Two Thousand Fourteen New Year's Resolutions for 2014

   First resolution for 2014: to blog at least once a month. People say your goals have to be reasonable. That's something I can live with, I think. Let's hope so!

   January 1st has never really meant anything of particular importance to me. We don't even have the traditional pork and sauerkraut dinner. The only two things I'm worried about are getting the date right (which I usually screw up all year anyway) and filing my taxes as soon as I can. New Year's resolutions? Forget it. But this year is a little different.
   This year started throwing changes my way before the ball started dropping in Times Square. I left my full time job this past June so I could be home with my three-year-old son, Sebastian. Although I had three or four part time jobs, I was able to be home with him on weekday mornings and afternoons. But starting tomorrow, I'm going back to work full time and my baby boy is starting preschool. Yes, although he's had babysitters--my mom and my nana--since he was two months old, I am still going to cry like a blubbering idiot. I come across pictures of him as an infant and I'm helpless, so I know tomorrow will be no different. But that's a story for another day!
   So, with that being said, I am very excited for this year and all it has to bring. Yes, seeing my son go off to preschool is going to break my heart a bit, but I know this is going to be a good thing for him (the wallet, not so much). He's already gotten mad at me the two times we visited because I wouldn't let him stay! And I am going back to work, doing something I love and something I know I will be good at. I'm nervous and a little overwhelmed for both things to be happening at once--I know I won't be able to stop thinking about Sebastian all day long tomorrow!--but I am so excited for both of us.
   So my next resolution is simple. I will no longer be home with Sebastian all day, so my goal is to spend more quality time with him. For example, last night after dinner, my husband and I played Share a Berry (www.simplyfun.com/sloren) with him and then we all had peach pie with my parents. Afterward, we simply soaked up the moment as we watched Sebastian lead his Pop Pop through the house to show him his new toys, and cover his Mum Mum with blankets to make her "dissed-appear."
   I wanted to be home with Sebastian so I could enjoy the time I have with him before he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. I wanted to make him breakfast and lunch, bake with him and do crafts, go to the park and fly his kite (which I am so bad at, by the way). But the problem became that I had "so much" time. I had more jobs to do, more appointments to keep, more errands to run and just more things to do because I had the time to do it.
   But my son still ate cereal instead of eggs and bacon, and we didn't bake until Daddy got home from work. We did crafts and went to the park on the weekends. So really, the only thing that had changed was that my son and I were physically together while I was working from home.
   Now, my son will be learning and interacting with other children during the day. He'll get to play with his friend Cooper and make new friends, which I am very excited about since he recently started complaining that he doesn't have anyone to play with. Starting tomorrow, he'll have 15 or 20 children his age to play with. He'll make crafts and bring them home for me. We can make dinner together, sundaes afterward, and play games or put a puzzle together. Because let's face it, when you have less time to get things done, you're a lot more productive as far as the things that really matter are concerned. My "thing" that really matters is my son. Not the laundry or the dishes (which my hubby usually takes care of anyway!). Those will still be waiting for me, but as I've said a thousand times before, my son will not stop growing.
   My remaining 2,012 resolutions? You know, the usual... Lose a few pounds, stop eating junk food, quit smoking, organize the stuff in the attic and closets, exercise... Most of which I (along with most of you, I'm sure) will forget about before Valentine's Day, if I haven't already.
So, what are your resolutions?