2010

other year, another set of resolutions. I kind of enjoy New Year's Resolutions, as it allows me to reflect on what I have accomplished and what I'd like to accomplish. It's not really about keeping them or breaking them, but about reflecting and hopefully implementing some minor course corrections on my life.

To do so, I turned to a well-respected and loved philosophical source: Cooking Light Magazine. Now, bear with me here.

You see, I actually had some resolutions in mind before I reached Resolution Nirvana, as defined by Cooking Light. (Ok, they don't actually define (or even use) the word Nirvana, but we all know that's what they meant) Little matter that the Cooking Light Magazine in question is from January 2007, and is actually chez moi because of my mother's new year's resolution to pass off her junk to other people. The point is, if you are going to take advice from anyone about finding direction in your life, it should be from a Cooking Light editor. I think we can all agree on that, at least. Those chicks can whip up Pasta Putanesca in 30 minutes or less, which is a pretty good sign they have their lives in order. And Pasta Putanesca is, by the way, Italian for Whore Noodles. No joke. So as I was saying, my first resolution is to stop rambling. Oh no wait, my first resolution is actually to ramble more. I need to write these down...

Anyway, so Cooking Light advises its readers to make goals in three areas: Eat Smarter, Get Fit, and Live Better.

Dude. Is that not the best 3 resolutions ever? I told you the CL editors have got it together. As it so happens, I am as (and where I wrote "as" you should actually imagine a greaterthanorequalto symbol) smart as a Cooking Light editor, because I already had a goal in mind in each of these areas! Talk about validation.

Eat better- I want to try a new recipe each week, and I now have about 417 to try, all dutifully torn out of the huge stack of CLs my mom "donated" to my library. AND I threw away the part of the magazine with all the yucky recipes (seared brussels sprouts, steamed mussels, and such), so I also count this as a clutter reduction! Score!

Get Fit- I will start running. This time I swear. In my own blood. Or at least in ball point ink. Or nebulous hard drive space. I ought to be able to do four times a week. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. There is no reason that I can't do this. Being woken up 1-2x a night by a 15 pound cuddle monkey is no longer such a daunting task, veteran mother that I am. Or so I keep telling myself.

Live Better- In this category, I put the butlding of my doula business. This is an activity that is intellectually and emotionally stimulating, and has a clear goal in mind- trying out a career, midwifery, before investing the time and energy in further training. Learning an important and timeless skill, which I truly believe is meaningful for me, the women I work with, and their babies. Helping moms have peaceful, healthy births and successful breast feeding experiences... I think it may just be my niche in life. It challenges me mentally, physically, and emotionally, and such a vocation is hard to come by.

As a bonus resolution, I've decided to write more on my blog. I'll try not to get all mushy on you guys, but I make no guarantees. Keep in mind I've got a three year old birthday and a one year old birthday coming up, so things may get a little emotional for a bit over here.
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I realize however, that the reason you all come here is to see pictures of my adorable children. So I'll keep that coming too. Here are my two book worms. I didn't even pose this picture, though I assume Eliot gave Ivy the board book to keep her from chewing on the corners of the Curious George he was looking at.And now, I can assume I've left my readers with two important questions:

Does Monica ever wash Ivy's hair? Yes, I do.
How often? Not quite often enough.