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Tuesday, June 28, 2005

 

Halfway past some New Year resolutions

Like many other Americans, I made a bunch of New Year resolutions this year. According to Wikipedia,
a New Year resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year's Day and remain until the set goal has been achieved, although many resolutions go unachieved and are often broken fairly shortly after they are set.


As we approach the halfway mark of 2005, I'm revisiting my New Year resolutions to see if I've succeeded or failed in my promises to myself.

Resolution #1: Exercise every day. Failed. Mike and I bought an Elliptical trainer right around January 1 and while I haven't been on it every day, I usually get in a twenty minute workout no less than 5 times a week. That seems good enough to me. If there are other opinions out there about the right amount of cardiovascular exercise one should get in order for it to be effective, I don't want to hear them.

Resolution #2: Lose baby weight and achieve goal weight of 141.5 pounds by May 15. Failed. I still have 8.5 pounds to go. I would like to put the blame on the fact that I'm still breastfeeding Thomas, but the reality is that I rarely (OK never) say No when confronted with a cookie, a piece of cake, chocolate in any form, or any other yummy treat.

Resolution #3: Get my hair done every six weeks. Succeeded. I may not have the most glamorous hairdo around, but it certainly looks better when I cut and color it regularly. I'm a no-frills kind of gal; I get my hair cut by the Google onsite hairdresser and I color it myself. It costs me $15 + $5 tip for the haircut and approximately $10 for the color. Spending $30 every six weeks equals spending $260 a year on my hair. Not bad considering I once spent over $300 on one cut and color at a trendy SF salon that shall remain nameless because I forgot the name.

Resolution #4: Exoliate my face twice a week. Succeeded. This one sounds easier than it is. Don't forget that most of my showers are interrupted by either my toddler or my baby. Have you ever showered with a six-month-old clinging to the glass shower door and crying because he can see you (naked, too!), yet he can't figure out how to have you?

Resolution #5: Pumice feet often enough that when I look down and catch a glimpse of my foot I'm not repulsed. Succeeded. We don't need to get into the details of this one, but even if nobody else ever touches my feet I am happy knowing that they're ready for a massage at any moment.

I probably made more resolutions that I'm forgetting to list here: Be more patient with the kids, be a better mom, loosen up about spills on the rug, live for the moment more, etc. As the second half of the year goes by, I am going to continue to work on my resolutions. I think my success/failure rate is right around 50%. It's quite possible that I'm actually doing really well and that for a mom with a toddler and a newborn, I'm doing extraordinarily well. Maybe one of my resolutions should have been to not be so hard on myself. If it's not too late, I'm adding that as Resolution #6!