New Year's Resolutions

I'm not really a fan of New Year's resolutions, mainly because statistics show 97% of them are never achieved and I definitely fall in that category.  I have such high hopes at the beginning of the year and when it the motivation starts to fade, defeat takes over.  In order to avoid that vicious cycle, I have come up with some 'Hopeful Intentions' for 2010...that I vow not to beat myself up over if I don't fulfill. 

1)  Watch 10 classic old movies.  A conversation over Christmas made me realize I've been sorely missing out on this all these years.  Thankfully my in-laws provided me with a quick list of must-sees.  First up, My Fair Lady. 

2)  Start meal planning.  As much as Steve and I like to cook, our inspirations are often last minute.  Growing up, my Mom would plan & buy a whole month's worth of meals and then we'd just pick which of the meals we were in the mood for.  Isn't that amazing?!?  I'm starting with 2-3 pre-planned meals per week and will take it from there.  Each Sunday I'll plan and grocery shop for what we need.  I'm hoping this will not only save on money, but time spend running back & forth from the grocery store. 

3)  Household Chores.  Even though I thrive on lists and structure, our cleaning schedule at home has been mostly sporadic and guest driven.  Some weeks that means cleaning multiple times others none.  I put together a bi-weekly rotation for Steve and I to stay on top of our chores so that we don't have the panic right before our company arrives.  We'll see if this method works or not.

4)  Learn how to sew.  When I was younger, my aunt Melody taught my cousins and I to make hair scrunches, mittens and other random projects.  It's probably been 10-15 years since then, so I decided 2010 would be a great year to learn how to sew.  I don't have any projects in mind yet, but I know it would be a very useful skill to have now and in the future.  It would definitely be nice not to take our work slacks to a tailor to fix a hem!  This 'resolution' obviously requires a sewing machine and willing teacher (anyone's interested?? :) ), so we'll see what happens.    
5)  Try one new restaurant a month.  I recently stumbled over this really cool blog of a couple in the Twin Cities who love to try new restaurants in the area.  They map out each place and write up a detailed review on their experience.  Needless to say Steve and I are now religiously following their blog!  We'll do our best to write about our experiences. 

I realize that none of these are extremely hard to accomplish, but the mere fact that I'm admitting them on the blog puts a little more bearing on them to be done at all.  I'll keep you posted on how I do!