New Ideas for the New Year

What are your New Year's resolutions? Do you make them?

Every December I think the same thing... "I should make some resolutions." Not this year. This year I said something different. I told myself that I was going to make some changes. Changes can be permanent. Resolutions, for me at least, never are. It think that we have been trained as a society to think that we need to get it in gear, make our list, check it twice (wait - wrong holiday), and get to resolving come January 1.

This year I'm targeting some very specific goals. I'll share the specifics once I have it all figured out, but here are my big areas:


Faith... putting God first in my life, my day, my home, my actions (volunteering will be a focus as well)

Food... eating as I know I should, preparing as I know I can, and planning as I know I ought

Finances... building a budget, sticking with it, and putting an additional focus on saving

Family... we can all tighten up this area with more time, more togetherness, more calls and letters to those far away
 
Organization... home, time, education (both my own and our child's!)

Creativity... make time for the crafts and arts that I enjoy, have a renewed focus on the WC shop

 
Evidently I had an "F" theme going there for a while which makes me giggle for a bit considering I'm a Stephanie F. (Or it could be that I've overloaded on the sugar this season. See above category for "food.") I'm intentionally leaving out the health/exercise category. Though I let it falter after life got crazy with family illness and the holidays this will be an area of focus. However, I'm not setting it aside as an area of change. It's more like an area of "get back to what you were doing" so that I can conquer my previously set goals.

I'm very excited that I'll be getting back to my own self education in 2011. I've let it slip over the years. Being mom sometimes means that you don't carve out the time that you need to just for your own improvement. I've been a student of the Family Herbalist program with Vintage Remedies for.... um... a while!  I've made a commitment to finish the course in 2011! I'm so excited! I've decided to start fresh since it's been quite a while since I've completed the first few units. To start the ball rolling I've been organizing, reading, and getting all of my emails and log in information squared away. Monday won't just be the day we start homeschooling again. ;) My goal is to first complete the Family Herbalist course with a definite eye toward possibly completing one of the advanced/professional courses after that. That decision will come later in the year. For now it is one step at a time. One goal at a time!

The year 2010 was a hard year in my family. We saw illness and death. Loss and tragedy. But we also saw sunshine and friendship. Successes to balance the failures. I'm looking forward to 2011 with great expectations. It may be a man-made concept that is treasured and preserved in our society, but the idea of starting fresh and new this time of year is welcomed by me with a cup of tea and a cookie. :)

“For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice.” T.S. Eliot