five goals for 2009

Ok, Blogger fixed their photo upload problems, so I figured I'd celebrate by sharing the pics I was going to in my last post, while, keeping with my tradition the past several years, I list (and explain) my top five goals for 2009, a few days later than I traditionally would have posted them. (I've been distracted.) These goals are in no particular order. (But this particular kid-on-a-sled is J.)

Goal #1: Get Healthy. (No gagging on the stereotypical resolution allowed!!) Oh yeah, I know, we all SAY we'd like to eat healthier, exercise more, lose weight, yadda yadda yadda. I was no different, I said that every year too. But now that I no longer HAVE health, I really NEED to do something about it, rather than claim to want to do something about it. Psoriasis, body cramps, joint problems (nothing new there really, but still), and a return of migraines (oh joy) spattered across this past year, and it's time to DO something to stop the madness. It's time to get my body back on the health bandwagon -- lose some weight, see a Homeopath for some constitutional help, and get my diet back on something resembling made-for-human-consumption.


(Zoo Boy, trying to stay warm in the woods. Hey, it was at least 18 degrees F this day, which felt balmy compared to the previous several days....)

Goal #2: Set my priorities. I started to word this "simplify", but after having used that particular term for several other years, and feeling fairly unaccomplished at it, I thought I should step back a bit further and just figure out what it is that actually WANT out of life. For me personally, for the kids educationally/developmentally, for our family as as a whole. Should we make more of an effort to grow more of our own food? Go on a real family vacation? Which museums/organizations do we really want/need to be members of? How many classes is too many for the kids? I'm trying to strike a balance between taking life slow enough to deeply appreciate and enjoy it, and running around making sure that we're not missing out on every experience this amazing life has to offer. The vast array of what's available to do is enough to drive a homeschooling mom insane! Especially a homeschooling mom who, somewhere in her depths, truly believes that less is more, even though she seems to have a lot of trouble actually living that reality. I figure setting my priorities is a pretty good step in the right directions of sticking to those things that lead towards accomplishing our individual and family goals, and weeding out those things that detract from that.


(Today's ice storm -- nice, huh? Answer: NOT)

Goal #3: Climb out of our financial abyss. Five years of Autism Remediation and related therapies, almost entirely paid for out-of-pocket, has wreaked understandable havoc on our financial plans and future. We're already taking steps to remedy that, and I feel fairly confident that we'll be able to put a nice fat check-mark in front of this goal when I look back on this year in December.


(The kids play a game of "Zooreka".)


Goal #4: Add foreign language to our homeschool program. I'm going to begin including Spanish in our curriculum this year. I'm not 100% sure exactly HOW I'm going to do that. I DO know how I DON'T want to do it. So that's a start. I DO know that I'm going to start by incorporating some Spanish songs and games into our circle. Er, um, strike that. I'm going to start by LEARNING a few Spanish songs and games myself. Er, um, strike that too. I'm going to start by actually buying a CD of Spanish songs -- something that comes with a songbook so that I have half a shot at learning the words with something close to proper pronunciation. From there, who knows. Learning Spanish myself would almost certainly be a step in the right direction....

(I told you it looked like a major toy chain got sick in here....)

Goal #5: Learn more about Adult ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Because, as some of you may have already figured out (since most of my friends and family did long before I ever considered the possibility myself), I have recently come to realize that I, in all likelihood, have ADD. In fact, I seem to pretty much be the poster child for Adult ADD. Easily (ha!) distracted? Check! Extremely disorganized? Check! Problems prioritizing? Check! Intense focus on areas of interest? Check! Inability to complete menial or uninteresting tasks? Check! Like many of my big epiphanies over the past few years since turning the liberating age of 40, this realization has had a certain freeing effect. As in, oh, so you mean my brain is wired differently than other folks? What a relief! I thought I was just certifiably nuts. And now that I know that I'm not going to suddenly, magically be able to organize my life and household, I can commence with reading up on coping strategies for Adults with ADD. I'm actually pretty stoked at the possibilities!

So, there it is. Tune in about 12 months from now to find out how it all went....