New Year's Perspective

I am so excited about the coming year! There are so many things that I will do differently. I find this time of year to be great for reflection and for looking forward. It's almost like we are given a chance to start over and to do better. Although we don't necessarily get to start over, the feelings are somewhat the same to me.

I don't typically make resolutions. I've tried and I rarely succeed. I am more likely to commit myself to something if I tell someone and have to be accountable, but that doesn't seem to work with resolutions. I'm kind of the same way with goals.

This year, I'm taking a step back with my perspective on goal-setting. Instead of just making long-term goals, like I usually do, I'm going to make and set smaller goals and less deadlines for them. That way, if I don't meet my goals exactly when I thought I would, I won't sabotage myself and give up.

One of my biggest short-term goals is to blog more regularly. Although I would love to blog daily, I find that I just don't have the time to do it. So, for my goal to be attainable, I need to set a number to it. My hope is to blog at least three times each week. I know that doesn't sound like much when others do it daily and some multiple times a day, I just don't seem to be able to do it.

While I've been on Christmas break, I was looking back at pictures, scrapbooks and old memories items that I've kept from the kids and I began to realize how much I was forgetting. The pictures and items brought back memories, but not specific details that elicited feelings of being in the moment. Since I have neglected scrapbooking in this phase of my life, my blog needs to be the scrapbook that I can record my thoughts and feelings about my family, my marriage, myself, my religion, my successes and failures, my need to put into words the feelings that I will one day forget.

We have no big plans for New Year's Eve.  We are simple in our celebration of a New Year. We find comfort in the thought of just being together and not going out. So, our only plan is to stay home. We hope to make M & M's cookies and watch Netflix movies. We will do silly things and giggle. We will take pictures and clean up messes. We will read books for the millionth time and receive countless pieces of paper that only read MOM, DAD or COLE from Audrey. We will hear about Transformers and computer games. We have all been staying up way too late, so we might actually make it to midnight tonight, but if not, that's okay. I know that I'm happiest when I'm home with my family doing whatever it is that makes each of them happy.

Happy New Year to each of you and may 2011 bring you many blessings, good health and lots of love!