Revised Approach to Life, 2009

Last year I tried to create a simple list of resolutions and for the record (there's a record, right? Somebody is scoring how well I do in life? That's important to me), I've done reasonably well at meeting most some a couple one of them - I have posted on my regular blog everyday. Whether or not it's been pithy and/or meaningful is debatable.

• I think I've become more mindful of my everyday life, but I don't feel solid at it and look forward to improving.
• No claw foot tub (Stu really tried, but they're all too strangely-shaped for our house. Plus they weigh 1,000,000 pounds) but my man did install a fabulous modern bath tub for me. I only have one candle near it, though. Will work on that.
• And everything else I actually do sometimes but not as often as I'd prefer.

So I'm designing this year's resolutions list as a What Not To Do in the hopes that it will stick better that way; I much prefer avoiding what I shouldn't do rather than doing what I'm told.

In 2009 I will not:

1. Lie in bed listening to the radio alarm for more than 2 minutes or get up, turn it off, and return to bed.
2. Stay up past 10:30 on a school night no matter what. I'm serious.
3. Forget to choose the next day's outfit each night (just for me; Stu can fend for himself).
4. Skip breakfast, wherein "breakfast" refers to a decent grain - cereal, oatmeal, peanut butter toast + fruit and milk. [Bonus points for meat or egg product. Not sure what the bonus points are for but I'll think of something].
5. Start making dinner without lighting a few candles around the house.
6. Forgo a cup of tea in the morning & after school.
7. Scorn & avoid the Wii Fit Balance Board after the kids are in bed, and on weekend mornings.
8. Put off planning getaways (including babysitter) for me & my man once a month.
9. Miss opportunities to make cards from my photos.
10. Allow my classroom to smell like teen 'spirit.' (I got these for $7 at Whole Foods last night!)
11. Let other people's poor/thoughtless choices affect my outlook on life. I'm talking to all the dumbass drivers out there - watch me smile & wave and pray for your soon-to-be-wrecked-or-ticketed souls. Too much? I doubt they're reading my blog anyway.

*Happy, happy, delightful, magical, marvelous, enjoyable, agreeable New Year to you*

dueling TO-DOs

What I Want to Do During Winter Break:

1. Stare out the window at the snow for hours on end.
2. Wander around my neighborhood taking pictures of the snow.
3. Drink vats of tea with my best friends.
4. Watch every movie with a hint of Academy Award buzz.
5. Snuggle with my kids in blankets whenever we feel like it.
6. Go rollerskating with my family & best friends.
7. Read every magazine on my coffee table with serious intention.
8. Bake lots of yummy things.
9. Transform the spare room into something magically beautiful & useful.
10. Morph into the most organized woman/wife/mom/teacher known to humankind.

What I Ought to Do During Winter Break:

1. Send Christmas cards.
2. Develop concrete lesson plans for next quarter.
3. Oversee my children cleaning their rooms, corner to corner.
4. Help my man clean the garage (and by "help" I mean buy containers and label stuff).
5. Establish a meaningful menu/cooking system.
6. Commit to a regular cleaning schedule.
7. Visit with parents.
8. Fix broken ornaments before packing them back in the box after Christmas.
9. Read all of the professional books I brought home from my office.
10. Enjoy whatever comes my way.

What would Jake do?