I am not letting The Little Man talk me into getting a pet.
He has been pushing hard on this one lately. My favorite was when he yelled at me, "And you and daddy never let me have a cat or dog!" Mom has cats (and cows and chickens), and The Little Lady has a dog, and Handy Man has a cat. There are plenty of pets we can visit without me having to endure middle-of-the-night whining, picking up feces in the yard, or footing the bill for feeding another mouth. Have you heard the motto: "If you like dirt, get a pet!" It's my theme song.
I am not re-reading any books I've read before.
I am guilty of this. I find something I like, and I stick with it. I've read the entire Lord of the Rings series about 10 times. And I've read the Harry Potter books five times. They are so good! They make me feel comfortable. But in the past week I've read two new books, Never Go Back by Lee Child and The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton. A-MA-ZING! OK, so the Lee Child one was predictable and just like the other seventeen Jack Reacher books, but I still loved every page. I'm going to find some new books to love this year!
I am not going to wish my life away.
This is one of my husband's sayings, passed down from his father. I am striking the phrases "I can't wait..." and "When [insert something] is over..." from my vocabulary. I am going to live in the moment. I'm planning and making moves for the future, but I am going to enjoy the journey too.
I am not going to feel bad about wearing size 12 pants.
It's OK that I'm not a supermodel. Or even an everage model. But next year this isn't going to read "I'm not going to feel bad I wear size 14 pants." I'd like to be an 8, but I'm not going to feel bad about 12.
I am not going to think I am incapable of fixing something in my house.
There are so many little things that need attention in my house, and there is no reason I can't address them. Sure, I'm not a licensed electrician or plumber, and I'm not going to attempt to do anything dangerous. But there is no reason I can't paint the columns by my front door or drywall The Little Man's bedroom. (Handy Man is having a coronary right now.)
I am not going to engage in petty, passive-aggressive, snarkiness.
Does that need an explanation?
I am not spending money in restaurants that make bad food.
I wrote about this a while ago, and you can read it here. But I am done going to restaurants that make bad food, provide mediocre service and overcharge me for it. I will spend my time, energy and money in learning how to cook exotic dishes here at home, and spend more private, quality time with my family.
I will not let The Little Man go to sleep without reading him a story.
There aren't many of these kinds of nights now, but I think this is an important tradition to keep going. He is particular about who reads his stories some nights and will reject one parent or the other, but I will read one of the stories every night. Even if I have to read it to myself in my own room. Bonus - I could actually read the story I want to read, instead of the one he chooses!
I am not going to tell "Dad Jokes."
You know what I mean. They give every new dad in hospitals around the world a book of bad/corny jokes to tell their kids, and somehow I find myself telling these jokes. I have no idea how this happened.
I am not going to dwell on things I have no control over.
Because there are so many other things that need my attention.