Last year in the spring, I got a tad whiny in my NNY Living column when recalling our 2012 Winter Break. It was too cold-ish, wet (and un-snowy) to play outdoors and we got very stir crazy before school came to the rescue the following week,

So, this year, I've been on a mission. My mission? To prepare northern New York moms for the possibility of a repeat of last year's strange too-warm/too-cold "vacation" purgatory.

I've been on the phone, on the internet, asking around - I even met with the City of Watertown Parks & Recreation Department (who I called out last year in my column) to offer my volunteer services to make sure 2013's winter break would be chock-full of activities. And guess what? If you take a look at our NNY Life Family Calendar , I think you'll be pleased to see we've managed to fill up those days off from school quite nicely for kids in the area. Almost none of it was because of us, and it makes me wonder if maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough.

One thing that IS because of NNY Life is the opportunity for kids to go to an open gym session throughout the week at the Downtown YMCA. The Downtown YMCA basketball court is not in use during the hours of 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. - prime "tire them out for naptime" time. It's nothing fancy, but, thanks to the generosity of the YMCA and their committment to making life fun for kids, this will be our first-ever NNY Life event.

In addition, we've been keeping a running list of ideas for things to do over winter break. Here's a link to the most recent addition - Local Camps and Activities for Winter Break Week. Take a peek!

Watching that calendar roll over to a new year triggers something in most of us – a sense of new beginnings, a new starting place. Many people make resolutions to eat better, budget better, be better.

But, according to a recent article on Forbes.com, about 54% of people who make New Years resolutions abandon their big life-changing goals by June.

I think it’s time for a resolution revolution. Instead of resolving to fix a big problem – or ten problems – why not take the long-distance, slow and steady approach by breaking off small pieces of our larger New Year’s goals?

For example, let’s say you are like me, and need some improvement in the organization arena. Okay, you could use some help finding the word “organization” in the dictionary because said dictionary is buried under a pile of miscellaneous office crap in your attic. Instead of jotting down on a piece of paper that you WILL GET ORGANIZED, followed by a baker’s dozen exclamation points, why not start by saying you will get one thing – your family’s schedule, or maybe just your kitchen cabinets – organized?

One of the best organizing goals I ever set for myself was to give our daily incoming paperwork a home. It wasn’t like this one thing was going to magically fix all our organizational needs. But it took care of the daily problem of What the heck do I do with THIS random piece of paper?

Visit NNY Life to find out more about the NNY Life Resolution Revolution!

Did you have the same reaction I did when I realized the countdown to end of school was winding down? Blind panic/hyperventilation, followed by persistent anxiety?

NO? Lucky you.

But if you were even a little nervous about what your kids were going to do with all that extra time, fear not. Visit NNY Life for a list of links to area organizations, businesses and churches offering camps and classes that can keep your kids occupied during those dog days of summer.

And if you're like me and like to at least SOMETIMES fly by the seat of your pants, I also keep a family-friendly calendar you can use to plan your days based on your kids' moods, your budget and your level of bravery on a particular morning.