New Years Resolutions

My SHINE Mom's group sat down this week and talked about New Years Resolutions.  We all agreed that the idea of coming up with a grand resolution and then abandoning it by February because you realize it is too grand is kind of silly.  Our conversation revolved around things we can do to better our lives long term and the lives of our families.  From that conversation, here is what I decided I can do in 2012 to try to be a better me and have a better three.

1.  Focus on the positive.  It is so easy with kids to get run down and start complaining, but that feeds into fear, worry and mistrust.  I would like to focus on what is right in my live instead of what is wrong.  For someone who is analytical and trained to plan for problems before they arise, it will take practice.

2. Pay for experiences instead of stuff.  We have enough stuff so it would be better to spend our resources on making memories and spending time together.  Especially since we find ourselves with three kids in activities and very little time to just be all together, we need to make the moments we have count.

3. Baby steps toward better eating. It does no good to make healthy whole organic foods for my family if they won't put that food into their bodies. I can no longer force my kids to eat anything I want them to eat. But I can certainly make changes in what I offer that begin to change the way my kids think about the food they choose to put into their bodies. We have also begun to have conversations about how different types of food make us feel after we eat them. McDonald's fries may taste great going down, but then notice how tired and grumpy you feel for several hours after eating them?  Is it worth it to make that choice? (sometimes the answer will be yes and I have to be ok with that)

So 2012 has begun.  I resolve to try to be a better me and have a better three.  In twelve months, we will see how easy these three seemingly simple resolutions change our year.