a new year...

Most recent family photo. Pretend Evan's eyes are open. They're a pretty blue color.

The big boys are playing with water beads, and Ben is still napping, so I have a few minutes here. Maybe. :) Anyway, Happy New Year and all that.

Like many people, I made a list of New Year's Resolutions. David strongly encouraged me to make them highly specific and realistic. Since his advice mirrored this book called "Switch" by the Heath brothers, I was even more likely to heed it. (He's a brilliant man. And I recommend the book.)

I started on item no. 1 on my list today- exercise 3 times a week. After getting plantar fasciitis from Jazzercise in the summer, I was forced to take a long break from my exercise routine. It was a bummer. But now I'm finally back to normal enough to exercise again, and Jazzercise and I have broken up. It is dead to me. My new love is… Barre3. I did my first workout today, and I am so glad I decided that a 10 minute one was the smartest move to start. By the time that 10 minutes was up, I was shaking, sweating, and my heart rate was definitely up. I loved it. I could feel it working, and its low impact. And I can do it in my kitchen after the boys are down for naps. I figured if the homeschooling mom of 6 from Vitafamilae could make it work, so can I.

I need to eat better and exercise regularly because I'm hoping that it will help with some unpleasant symptoms I have been having that I think are related to the hormonal dysfunction that comes with polycystic ovaries. Exercise seemed to help with PCOS when I got pregnant with Ben, so I'm going to see if I can "cure" this without medicine.

Other resolutions include:

- Having somebody over for dinner at least once a month. This will probably include pizza because if I don't order pizza, I might chicken out. And there will be no expectation of reciprocity because the average American does not want to invite a family of 5 with 3 young boys over for dinner. And I can definitely sympathize with that average American. :)

- Making a point to be more positive and less of a bellyacher with my long suffering friends. Ahem.

- Becoming more proficient at putting together a Star Wars Lego kit. (Who am I kidding? That's not a resolution; that's just reality. :)

- Do some sort of Bible study that doesn't feel like something to check off my to do list, even if it isn't my CBS study this year. Or buckle down, dig deep, and find a way to be more invested in my CBS study. ;)