I Am Moving My New Year's Day to February This Year

 

 

       You know all of those plans and resolutions that you think about as the old year is coming to a close and the next year looms ahead????

 

 

 

       Well, just like most people, I had been having those thoughts:  as soon as all that Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday business is passed and the college students return to school.......the rest of us can get our life back under control........right?  Right.

 

 

          Sounded like a good idea......till I came down with that nasty influenza on January 4th .......H1N1.....I am pretty sure........because though I was not tested....I was a poster child for the symptoms.  Ugh.  I was knocked out for four days, sleeping about 22 hours each 24.  During that time, in some of my more lucid moments, I realized that I had to let go of my plans for improving my life in the first month of the year.  Recalling the one other time that I had the flu.......it was one week on the couch 100% and a second week with mostly 50% couch-time. And then more weeks of recovery for my asthmatic lungs.  I knew I would not have the energy or stamina to make any fresh starts in the month of January, a month that also would have dental trauma included.  As of exactly three weeks from the day I came down with the flu, I finally feel about 75%. 

 

 

      So while I lay ill, I made a resolution to start my own new year resolutions in February.

 

 

My resolutions are.......

 

• To spend at least an hour a day homeschooling my youngest on the days I am off from work; at least half an hour on the days when I am off, but do not feel well.....which sometimes happens as I recover from one or two 14 hour shifts.  I was going to set up a "Morning Basket" style, and (now that I have heard the term) "Loop Scheduling".....something I used to do with our morning basket way back when my olders were littles.........it has a name now!  :)  I had put together this "plan" for him last August.....but barely touched on it.....this will be my resource for my basket.

• To regain my momentum with my mostly daily walking.....no less than four miles on my days off from work.

• To attend at least two classes at the gym per week.

• To utilize my typical eating patterns for those times when I am trying to get fit.  Still trying to get rid of the Hawaii weight gain from last summer.....after I had lost some weight.

• To improve my prayer life with some daily reading for meditation---at least 3-4 times per week.

• To try to do Flylady's Zones this year. In addition to the Morning and Evening Routines (that I get to most of the time) I have been on and off with Flylady since she started her email list and had less than 100 people on it.  So, yeah.....waaaay back when. I went off of her email list because I had things well under control after a year or so......but I have come back just for the inspiration....and since I have barely any control over stuff .....now I have lost so many of my chore-doers in the last year.  I really need to reorganize our plans.  The people who still live in my house are so dang busy......that it is hard for everyone to keep up.   I am great at organizing.  Lousy at maintaining a schedule.  Thankfully, my clutter is not too bad....it is just the day-to-day up-keep I mostly need to take care of.....oh, and a bunch of paper clutter. And computers to declutter.  And......and....and......okay.  There is some clutter, in some of the rooms, but it is not hoard-like.  ;)

• Figure to how to get my charting done at work in a timely manner so I have less overtime.  Our computer system is horrid.  Just simply horrid.  It has ruined our lives at work.  Nobody is happy anymore......there is so much grumbling.  I am a naturally cheerful person and this job is much too challenging and stressful for me to remain my cheerful self.  Ugh.  So, I am trying to figure out some methods for making the days less awful related to charting.  I have some ideas.  Please pray for them to work........sigh.

      Not sure if I am missing any...........I got spiritual life, health and fitness, home organization, work and homeschooling covered.  I try to stay simple and basic each year.  Less chance of failure that way.  I will add anything if it comes to mind later.


     I just had an interesting realization:  here I am, turning fifty years old in April.....making the same New year's resolutions as usual........and yet, I am not needing to turn to any new tricks......I am just planning to regroup and do what has worked for me in the past.  I am so excited to realize I do not need to teach an old dog any new tricks.  :)

Happy New Year Blessings,

                                       Chari