Let me Explain...

No, there is not enough time. Let me sum up. (50 points to you if you recognize the movie reference.)

So, here we are, all moved in, and have been for 2 months now. House is small, still feels a bit like a play house, but it's homey, especiallt since we have our traditional decor of books *everywhere*. Seriously, whole walls of 8 ft bookcases in the living room, dining room and master beedroom. Surprisingly enough, we found room for all our books. But if we want to buy more, we're going to have to find additional niches for bookshelves.

My baby turned one in November. That's kind of cool. I don't really have a baby now, but for the first time since I started having the little critters, I have no longing for another. I'm fairly certain that this will change at some point - some subtle shift in body chemistry will demand some helpless little being to coo over, but for now, I'm all set. (tempting fate, urg.)

Christmas came and went in a frenzy of hurried spirits. Extra choir rehearsals, shopping trips, online sprees, wrapping, cleaning, decorating, baking, entertaining. It came off well, though my favorite day of the season remains New Year's Eve, which we have spent at the same friends' house now nine years in a row. Next year I'll dress more formally.

Now for the List: my new year's resolutions.

1. Stop eating between meals and after dinner. Hungry for a snack? Fill that daily milk requirement.

2. Collect, label, sort and file all those loose pieces of sheet music all over the house and in the garage. Then at least I'll know what I've got.

3. Convince the husband to let me hire a cleaning lady twice a month. There's only so much I can do. If I have to give up some other major expenditure, then so be it. Which one to give up, though? Maybe I can afford it if I take in a couple more piano students.

4. Play more classical music for my kids. They listen to too much icky stuff. I think it's warping their minds.

5. Alcohol goes with meals only. That should cut down on the wine bills.

6. Concentrate harder on schoolwork for the girls. Girl #3 has got to learn to read, Girls #1 and #2 need to learn to love math. How does one induce a child to love math? I thought that I wouldn't have the "but I HATE math" battle if I kept them out of school and the whole Certain Subjects Are To Be Deplored mindset, but maybe it came up in one of the books they read. I know that's where Girl #1 got the idea that girls and boys are supposed to tease each other instead of being friends. Sigh. My educational philosophies are conflicting with actual practice. Life is hard.

7. Implement that long planned laundry strategy. Everything has been set up and ready for it in the garage almost since we moved in, but laundry still manages to exist in every place in the house except for dressers and closets. Havew I ever mentioned that laundry is the biggest source of stress on my marriage? I tell ya, it's the little things that get to you.

8. Blog more often. Obviously.