Resolutions for 2009, by Sarah Lena:

• Rid the drawers of maternity panties. I know, sounds silly, right?  But I’ve found that as long as I keep my maternity stuff around (and, honestly, most of what I’ve been borrowing from is what I wore EARLY in my pregnancy), I tend to wear it.  Guess what?  Sarah ain’t preggie no more.  Let’s mark the occassion by not wearing knocked-up knickers anymore.
• Have home-cooked meals on the table at LEAST four nights a week. Notice I said I was not the only one cooking them.  I have found this fabulous online budgeting site (that has an app for the iPhone as well), and after importing all of our expense accounts for December, guess what I found?  We spent an APPALLING amount of money eating out.  We had gotten so good, and then we got too busy to plan.  NO MORE.
• Budget, budget, budget. This one sounds so frickin’ easy.  Every year.  But then something happens and we go nuts (income tax return, sudden commission boost, inheritance) and end up kicking ourselves at the end of it.  We’ve set aside a budget, and Mint.com is going to help us follow it.  I recommend this program to anyone.. it’s free, it’s online, and it links all of your open accounts.  Your credit cards, mortgage, loans, and bank accounts, open on one screen.  Pretty damn cool.
• Eat Less, Move More. Bryan and I have both taken this one on.  Instead of “dieting”, because we won’t stick with that, we’re just going to make smarter decisions.  We’re going to be less sedentary and not gorge ourselves when we have the opportunity.  Bryan and I have lost 10-15 (a piece) in the last month just by being smarter.  We hope to keep that up.
• Evaluate any endeavor carefully. Again, this is a joint resolution.  Bryan and I have the typical actor’s ego that thinks we should go dive into any theatre endeavor that grants us an opportunity.  But I think we’ve finally gotten to the point that we’d rather sit and bide our time and wait for a choice opportunity rather than just be in any show that would have us.
• Spend more time with friends. This one, too, sounds easy.  But somehow, it slips away from me every year.  It’s so easy to get overinvolved in life that suddenly you realize you haven’t seen someone in far too long; I’m going to make a point to NOT be that way this year.  I will see my friends more often than Book Club.  I deserve it, and it definitely makes me a better wife and mother to have that time to be Sarah Lena.
• Take on some new online opportunities. There’s more coming on one front of this, but I’ve been given some chances to expand my writing circles a little.  I plan to take them, because of all my resolutions ever, blogging seems to have stuck.  Also, I want to start doing a monthly-or-so podcast with the fabulous Ronda. 
• Be a Real Wife of Huntsville. I haven’t figured out how to do this one yet, but by studying the last season, it looks like I need to start my own charity by funding an over-the-top fundraiser and drink water out of wine glasses.  Possibly buy some jewry.  Lastly..
• Put these on their own page on the blog so I can see them all the time and remember to do the damn things.