It’s that time of year when we’re supposed to make New Year’s resolutions. This year, there are so many changes I want to make, and so many things I have to keep up with that I really don’t know where to begin. I don’t want this to be another year of focusing just on my health and fitness because, in reality, I’m doing a pretty good job with that.The past ten or so years of resolutions have finally been put into motion and I DO make time for exercise and eating healthy. I think there are more important things to improve at this point in my life.

Although the mother guilt is a real thing, I’m not going on and on here to bash myself as a parent. This is just a list of things I want to improve upon as a mother, because, let’s face it, that’s my most important job right now.

1. Make eye contact.

When Harrison and Ella are talking to me, it’s so easy to respond to them with words, but I don’t always respond with my whole being. I’d like to look at them when they’re talking, get on their level, and really listen. (Unless we’re in the car. Then I promise I’ll keep my eyes on the road.) Harrison gets so much more animated when I do this, and Ella has seemed to blossom in her vocabulary lately, so I don’t want to miss anything.

2. Let them do stuff.

I’m not talking about jumping off of the roof or anything, but I don’t think I give my kids enough credit for what they are capable of doing. Ella used to drive me bonkers whenever I unloaded the dishwasher. She’d try to climb in and inevitably she’d grasp hold of the sharpest knife in there before I could swoop in and save her. Then all of a sudden, she toddled over, said “I help”, and to my surprise, she took a spoon and put it in the silverware drawer. She actually COULD help. I want to let her do more of that because I think it will help her grow, and help me understand her skills more. Who cares if a few dishes end up in the wrong places?

3. Prepare.

I want to be one step ahead of the game for them when the day gets started. Our mornings are always chaotic-shoes go missing, Harrison forgets that he knows how to dress himself, toothpaste gets smeared all over the wall, you know what I mean. Preparing a little bit by packing up snacks the night before, picking out clothes ahead of time, and having breakfast ready will hopefully give me time to get all of our days started on the right foot. Maybe I’ll have a few more minutes for snuggling and reading books.

4. Educate.

Um, yeah, I know I have ten years of teaching experience and a master’s degree in education but I really don’t spend a lot of time teaching my kids stuff. For the past couple years I think we’ve all kind of been in survival mode, and I’d like to focus more on their early childhood development. This is definitely something I look forward to, as I have a passion for teaching, but quite frankly, I’ve been scared to delve into this with my own kids. So if you come visit and happen to notice student learning objectives and Common Core standards posted on the fridge, you know I’m underway with this resolution :)

Hopefully I can keep up with these goals for the next 366 days, and if not, I will have something to work toward in 2017!