Happy New Year, yeah I know it is already February....

Well so much for starting the new year by writing more.

Oh well... as I say to myself, every year, it is better late than never, so here it is: this year's anti resolution list. (This was last year's list).

So last year was about trying to have more fun. I am not sure how successful we were at reaching that goal, but I say we had some pretty good times, minus some major and minor bumps in the road.

This year I am doubling the amount of goals for myself.

Goal 1 – try to not feel so guilty all the time.

I figure this goal can be reached one of two ways. The first way is to just get my ass in gear and get the job done, whether it is dishes in the sink (or finally writing in this blog), and/or by sucking it up, put on a happy face, and just do it, like playing a card game for the millionth time, even if I do not want to because it makes my kid happy. To me, it is better to just get things done quickly than to leave it and then feel bad about it after. Besides, in the latter, even if the card game sucks, I do love spending time with the kid.

The second way to reach this goal is to just stop feeling guilty. It annoys the hell out of me when my husband is sick and refuses to let me help him with stuff. For one thing, it takes him twice as long to do anything, and then I have to listen to him complain about how much he hurts after. And then I realize, I do the exact same thing. So this year, I am going to give myself permission to just not do stuff (sometimes) and to not feel bad. I have to learn that I am not responsible for everything, and that I can ask for help – plus I should not feel bad for asking for help.

Goal 2 – stop saving everything

I am one of those people that like to save things for special occasions. This year, I am going to start using more and saving less. I do not mean I am going off to max out my credit cards and not give a dam. I am talking about the things I already own. For example, I am going to start actually drinking the expensive teas that I have, instead of just keeping it for when company comes over, especially since I rarely entertain. I am going to wear that cute skirt just for fun, whether it is going out or even just hanging around the house. I have donated many outfits with tags on, in the past, because they no longer fit or were simply out of style. And, I am going to let my daughter do this too. What is the point of allowing her to have toys if I don't let her play with them – we have a large collection of craft kits that we kept around for rainy days that we have yet to open; I have to learn that we can craft on sunny days as well.

So here are my two goals this year. Right now, I feel kind of good for getting this off my chest, and at the same time feel okay about the dishes that I am ignoring, in the sink, while I am doing this.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and being unprepared....

I usually start off my new year with my anti-resolution list, but this year, I decided to do something different. Okay, I really did not think much about the list. It was a very busy holiday season, with power outages, no heat, unexpected guests, and then a 'vacation' (you know, the ones that require a week to recover from). I barely had time to register that we have actually started a new year!

However, instead of just sitting around and contemplating my list of wishes for this year, I decided to try and start this year by just writing. Or as I like to call it, get my ass in gear instead of procrastinating by watching hours of Youtube videos, well maybe one more of that really cute puppy trying hard not to fall asleep.....

Anyway, a very long time ago, I wrote about travelling with a small child. I would now like to continue that thought by adding a couple of packing essentials: a thermometer; children fever medicine and children anti-nausea medication.

And how do I know these are essentials? Simple, I did not pack them.

My family and I went to a resort a bit north of our home over the holidays. We drove. The resort was in an area with shopping malls and big box stores. So I figured, if we forgot anything, we can always go out to buy it.

Of course, it did not occur to me that my child will get sick on the one day during our vacation where NOTHING was opened. Yep, my daughter started throwing up and feeling awfully warm on New Year's DAY! (Actually, if she was considerate and got sick half an hour earlier, I could had stilled made it to the drugstore before they closed....).

So my husband and I ended up spending our New Year's reminiscing about our youth... the last time he held someone's hair back over a toilet was mine... And we got to stay up all night, granted there was no party, but instead, a 2am cool bath to try and bring the little one's fever down. Let us say it was a memorable way to start the new year. I hope for much less exciting days and nights in the future.

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Oh! The small child was fine the next day, actually it was probably a great new year for her; she got about 10 hours of uninterrupted television watching, no one forced her to eat anything, and all the ginger ale that she wanted to drink...

My anti-resolutions

So, for the last couple of years I wrote about my stance on not having any New Year's resolutions (here is my post from last year). And, as I am a creature of habit, I do not plan to start doing resolutions this year.

However, I do believe I should have a couple of goals this year - sort of a to-do list. I figure if I do not have some sort of plan, or a task, to motivate me, I will end up sitting here, slowly morphing into a blob creature while watching Youtube videos and reading trashy online novels all day.

1. We will clean the upstairs office so that we can actually use it as an office. It will no longer be just another store room to hide crap when guests are coming

2. Finally put up those wires we bought to display my daughter's 'art' – we purchased these things at least three years ago...

3. Complete one craft project – failing that, recycle the stuff that I have been storing away to do craft projects

4. Ensure the house does not look like squatters have moved in

And of course the important goals...

5. Play with my daughter more

6. Listen

7. Control my temper

8. And be the parent that my little one needs me to be.

What are your goals this year? And if you do have resolutions, how in the world do you keep them?!?!

Another New Year!

I am proud to say that I kept my resolution about not making resolutions.

I do not really believe in New Year resolutions; I think every single day is an opportunity to make a fresh start; to try to do better; to have a somewhat clean slate. So, why not make resolutions on say January 23 instead of the 1st (granted, that is Chinese New Year...).

Anyway, last year I did make some New Year wishes and thought it would be nice to review them, and see if I can come up with a few more. Wishes are things I would like to happen, but are not a to-do list that will cause guilt if I do not finish before next year arrives.

1. Folding laundry quicker – well... I still have last year's laundry sitting in my dryer right now...

2. Cleaning the house – the house remains in a state of organized chaos, but we are all alive, no one died of food poisoning, and we do not have some weird fungus growing on us or our stuff, so I consider this a win...

3. Unpacking from the move – still have some boxes, but we did find some bed linens; so, it is a start!

4. Write more – I am writing now!

5. Read more – There is a book on my bedside table with no pictures in it, and I got to use my library card more than once this year (my daughter uses her card a lot)

6. Try be happier – I think I am a fairly happy person, most of the time, okay, some of the time, okay... occasionally

7. Worry less – probably never going to happen, I just find different stuff to worry about

8. Be the Best mother I can be – this is a goal I plan on working on for the rest of my life

So some new wishes:

1. Try to go to bed earlier

2. Try not lose my temper as much

3. Try to tell my little one I Love Her at least once a day, especially on days when she is driving me crazy, and when I want to give her to her grandparents. And, try to tell this to her when she is conscious, not when she is asleep and looking like a little angel.

4. Continue to try to be the mother my daughter needs me to be

What are your new year wishes?

Happy New Year!