The Loveliness of New Years Resolutions...

Let us be firm in our purposes and unswerving in our resolutions. Perseverance will prove whether we have sincerely sacrificed ourselves to God and dedicated ourselves to a devout life

St. Frances de Sales from Introduction to the Divine Life

My hope is that this Fair will encourage us all , as homeschooling mothers, to be firm in our resolutions.

I begin the fair with a photo of our family's public New Years Resolutions. This poster currently sits on our refrigerator, as a visual reminder of our individual decisions. A poster , in eye catching colours and open for all to view, certainly helps with encouragement and accountability.

You can read about our resolutions and ideas for families and resolutions here and here.

Sarah from Canada writes ~ I don’t usually believe in getting too caught up in New Year’s Resolutions as it concerns me that it can be a way of setting ourselves up for failure to comply with our own resolutions if we change the way we feel or think before the next year’s beginning. On the flip side of that a year does allow a nice length of time for gradual changes to be made towards new goals. Therefore the goals might then be more long lasting.

In light of that I also think that New Year is a nice time to review and reflect on how we do things in our lives and a great time for renewing, whether it be physically, spiritually, intellectually, socially.

That said my commitment to myself is to once again look at the essential elements for healthful living. Being in a new environment for me has brought it’s challenges. I have had a plethora of new experiences all year and a smorgasbord of new foods to indulge in. Looking at the scales perhaps a little less indulgence is warranted. So I am actively working on being conscious of the healthful foods that tickle my taste buds.

Fitness and health form part of the resolutions of many.

Margaret reminds us that our resolutions are often shared by many - and includes the New York Times best seller list as proof. I admit to having read some of those books!


Cindy writes about her aim to exercise more - for 30 minutes at least three times a week. And she has made many other worthwhile resolutions - way to go, Cindy!

The three times a week fitness goal is also shared by KC from the Cabbage Patch ~ and I like her resolution of being more diligent with read alouds, too!

Elizabeth has resolved to give up dieting forever. This resolve is close to my own heart and, I suspect, close to the hearts of many women. What a healthy resolution - to focus on health and good nutrition without the need for unsettling body images. A good resolution to pass onto daughters ( and sons).

In addition to fitness goals ( two ab workouts a day!) My Thoughtful Spot (Cheryl) tells us the importance of writing down goals. She gives an example from her life, of achieving written goals...Very helpful.

Mary, from St Athanasius Academy shares her experiences, too - and how goals or resolutions must be flexible, as life circumstances change. Spontaneity in our resolutions?

This reflection on last year's resolutions is not restricted to Mary. Read My Domestic Church , where Elena reflects on resolutions for 2006 and on her progress, while considering resolutions for 2007. I especially like the photo of the FIRM workouts! Kira, too, is reflective and she resolves to return to making New Years Resolutions. And Maria gives us her wise Thoughts and Plans for 2007.

Don't feel disheartened by all this talk of goals - Suzanne shares her blog post on not being defeated and on the importance of consistency. We also read at Lettres de mon Moulin about remembering that we are all "works in progress."

A very thoughtful post from Heather reminds us once again of the important things in life - what can we resolve to do this year, to help our spiritual life and our family? More ideas are here.

For more on a similar vein, read about Jenny's Core Values Exercise.

Willa categorizes her resolutions - what a good idea! Her categories are ~
Household
Health
Learning
Doing

Very practical. As are Dawn's resolutions, neatly listed under the banner of "The Year of De-cluttering."

More practical resolutions come from causa-nostrae-laetitiae ( Cause of My Joy) - linked to a quote from St Basil. And Ruth shares her resolutions list,too.


Helen is generous in sharing her resolutions ~ Resolutions with Our Lady. While Katherine shares her resolution of praying the psalms.

Genevieve reminds us that resolutions can be monthly ideas.....

Sarah provides an uplifting post with her resolutions based on A New Year of Faith, Hope and Charity. How much better would my home life flow if I concentrated on these three virtues? Thank you, Sarah, for your post.

Soul of the Home gives us her motto for 2007 - I love mottoes! Read how a motto can form your resolutions for the good of all.

And I love Taffy's resolution - Be happy. Be the best me. Take a peek at Taffy's blog and I guarantee you will come away with a smile .

Laugh with Mary as your read her very do-able resolution - I, too, may resolve not to dust!

So, there it is. A Fair of New Year's Resolutions.

Lest you feel overwhelmed - read this article at Catholic Online and remember to just take five. Five minutes to work on resolutions. That's all.

Remember, in the words of the article ~ Rather that feeling a sense of failure to resolve or complete everything on the list, make this year’s list an “evolution” list. By making an evolution rather than resolution list, perspective shifts from completing items on the list to taking small steps to create change, to evolve.