School Year 2014-15 Resolutions

I started this post back on the first day of school. But I didn't finish it or publish it because I kept thinking there were more things I should be adding and perhaps some things I wasn't totally committed to yet - and, silly as it may be, I feel like once I put things out there on this blog, I need to be totally committed. Once I make these public, I'll feel more accountable and serious about them. That's just how I am. So I'd better be sure before I hit "publish"!

So here are my personal resolutions for this school year - at least the ones I can commit to at this point! They aren't in any particular order. They're just thrown down there in the order they happened to come to me.

1. Get to bed by 11pm every night. Don't get sucked into finishing one more thing or watching a quick TV show to relax. Everything goes better when I get enough sleep and help Jared do the same.

2. Get up by 6:45. Sleeping a few extra minutes sure feels like a great idea after the alarm goes off and while I really could get ready in 10 minutes for 7;10am family scripture time, it's better to have a little extra time and not feel so rushed and be able to help the kids get ready more.

3. Go on a date every week with Jared. We've been terrible about this. We've got so many places where the kids need to be and where each of us need to be in the evenings and somehow week after week goes by without us going out together which seems fine since we can just hang out together at home when the kids are in bed and we're out of energy to go anywhere. But actually going somewhere together is really really good for us. Even when we're tired. Even when it seems like just one more thing to cram in there. PLUS, we've realized we need a little non-screen time every day when we can connect and talk - even 10 minutes makes a huge difference. We can play a game, work on a project together, or just sit and eat a treat and talk.

4. Floss. I used to be really good about this. Lately I've been a total slacker. And my gums are receding. And I want to keep my teeth for a whole lot longer. So I'm going to spend that whole 3 minutes or so every night to get my darn teeth flossed.

5. Exercise every day for 30 minutes. I mostly did this last year but this year I'm TOTALLY doing it. I need 3-4 serious work-out sessions a week. But on the other days, I need the endorphins and energy that some brisk walking or some time on my old eliptical machine can offer. I feel SO much better on the days I exercise - especially when I do it outside! Plus I'll take more breaks from my computer to go for a little walk. And I'll keep up my weekly hikes. I hiked Maylan's Peak almost every single week last year, even in the crazy snow or rain. It made me feel tough and strong and happy. And I loved the chance to talk with good friends while doing it.

6. Go on Family Walks at least 4x/week. We've been doing a good job going for a walk as a family after dinner every evening that we possibly can. It's such a nice way to close the day. We're going to keep that up. Even in the snow. Fresh air makes us all nicer people - and helps everyone sleep better at night and digest their dinner better.

7. Take each child on a special date every month and do some quality one-on-one tuck-in-time with each child each night. These simple things make a world of difference in my relationship with my kids.

8. Do my hair more. Get haircuts every couple months. I've been seriously neglecting my hair for a long time now. Actually, I don't know if I've ever really done it very often. I'm fine with pulling it back quite a bit and I'm just not the type to ever be really into doing my hair really nicely on a daily basis. But I finally found a hairdresser I like here and I'm going to go ahead and get a good haircut regularly plus I've learned some new ways to do my hair that aren't too terribly time-consuming or frustrating. I feel better about myself and life in general when I don't neglect my hair every single day.

9. No eating after 8pm except for fruits and veggies. I have the weirdest dreams, sleep poorly, and wake up feeling sort of sick if I eat much after 8pm. When I keep this simple little "rule," I just feel SO much better mentally, emotionally and physically.

10. Read the scriptures every single day. Lately I've been having my phone "read" me the scriptures while I'm driving - after I drop the kids off at school on my way home has been the perfect time to make sure I get some "reading" in before I do anything else with the day. I got burned out on reading right before bed - I was just so tired and that was my one time to talk with Jared. So I sort of fell out of the habit of doing it much at all (other than family scripture study in the mornings which I rationalized could count as my personal scripture study). It's not the most logical thing, really, but it's just plain true that when I read the scriptures every day, my life goes better. And when I make sure to do my reading first thing in the day, my day goes better.

I'm sure I'll think of more. But these 10 will do for now!