Any New Year's Resolutions?

I've never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions... I don't know, I guess something about it seemed so arbitrary and fake to me. I can't remember ever making any when I was younger.

This year, however, I want to set some (what I feel to be) realistic goals for myself.

1. Be more consistent with my prayer life. I have it scheduled for when I first wake up in the morning, and an examination of conscience before going to bed. I don't think that is unreasonable for me, and in all honesty I'm sure I could be doing more, but for right now, I want to make meeting with the Lord EVERY morning a priority. I mentioned before that I was a Navigator in college, and "quiet times" were as essential as breathing. I want to get back into that wonderful habit I had in college, of reading, journaling, etc on a DAILY basis. Of course, I was single, in a dorm room, and it was very easy to maintain that sort of schedule. Later on, when I was on my own in an apartment, I only had myself to worry about, and getting up to read was not that big of a deal.

Now, it is.

Prayer time will look different at this stage. I'm dealing with a nursing infant who doesn't understand that he's cutting into my scheduled prayer time. By God's grace, if I can just manage to show up, and accept the interruptions as they come, I'll feel like I'm getting somewhere.

2. Lose 10 pounds and keep it off. I know, I know, EVERYONE wants to lose weight at the start of the new year, right? Well, I'm dealing with post-pregnancy weight, and I'm tired of it. It's hard enough to be 43 and see myself changing daily in the mirror, but I don't have to accept the fact that I'm heavier than I want to be, and just coast along. By this time next year, I want to be 10 pounds lighter, and in better shape. That's less than a pound a month. Again, I don't think that's unrealistic.

3. Maintain our homeschooling/housekeeping schedule. I saw how quickly I could go into a tailspin with the Christmas season. It was too much, and I couldn't handle all the additional clutter. As I've mentioned before, our house is small when you take into account the number of people living here. It would be like the typical "family of four" living in less than 400 square feet of living space. It's doable, but cramped. Since I don't see the Lord dropping a second storey on our house any time in the near future (although He owns it all, and could do it in a heartbeat if He so chose to do so), we have to continue to streamline, pare down, and "travel light." We've got way too much stuff, and we need to be comfortable with less. Part of my vocation as a mom is to create a peaceful home for my family, which can't be done with this much stuff everywhere. I think we were doing well when we had the schedule going, and I'm looking forward to returning to it. I will continue with the FlyLady housekeeping zones for the year, and see how we do!

Keeping with the homekeeping theme, it's time once again to pull Mrs. Dunwoody's Guide to Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping off the shelf and read it again! This is a yearly must for me, and I hope it will become one for you, too! I am inspired every time I read this!

4. Reread all my C.S. Lewis books. This is going to be a year-long project, for sure, but man, am I overdue for some inspiration from my favorite author! If they had a medal of him, I would wear it everyday. I'm not kidding. There are certain holy men and women who will bring me to tears every time I see their faces. St. (Padre) Pio is one of them. St. Therese of Lisieux is another. So is St. Maximillian Kolbe. The last is C. S. Lewis. All I have to do is see a picture, or hear something that he said, and I have an emotional reaction almost every time.

Speaking of emotional reactions, I know everyone has seen this a hundred times, but every now and then, it's good to see it again!



Emotional reactions for me: seeing Jim Caviezel as Jesus at the Last Supper (the Eucharist is what brought my husband to the Catholic faith, and it was the Eucharist that made me come back home), St. Maximillian Kolbe (by this time I'm usually in tears), and St. Therese (she prayed for me in my darkest hour... along with the Blessed Mother... and I'm forever grateful)

So how about you? Any resolutions to share?