Phhhhuuuooouuuu.

That's the sound of me finally decompressing from the hoiday blur...although I'm not really married to the spelling. But boy have I gotten lazy. When I first started writing this blog, it was my place to come to be lazy. Now I have even become lazy about keeping up with writing. As my pace slows and my activity level decreases, my definition of 'work' continually morphs. Now keeping up with the blog world is becoming almost a chore to me, and that's a shame because I think this public writing thing was actually a big factor in my slowing-down. It helps me see things from a different perspective, so that when I say I'm going to do something, I am more committed to doing it simply because it's in writing.

Speaking of holding myself to certain obligations, I am giving myself the task of cleaning the slate (to an extent) before this year is out. Most resolutions are focused on what you say you are going to aim for in the new year, but I have always thought that is a little too easy. You say you're going to do something big in the new year, but then you get caught up with it actually being the new year, but that's ok because you've really got the whole year to do it, but then by March it has been forgotten. So I'm going with less than a week left and giving myself some little tasks to complete for the sake of my sanity.

1) I keep a little dry-erase board on the fridge for my always-changing to-do list. Well, it seems dry-erase markers are not so temporary; in the actual dusty-residue sense, as well as in the sense that once they get written on there they seem destined to never leave the board. I have the names of three women friends, a couple of them mom friends and one them a friend from college I have lost touch with. The first two will be difficult because I am the slacker in this case, and it's not that I don't want to get in touch with them, it's that in doing so I will have to admit that yes, it has been four months since I said I would call (and that is not me, I am a follow-through-er). The third will be hard because I don't think I have an actual current way of contacting this person. My task is to get these names wiped off that board.

2) I will start working out again. This one is very hard to admit. I have been a sloth for over a month now. That is not me. I am uncomfortable not working out. B.C. (before child) I used to be big into lifting weights, getting my body fat tested, reading Muscle & Fitness for Her, showing off my ability to do 50 (real) pushups (and I will get back there - the closest I came was in September when I maxed out at 43, so close). Anyway, there was just too much going on toward the approach of the holidays and I just had to let it go for a while because I was spending more time than I could afford saying "OK, today I am going to work out, and then I will get started on the day," or staying up too late thinking I would exercise after Jacob went to bed.

3) I will file all my file-things that are stacked in that cardboard box into their appropriate file folders. I'm usually good at keeping up with filing because I generally enjoy being organized, but I just have not had the time. For maybe three months now they've been going into that box instead, and that's after spending a week accumulating on a step halfway up the staircase.

4) This last one is probably more ambiguous, but I've got to give myself some elbow room somewhere. I will make it so all the residuals of Christmas have been fully (& appropriately) absorbed into the house (or moved out of the house completely), and that includes a lot of the non-related paper clutter laying around the house.

This last one reminds me - Note to self: Remember next year to send out an e-mail to all family members emphasizing the One Gift Rule before they have bought seven gifts already so they don't have that excuse going for them.

I guess when I say 'please only get Jacob one gift' they read between the lines and think I am giving them the option to get him anywhere between one and, say, 14 gifts. It's more than just about the fact that we don't have room for all this stuff, it's about wanting Jacob to grow up not taking his possessions for granted, not being spoiled. Is that not my choice as his mother to enact this rule?? And to those of you who abided by this rule, you know who you are, Thank You.

Have a happy new year!