As 2008 approaches, it’s time to brush off those new year’s resolutions.

Mine are pretty standard

  1. Exercise the Body
  2. Exercise the Mind
  3. Keep the financial house in order
  4. Be the family guy

Towards that end, I’m doing several things in 2008.

  • Body: The first is that I’m Tivo’ing the show “Biggest Loser”, and will be joining their Million Pound Match-up. I’m hoping to stay inspired as I strive to get rid of those 25 pounds that have crept up since my college days.
  • Mind: SharpBrains is a good place to start. So is reading a book, playing word games and filling out crossword puzzles. My daughter got a microscope for Christmas (yes, geek-in-training!) and I’m sure I’ll enjoy showing her how to use it and exploring the back yard with her.
  • Finances: Well, I’m pretty good on this front, although things have been a bit touch and go the last 3 months or so. This year was tough with the paying off of the kitchen appliances, paying the midwife for the birth of my son, and all the other various sundries that go with welcoming a new addition to the family. I’m planning on tightening the belt (figuratively and literally) as I will be bringing low-cost and healthy meals to work more often instead of going out for high-calorie/high-fat fast food. I’m also going to work on not being the sucker for my daughter and getting her everything she asks for. I know I should say no, but I have to admit that getting her a pretty dress and seeing her eyes light up is certainly a lot of fun!
  • Family: It’s not just about kids, it’s about my partner as well. Somewhere along the way we lost our “date-night” and ended up with me coming home and taking care of the kids while she goes out for a kid-free breather and coffee with her friend (who also happens to have 2 kids of similar age). Time to start reviving “family game night” and of course “date night”!

So there are the 4 pillars and how I’m going to work this year and next on strengthening them.

Oh, and of course write more in the blogsphere. I’ve been away and quite preoccupied with the birth of my son and the holidays… time to carve out a bit more time to spend with writing.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!