Hi again, did you make any New Year Resolutions? I use to, then realized that every  year I'd make the same ole idealistic resolutions then spend all my time freaking out and stressing out over failing. Then when I did fail, because I spent way too much time and energy stressing instead of doing, I'd feel really guilty! Yet, also relieved that the stress was over! Sheesh! Talk about setting myself up for failure! Instead of meeting my goals, I'd beat myself up over them! Besides, my goals were usually variations of the same ole things: Lose weight and stop procrastinating so much. Heck, those are my main goals at any time of the year!

So, this new year's eve found me at the dinner table with my family discussing goals and  desires for things we'd like to change in 2009. We didn't want to make useless resolutions but we did want to talk about things we'd like to do. Naturally, we all want to be more health conscious and in better shape; but we also talked about individual wants/needs. The girls and I made the 30 day exercise pact. I'm not sure if you could call that a resolution or not?

I think of it as preparing them for the future. They want something special, they need to earn it. See, it's not just about a new outfit. They get new clothes whenever they need them. They want a girl's day out. The 3 of us will spend a pleasant afternoon checking out different stores, trying on different outfits -some we'd never wear in our normal lives! We may check out a new restaurant or top the day off with a movie. Meanwhile, Dad will stay home entertaining the boys. It's win-win for everybody, but most definitely not the norm. We all have our daily assignments/chores to do, but to earn extra activities, movies, cd's, whatnot, you have to work for it. As adults, we have to do our daily chores, pay bills, feed the family, do laundry, dishes, etc... We don't get paid for that, it's part of living. To earn the stuff we want (and need!), we have to do extra. We have to go to work and do a decent job so we can earn money. A lot of what we earn goes towards supporting our daily habits, but it is SO sweet when you have a little extra $ and can buy something you want, just because. That's what the girls are learning about. Now, they'll have to complete their 30 days to earn their special day. When we do go shopping, I imagine it's going to be that much sweeter because we're going to feel positive about the exercise we've done. That mental victory is going to add to the sweetness of the day.

Now, I know 30 days seems awhile to make a child wait/work for something. Normally, I try to arrange something a little special every couple of weeks. But, we're in a bit of an upheaval with our current living arrangements. The house we're renting is in preforeclosure. I feel very bad for my landlord, but it puts us in a tricky situation and we're not real sure where we'll be in a couple of weeks. By the time we complete our 30 days, we should be in a more stable living environment and ready to celebrate.

Also, I'm hoping that by making it a group activity and breaking it up into more manageable chunks, we'll all find it easier to stay on track. We're only committing to this for 30 days. After that, we can change it up and find something different to do so we don't get  bored or stuck in a rut. What are you going to try to do different this year?

Best wishes!