8 Get-real Resolutions

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU!

I see this everywhere, and I can’t help but roll my eyes a little. Don’t get me wrong –– I’m all for motivation and self-improvement. Kudos to those pursuing new awesomeness in 2019!

But I’m a mother of three youngsters. I’m just trying to keep my head above water and not go completely crazy. Considering 92 percent of resolutions fail, I’m keeping it real this year with more modest goals:

1. Get up earlier. Start the day with an hour of yoga! (Fast-forward to alarm buzzing at ungodly hour…) Nope, nope, nope. Sleep wins. Instead, let’s try 10 minutes earlier –– just enough time to consume my coffee so I don’t bite everyone’s head off.
2. Prep ahead. Kids’ backpacks and lunches pre-packed, clothes laid out the night before, a to-do list for the next day, and dinners planned out for the week. Ba-ha-ha! Just kidding. The only thing I’ll be prepping is my solid expectation for morning madness.
3. Eat healthier. Bring on the kale, broccoli, avocado, magic spices, those chia things that get stuck in your teeth and –– wait –– chocolate is a superfood, right? Good.
   Let’s go with that one.
4. Work out more. By “more” I mean putting the chocolate upstairs so I have to at least climb to get to it. Okay, I really should take this one seriously, considering exercise could really change my life for the better. But, hey, baby steps, right?
5. Actually fold and put away the laundry. At least one basket-full before the next mountain of mess. Eh, who am I kidding? It’s never going to end anyway and I’ll never know what completion satisfaction feels like. Let’s just accept laundry as the perpetual pile of doom it is.
6. Find a way to ban SpongeBob SquarePants. Is there a way to selectively black-out a channel during this sinister show? C’mon, there’s got to be a way! Maybe parents can unite and sign a petition to end the horror that lives in a pineapple under the sea. 
7. Stop apologizing all the time. Why am I always apologizing? It’s usually not even remotely my fault. Sorry my house is so messy. Sorry I’m not more organized. Sorry I spent five extra minutes hiding in the bathroom after my shower. Sorry my kid is crying in the middle of the store. Sorry I didn’t make your favorite meal tonight. Sorry we can’t invite your entire class to your birthday party. Sorry you got sick because you keep putting things in your mouth even though you know that’s how germs get in. Enough of that! We really need to come up with a replacement phrase. How about: “That’s life. Deal with it.”
8. Stop doing everything for everybody. Really gotta stop doing for them what they can do for themselves.

First grader: You are fully capable of putting away all the junk in your room and finding something non-destructive to do when you’re bored. 

Toddler: You can pull your own pants down to go potty. (I know you can since you have no problem doing it when you want to run around naked.) 

Baby: Well, your job is to drool and poop. You’re pretty much the boss right now. Enjoy it while you can!

 Lofty goals, I know. But I’m gonna give them my best shot.

 LJ Kunkel is a fitness trainer and coffee addict who spends most of her time chasing after three boys.