I'm one of those people who makes New years resolutions. I always have, and I do manage to follow through with some of them. Generally I slip back into old habits pretty quickly though with the more lofty goals, ie -not yelling at my children, being patient. Maybe it's because they are to general. I just reviewed last years goals, and they do seem to be imprecise for the most part, except for my fitness goals. I want to make goals this year that I can accomplish.

 Is it to high-minded of me to have dreams of Etsy? Christopher calls me a crafting predator as I can get so focussed on projects, and just finish one to begin another. I love making stuff. I am not incredibly artistic but I do get inspired by other peoples creativity. I've been trying to come up with some ideas over the last several months. I can make really great wreathes, and I see those all over etsy selling in the $40 range. Supplies are not cheap though and shipping them could be challenging.

Plus there are tons on Etsy already. I can make all kinds of little girls hair clips as well, but I imagine there are alot of those on there as well. So I have most recently been thinking in the jam range. People do sell jam on Etsy so I am sure there are ways to ship it, and I make amazing, creative jam flavors, like strawberry/lime, ginger/peach, spiced pear, pumpkin butter as well as all the classic berry flavors. I could come up with creative names and labels. I will attempt that I think, unless I come up with a better idea.

 Other ambitions for this year include growing a bigger garden then last year and canning my own food. I want to can beets, and salsa, and peaches and tomatoes, and whatever else I can. How pretty all those brightly colored jars will be on my pantry shelf. I'll just have to see what grows well in the dry Alberta soil. That is something I can happily accomplish.

 Christopher and I have already started clean eating, and I hope to maintain eating this way indefinitely. Clean eating is eating the way our ancestors did, less preservatives, more produce. Trying to only buy packaged goods with 5 ingredients or less, as well as understanding the names of those ingredients, and avoiding sugar. Combining lean proteins and complex carbs, eating smaller portions, more frequently. Eating more flax, wheat germ, and oats. At this point it is still novel and fun. Hopefully it continues to be an enjoyable process. I love to cook, so that helps. I am hoping this well help us to get in better shape as well as help with my many digestive system issues.

 I would like to be more frugal. I am constantly attempting to do this but I am a worldly girl who gets tempted by unnecessary, but fun 'things'. Myself, Christopher and my kids have to many clothes, and the kids have toys that don't get played with. I can certainly cut back on my grocery bill as I eliminate all the garbage cereal and snacks. Staying out of malls and other shopping areas will also help me avoid the temptation to spend. Plus I've looked up how to make my own laundry soap, and fabric softener, and I am learning to sew. Those things should help me to save money.

 I want to learn to crochet or knit. Crocheting seems less complicated so probably that. If I had that talent I could make gifts for everyone and create cute things to sell on Etsy. When I was on my mission years ago a sweet, elderly lady that was nearly blind attempted to teach me to crochet. I wasn't very good at it. I want to try again though. I would never have to feel guilty about watching t.v and I would always have busy hands. I hate sitting idly, with nothing to do.

 I want to learn to take better pictures. I have a good camera, that I just don't know how to use very well. I have found some good how to photography sites that I need to utilize. If I could learn to take good pictures then I wouldn't have to spend a fortune on a photographer for my kids. In Alberta it is very expensive to get pictures done. Something that only the wealthy can afford. Maybe I will even take a coarse.

 Regular fitness goals. Last summer I ran a 2:14 half marathon and I'm sure I could run a 2:10 one this year. I would also like to run a full marathon in the fall, if Christopher can stand me taking all that time to train. I would like to run an easy 7 on the treadmill. I don't even know what that means but right now I can only run a 7 on the treadmill for short bits of time with an extremely elevated heart rate. Also get my 10km time below the current 59min. I really want to do one of those races where you run through mud, and have an obstacle coarse to go through. Those look like so much fun.

 A much more intimidating goal that I have is to become a personal trainer. I feel as if people might laugh at this because I am not in that great of shape. I love to exercise though. It really makes me happy. I want the people that I love to find joy in fitness as well. My hope is that by my training I can motivate family members and friends to take better care of themselves, and I can help others reach their goals. Obviously I have a long way to go, but by reaching this goal I will also bring a second income into our home and that is much needed. I will be able to work around Chris's work schedule and the kids school schedule, with some flexibility I am sure. Having this goal really pushes me to eat better and work out more. Yay!

I will continue attempting to speak kindly to my children and be more aware of my actions and words. I will try to do my part to bring a spirit of peace and harmony into my home. I'm not going to go to into detail here or I may trap myself. Aren't we all, constantly trying to be better parents anyway. I have a long way to go.

I am going to enjoy the company of my husband more. Wink, wink.

I am going to blog more. At least twice monthly, if not more. They don't have to be long entries, just more frequent. I do think about blogging all the time, but it is hard to make the time, and alot of what I want to write about is to personal, and I'm not sure how to make things less personal.

 Anyways that is it for now. Not to exciting, just the usual stuff. I may come up with more.