New Year's Resolutions and other stuff

So, as you all know, it's a new year. And with a new year comes new "resolutions"; promises to your self that you will do thing differently this year than you did last year in order to make this better than last year. But the problem is that most people tend to make the same new year's resolutions every year - lose weight, work less, get out of debt, etc etc. I am guilty of doing this very thing - for the last 2 years, I have been vowing that I would get back to my pre-pregnancy body. But, unlike most people I know, I have made more than 1 or 2 new year's resolutions - I have made many. I know that I may not keep them all or even half of them, but I like to set my goals high. Of the many resolutions I have made, here are a few:

• get back to my pre-pregnancy body by watching what I eat and exercising in some way everyday, without excuse
  
• spend more time with my kids - teaching them things, playing with them and learning about them
• de-clutter my house and my life - get rid of those things that I haven't used, or even looked at in years in order to make more space for the things I need space for.
• sit down at the table for dinner more nights than not, giving our family time to communicate, and ensuring that we're all eating better
• have a game night at least once a month
• spend less time watching tv/movies and playing on the computer, and more time outside - with the kids or gardening or just sitting and reading
• take more pictures - I realized I have many many pictures of Micah, and many many pictures of Micah and Elijah, but very few of just Elijah
• have a girls' night at least once a month
• spend less money eating out, and spend more time cooking homemade meals
• Read more books - I think I read 3 books all of last year, and for a girl who "loves" to read, that's not very many
• drink only 1 soda per day
• grow my fingernails instead of picking them short
• keep a regular journal - either electronically or on paper
  

My husband's one resolution this year: have a better year


Enough about that... Here's a quick update on the Nall family

We have recently adopted a calico kitten - we have named her Callie (Kalin's idea). She was born either the week before of the week after Thanksgiving (I don't remember which). The kids love her, but I'm not so sure the feeling is mutual. Today, as I was cleaning out a section of our back room (which is, in essence, our storage room), the kids were left to play. When I came out of the back room to give the kids their lunch, I couldn't find the kitten. I didn't hear her meowing anywhere, so I didn't figure she was stuck in a room or under a piece of furniture, so I didn't think much of it - I figured she'd come out when she was ready and sure that the kids weren't going to attack her again. Just before putting the kids down for their naps, I happened to check the basked under our coffee table where we keep extra blankets, and there she was - napping on top of the blankets. My guess is that she got tired of being chased and picked up by her ears that she found a cozy hiding spot and went to sleep.

Elijah is now potty training - we are on day 3. He has only had 2 accidents this morning, and I'm hoping for no more than that this afternoon, but we will see.

I have cleaned out the kids' toys and am trying to find a home for them - the local baby/kids resale shop isn't taking clothes or toys at this time, and I'm tired of storing all this stuff in my house. I have a rocking horse, a shape sorter box, a blue mega blocks truck (minus the mega blocks), a toddler t-ball set for inside play, a small rainbow colored xylophone with attached mallet, and some summer and winter 18-24 month clothing. I believe there are some TY beanie babies in the mix and a few other items I can't think of off the top of my head right now. Please let me know if you're interested in any of this stuff - I can send pics if you like.

Just today, I cleaned out my old college textbooks - I am not returning to school this semester like I had hoped (but it's for the better), so I decided to sell what books I could. I was able to sell less than half the books I had for more than $100, which is far more than I expected. The other books, I guess, are too old for the bookstores to buy back or have too much writing or too many pages missing (from the study guides and such).

I have also finished putting away my Christmas stuff - the majority of it was put away on new year's day, but I had a few lingering items that I didn't have space for in my totes, so I had to wait and bring in another tote from outside to put those in. Also, I got some great Christmas deals at Goodwill - some LED lights, some solar powered outdoor LED lights (so I can put lights on our front gate without having to trail 50 feet (or more) of extension cord up there, some gold round ornaments, and some regular tree lights with a round storage thing so they don't get tangled.

I have cleaned off 3 flat surfaces in my house to make space for decorative items - silk flowers, candles, pictures, etc. These 3 spaces have been covered in clutter for the past 2 years, and I just got tired of it.

One final thought - I have been thinking of starting up a Mommy Meet-up group for the Seguin area. New Braunfels has a couple, and Seguin used to have one, but it kind of just dissipated. I would like to start one up again - one where we can do playdates with the kids, mom's night out, shopping, movies, lunches, home meets and more. I myself need a few more mom-friends that I can talk to - about the joys of being a mom, advice on how to handle certain situations, even just to vent to every now and then when things aren't working out like we thought they would. Plus, the kids get to learn how to socialize, share, play and make some friends, too. I would love to know if anyone would be interested in something like this. We could plan once-weekly or bi-weekly meet-ups, depending on how many members we have and how often our schedules allow for us to meet. Let me know if you're interested!