New Year’s Resolutions
Welcome back everyone! I hope you enjoyed the holidays and got a chance to spend some quality time with your family. We went to Hawaii and had a blast. But now that we’re back, reality is starting to set back in. My oldest is tired after long days at school and after hours. Her sister got sick after two days back at day care. It’s all pretty stressful, so in this New Year, I’ve made some resolutions that I hope will help.
First, I need to find more recipes for quick dinners that I can get on the table in 30 minutes or less. I’m a good cook, but my repertoire is closer to Alice Waters than Rachael Ray. So I’ve been relying on the few quick recipes I know to get us through the week—in other words, we’re in somewhat of a food rut.
I’m already a fan of Dinner, a Love Story, a blog started by a former editor at Real Simple that addresses this issue specifically. But I need to actually use her recipes more, rather than just read it on my lunch break. I’ve also found some pretty good resources scouring Babble’s list of the 100 best food bloggers. Finally, I think a slower cooker is in our future. I love the idea of getting everything ready in the morning, pressing a button and getting a nice, warm meal when I come home.
Second, I decided to be way mellower during piano practice. I don’t care what Amy Chua, of “Tiger Mother” fame, says. My 6-year-old does not respond to that kind of coaching. I’ve had the opportunity to observe a couple of her piano lessons lately. Her teacher is Ukrainian, so I was expecting a fair bit of Eastern European discipline. But though she is persistent, my daughter’s teacher also makes sure she gives plenty of praise and encouragement during lessons. I’ve started doing this too, and piano practice has become somewhat less painful. If I notice that my daughter is too tired, I’ll also let her skip it altogether for one day, which is better for everyone’s sanity.
Third, I’ve decided to cut back on my 6-year-old’s activities, especially when it comes to sports. There are a lot of news stories out there about how children nowadays are overscheduled and need more free play. There’s also a big debate about whether it’s good for them. To me, our Hawaii vacation was an eye opener. My daughter is usually pretty cranky. But when she got enough rest, she became a delight and started reading books on her own, something I had struggled to get her to do at home. So this year, we’re quitting tennis and gymnastics, which will make her days shorter. We are however keeping swim lessons, which in my mind are a must when you live in Southern California, and which will give her some opportunity to exercise. I’m not saying this works for every family. Some kids handle a full schedule better than others. But I think it will work for us.
So I’m curious, what are your New Year’s resolutions? Have you found any new ways to make your day-to-day routines better?
: I've started entertaining once a week as a resolution now, just entert...