Resolved

The holidays are over. I had ten (ten!) glorious days with Bread at home. Some marvelous things happened! For one, we did not kill each other! Second, we spent some time together doing fun things like watching movies, playing Scrabble (he totally cheats) and eating all that was not nailed down. Also, we attempted to take our tot to the local dinosaur museum (culture and education were calling). They had a Big Bird and Elmo show at the planetarium. The bleeping thing was overloaded with people seeking the same experience! It was hours until close and a 30 minute wait to just get into the parking lot! We aborted and, naturally, took her to McDonalds to play in the germ-infested play structure. Because, as a friend pointed out, the Hamburgler is almost the same as Elmo. Almost. Said trip also had Bread climbing in the play area. My hero. A brave man he is. He wanted to show Bird how to do it. When he returned from his “adventure,” I informed him there was not enough hand sanitizer in the world to make me want to ever touch him again. Did I mention we did not kill each other whilst he was on vacation?

New Years Eve was fun. Friends came over. The kids played, Bread cooked meat (people come from miles around to sample Bread’s meat); kids went to bed and parents played. It was a great night and a fun way to ring in 2011. One friend asked me what my New Year’s Resolution was. One? I can only pick one? I have several. Each year, I (mentally) make loads or resolutions. I figure if I make many, maybe at least one will stick. To date, the only one I’ve ever stuck to was to stop returning my library books late. It was costing me a fortune! Am I a failure? Do people really stick to these things?

The past year was crazy for us. There were so many changes-some good, some bad and some having both positives and negatives. I’m welcoming 2011 and excited for the clean slate that is January. For 2011, I’m trying something different (insert my Grandma’s voice here-she pronounces it diff-ernt). I’m documenting my resolutions on the internet! This way, I can revisit them. Perhaps I shall have a quarterly update on my progress. Look out! Exciting posts to come (insert sarcasm here)! For now here they are, as usual, in no particular order-

1. Spend more time reading. With this, I’m also adding-read more classics. My goal is to spend at least one evening a week with the television off.
2. Be a slave to organization. I need to write my to-do list down. I think, because I have no job, I can remember everything. Alas, I am old and the memory is not what it used to be (was it ever).
3. Stop obsessing about the cleanliness, or lack thereof, in my house. A little dirt does not hurt too much. I need to step away from the Swiffer, people. Besides, it’s not as if we live in squalor. Do we? No! No! Stop! Stop!
4. Stay away from the crazies. I am a magnet. I’m not sure if I can help this.
5. Stop beating myself up. I am not perfect but nobody is. I know this and, yet, I am so mean to me. WAHHHHH!
6. Schedule a date night with Bread at least once a month. We used to do this all the time. I don’t know what happened but we don’t do it very often as of late. We have ample sitters now, especially since the ol’ BFF is a sucker for the tot and back in town. While it is fun to hang in our living room, it’s even more fun to go out in public! ALONE.
7. Watch more Lifetime Television! Ha! Just kidding! That shit is awful! Does anybody watch that? No offense if you do…Mostly. I guess my resolve would be to continue avoiding this station.
8. Blog more. I like it. People read this shit. So, either they like it too or they are making fun of me with their friends. Both situations are fine.
9. Write a portion (chapter, paragraph, a word) of that book I speak of. Just do it! Jump in. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.
10. Save more money, use more coupons and be more aware of each and every purchase. Do I need six pair of brown shoes? No! Yes! No!
11. Be more health conscious. I always make this resolution. I think I stick to it, mostly. I’m not as thin as I’d like to be but I eat healthy and exercise. I thought about not including this on my list but, dammit, I couldn’t do it. I think this is forever and there’s always room for improvement.
12. Walk the dogs even in the cold. It’s fucking cold out there. It’s hard. It’s dark when Bread gets home. Whine. Whine. Whine.
13.  Be more grateful.

As you can see, it’s going to be a busy year for me. I’m sticking to this. I’m using the beginning of the New Year as a chance to improve upon myself. It’s hard to imagine I could need any improvement, I know, but really, I do. Jessie Domestic-Work in Progress. To be continued…What's on your list?