Looking back at January's goals and forward to February

As promised, I am looking back at the resolutions I made at the beginning of January to see how I am doing and if any adjustments need to be made.

--Spend at least 30 minutes a night on some chore: I am doing pretty well with this one. Except for a couple evenings where vertigo took over and I had to stay in bed, I managed to accomplish something every day after work. I've cleared a virus off one of the computers, cleaned out drawers and closets, and folded plenty of laundry. If I can stick to this throughout February, I will feel comfortable enough to call it a habit.

--Read four books a month: This is the area where I am slacking. I've only finished one book this month and that was a graphic novel, which are generally quick to read. To meet my goal in February I'll have to have two books on the go, one nonfiction and one fiction.

--Stitch five items for myself:  I didn't do much work towards this goal, other than knitting a few more rows on my Lanesplitter skirt.

I'm very happy with my progress on my first goal, but I think the other two need tweaking. So I am adding a couple more goals for February that I think will help me.

--Limit my internet usage on work nights:  My aim for February will be to only get on my laptop after work if I need to pay a bill. This will free me up to either do needlework or read. Being honest with myself, I have to say that this will be a tough one. Everyone knows that I am a bit of an online junkie, but I truly want to add some diversity to my leisure time.

--Survey my wardrobe and pick out the five projects I want to stitch for myself:  Making a list should help me make this goal more real instead of a "someday" idea.


At 45 I am more sure of myself, my skills, and what I want out of my life. The purpose of these goals is to make my surroundings reflect that growing confidence.

On Subscribing to My Local Paper

We'd been talking about it for a while, subscribing to the local newspaper. We'd done it several times in the past but always canceled it when papers started piling up unread. Our desire to start using coupons in our grocery shopping convinced us to try subscribing again, which we did this week. We opted for the weekend-only delivery this time since all we really want is the coupons from the Sunday paper. Of course, I can't see having a newspaper in the house without reading it, so here I am on a Sunday reading the actual physical paper.

The first thought that always comes to me when I read the local paper is "Why didn't I know this was going on?" I like to think that following various local organizations on Facebook and Twitter is keeping me informed, but just in five minutes of flipping through the paper I found out that:

--the local school board decided NOT to close M's former middle school after all;
--John's Toy and Hobby, a well-known independent toy store, is closing after 50 years;
--the chamber of commerce is having a Dancing With the Stars-style fundraiser;
--there was a pie-tasting day at the homemakers' center in Gastonia.

I know that reading news in digital form is more convenient. However, I find that I miss out on so many events going on in the community when I stick to online news. It is too easy to zero in on particular stories and miss the incidentals. The physical act of flipping pages results in articles catching my eye that I wouldn't have even known to look for, like the Dancing for Future Stars fundraiser.

My internet use tends to crowd out every other activity, so I'm sure the papers will pile up unread again in due time. For now, however, I will enjoy reacquainting myself with my community.

Birthday Week Chez Moi

This week I turned 45. I've never been one to stress about my age, but I must admit that I am beginning to feel a few twinges of melancholy about approaching 50. My grey hairs are more evident, I don't get carded at the ABC store, and new people I meet aren't as surprised as they once were when I tell them my age. Of course, the positive side of being older is that the kids are older, too. C1 and C2 will be 15 tomorrow, M will be 19 next month, and DJ will be 14 in June. I enjoy them all so much more now that I can relate to them as people with their own thoughts and ideas instead of as creatures who need to be fed and trained not to pee on the floor.

We don't have elaborate birthday celebrations in this family, and even if we did we wouldn't have this year due to the family still being in mourning over the loss of the MIL. I got Chinese food and chocolate-filled cupcakes (which the kids need to make again - yum!). C1 and C2 will be celebrating their birthday tomorrow with homemade fish & chips and onion rings, a nod to our fascination with English TV. There will also be some gaming tomorrow: Dance Central, Rock Band, and possibly some tabletop games.

As for gifts, I got an iPhone 4S from ABM. He has really been on the ball with gift-giving lately and getting me things I really want. I wasn't exactly pining away for an iPhone but for the past year or so, I've been wanting to get my hands on either an iPhone or an iPod Touch to try out. I still enjoy using my Galaxy Tab that I got last Mother's Day, but I have found it slightly frustrating that every time I hear about a cool game it shows up on iOS first. I have to wait months for it to show up on Android, if it gets ported there at all. Since we bought three of my kids and my nephew the iPod Touch for Christmas, I will also be able to experience some of the the more social games like the With Friends line from Zynga. Hopefully that will inspire me to do more posting and more reviews on this blog!

To Sir With Love

A pal on Facebook posted a meme where you post a YouTube video of the song that was #1 the week of your birth. For a long time I thought it was "To Sir With Love" but that song didn't actually hit the top of the charts until November of 1967 (thanks, internet!). Still, this song and movie hold a special place in my heart. The movie was played often on Saturday afternoons back when I lived in the country with no cable TV and no internet. It, along old shows from the BBC that aired on our local PBS station, shaped my view of England and the 1960s.

I'm making resolutions, gosh darn it!

In the past few years it has become fashionable to say that one does not make New Year's resolutions because they are so passe. The belief is that one gets carried away by the fresh tide of a new year and makes grandiose plans that are doomed to fail before February roll around. Well, this year I am in the mood to make a few resolutions and I am not ashamed to proclaim them!

--Spend at least 30 minutes each night doing some chore: I have the kids handling the basics like dishes and laundry, but the infrequent tasks like cleaning out closets are not getting done. If I do a little each day, I can keep myself off the current season of "Hoarders".

--Read at least 4 books a month:  This ties in with my book blog. If I don't read, I don't have anything to post. I joined the Goodreads 2012 Reading Challenge to help me track this. Although I feel like I am doing a lot of reading now, in reality it is composed mostly of blogs and online articles. I want to get back to reading actual books or listening to audio books. The internet helps me keep up with pop culture, but books help me exercise my brain and make me feel more well-rounded.

--Stitch at least 5 items for myself:  This could be knitting, crocheting, or sewing. I never make clothing for myself and I think it is about time. ABM bought me a sewing machine last year and I have yet to put it to use. My shabby wardrobe could use a little pizzazz.

My plan is to reevaluate at the end of the month and either change or continue with the goals I've set here.  Hopefully sticking to these goals will pull me away from my Facebook game addiction and give me something to blog about!