The start of a new year provides the perfect opportunity for you and your family to make fresh, new changes in your lives—hence the idea of New Year’s resolutions! Deciding to make a positive change in your life is the first step towards living a happier and healthier lifestyle, but you don’t have to go it alone. Use some of the incredible online tools below to help achieve all your goals for 2009.

• Find the time to exercise. Get yourself some fun workout clothes, join a gym or map out a new walking route and then find even more inspiration in the great articles about moms and fitness on sites like BabyCenter!
• Manage your money. Sign up for a Wesabe account (it’s Spanglish for “we understand”), and you can access information about all of your bank accounts and credit cards all in one place! Wesabe even offers a way to tag your expenditures as “splurges,” “necessities,” “groceries” and more to help you track where your money disappears to each month.
• Quit smoking. The health and well-being of your little ones are probably reason enough for you to quit, but if you need an extra push in the right direction check out Smokefree.gov.
• Reduce stress. Keep a centralized family calendar, journal, photo album, customized lists, reminders and messages all in one place with Cozi. This free service will help keep your family running smoothly all year long!
• Make a difference. If you are looking for volunteer opportunities for you and your family, click on your state in this map of the nationwide Action Centers for HandsOn Network. You can find rewarding new ways to make a difference right in your own community!

For many families, the back-to-school season also means back-to-sports. Organized team activities like soccer, baseball and softball can be great ways for kids to make friends, learn about teamwork and develop a passion for physical activity. Plus, the 2008 Olympic Games offer great inspiration for kids and parents alike to pursue fun sports and fitness activities during this time of year.

But, if your kids are slacking on the soccer field, don’t be too quick to count them out as natural athletes just yet!

Family Education has an interesting article explaining that many kids quit sports simply because they aren’t having fun. When I was in school, I was always the girl sitting in the outfield making daisy necklaces while the other kids played kickball. I wasn’t even vaguely interested in team sports until I started playing tennis in the eighth grade and fell in love.

So, if your kids don’t seem excited by sports these days, why not give some of these alternative sport ideas from PBS a try? They are a fun way to keep your kids entertained and energized all school year long!

• Badminton
• Baton twirling
• Fencing
• Figure skating
• Karate
• Kayaking
• Mountain biking
• Rock climbing
• Sculling (rowing)
• Skateboarding
• Surfing
• Synchronized swimming
• Tennis
• Triathlons
• Wakeboarding
• Water skiing

If your kids still insist that they don’t like sports, have them take a look at this helpful article from Kids Health. You can also start including them in activities you enjoy, taking short hikes or playing a few holes of golf with the kids in tow. Before you know it, your whole family will be happy, healthy and enjoying the beautiful fall weather together!

A common trend for children’s birthday parties involves renting an inflatable bounce house for kids to jump in, throwing themselves around like maniacs for as long as parents will let the party keep hopping. This idea is a great way to entertain the little ones during birthday parties, but it also serves as an excellent way to integrate exercise into your child’s parties. By making fitness fun, you help to establish lifelong associations among exercise, energy and enthusiasm.

Try throwing a themed party for your children this year that includes fitness on both a fun and functional level by using some of these ideas:

• Got a soccer fan running around the house? Host a soccer-themed party and include a friendly game as a part of the entertainment.
• Give your kids and their friends a rockin’ dance party.

• Make a splash by hosting a pool party at your local YMCA. You can even organize water games like Shark and Fishies to encourage the kids to swim a little harder.
• Have a bowl-o-rama birthday at the bowling alley.
• As a part of the entertainment, organize a bike ride or group rollerblading outing at the local park.

These type of events offer the perfect way to play while you celebrate your child’s big day!