New Year's Resolutions, 2015

"Dear, Darling New Year.....I love you! Thank you so much for coming!" <3 p="">

A new year is the perfect boost to have planted in the middle of winter. I am making lists of resolutions, thinking about what I want to accomplish, what areas of my life need addressing and planning what I want to let go of from 2014. So much hopeful material for the 365 tomorrows ahead!

I believe fervently in making resolutions at New Year's. I think its a good exercise to evaluate where you stand, what progress you're making and how your life choices are lining up with your hoped for goals. Its hard to end up where you mean to when you don't keep re-focusing!

I also find that sometimes there are surprises, things I didn't plan for that are wonderful gifts....even in catastrophic form. Its really healthy to be able to notice and call out the good things in your life. We all need to grow and improve but we also need encouragement and that's part of why we need to review and digest our lives sometimes.

I want to be the kind of person who is never stagnant but always growing and improving, trying to learn and change. In order to make sure that my resolutions aren't just ignored or weakly tried for a week and then dropped, I always make certain to make measurable, concrete goals that are specific and achievable. Instead of  "Get Healthy" I might resolve to: "do yoga three times a week,"   "drink a glass of water first thing each morning," and "eat a salad four times a week."  The things I am working on this year are big and small....all kinds of stuff but they are all specific:

My much loved year workbook. You can get one too at Leonie Dawson's website. 

 Resolutions 2015

1. Make an ancestor wall with framed pictures of our parents, grand parents and great-grandparents.

2. Get two professional massages over the course of the year. (I've never had one before!)

3. Start a monthly family movie night.

4. Paint my bedroom.

5. Fly a kite.

6. Finish the brickwork on our front walk.

7. Go visit the Alcott House.

8. Take the two older boys out for a fine dining outing alone with Mommy.

9. Make tissue paper flowers.

10. Sort and cull the sports box.

11. Prune my clematis.

12. Buy a new juicer.

13. Go visit three far away friends.

14. Take our family Christmas photo in October.

15. Have my grandpa's paintings re-glassed.

16. Get one of my orchids to bloom.

17. Attend my book club 8 times.

18. Make two meals out of my Thai cookbook.

19. Have five hot baths.

20. Make shell art!

Not all your resolutions have to be life-changing, they can be funny or trivial or indulgent. There are so many aspects to life and so many things that we need to remind ourselves to include. I feel like the new year is a chance to tweak and focus in on intended direction. What do you want more of in your life this year? What did you never get around to last year? What needs changing? What parts of you need letting go and what parts need watering?

Happy Clean Start, everyone!

A Hair Raising Tale: My Long Hair Goal

Me, with braid waves, 2007

The only really good hair shot I have of 2008

A light blow-dry job...mostly straightened...2009

Very early 2010....natural waves.

Sometimes its the simple things that make my day. Sunday I asked A to trim my hair. I'd been trying to grow it out with my goal being lush, even and hip length. Well, after a long period of accidentally skipping having it trimmed: lots of busy craziness, wild schedules, pregnancy and then birth, house shopping, lots of travel, moving....etc. There was just not a lot of hair trimming going on. I kept the boys trimmed and just kept putting mine up and planning to do it later.

Then I noticed that my hair, albeit a bit neglectfully, had reached my goal length and was indeed down to my hips. I still had in mind to trim it up nicely so that it looked more full and healthy, then I was all unsure. So, I waffled for a couple of months about whether to leave it and hope it grew in thicker and nicer looking eventually or trim it off where it was healthy and lush.

EEK!!! My at my most unhealthy (and yet longest) look in years...a couple of months ago.

I waited and I tried to love it just because it was longer, but I couldn't do it. And so, A finally weilded the scissors for me and gave it the old snip snip. And now...I can't stop touching it! It feels so silky and healthy and full.

I will still be working on growing it out, but this time I'll try to not ignore those maintence trims I need to keep it even and healthy looking. I love ultra-long, but I have to have it look healthy or I start to feel really shabby and won't wear my hair down. As soon as I'm wearing my hair up everyday, I know its time to give it a little more attention.

If you're interested in caring for your hair more carefully or maybe even growing it out yourself, you should check out one of my favorite sites on the subject: The Long Hair Loom, chock full of long haired ladies who are loaded with tips for healthy hair care. Have you ever oiled your hair? Slept on a satin pillowcase? Pitched your bobbypins? Braided your hair at night? They can tell you all about those healthy hair tidbits and more. I've learned a lot and hope to power on and eventually get to my thick, full even hip length goal.