Plans, not resolutions

Nolan asked me the other day if I made New Year's Resolutions. I replied that I do sometimes. I asked him if he planned any resolutions and he said no. I then asked if he thought he was ok just the way he was, he said yes, in fact, he was!

I love it!

I don't really think about 2009 in terms of resolutions but more in plans. Since I blog to keep track of myself, here are some of my plans for 2009:Birds: We are blessed with a number of beautiful birds in our backyard. I really would like to learn more about them and also how to attract other species native to the Northeast. I am very motivated by Dawn's blog. I think one of the plans I have is to email her and ask for advice. Bird feeders and birdbaths as well as flowers and shrubs to attract and feed the birds are part of the plan. (**this picture is NOT our backyard but the back yard of Mike's Aunt and Uncle in Colorado. The birds there are AMAZING!)

Vegetable Garden: We haven't been in this house a full year yet and I need to remember that. So with that in mind, these plans may be ongoing over many years. Our yard needs some work and I have plans for this coming year. I'd like to grow a lot more food this year including tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, potatoes, onions, lettuce and I'm not sure what else. My friend Amy has a great garden at her house and I may just have to bother her husband for advice. Our yard isn't set up for a plotted vegetable garden but I'm thinking of growing things around the house as it works.
Flower Garden: This really goes with the last plan but I thought I'd separate it since it really is a bit different. We have a ton of ivy in our yard and I'd like to rip it all out. I spent a few days working on a spot last spring and although it was really time intensive, the results were fantastic. None of the ivy returned. I couldn't believe it. I want to move a few plants to different spots as I don't think they are getting the right amount of sun or are getting too much sun: the roses, the bleeding hearts, and the one that starts with a P that I just can't think of right now! I also want to move or eliminate some shrubs that are in bizarre places. There is also some bamboo that must be eliminated.

Photography: I have been taking some really terrible pictures lately. My camera has many functions and I used to love photography prior to digital. I need to learn to use my camera to its full usage. The nice thing about digital is that I can see the results of my attempts right away and I'm not wasting anything (except my time, perhaps!).
Health: This is always an ongoing struggle for me. I've already begun working on improving the health of our family by cooking healthier and going to the gym. My boys aren't interested in sports so we are active in other ways: biking, hiking and swimming. I'd like to get to the gym three times a week at a minimum. I'm signing the boys up for swimming lessons to improve their skill. Nolan is a very good swimmer but could use some help with a few of his strokes. Nathan can swim but needs more practice. They both could use the exercise.

School: I start classes on Wednesday toward my Special Ed/Elem. Ed Certification. I have quite a few classes to take so this will be a very long process. I found out that I have to take some elementary college courses because it has been so long since I've been in school: English Composition and Literature and two math classes. I actually wouldn't mind if it didn't add like a year or two to the process. I think the Composition class may help my writing so this isn't such a terrible thing. I'm going to see if these are online classes I can take.Sewing: This may surprise some of you but my sewing goals for 2009 include sewing LESS! I read a simplicity book once that recommended no more than three goals at a time. Otherwise none of them will be accomplished. I love to sew but the reality is that I often sew for pleasure only. This isn't a bad thing but if I really want to work on the other goals I think I need to cut back to sewing when needed. This may be difficult to do and by no means will I stop doing it but I think I'd like to finish up my few projects and give that room a good cleaning. I may need to utilize the table for writing papers!

Well, that's about it. Those are the plans that have been on my mind for quite a while and I wanted to get them written down before I head back to work. I picked up a few books from the library yesterday on birds and gardening. I hope to get the kids involved in both pursuits so I picked up a few kids books in the mix. Have a great Saturday and a fantastic start to the new year.