resolutions

(Photo from Flickr by Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton)

This year my resolutions are sort of a continuation of last year's. I kicked ass at my new years' resolutions for the first half of 2010, but then slowly quit every one. Nothing earth-shattering here, just a few little things that make me better when I do them:

• Read. I love to curl up with a good book, and want to remember to choose that instead of the internet sometimes. I plan to keep with last year's goal of at least one book a month, but this year I'm forgetting about reading the unread ones, just giving them away since I obviously don't want to read them. For this year's classics, I've got Les Miserables and The Fountainhead to start on. And maybe a few off this list.

• Eat healthier. Which means fruits (1.5 cups) and vegetables (2.5 cups) every day. I enjoy eating veggies, so this should be easy. The way my body feels is totally linked with how I eat, and this year I want to feel as good as possible all the time. Also, I want to drink more water, eat more fish, and eat meat no more than once a day...

• Cook more. I love finding and trying new recipes.

• Like the way I look. Meaning, get dressed in clothes I like every day instead of wearing too big sweatpants and hubby's t-shirts around the house. This means investing in some nice lounge wear? Also, want to start wearing the things I love that just sit in my closet waiting for the right occasion, like jewelry and purses.) The other part of this will be going to the salon often enough that I don't ever have gray roots, I hate seeing them in the mirror. And a little makeup never hurt anyone. Neither would some exercise:

• Exercise! 30 minutes, more days than not. I like walk/jogging, and this translates to at least 3 miles, at least 4 days a week.

• Play guitar better. I've taken lessons once a week for a year now, and still suck. I think I've learned so much over this year, but to get better I need to actually practice. Often. My guitar instructor just suddenly quit, and I've just started with a new one. I think this is a good opportunity to try a different style and maybe be able to reset my habits.

• Keep keeping the house clean. This year, I vow to sweep and mop more. It's so nice for people to drop by and not feel embarrassed that your house is messy. Keep keeping the clutter out, which means not buying things we don't need and won't use and keep on tossing things to Goodwill (thank goodness hubby and I are both so good at letting go). And on the flip side:

• Not hesitate to buy the little things that would improve daily life (ie. a pizza cutter) and fix all the broken/leaking things around the house.

• Keep a diary/blog consistently and take more pictures all the time, especially on trips. (I mean, hey, we won't be young and good-looking forever...)

• And lastly, the goal I've made every year since high school: Wake up at early. This year this means at 9:30 am every single weekday. Which means I need to start going to bed at a decent time every night.