New Year's Resolutions

This is the first year in a while that I have actually written down any New Year's Resolutions. I've seen lots of other resolutions and thought I'd throw mine in there too! :)

1. Wake up earlier: I found myself getting into this bad habit of not waking up until my kids did, which made our mornings more hectic. I have been trying this week to get up earlier so I can get myself ready for the day and ready for my kids.

2. Go to bed earlier: this is like a bad cycle. If you go to bed late, then you wake up late, and on it goes! So I am trying to be in bed between nine and half past, and not getting sucked into some meaningless television shows.

3. Plan meals: I had been doing pretty good with this last year, but the last couple months things just kind of fell apart. I want to get back into it because it doesn't take a lot of time, I spend less at the grocery store, and I feel better everyday getting up and knowing what I am making.

4. Go for walks a few times a week: getting out in the sunshine is so good for you! Plus, with having a baby in four more months, it's good exercise. And it actually gives me more energy for my family.

5. Drink more water: midwife's orders! :)

6. Not to raise my voice: yeah, this might come as a surprise to some, but I can be a yeller. And I really dislike this trait about myself, and I am hoping to better control my anger and frustration.

7. Lose the sarcasm: along with the above, sometimes I let sarcasm take control. And then I notice my oldest talking that way to her sisters. Not cool. Have I ever mentioned how humbling having kids around is?

8. Blog more consistently: I have baby books, but if I am honest, I haven't written in them hardly at all. Right now at this moment, I can't even tell you where they are! This blog is one of the most up to date things I do and that's not always very consistent. I want to be more consistent. To have something for my kids to look back on and read.

9. Take more pictures: I saw one blog where the lady wanted to take a picture everyday. I should be taking more pictures of our family.

10. Put money into savings more consistently: very important.

11. Give more: when I wrote this down I was thinking financially, but I should be giving more in all areas. I want to have eyes, mind, and heart open to the needs around me, and be more willing to give. To the point it hurts.

12. Email, call, write letters more to family: when I wrote this I was thinking of grandparents. I hardly keep in touch throughout  the year, and that is not good. They won't be here forever.

13. PRAY more: self-explanatory

14. Laugh more: sometimes I feel like I don't laugh with my kids as much as I should. I end up feeling frustrated instead of just laughing and letting go of the childish mistakes. Life happens. Laughing makes it go a little easier.

15. Hug and Kiss my kids more: if I don't do it now, it won't get easier as they get older. I want to have close relationships with my kids.

16. Date night: I ended this one with a question mark in my journal. I would love to have a regular date night, but with the kind of life we have, my husband's time can be very limited.  So maybe once a month would be good. At least during the winter. During summer....not so much. I just don't want our kids to grow up and move out and he and I not know how to relate to each other without the kids.

It seems like a lot of things, doesn't it? But I have a whole year. And most of these resolutions are things that are ongoing. There is no end to them. But these are the changes I am hoping to make in the coming year.

Do you have any resolutions for the coming year?