Walking Backwards

Tomorrow, Joe and I will be spending the New Year in San Antonio, so I need to do my resolutions today. Despite the length of time I've been working on them, I still am a little iffy about a couple, but I think it is better to put them down now than over-think them and not do them. After all, they are just resolutions - I have no one but myself to hold me to them ;). I'm keeping to my pattern of five, that seems to work and gives me a feeling of accomplishment, because even if I don't think about them at all I can usually find some improvement in at least one:

(1) Blog better, if not more often.

Last year I said I was going to write entries more often, but it just made it seem like work and seriously hampered my quality of writing. I want to think about my entries more and give them more substance. I think that is going to work out more to my benefit in the long run.

(2) Spend less of my time at home online.

I really have a lot to do around here and repeatedly checking my e-mail and message boards is making it even harder to accomplish all I want to do around the house. I also am not doing as much as I'd like with my son. I'm accomplishing nothing by my web-surfing, so most of it just needs to go.

(3) Develop a routine in our lives

Everyone I've talked to says that life with kids is so much easier if you have a daily/weekly pattern that you follow. We don't have anything close to a pattern. I'm just winging it day-to-day. This wouldn't be as bad if Nico did not need routine, himself, so badly. He behaves much better and seems so much happier when he knows what to expect. I would also like to not have to stress about dinner when it is supposed to be on the table because I forgot about it until then. My school is starting up again, too. Yes, I need a routine.

(4) Focus on doing things that don't cost anything.

Every time we go out, it seems we pay for something. Joe and I go on the traditional date of dinner and a movie. Nicholas and I go to the zoo or to the park with a stop for snacks. There is a lot we could do that we would all love that would cost us less or nothing and be just a enjoyable, if not more.

(5) Take a family vacation that does not involve my entire extend family

Vacations are supposed to be relaxing and vacations with my family just aren't. We are looking into going to the coast or just staying at a hotel here downtown. Now we just have to find a way to pay for it.