Resolutions upon which I’ve stumbled, PART 1

And then I stopped and took a deep breath. Because that’s actually one of my resolutions, but we’ll get to that another day. I’m gonna do this in parts.

I feel like we should give ourselves credit for making strides, no matter how big or small. The other day, I saw a guest interviewed about resolutions on the Today Show. She used smoking as an example and put a neat spin on it. Many vow to quit and make it through a workday, only to light up on the way home. Have they failed? Should they just give up? No way. Good for them for going all day without a cigarette! I absolutely love that attitude. I’m all about some baby steps.

The discussion on the show also supported the idea of making short-term goals that can be met within weeks or months. I liked that, too. So I’m running with it. Sometimes it’s the worry of not finishing the race that keeps me from starting. It’s time to give myself some grace!

I decided to make a few goals, write ’em down, say ’em out loud, & work on ’em bit by bit.

First up:

USE IT OR LOSE IT.

It’s no secret that moms stay busy. I find myself moving pretty much every minute of the day, unless I’m sleeping or nursing. Let’s be honest, sometimes I’m moving while doing one of those things. At this point in my life, staying busy revolves solely around keeping my family afloat. This means I can usually be found at one of three places – work, church, or home. I don’t have a lot of social events on my calendar these days.

While I’m okay with that notion, there’s no reason for my style or femininity to suffer. I’m already lucky enough to be able to wear the professional form of pajamas to work. God bless whoever invented scrubs! But that doesn’t mean I need to show up to work with wet hair and no makeup or jewelry. And outside of my profession, I still need to feel good about myself – whether it be a grocery run or a walk to the park.

This year, I’m going to make more of an effort on my personal style. Specifically, I’m focusing on the day to day routine. Maybe I’ll put on jewelry first thing in the morning, or use all of those fancy products I have before my hair dries (I’m being realistic – I’ll probably never blow dry & straighten on a regular basis).

Yesterday, I traded my yoga pants for jeans and discarded my well-loved moccasin slippers for a pair of flats. I had no plans to leave the house, but who cares?! I can cook dinner and sweep floors just as well in a pair of shiny shoes.

I’m also going to (attempt to) reject manage the uptight attitude I have towards clothes. There are lot of people in this family and not a lot of extra money in the wardrobe fund. I am usually that mom – the one that hollers out into the yard for the boys to change out of their school jeans, just as they tackle each other into the mud. Countless times, I’ve chastised Chris for cooking or working in the garage while wearing a certain kind of shirt. The thing could be a year old, but I’ve got these categories of work/play attire in my head. His response is usually, “Rachael, it’s a t-shirt.” I also have a habit of saving certain clothes for the future, as if I’m going to come across the event that calls for them someday. I don’t want them to get messed up, just in case! This especially applies to maintaining the kids’ closets.

It’s going to stop in 2012. Clothes are made to be worn. I’ll do my best to keep our stuff clean and intact, and after that I’m going to relax. Or at least I’ll try. I promise I’ll try.

So that’s it! I’m going to use it. All of it. More often. Stay tuned for part 2 next week! In the meantime, check out what Christopher is doing for his New Year resolution…