good child of alcoholics would - I just stopped subtracting debits and checks. Denial is not just a river in Egypt.

5. Be a nicer person. Yes, it sounds dorky and all encompassing. But it has occurred to me lately how much the littlest kindness means to people. I have a friend that never ever fails to tell me he loves me every time he sees me or talks to me. And that means a lot to me. I have another friend whom I see nearly everyday, and every day she gives me a big bear hug hello, and another big bear hug goodbye. It sounds so simple, but it is those little things that speak volumes. So, every day, I am going to make it a point to tell someone how much they mean to me. And if I am having a bad day, I will just tell Colby or Elizabeth. HA!

So, those are my puny little resolutions. And the funny thing is, I actually feel good about making them.