Gaining balance in 2010

Every January since I started blogging I've posted a list of resolutions for the new year. This year's New Year's Resolutions post comes later than usual, and I'm blaming the delay on the fabulous vacation I had in Manila and the blogging blackout I had to endure there. To be honest, I have to admit that it was probably a good thing, because after my initial withdrawal symptoms I grew accustomed to life without constant internet access. I no longer feel the need to check my email every five minutes, and I feel more confident that the opportunity to host the latest fabulous giveaway will still be open even if I respond to it at 1:00PM instead of 10:00AM. If it isn't, I've come to accept that there will be other pitches down the road.

In short, I think I gained a little more perspective, which helped me look back at 2009 and admit to myself that all things internet was taking over my life. Blogging, blog-hopping, Facebook-hopping, tweeting, product reviewing, hosting and managing giveaways, joining giveaways, checking email all consumed my attention. Not that there's anything wrong with anything I listed; I love doing them with a passion and intend to keep doing them in 2010. It's just that because I was so obsessed with those things, other things -- my health, the laundry, the dust bunnies under the bed, time spent with my kids, evenings on the couch with my husband -- have suffered.

So for 2010 I resolve to get more balance in my life. I resolve to look at people's houses by taking a walk instead clicking on their satellite images on Google maps. I resolve to show up at my kids' classroom door five minutes earlier so I can get to know the other parents instead of sending out self-congratulatory tweets while waiting in the car. I'll still be blogging about the latest playground or a great kids' play that's opening in my area, but I resolve to take my kids to those places as well. Most importantly, I resolve to keep in mind that there is more to life than what I can download and upload over that DSL connection.

Okay, enough already with resolutions. I've spent enough much time on this post, so I resolve to log off Blogger and fold the laundry.