Mom Lifestyle

Let’s compare lists. Here are my New Year’s Resolutions! What are yours?

I LOVE making New Year’s Resolutions! Don’t you?

Don’t give me the bogus-ness about not making resolutions because they’re sure to fail, because the truth is it’s very possible to succeed with New Year’s Resolutions if you make SMART goals and then be willing to put in the work. But I admit – I rarely achieve the level of success with my resolutions as I’d like, but I still look forward to opening my brand new calendar and imagining the possibilities that lie ahead for the New Year. And if I get only halfway to a goal – or even a fourth of the way there, that’s better than nothing, right?

Experts say your goals need to be SMART (more on that here) and that you shouldn’t make too many goals. That seems like sound advice, but I can’t resist having a resolutions list long enough to reach from here all the way to Downtown Houston, because I just like believing that each new year will be THE year to tackle all my projects and get my life in order! Wishful thinking, but why not?

Check out this coffee table we made for $35!

Have you tried your hand at anything new this summer? We have! Last week, my teenager and I built an outdoor coffee table, and though it's not perfect, I couldn't be prouder. It's so easy - and let me tell you - I don't own any special woodworking materials other than an old hand saw I purchased a decade ago (which I ended up not using). Even still, with about $35 worth of materials and a bit of elbow grease, our table was good to go. You can build one too!

Get a room!

Do you have a room of your own? A room that's yours and only yours? Most moms don't. But if you're running around taking care of everyone else all day, it makes sense to have your own place of refuge to relax, recuperate, and to just "be".

Is there a spare room in your house, a guest room perhaps, that you can take over from time to time? It doesn't have to be big. And guess what? It doesn't even have to be a room. It can be a comfortable chair, a desk, or some corner of a room that you've laid claim to and that everyone else knows to leave alone (and to leave YOU alone when you're in the space, unless they've been invited).

I love what one of my good friends did. She commandeered the playroom from her two young kids and made it her own mommy space. Chances are it’ll be for just a short season, but a wonderful season indeed!

When you need to recharge or relax, having your own room might prove more valuable than you can imagine. Hang a DO NOT DISTURB sign and use your room to: