Courtney Burkholder

Where does your calendar begin? Are you a January through December kind of person, or does your life begin and end by the school calendar?

If you’re like me, you have reverted back to the calendar you employed in college, the “student calendar” that begins in September and ends in August, because that works best with my life. As you open the pages of that fresh, clean calendar and begin getting your life back in order, consider adding a few new school-year resolutions.

Summer was a time to relax and forget about schedules for a while. We got lax about bedtimes. We gave up family dinners. I’m not sure I prepared a hot meal during the entire three months of summer, as my husband likes to remind me. My exercise waned, and a few unwanted pounds have crept onto my backside.

So now, as the new school year gets underway, this is a perfect time to get back to the basics of good family living and make those new school year resolutions.

Family dinners are at the top of my priority list. Now, don’t throw the newspaper down in disgust! I know it’s tough. Between homework and after-school activities, finding time to sit down at the table and eat together seems like a lost cause.

My goal is to eat dinner together three times per week, but do the best you can. This does take preparation. It isn’t uncommon for me to prepare our evening dinner at 10 in the morning as I’m cleaning the breakfast dishes. Otherwise, it just doesn’t happen. Then send your darling spouse an e-mail or a text reminding him to be home in time for supper. This is such an important time for families to be together, talk about their day, and reconnect. And it won’t hurt to reintroduce those items that aren’t found on most take-out menus – fruits and vegetables.

Another resolution … get back to church! I wanted to wear dark glasses and a hat and sit in the back row last Sunday when we “returned” from our summer hiatus. Travel often takes people away during the summer, and church attendance gets put on the back burner. Well, don’t put if off another Sunday. Hold your head up high and walk back through those doors. Accept the “We’ve missed you!” comments with grace, and make attending a priority for your family. I’ve never heard a person say, “We went to church this morning and I really wish we hadn’t.”

One friend told me she and her children are taking a walk around the block every evening after dinner. Don’t delay! Now is the time to get your life and family back on track. And you’ve got about nine months to keep them there!