Happy New Year! I've never been one to have serious New Year Resolutions, or to stick with resolutions in general, but in the past 3+ months I have learned how easy it is to get lost in motherhood and do nothing for myself. So, here are my resolutions to be healthy and happy in 2009, so that I can be a whole woman and a sound role-model for Evie:
Mind
I'm kicking caution to the curb and officially signing up for the TBR 2009 Challenge. This means I am committing to reading 12 books in 12 months. Not so hard for an English major and former English teacher, right? We'll see what Evie has to say about it. Here is my list (everything on the list is a book I already own (or have borrowed) and have been meaning to read; I won't necessarily read them in the order listed):
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
finished on 2/28
- A Confederacy of Dunces
by John Kennedy Toole (I've started this before, but never finished)
- One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (I've started this before, but never finished)
- In the Time of the Butterflies
by Julia Alvarez (just got this as a Christmas gift) currently reading
- Middlemarch
by George Eliot
- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
by Jonathan Safran Foer (I have a signed copy!)
- The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
by Art Spiegelman finished on 8/29
- A Thousand Acres
by Jane Smiley finished on 8/22
- The House of the Spirits
by Isabel Allende
- The Voyage Out
by Virginia Woolf
- Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter
by Simone de Beauvoir
- Animal Dreams
by Barbara Kingsolver
Alternates, in case I need a breather from heavy literature:
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard
by J. K. Rowling (a Christmas gift from J) read in one day on 3/1/09
- The Secret Lives of the Sushi Club
by Christy Yorke (loaned from my mom)
- Simple Genius by David Baldacci
(loaned by J's mom) finished 10/09
- Made in America
(I love Bill Bryson! Get his books on CD for car trips...they rock.)
Body
This year I commit to:
- following The No S Diet: no sweets, seconds or snacks, except on Saturday, Sundays and Special Occasions
- staying in my "Burn, Baby, Burn" aerobics class until Evie's 1st birthday and signing up for a baby-free aerobics class for September through December 2009 (putting Evie in the gym's child care)
- walking on the treadmill while watching TV, at least once a week
- taking Evie on walks every day, as weather permits
Spirit
This year I commit to:
- using Evie's first morning nap time for Bible study and prayer
- staying in a small group at church (these groups are part socializing, part Bible study)
Posts
How did you like being an English teacher? I've always wondered about what it would be like. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteWishing you luck on some very worthy resolutions!
ReplyDeleteYour book list sounds heavenly! I still haven't read a single book since Snippet's birth,except the Vaccine Book. I can't seem to relax into one if the house isn't clean, and since the house is never clean....well, you see my problem.
Karen, your comment on my blog was delightful! I haven't taught since we moved away from Missouri, but I talk to teachers in the Curves circuit sometimes, and it's nice to visit the teacher-language occasionally.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to read your story, and Happy New Year!
+The Blonde Duck, the pros of being an English teacher are 1. getting paid to talk about what I love and 2. my colleagues were awesome and 3. my students were wonderful. The cons were 1. annoying parents and 2. grading papers and 3. grading papers and 4. grading papers. Teaching English is all-consuming and people who do it for 20+ years are heroes/magicians/miracle workers/saints, pick your hyperbole. :)
ReplyDelete+Deanna, yeah, my house isn't clean either...I've been meaning to work on that :)
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ReplyDeleteI read A Confederacy of Dunces several years ago. It's easily one of my all time favorites. Have fun with your list.
ReplyDeleteWonderful resolutions. I'm sure you will accomplish all of them. I would love to read and write more in 2009. And perhaps even start pick up writing children's books for fun again. I miss those days. I think I'll do a blog entry about resolutions this week too. Thanks for sharing yours!
ReplyDeleteGreat Resolutions. Mine are always random, it's cool that yours have a theme. That TBR 2009 Challenge sounds good. I've been thinking of doing something similar but while I love reading, I never have time for it. Especially now with blogging! Good Luck & Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteLong time lurker! As an English teacher -- you, not me -- I think you'll love The Shadow of the Wind. I have a special connection to the book as I know many of the locations it mentions in Barcelona (in fact, my bf's father went to the same school as the protagonist!).
ReplyDeleteI love the "no S diet" idea -- thanks for mentioning it!
Here's to a happy, healthy and hope-filled new year,
-- Jeni
"The Confederacy of Dunces" is fantastic! I hope you do get through this one. It was a bit hard to get going in it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. It is a wonderful picture of New Orleans, and such a sad, but great, story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
ReplyDeleteWow! After reading your list, I'm feeling bad for not having made resolutions this year. I'm never really good with them. Best of luck with all of yours. You've made some great goals for the year! I would also like to get back to reading and I could stand to get healthier with my diet and exercise. I should actually write them down, just as you did...maybe that would work out better for me.
ReplyDeleteI noticed one of your favorite books was "Blue Highways. The author, William Least Heat Moon has a new book just out in the last couple of months called "Roads to Quoz". I haven't had the chance to read it yet, but if it is half as good as Blue Highways, I know I will enjoy it. Happy New Year
ReplyDeleteGreat New Year's resolutions! I am resolving to keep my house more clean and organized, we'll see how that goes...(You think it's bad now, just wait until Evie is mobil:)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Anne