The Day's Progress, Parental Theories and Looking Ahead

The Day's Progress
I took Miss J to daycare today (we had paid for it anyway), and I took the opportunity to do some unpacking and moving things in from the garage. I moved in some closet organizer things, a small file cabinet, several boxes (10 or so), and I arranged some family photos. It's nice to see a few of our pictures up - makes it feel more comfortable. It doesn't seem like unpacking 10 boxes is a whole lot. I don't know where the time goes, but it seems to go by lightning quick when you're unpacking.

I lit a candle this evening in our family room. I blew it out an hour ago, and you can still smell it on the second floor even though I lit it on the first floor. It's interesting how the smell permeates through most of the house. Good when it's a candle, probably bad when it's charred chicken!

I also had a contractor we used at the old house come by to give estimates on getting some kitchen and master bathroom work done. "Some" might be an understatement. The kitchen needs a considerable amount of work. I think a blind person designed the current kitchen. There is absolutely no flow to it, the taste is sorely outdated, and it's not very hygienic with the tile countertops that have seen much better days. So we're talking about moving appliances around, getting new cabinets & getting granite installed. Will probably get the estimate in a few days, am not looking forward to seeing that big number. We'll likely have to wait until we get the cash from our other house before we proceed on getting a new kitchen. As for our old house, it gets shown 2x a week. No bites after a month though.

Parental Theories
I try to be open-minded on how to raise kids. After all, it's a hardly a science, more of an art that you refine constantly. But what continues to amaze me are those people who shield their kids from every iota of trouble. The type of parent that basically puts their kid in a rubber room all day; any possible object that weighs more than 2 oz is out of their kid's reach. I know these parents are so concerned about their kids possibly injuring themselves; I know the intention is out of love. But at some point you've got to let your kid explore the world around him/her beyond the padded room.

Looking Forward
The new year is fast approaching, and I would like to make some New Year's resolutions for 2010.

Eating - I vow to keep track of the points value of the things I eat.

Fitness - I vow to do the 30 Day Shred the whole way through.
Fitness - For one month I vow to do The Firm 3x a week.
Fitness - For one month I vow to do Denise Austin aerobics 3x a week.
Fitness - For one month I vow to do tae bo 3x a week.
Fitness - For one month I vow to do fast walking 3x a week, 2 miles or more at a time.

Home - I vow to not stress out so much about this new house. There is a lot to do, and S & I are only 2 people. We will do what we can with our limited budget and limited time. I do not feel like things have to be perfect, nor do I have to justify having not done things. If people want to criticize our progress or give us a list of things they think need to be done, they can open their wallets and/or come over to get those things done. Otherwise, I don't want to hear it.

Home - I'd like to host a murder mystery this summer. It would be our first since having Julia. We used to do them quite frequently.

Mental - I vow to work on not swearing in my head. Need to work on having more patience.

Marriage - more husband time! Hopefully we can play more board & card games. Our couple time used to be eating out...A LOT...not good for the budget or the waistline. We need low cost but not cheesy (i.e., let's replace the chandalier and call it a "date") things to do after Julia goes to bed.

Personal - I'd like to get back to some creative writing. I'm setting a fairly low goal of 20 typed pages for the year.

Whew, that's a lot of resolutions! Nothing too onerous or discouraging (i.e., be 100 pounds or something equally impossible) for a change. I feel like they are all attainable with a bit of discipline.

Looking forward to a great year!