resolutions

i'm not usually one to make resolutions for the new year. i think last year my resolutions went something like this: "to become a more healthy person, physically, mentally & spiritually" i suppose i was successful with some of that resolution but it really is hard to measure. for some reason this year i've been a bit preoccupied with making resolutions. i have a theory that if you make them much more specific they can really change your life for the better. the way i see it resolutions are meant to be improvements. so i came up with a short list of 4 things i can intentionally do that will improve myself, my environment and my family.

1. lose 10 pounds - i plan to do this sometime within the next few months and keep it off for the rest of the year. a crash diet in November is not what i have in mind with this resolution. last year i managed to take off 25 pounds and keep it off for the rest of the year so i don't see 10 pounds as being a big deal. but it will need to be intentional.

2. use only cold water to do laundry (unless we're dealing with poop or vomit) - recently there have been reports released that suggest there aren't many benefits to using hot water when washing clothes. heating the water uses upwards to 90% of the total energy used to wash your clothing. 90% is a lot! so i'm going to give it a try for a year and see how i like it. i'm a bit of a germ-a-phobe and i've always told myself that the hot water kills the germs (but i don't really know if that's true) so this will be a little challenging.

3. read (at least) one book a month - i'm really excited about this resolution as i have a huge backlog of books i'd like to read. i use the excuse that i don't have any time to read ( i do read but it takes me forever to read a book entirely through) but truth be told if i exchanged reading for mindless TV watching or internet surfing i could easily fly thru a book in a months time. i'm not giving up TV or internet entirely but it will hopefully be much more purposeful in order for me to meet my book reading quota. i'll probably review each book at the end of the month.

4. enjoy a family outing once a month - this will probably be the hardest yet most rewarding one for me to follow thru with. you should know that i get very caught up in our families day to day schedule. it's hard for me to allow Cameron to miss his nap, or to have the kids eat dinner anytime other than 5pm sharp. i run a tight ship and most days it works well. however i have come to discover recently (i'm a slow learner) that life is more fulfilling when enjoyed thru experiencing things outside of the day-to-day norm. those are the times our kids will remember most... not so much the teeth brushing routine. we do go out as a family to places like Walmart, the grandparents houses and our absolute favorite place... the bookstore! but with this resolution im talking more about intentional family building activities, sorta like team building. for example this month our plan is to go ice-skating... yea! we want to do camping once it warms up but if anyone has any more ideas for us, we need 12 so suggestions are welcome! on a side note: we are considering homeschooling May & Cam (and whoever else should join our family)-- actually i prefer the term unschooling because we won't be recreating the school at home. i think the fundamental elements of learning in a school environment are not right for every child therefore we would be experimenting with unconventional ways of learning-- BUT ANYWAY with this sort of learning taking place daily in and around our home i really need to start practicing living a little more on the fly. this is a good start.