New Year's Resolution, Part 2

This year's resolution was to have resolutions that had nothing to do with weight loss or organization. Check!

My first resolution of the new year is to take pictures of the girls every day all year long. I will have the camera ready for tomorrow.

My second resolution is less about being a parent and more about being creative:

I will write (and complete) at least four short stories this year.

I had considered writing a novel, but I think I'm not quite there yet. I am, though, at a place where I really want to pick up the writing again. Last year, I wrote three 20K-word short stories as a ghost writer. It was extremely challenging yet tons of fun. This year I want to write for myself. I've got some ideas rolling around in my head, so I'm going to put those ideas to paper. I may share them wholly or partially on the blog. I may start a completely different blog. I've also seen writing challenges floating around the Internet that sound like a fun way to challenge myself. I may do some of those or even create some of my own. I am a writing teacher after all; I've even considered doing some of the homework assignments I assign my students.

What are you resolutions this year? Do you have any? Are you looking for a way to challenge yourself, even if it only lasts until the end of January? 

Resolutions or not, everyone have a wonderful evening and the happiest of new years!!

New Year's Resolution, Part 1

That there is a picture of the girls while we were in Detroit this past week. The reason I have this picture (of Lillie watching Toy Story while Dani colors) is because we were on vacation, and Tim brought the camera.

I don't particularly like that.

I love having pictures of my kids--however they come about, but I kick myself every time I forget the actual camera and end up taking pictures with my phone. Boo. Tim has a degree in photojournalism, and I have one in film. Taking pictures with our phones shouldn't be the norm.

So here's resolution number one:

I will take pictures of my children every day for the next year with the Nikon DSLR. 

*I will also post them to this blog (not daily, mind you, but often enough). 

This may not seem like some amazing thing, but for those who don't know me well, you should know this: I am awesome at making plans and lists and setting goals, but I have a lot of trouble sticking to my guns. It's not that I give up, per se, I just get distracted by some other shiny new goal. This one is happening. This one I want to do. I want to end 2013 with at least 365 good pictures of my girls. I'd really like it to be 730, but I'm not going to get in over my head. 

And yes, you read that right. This is only part 1. I have another entirely different resolution in mind for the new year. I hope that one sticks too. We'll talk about that one later...