2013

Ever since I can remember, I cherish every second of that first shower on New Years day.  It went hand in hand with the whole "new year", "fresh start", "clean slate" motif.  It was the first shower of the year, the first cleansing if you will.  I'd then get dressed in something I loved and was comfortable in, and try to have a good hair day.  This year it is past noon and I'm still in PJ's, but I do plan to enjoy that ever cleansing New Year shower at some point today.

I won't call them resolutions, but I will call them intentions I have going forward into a new year.  I tie them in to being a "SKITTLE".  If you don't know what I am referring to, you will soon enough because I plan to blog about that too!  It has to do with being in your 30's.  Well, it's a little more than that, changing that you embrace on your journey through 30-hood.  So stay tuned.

My New Year  intentions for 2013.

1.  I will continue to take more time for myself, whether it is my new found knitting hobby, a long bath in the evening, reading more, bliggity bliggity blogging, spending some time with my number one ladies, running an occasional errand without towing my children, and so on.  It's these simple moments when I am just Jenny.  Not the mom Jenny, or the wife Jenny, or the volunteer Jenny, just Jenny.  I missed her terribly over the past few years. Things were foggy and I couldn't see her very clearly. We are getting back in touch and I must say, she is pretty bad-ass ;-)

2.  I will not tolerate ugly behavior, or any behavior that is negative, selfish, or puts me in any sort of position that I am not comfortable with, does not have my or my family's best interest at hand, or hurts others.  People grow and mature at different rates, that is part of being human, but that doesn't mean I need to tolerate your ridiculousness. I'm stopping to smell the flowers, remember, not your bull.  So you do your silly things over yonder, and I'll do my real people stuff over my way.  I'll be meditating, learning more and more about myself.

3.  I will make more date nights happen.  It could be a night, a day, whatever.  I can probably count on 2 fingers how many times this occurred in the last year.  Court dates and funerals don't count, that seems to be the only time we get dressed up, get a sitter, and go out.  It's a shame.  It's important.  I'll let you in on a little secret.  What's almost as bad-ass as being just Jenny, is being Louie's girl.  That's all you get to know about that.

4.  I will make more time for my mother, cousins, and aunts.  They are the family I have left.  It's hard to get a free weekend with busy kids, birthday parties, sports, and laundry escapades, plus the gas money that is hard to come by sometimes, and life gets busy, but it is VERY important.  I need to remember that if I don't have the money, I do have an invite to throw out.  Come see us!  It's fun, its memories, and its precious time with my people.  The people that look like you in ways, talk like you, makes looks like you, roll their eyes as much as you, I like it.

5.  Of course there has to be something about health in here.  I need to workout more.  This has been somewhat new to me the last year, and when I do it I feel amazing. Nothing can imitate those endorphins flying around after working out.  I've started jogging this last year and need to do it more regularly.  When school gets back in the first week of January, no reason the dog, the Drew, and I can't take the jogger for a spin at least every other morning after drop off.  On the health note, I am going to be trying to prepare as much whole foods as possible.  I'm not saying we won't grab some fast food once in a while, but we already don't do that very often.  I am going to step it up a notch, buying more organic, getting rid of some foods that really aren't all that beneficial, and making more foods from scratch.  Goodbye preservatives and foods that pretend to healthy.  Hello backyard garden!  This also falls under #5, going to take a stab at growing some fruits and veggies! 

That's it, 5 things to work on.  Nothing outrageous, just simple stuff that brings joy.

It's a work in progress, no crazy stuff day one, just some good homemade cooking to start off the first day of the year, a jog with Dolly, and a soul-cleansing shower.

What are YOUR intentions this year???