New Year's Resolutions

Currently, we are buried in MOUNTAINS of snow. The kids have been itching to get out and play, but the temperatures are still too cold for them - averaging about three degrees with a negative windchill. Their little cheeks instantly chap if any bit of skin is exposed. They've been very understanding - I let them help shovel the driveway and they each lasted a grand total of five minutes before begging for hot chocolate.

Right before going to sleep the other night, I turned to Paul and said: "Shouldn't we be making some New Year's resolutions?"

Ever year, we normally make a few and every year we fail miserably together. It's an experiment in perseverance that we have enjoyed flunking together each year. Paul thought for a moment and then came up with his list of resolutions. Unfortunately, most of these are ones we MUST succeed at or else.

Resolution #1: Potty Train Emma. We need to get this done before the new baby. We do not ever want to have two babies in diapers. Too expensive! She's still so tiny to me, but we need to get this done soon because she wants to learn right now. It's just not my favorite activity.

Resolution #2: Continue to Grow His Business. Paul has a small business on the side that he started a little over a year ago. He's been doing well with it so far but it is still basically a hobby. I'm proud of what he has done with it so far but he would like to see things really amp up this year.

Resolution #3 (my addition): Welcome a healthy baby into the family. Big, scary, day-of-birthing on the horizon. Yikes.

Resolution #4 (also my addition): Read the Mass readings for each day. My parents gave us a new missal for Christmas and I figure we should put it to good use! Paul usually does this on his own anyway using an app from the Notre Dame Campus Ministry, but I need to really commit to this. I'm more likely to read something if it is in book form rather than electronically delivered.

Resolution #5: Swim more, bike more, relax more. Both of us are so uptight about "getting things done" that we fail to sit back and enjoy our family life. We just need to relax. But also plan more outings with the whole family. I'm currently researching new bike carriers so we can make this happen with THREE kids.

Resolution #6: Speaking of biking, I just came up with a new resolution while typing this out. Get Matthew to love riding his bike. He poops out after about 5 minutes. If there is any incline (or decline) for that matter, he gives up. It's been really frustrating for Paul and I because we both love biking and want Matthew to enjoy it just as much. This has just not been the case. We have to figure out some way to show him that it is enjoyable. I can't tell you how many times we'd be out walking at a snail's pace as Matthew "biked" very cautiously besides us and then a little 2-year-old on a plastic tricycle would go zooming by with a panting parent running to keep up. Embarrassing. We need to fix this.

Here's to more success than we've had in the past! At least Paul is not trying to lose weight again.