New Year's Resolutions

This is my first blog, so please bear with me!

*A little introduction...My name is Melissa and I am many things. I am the mother of two young children, I am the wife of my high school sweetheart, I am the daughter of two parents who are still married, I am the sister to six siblings, I am a student pursuing my degree in education. Besides all these genaric (but not unimportant things), I am also a lover of books, art, music, movies, and food. I love to leave the windows open and let the breeze into the house. I love to sit and do nothing all day as long as it is spent with my children. I am an obsessive cleaner and organizer. I enjoy making my home look beautiful and it drives me nuts to live in a rental because I hate white walls. I love the area I live in, but I dream of moving to a number of "cool" cities. They include Seattle, Flagstaff, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, New York and San Francisco, to name a few.

But that's enough about me, let's get back to the point; my New Year's Resolutions.

My New Year's Resolution's basically have one theme; to make my life simpler, happier and healthier.

First, simpler...
1. I will only keep the things that I use. I have been reading a lot of articles in magazines and online about organization and that is the kind of home I want to have. I have started going through all of the closets, drawers, boxes and cupboards in my house. I am getting rid of anything that is broken, that I don't use or that doesn't go with the decor of my house.
2. I will stop buying things that I don't need (or at least deperately want :) Things do not equal happiness. This is going to include clothes that I don't need or one's that I only buy because they are on sale. It will also include things for my house and toys. I have decided that my children do not need a toy every time we go to the store. They have enough toys and getting things for holidays and birthdays is enough.
3. I will save money. Hopefully by accomplishing number 2, number 3 will come easier. The goal for 2010 is to buy a house. I have been waiting my whole life to own a house and I want to get it done in 2010.

Alright, on to happier...
1. I will stop sweating the small stuff. This is going to be extremely difficult for me. I worry about EVERYTHING! My main stressors are my large dysfuntional family (whom I love dearly), school and my children (whom I also love dearly). I am going to start accepting people and situations for what they are and live by the prayer;
Dear God,
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
2. I am going to stop being a doormat and stand up for myself. I take things very personally and get very upset over the smallest conflict or unpleasant situation. I am going to stop letting people make me feel that way. This is also going to be very difficult for me.
3. Lastly, I am going to take time to create wonderful memories and traditions for my family and children. Too often, we spend evenings and weekends watching TV, and just sitting around. I am going to check listing for events in the area, go to storytime at the library and plan trips during school vacations. These are things that I didn't have a lot of when I was a child and I do not want my children to miss out. I am also going to make time for my husband and I to spend time together without the kids.
4. In addition to spending more time with my husband, I am going to try to make more time for myself. A couple of months ago, some friends and I started a bookclub and I have enjoyed it greatly. I need to do more things like that. Some ideas I have had include girls night out with friends or my sisters, and the occasional manicure/pedicure.

Lastly, but most importantly, healthier...
1. I need to lose weight. Weight is a funny thing. You gain weight here, gain weight there, have a couple of kids and suddenly, you hate the person you see in the mirror. I don't want to feel like that anymore. I also hate that I am not healthy enough to run around with my kids as much as I want to. This is going to be hard because I LOVE food and I love to go out to eat. I am going to accomplish this by cutting out fast food, excercising daily, cutting my portions and switching to whole grains.
2. Also, I feel that by accomplishing the above things, it will make me and my family healthier mentally and physically.

Whew...
Do I think this is going to be easy? No.
Do I think I am going to accomplish all of these goals? I am optimistic but I know that it will be hard.

Until next time...