With a new year comes a new set of goals. What will yours be?

I’ve never been much for new year’s resolutions. They seem unrealistic and people get caught up in the hype of setting these mandatory aspirations on December 31. Having a child has changed my outlook slightly. Now that Eleanor is around, I feel that it is necessary to set some goals for myself and for her as well. So that is the way I look at it. These are goals, rather than resolutions.

The first is a money-saving challenge I have accepted with some friends. It goes like this: each week you save a dollar amount for that corresponding week. For example, in the first week of the year, you save one dollar. Week two, you stash away two dollars. Week three, is three dollars, and so on. If you do this, you will have a total of nearly $1,400 at the end of the year. That is some serious cash. My plans are to divide it in December; half will be used for holiday shopping and the other half will be placed in Eleanor’s bank account. Hopefully doing this with friends will keep me on track.

My second goal is to keep up with my gym routine. I have been on a pretty strict workout schedule since September and it feels great. There is a commercial played on the screens at my gym that encourages exercise in order to stay healthy for your children. That hit me hard (good job, marketing team). I enjoy athletic activity and I hope Eleanor will, too. The commercial reminded me that if I want to coach my daughter’s baseball team or join her for bike rides, it is important to maintain my athletic ability. So, if you’re looking for me, I’ll be up in the gym just workin’ on my fitness. (In addition to the gym routine, I play dodgeball a few nights a week with Extreme Dodgeball Hamilton. Great workout and tough competition. I highly recommend it.)

My other goals revolve about raising Eleanor. Over the next year, I hope to teach Eleanor to love books (and stop eating them). I want to encourage hugs and kisses. I’d like to nurture her independence and her ability to play alone (as an only child, I really hope she will learn to enjoy being on her own). I think that is one of the best ways for her imagination and creativity to develop. I plan on getting her in the pool as often as possible to promote her confidence in water. I’d like Eleanor to get to know my friends’ children better. They will be the closest thing to brothers and sisters that she will have, so those relationships are important to me.

Those goals are probably enough to keep me busy for now, and I truly hope (for my sake as well as Eleanor’s) that I am able to complete each one!