January thoughts

So, another week is done and we have a new president, so the days and years of constantly checking the news to see what terrible thing has happened in the last 15 minutes have come to an end, for now. Obviously it's not going to be easy for Biden to accomplish even a fraction of what he wants to accomplish, and the Trumpsters are still being arrested and saying stupid things -- there's still news, in other words. But it feels different.

January is coming to an end, too, rather more quickly than I had expected. One more full week and then we move into February, the month of hearts and love and chocolate (except that I should go easy on the chocolate). January has been an easy month, weather-wise, as it sometimes is in Colorado. It's been chilly and gray and cloudy (sometimes) and dull, but we haven't had any big storms (there is a chance for snow later this week) and the temperatures have been bearable. Mostly 40s during the day, 20s at night. No big deal. The twins have worn long pants only two or three times, always because I insisted. Once was for sledding, on a day when we had a few inches of snow.

The twins have gone to in-person school two days a week for two weeks running, and I am very excited to think that it may continue for a while. Thursdays and Fridays are my favorite days of the week. I even drive them to school instead of making them take the bus (they take the bus home), just to be absolutely sure they get there. 

I don't get an enormous number of things done on the days the twins are at school, but nobody tells me to be quiet and not interrupt their online class. It's so wonderful. And by the time they get home I'm missing them. I wait by the front door with the cats, watching for Two Babies (aka my two big seventh graders) to walk down the street. Wearing shorts. I greet them with real pleasure, and I think they appreciate that, even though I am just their dumb mother.

I know I said I wouldn't spend all of 2021 just writing posts about my resolutions and goals, but it's what's on my mind these days, so this will be another one like that. Remember, reading this blog is entirely voluntary: I will still be your loving friend/sister/cousin/anonymous person who you don't know even if you don't read it. 

A few posts ago I said I was going to review my monthly goals toward the end of the month, so I guess that's today. Here are what I said would be my goals each month -- and how I'm doing on them.

• Make contact with at least one friend or family member. I did have that Zoom call with old friends early in the month. But I could still write a letter to a friend. Maybe this week.
  
• Read the book for the book group. Since we don't meet until February 8th, I'll start the book around February 1st. I did check it out from the library, so I'm all set.
  
• Read the book for the Classics Challenge. I've been collecting books for this, but haven't read any yet. I usually start the Challenge late, so I'm not going to worry about it for this month.
  
• Take the twins somewhere fun. This has been a bust so far. We've done a few walks, went to one park other than our neighborhood park. What's stopping me from planning anything else is that both my old and my new pairs of glasses are broken. I'm getting by until I can see an eye doctor by wearing glued-together specs only when I drive or go to a store, etc. Big trips might endanger the temporary mend, so they are out for now.
  
• Donate $$ to some organization. This week I'll try to choose an organization and make this happen.
  
• Do one of the smaller goals on my master list. I actually got a lot done on this. The twins had their eye exams yesterday and we ordered new glasses. I made an appointment to see a primary care doctor. Our insurance says I can't see a real ophthalmologist unless a primary care physician refers me, so that's what finally got me to make the call I've been dreading.
  

That list makes me feel good. In general I've been kind of disappointed with my progress the last two weeks, because I never seem to be able to do all the things on my daily to-do lists (or even close to all of them). It all comes back to housework, which I hate to do, am very bad at, and can come up with endless reasons to put off until some other time. While putting off housework (and scary phone calls), I also put off everything else. 

I would like to be a person who does not put things off, who jumps happily into each new task as soon as the previous task is done.

Are there such people?

I also just seem to be so low energy. I know it has to do with being fat and out of shape, but it's aggravating. For instance, right now as I type I'm thinking about what I haven't gotten done today. I wanted to make a batch of cookies to have around this week. I purposely did not buy anything like that at the grocery store today. But the thought of measuring and mixing and beating things makes me want to lie down. It's also dinner time, whoops, so I must go make that. But I feel like I don't have the energy to make a stir-fry. All those veggies to cut up, plus the tofu. What could I make that's easier? (Maybe scrambled eggs and toast?) That's me all over -- how could I make things easier? 

Things I DID do today: cleaned the bathroom, planned the week's meals (it's Kid B's week to cook and he chose his meal too), grocery shopped, put away the groceries and the clean dishes, did a load of laundry (towels and dishtowels), fed the cats, fed the kids, wrote this blog post. Couldn't I stop there?

Anyway, tomorrow is another day and another week. A plumber is coming tomorrow afternoon to fix the shower -- which is 100% broken. That's why I had to clean the bathroom today. Tomorrow is also Horrible Day, when we do school assignments at home without the teachers. It would be nice to have made cookies before Horrible Day begins. Well, we'll see. It's 6:30 -- I still have a few hours before bedtime.