Truth be told, making New Year's resolutions fall pretty far down on the list of things I like most about New Year's Eve. How can you blame me? It's a night based around champagne, confetti, glittery headpieces, and sequined covered party dresses! Resolutions typically play second fiddle to anything sparkly. That said, I do make them every year. I really try to stick to them– and I often succeed.

It was my 2005 fashion resolution (I make several resolutions in various categories, fashion being one of them) that created the bulk of my nursing wardrobe problems and ultimately led to the creation of BURU. You see, on the eve of 2005 I made the resolution to wear more day dresses. After eight years of sticking to that resolution, I became a breastfeeding mom and discovered that the majority of dresses are not nursing-friendly. With eight years under my belt, I wasn't about to throw in the "day dresses" towel and thus BURU was born.

This has been a very big year for me: my first full year being a mother, a full year of being back in my small hometown after a decade of big city life, and my first year of sharing my amazing husband with another lady (albeit a very cute lady with awesome baby thighs and a smile that melts my heart). It seemed only fitting for my resolutions to center around those themes: motherhood, small-town fashion, and marriage.

     1. Motherhood Resolution: Stop and smell the baby.

     It is so easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks of wing a mom. Between the diaper changes, bath times, feedings, runny noses, and nap times, it's easy to miss the special, fleeting moments. My "mommy resolution" is to savor every time little Miss Chunky Thighs toddles over to me with two arms raised. I am going to savor the extra five minutes she wants to be held before bedtime rather than stress about what I didn't finish on my "to do list" that day. More specifically, I resolve to spend at least one hour a day with my sweet Olive without looking at a single electronic device. Wow. Seeing it in black and white actually makes it seem pathetic. But it's a must and it's honest. 

     2. Fashion Resolution: Don't dress the part.

     Living in a small-town as a mom often leads to a life of Lulu Lemon and ballet flats. Proudly, I can say that I do not own a single pair of Lulu Lemon pants and I limit my "flat days" to a few times a week. That said, as I began to pack for our upcoming trip to Mexico, I was saddened by the lack of "play time" the majority of my "city" wardrobe has seen in the last year. I have clearly toned myself down. Although necessary at times to conduct my mommy duties, I believe it's also necessary, for my sanity, to experiment with fashion on a weekly basis. My 2014 fashion resolution is to "not dress the part" at least one day a week. On that day I will throw out all the rules. I will not worry if I am overdressed or bizarrely-dressed for the occasion. I will allow myself to play big-girl dress-up and I will love it. So will Olive; she is such a girlie girl. 

     3. Marriage Resolution: Make time to celebrate. 

     Celebrating life was something that Brett and I totally nailed the first four years of our life together; however, with a new baby and business venture, our weekly "celebrations" have fallen by the wayside a bit. I vow to make time to celebrate even the smallest victories with him. More than that, I commit to a no-work, no-phone, no-email after 8 p.m. at least one night per week. It can be a nice dinner out or a move on the couch with take out Chinese and a bottle of wine. I don't care. I just want to celebrate all the many blessings that come with sharing a life with the love of mine.

Happy New Year! I wish you a year of health, happiness, and love.