Reality

Today is 010111. The date alone makes me want to make a resolution.

I was thinking about my proposed resolution up until the final minutes of 2010. I could hear the fireworks exploding in the distance, and my mind was still filled with thoughts of blogging every day in 2011. The idea alone was making me tense. I was starting to panic even before the first day of January officially arrived.

I was thinking about my life. The reality is I home-school about 30 hours a week. I work about 20 hours a week. Part of my job is to write on a blog. I have four children who are hungry all of the time. They also produce a ton of dirty clothes.

I don't spend enough time reading my Bible or exercising or reading books or grocery shopping or cleaning. My house is cluttered. I need to clean out every closet and take the contents to Goodwill. I have a baby who likes to throw squishy bananas on the floor.

I want to update my blog every day. I can update my blog every day. However, I am choosing not to. (GASP!)

I know. This is so unlike me. I love to have goals and push myself to try new things. But I don't want the pressure. I don't want to turn something that is currently my hobby, my outlet, my joy into something I dread.

I am going to take a photo every day. And I am going to put it in a neat little folder on my computer so at the end of the year I can create a photo book with one photo of every day of 2011. I want to challenge myself to be creative with the photos that I take.

I might share some of those photos on my blog, but I'm not making any promises. I want to see how they turn out. And I'm not sure if they will really be that interesting to anyone outside my immediate family. I don't want all of my e-mail subscribers to leave me because I'm overwhelming them with daily photos in their inbox.

So, thank you to those who encouraged me. I really did appreciate it.

And now, after being inspired by notasupermom, I'm going to post a few other things I plan to do in 2011:

I'm going to check my e-mail as often as I like. I might even put my iTouch in one back pocket, the iPhone in the other and carry my iPad under my arm and then have a showdown to see which one can retrieve my messages faster.

I'm going to drink at least two cups of tea every morning. I will drink my tea with refined white sugar.

I am going to kiss my baby's bald head every day until she grows some hair. I am going to make her wear little hats with huge flowers and bows. I will talk in my baby voice as long as I can get away with it, saying things like, "You are the cootest wittle baby I evah did see. I wuv oo."

I am going to be a more daring friend. I am going to take risks and go out on a limb for people.

I am going to let the e-mail pile up in my inbox until I reach my storage limit or Comcast threatens to shut down my account.

I am going to read books to my children in foreign accents. This drives them crazy and they beg me to stop. I am going to try to annoy them as much as possible with this. On some occasions, I will teach them grammar in my deep south accent and give them spelling words in my Chinese accent.

I am going to play lots of board games with my kids. I might even watch a few movies.

I am going to make as many different kinds of soup as I can until winter is over. I don't care if no one will eat them but me. I will make soup.

I am going to continue to expand my shoe collection.

I will take naps. Lots and lots of naps.

I might update my blog every day some months. Or I might not.

So, 2011, bring it on. We just met, but I'm starting to love you already!