12 things for 2009

New Year's resolutions never seem to amount to anything much do they? I don't think I've ever made any that lasted past the first few days until last year and even then they weren't New Year's resolutions so much as February planning. I was quite pleased with how my goal setting for 2008 worked out, so I thought I'd do something similar for this year.

One thing I've learned from looking at which things got done and which things didn't is that there's not much point in setting my heart on achieving something that would require a major shift in behaviour for me or the family as a whole. Small changes and building on existing interests and activities is the way to go.

So what would I like to be able to tick off as done in 2009?

1. Take the kids to see live theatre - I'll be getting tickets to the Berowra Musical Society Les Miz production (which Caitlin did not get a part in - she was quite upset but hasn't sworn off auditioning in the future so I'm calling it a worthwhile experience) and I've booked tickets for The Nargun and the Stars so this one is well under way already.

• The Nargun and the Stars 15/5/09

2. Have a night out for just me and Adam once a month - movie, theatre, dinner without Tom demanding to leave as soon as he's finished eating, a moonlight walk on a beach, time to talk without interruptions or the distractions of tv and computers.

• Jan - 17th wedding anniversary
• Feb - Belvoir Street theatre
• March -
• April -
• May -
• June -
• July -
• August -
• September -
• October -
• November -
• December -

3. Learn something about photography and get the gear I need to be able to take good photos of food and jewellery etc indoors so I'm not reliant on the vagaries of natural light.

4. Remember to get my gorram B12 shots done on time - I had one just before Christmas so the plan is to get one in every month that's a multiple of 3, that shouldn't be so hard to remember should it?

5. Play a game, chess or whatever else he prefers, with David once a week - if we play chess he'll probably win every single time, after all he's been going to chess club for 6 months while I haven't played in years.

6. Do a craft activity with Caitlin once a week - we can play with polymer clay, make jewellery, draw, paint, make gifts for people, do needle crafts. She has a long-stitch project waiting to be finished at the moment.

7. Foster Tom's love of nature and interest in science by doing a simple experiment with him each week - I've got a book somewhere full of science experiments to do with kids using household stuff. He was absolutely thrilled with the electricity experiments kit he got for Christmas.

8. Walk the dog in the mornings instead of at 9:30 at night - I'm hoping this will help with getting me into a better routine for the mornings and also with having healthier sleep patterns.

9. Do enough tablet weaving to trim my Huscarls cloak and dress - more would be good but let's not get too ambitious!

10. Grow some herbs in my hanging pots on the front deck - I've tried this before and killed many, many plants in the process but it really should be possible, I just want mint, basil, parsley and chives.

11. Make sure we do one fun active thing together as a family each weekend - ice-skating, bowling, swimming, bushwalking, a visit to a park, flying kites, bike riding, walking around a museum or art gallery, anything that's not about watching something on a screen or centered around food!

12. Get the extension built (assuming we can get it approved) - this one kind of freaks me out, the huge disruption of either living with renovations or having to move out while they're done, the resulting change in our financial situation, the stress of it all. I do think this is the right time to do it though, if at all possible I want it done before David starts high school in 2010.