Resolution? Not to HAVE a Resolution

Let me start out by saying that I HATE New Year's resolutions. I've made some before in my earlier and more naiive years and promptly broken them. Maybe I'm just cynical, but c'mon. This is the time of year that you can't get into your gym because the resolution crowd is there starting their weight loss frenzy. People hopping on treadmills and running 5 miles when they've spent the last 3 years in their desk chair and can't walk 1/2 a mile without losing their breath. Also, if you go out to eat you'll notice everyone ordering salads and water. I can't deal with these people! I bet they've done this every year for the past 10 years and followed through with their "resolutions" for all of 3 weeks tops.

So, no, I am not into resolutions per se... but I have some general goals (that may not get RESOLVED... just on track) to becoming a better me.

1. Get back on track with the weight loss. Now, I look like a hypocrite, right? I just denounced all of those "get skinny quick" people in my paragraph above. Well, this is not a new thing for me. I've lost like 30 pounds since I had Brett and I've got 15 (scratch that - 20 since the holidays poured egg nog and chocolate all over me) more pounds to lose in order to feel thin again. More importantly, I need to fit into my old clothes! Well, now that we've eaten all of the cookies & all of the other highly caloric holiday foods in our house, we can focus on getting back to good ole' regular meals. So, I am basically just getting back to eating more sanely. Also, whereas the holidays kept me busy with things like Christmas cards and shopping, I now finally have more time to devote to my treadmill. We got all of our Christmas stuff put away this weekend so my focus can be re-directed. I was up to about 5 days a week on the treadmill, so I need to build back up to that. I'd REALLY like to drop those final pounds before Brett turns 1. We'll see!

2. Pay off our credit card. Honestly, I am trying to find a way to do this. We've been cutting back our spending so much that we are now only really buying groceries (with sales & coupons) that we need. I'm eating PB&J for lunch. I'm making Brett's food at home. We only eat out (occassionally) with a coupon and don't order luxuries like alcohol. We combine trips to save gas and we have cut back on our cell phones/tv, etc. plans. I guess now that the holidays are over, we can reign it in as tightly as possible. And, hope that Uncle Sam gives us a nice break for having a baby in 2008.

3. Keep our house in order. I took the opportunity to really deep clean when we put away Christmas and organize a few closets this past weekend. Our house isn't very big, and with Brett accumulating more and more "stuff" it can get overwhelming! I want to try and keep everything as tidy as possible. We've luckily been able to put some stuff away (like the swing, the boppy pillow, the playmat), which helps!

4. Keep TV off except for when we are watching a planned/Tivo'ed show, and limit my computer usage. When Brett was first born I had the TV on A LOT. We'd watch Ellen together (which is like THE BEST daytime talk show), and then it would stay on through the day through Dr. Phil & Oprah. Then, Steve would come home. This wasn't a huge deal at first because Brett wasn't really aware of things. Then, when he started playing, I noticed that when the TV was on, he'd stop and watch and forget what he was doing. That was over the summer... and since then, I've tried to keep him focused on his toys. I'll put music on in the background sometimes, but I try to keep him interesting in playing and developing all of his baby skills. The drawback? I don't know what's going on in the world! LOL - The RCA dome imploded and I didn't even know about it until a week later when my Chicago in-laws told me about it!

Also, what goes with this is limiting computer usage. This is what I am the most guilty of. I'll put Brett down with a toy next to me and I'll check my email. This happens like 10 times a day. I keep my email/facebook/myspace open all day and refresh them constantly to see what's new. I took a break from all of this while we were in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. I need to cut back on usage... maybe check it like once in the morning and a couple of times in the afternoon. What is the worst part is that I usually spend a lot of the time Brett naps on the computer and sometimes if his naps are short, I'll get no laundry, no dishes, NOTHING done!

5. Be a good mom to my baby. This is a very general and vague goal, but I really want to be the best mom I can be for Brett. He is noticing EVERYTHING right now, and I feel like I want to set the best example possible. That's why I really want to focus on goals #1,2,3&4 in 2009!