It’s now two full weeks since the start of the New Year, and I must admit that I’ve already broken several of my resolutions. I have eaten chocolate. Not much, mind you, but the plan was to outlaw any chocolate intake whatsoever. Strike one.

I have lost my patience, particularly with our two dogs. I wish they could get it through their heads that, no matter how much they whine, the neighbor’s cat is not going to come over to play. Constant whining makes Mommy cranky. Strike two.

I have lost that easy-going, go-with-the-flow demeanor I had perfected over the holidays. And now it’s time for another confession: I’m a little bit of a control freak. This tendency serves me well in a lot of arenas of my life, but it tends to throw the stress meter into overdrive during times like these. With so many aspects of life out of my control, I find myself wasting a lot of energy trying to wrangle everything back into order. Strike three.

Generally, once I realize I’m no good at something, I give it up completely (e.g., there are no more DIY home projects on my horizon). This year, I’ve decided to initiate a new resolution, however: to persevere. So I’ve broken a couple of resolutions, big deal. The important thing is to keep trying.