RESOLUTE RESOLUTIONS
Ah, yes, it's that time of the year when we look back, realize all the things we haven't done that we thought we would do, and resolve to do better next year. The most popular resolution is losing weight, followed by getting out of debt, and the ever infamous saving money. As a mom, all three of those things make me laugh. Considering how many trips up and down the steps I make you would think I'd be a Kate Moss impersonator, but instead I'm more a Roseanne Barr. Get out of debt? Please. We still have college to think about. Save money? Well, of course - to pay for that college education. Forgot about saving money for ourselves, maybe a romantic getaway, a hot tub, or just a babysitter so we can get some sleep.

My resolutions look more like a cry for help. Get my house cleaned so that if a burglar does break in, he won't think someone has already been there and ransacked the place. Match all the socks from the laundry basket that have taken up residence and throw away the ones that are loners. You are never going to find that matching sock. Deal with it. Let go of the sock. Have at least four meals a week at the kitchen table with the whole family. That doesn't mean that dinner is on the table and in the space of two hours the entire family finds a way to eat. The coffee table in front of the television does not count as "the table." And "meal" cannot be defined as a Nutri-Grain bar and an Odwalla juice in the vicinity of the kitchen table.

Out of those resolutions, the only one that has a possibility of being successful is the third one. My house will never be clean. In the time it takes to clean one area, Holbrook manages to create a mess worthy of a natural disaster in another room. I now have sympathy for FEMA and the mess they have in cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina. I have contacted Washington see if my home can be considered a Super Fund area so I could be eligible for government clean-up assistance. They haven't gotten back to me yet.

The loner sock issue is worthy of the Eighth Wonder of the World. No matter how many loner socks I throw away, there always seems to be more. I would say they are splitting like amoeba, but that would mean there would finally be a pair. I don't know much about black holes but am looking into the possibility that my dryer is somehow connected to a pathway leading into the universe, and those new planets they keep finding are really balls of individual socks that used to belong to my family.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "Children who do not eat dinner with their families are 61 percent more likely to use alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs. By contrast, children who eat dinner with their families every night of the week are 20 percent less likely to drink, smoke, or use illegal drugs. Teens who eat frequent family dinners are less likely than other teens to have sex at young ages, get into fights, or be suspended from school, and they are at lower risk for thoughts of suicide. By eating with your children, it is more likely that they will eat healthier foods and more balanced meals. Dining together is a chance for parents and children to talk with one another. Parental influence and involvement is an important tool in preventing substance abuse. Regularly sitting down for a meal with your children is one way to connect with them and be involved with what is happening in their lives."

If that weren't enough of an incentive, remember that our children take their cues from us. If we take the time to show through our actions how important they are to us, they might even believe it.

This resolution will be no easier for me than the others. I'm a lousy cook. So I've considered ways to make it less painful for me and my family. Mealtime can be carry-out pizza, or thai food from Hyannis. On the weekends I can get everyone in the act by making individual pizzas with the family from ready make pizza crust. My new mantra is that family mealtimes don't have to be planned affairs worthy of holiday feasts. If I look up and realize the whole family is in one room, I can quickly heat up leftovers. It is the quality of the company, not the quality of the food (thank goodness!).

So that's what I'm going to focus on this year. As a wise man who went by the name of John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Resolve to enjoy life, no matter what it throws at you, realizing that each minute is a gift to treasure. If you wear long pants no one will know your socks don't match. Alittle bit of dirt never hurt anyone. And if you happen to see my family walking around with rolls of antacids, you'll know we've been eating

more frequently at home. I