Happy New Year! Resolutions: What I should do, and what I actually will do.

I'm back! I had a nice break with the family - punctuated by two flus and a cold. I took a break from my personal blog, but there was still LOTS going on at the book club.

If you're looking for e-books to load up that e-reader, iPhone or tablet you acquired over the holidays, visit Cookie's Book Club (the list of giveaways is at the top of the right sidebar). Some interesting guest posts too from some of my favourite 2011 independent authors!

I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and are slowly acclimatizing yourselves to the new year. Happy 2012!

I can't tell you how happy I am to usher in a new year. In our house we dubbed 2011 'The Year of the Cold'. We had a minimum of twelve colds and flus last year (I lost track towards the end). In fact, 2011 went out with one final hurrah, as our tiny human woke up early on December 31st with the flu. Suddenly, today, January 1st of a brand new year, he is miraculously well. I've spent the morning feeling grateful and hopeful while at the same time crossing all of my digits and knocking on everything made of wood.


I have faith. This year is going to be a good year!

Of course, rather than leaving it all up to fate, I plan to do a few things differently this year. Call them New Year's resolutions. Call them lifestyle changes already in the works. Call them what you will. To me they are near necessities. Choosing NOT to make these changes is choosing an unhealthy, unbalanced life - not an option!

Here then, are my New Year's resolutions (the ones I plan to keep, that is - stay tuned for some shoulds that I intend to completely ignore):

Exercise daily. Clearly I am not off to the best start today, having spent most of it in front of the computer, but there's still time. Maybe later I'll head outside for a walk - it's a lovely day. There's always the Wii, the Insanity workouts my sister-in-law gave me (Lord, help me), the gym, and if all else fails I could always clean the house... BAAAAAAHAHAHAHA.

Work more efficiently. Not entirely sure yet how I will accomplish this, but it will probably involve some sort of planning, perhaps pie charts and an easel. In 2011 I became a blogger. Since there is no twelve-step program to help me quit this new habit, I'm going to have to find ways to be more efficient about doing it. It's just taking up too much time... yet, I love it.

Eat well. For now, this means avoiding a whole host of foods until I figure out what nourishes and what depletes. I've been at this for close to three months now, and it has definitely helped. I made it through Christmas - no cheats! Okay, there may have been a glass of wine... or three over the holidays, but there were no other cheats. Totally doable.

Say 'no' more often. I'm also attempting to approach life, each day, each choice in a different way this year by asking the question, What builds me up and what depletes me? I have a tendency to take on too much. This year, I'll take on less so that I can focus on and enjoy the things I choose to do more fully. I had an interesting conversation with a university friend yesterday. She quoted someone who said, "When you say 'no' to something, you're saying 'yes' to something else." I LOVE that!

And now for something completely different (2012 points to whoever knows where that reference comes from). Scratch that - I can't imagine anyone NOT knowing that reference. Minus 2012 points to whoever doesn't know it, and click here this instant!

It's Monday Listicles time! If you haven't already jumped on the Monday Listicles bandwagon, what are you waiting for? It's a new year! Come join the fun with @NorthWestMommy and a whole gaggle of fun-loving bloggers.

This week's topic, carefully selected by A Mountain Momma, who graciously appeared on Cookie's Chronicles last year (See Come From Away Momma), is New Year Resolutions that we WILL NOT KEEP, but feel like we should add to our lists anyways.

This should be a breeze. Life is full of 'shoulds'.

1. I should probably think about cleaning up my office. It would not surprise me to find fossilized remains in there. For quite some time, probably commencing with Jack's birth, it's become a dumping ground for papers and other assorted items carefully teetered on top of one pile or another in the hopes that someday there will be time to deal with them. I don't actually work in the office anymore since I no longer have a desk to write on or a chair to sit on. Happily, if I close the door, I don't even know it's there. Problem solved! Next?

2. I should get at the growing pile of clothes that need mending. I put them next to the couch that points at the TV thinking there was a better chance of them getting fixed that way. Note how I speak about the task - "getting fixed" - as if it will happen with out my involvement. That's really what I'm hoping for. They're tucked away in a pretty basket with a lid. Like the clutter in the office, they're easier to ignore than way.

3. I should finish at least some of the knitting projects I started. If you've been around here a while and are a fan of knitting you'll recall that I got back into it a bit last year, enough to knit some gauntlets, a Kindle cozy and slippers for the family. It may now be time to tackle some of the bigger projects. Then again, if I put a door on the bookshelf they are all jammed into, I can ignore them too!

4. I should do a better job of cleaning my house. Snort - I can't even keep a straight face when typing that. One thing I will not say on my death bed is, "How I wish I had spent more time cleaning!"

5. I should stop buying stuff. Really, I should. I have enough stuff. Have you ever watched The Story of Stuff? As much as I love stuff, I don't love that I contribute to waste and pollution as much as I do simply by buying it. I should stop buying stuff. But what I will do is try to buy less stuff. I'll also continue to recycle and freecycle the stuff I have. Good enough?

6. I should stop complaining altogether. Life is good. Particularly if I compare my life to the lives of others. I'm not overly oppressed by my society, I'm not facing a potential tsunami. I have a pretty decent level of comfort and security. Of course, there are always things to complain about, aren't there? I'll try to complain less, at least outwardly (my journal may get an extra workout).

7. I should watch less TV. I don't think I need to say much about this one. I'll let my overflowing PVR speak for itself.

8. I should pay more attention to the cat. Ever since Jack, poor kitty has fallen down a rung on the ladder of importance. I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying it's fair. It just is. Sorry kitty. Mommy will try to spend more time with you. In case that doesn't work out for you, just go ahead and continue to sit on my hands while I type.

9. I should clean out my car. Have you seen the back of my car? It's chaos and mayhem. But really, seconds after I clean it, it will be dirtied again, so... no, I don't think so. This can wait until my son is old enough to clean up the mess himself.

10. I should abolish the word 'should' from my inner dictionary. That would mean abolishing 'guilt' along with it. Fabulous idea. Impossible to execute. I shall endeavour to at least recognize the shoulds and kick them in the junk where possible.

I'm also linking up today with Just. Be. Enough. because isn't that what letting go of shoulds is all about? How will you choose to just be enough this year?

and Lovelinks with @FreeFringes, 
a super fun place to hang out!

and Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop,

'cause she wants to know my New Year's resolutions!

(Of course, she may just be saying that to be nice.)

Thank-you to all of my followers and fans for reading my blogs in 2011, for putting up with my tweets and Facebook/Google+ updates, and especially for your comments, your tweetbacks and your support!

All the best in 2012!