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?

13 words

Words I like the sound of, and some that just feel particularly satisfying coming out of my mouth.

1. jazz
2. kiss
3. yes
4. jackass
5. precarious
6. luscious
7. well
8. egregious
9. whom
10. freakish
11. hilarity
12. fluid
13. sultry

Which words make your mouth smile?

Thursday Thirteen

thank you, lord, for fridays. amen.

1. Oh, I can't wait until I have a clone to do all the boring and/or yucky stuff.

2. Our Brita water pitcher is the first thing I see when I open my refrigerator but I quickly train my eyes on the wine.

3. I never leave home without reading material, for everyone.

4. If I were a condiment, I would be brown mustard because I am understated yet spicy; enjoyed by many but not all.

5. Ignorant drivers is really high up on my list of pet peeves.

6. The last thing I thought of before I went to bed was I'm so bleeding tired; and Tomorrow Is Another Day.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to Camp Naughty! [I'll miss you, Bad Husband!], tomorrow my plans include haircut & napping (though not at the same time), and maybe a movie with Bad Husband, and Sunday I want to go to the Wine & Art Festival at our local winery.

Blessed be the Friday Fill-Ins; go & be at peace.

oh yes it is that day

1. Idle hands are not paying proper attention.

2. I love lots of good-smelling stuff in the shower.

3. My favorite time of the day is when I'm falling into bed.

4. The last tea I drank was my beloved Raffles Morning tea.

5. I like to relax some, plan some, play a lot in the Summer.

6. My mother always said many things that made me cringe (but I still love her, with plugged ears).

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to my students' Art Show & my kids' school carnival, tomorrow my plans include scoring big at the community garage sale, haircut & highlights, then friend Dave's birthday on the town, and Sunday I want to celebrate our PTA volunteers with a potluck.

Friday Fill-Ins, they're good for you.

bright side

Because I'm not a complete complainer/killjoy/family-disser, I've compiled a list of stuff I loved about this past weekend (I'm starting with Friday, though, to make it more impressive):

1. Getting my car unloaded of all the books & pillows & games I've scored at Goodwill for my classroom
2. Girlfriend movie night at the luxurious [read: They serve delectable food and cocktails right to you IN YOUR SEAT] Living Room Theater.
3. Girlfriend bar visit at the uber-hip (I wish Blogger could do an umlaut; it makes words so much cooler) Teardrop Lounge
4. Sunny drive to my parents' house
5. Super fun time at the Go-Kart track with kids & Dad & cousins - Mason & I had to be rescued by the monitor dude after wiping out
6. Cheesy Oscar Meyer hot dogs for dinner. Shhhh, don't tell Whole Foods!
7. Starbucks run with my sister; seeing darling barista boy
8. Not-too-rainy drive home
9. Kind family who offered to jump start my dead battery at the ferry (story to follow)
10. Fabulous new Skechers walking shoes, on clearance with extra discount

I realize it is rather lame to have a picture of my new shoes rather than my family or friends. But aren't they really cute? I know they will help me get some actual exercise this summer, before my heart stages a major protest that will totally disrupt my trip to Europe. And my tattoo plans.