Change is in the air

Well I haven't been the best at keeping up with the blog here, but things have been crazy busy and I DID send out pictures recently with an update on our lives so that should count right? (Even though those pictures were a little late getting out!) Here is one of the kids having a little fun with paint- rainy day!!

With the new year here and in full force I have had some time to think about what my resolutions will be, I am hopeful that with all the changes we are facing in the year to come, I will be more dedicated to sticking to them- we'll see!
Some of things I am striving for;

*Be more patient -always hard with two kids under 4

*Be more forgiving of others -I'm doing pretty good on this one so far

*Be more organized - a challenge when the 3 other people in the house sabotage my efforts daily-at least the kids have an excuse!! ;o)

*Continue to learn- I'm trying to read more and step outside my little suburban box and be more aware and think globally...Rick helps me a lot with this one!

*Work on my photography skills- thanks to the help of Jessica and Dad I'm getting there- slowly, which is OK with me!

*Exercise more- can I blame this one on the rain? Oh yeah it just started raining two days ago- well that is when I decided to make resolutions, so that one is in the works. But really, the goal isn't weight loss- it's better health, more energy, and mostly I want to set an example for my kids. I want them to grow up seeing both their parents fit, enjoying life outdoors and to know that exercise is simply part of our daily lives.

*Live green- I'm trying hard to transition some of our daily products to environmentally friendly ones, eat local in-season produce, compost, conserve and reduce waste. I will say this one has been one of my biggest challenges. I'm totally inspired to make these changes, but face obstacles daily...It certainly is not easy explaining our choices to others, trying to set a foundation we hope our kids will embrace and continue, without coming across as over-the-top and uncompromising in our beliefs. We are new at this, so we are still learning about the best choices to make, and mostly how to make those choices when we are away from home- without offending or forcing our views on others. With the world we live in today I'm sure this struggle will be one I deal with for the rest of my life- I can only hope that by making healthy choices I am able to lay the groundwork for my kids to make choices that help ensure a healthy life for themselves.

*Try new recipes- this goes with the "be more organized" resolution, I just need to do it- although a very tough challenge when you are trying to use local in-season products. It is forcing me to try new foods- not always with raving success I admit! But we are trying to be open minded and encourage the kids to try new things too.

*Grow an organic garden- this has always been a dream of mine, yet I have no knowledge of growing food! I thought I'd read some books on the subject and get a garden started. Well, it frightens me how bad my memory is these days- not retaining information well, so I put Rick to the task of reading and becoming the technical expert on the vegetable gardern, by buying him the Vegetable gardeners Bible for Christmas- wasn't that sweet of me? Although he may not admit it to his friends-he actually has been reading it!!
So the first task was choose a location- since we don't have a lot of space with the right sun exposure, and Rick's parents have th PERFECT yard for a garden, their yard was elected! We are still in the planning stages- but once it all gets started- which I imagine needs to happen soon, I should have lots to tell. I imagine the first few years will be full of "learning experiences" and hopefully a few delicious bites.

You know, I have been putting off writing a new post in this blog because I kept thinking "what am I going to write about- everyone knows what is new with Rick and his new job, and with the kids" and it just dawned on me that I just wrote an entire page about me...Being a stay at home mom has been a challenge in that I feel like I loose my identity a little at times. I have to force myself to focus on me and that is hard for me. I am always the first to sacrifice what I want for my family- but I'm striving to find balance-this is a year of change....I'll let you know how I do!