New year, new lens. This photo is shot from about 30 miles away. It's a big lens.
The calender for January looks as white as snow. We have next to nothing scheduled! Hooray! Actually, I would be happy about that if I didn't know that it was because I didn't write down all of the many things we have to do this month. Prior to Christmas, anything after the holidays may as well have been a year away, so I pushed January activities out of my mind in favor of scanning Amazon for the last minute gifts I'd forgotten. Now I have to pay for my forgetfulness...and the ease of Amazon Prime.
I'm not one for making resolutions, but I love the fresh start that each new year brings. Maybe I should focus on the Chinese New Year because I was not prepared for the start of 2011.
This year I want to get my shit together. I need to cut back on commitments so I have time to do the things I want to do. And if I'm judging by the books I received for Christmas, I want to make a quilt. I received four crafting books, two regular nonfiction books, and one cookbook (Cake Pops - after waiting on the library hold list for two months, I decided to purchase it. Well, to be fair, my father-in-law purchased it for me, really for Clover, who is obsessed, but since I'm the one who will be balling - best misuse of a word thus far in 2011! - it's for me.)
Last year I dropped my two books a month personal requirement because I got a little nutty over it. It became a race and not something enjoyable, but when I took the deadline out of it, I took away my motivation. This year: one book a month. That will keep me reading and will make me feel less illiterate when friends ask what I've been reading and Entertainment Weekly is all I can muster.
I asked Clover if she had any goals for herself during 2011 and after a pause for thought, she said, "To make progress in becoming a ninja. I need to start jujitsu."
Rocket has no plans, but then he told me that he wants to learn to ice skate, but instead of hockey, he's going to play football. I told him that daddy said no football because he was worried about his brain. Quickly Rocket said, "But it's okay! I'm going to move my brain out of the way!" Maybe we shouldn't worry about brain injuries so much.
During one of their many, many squabbles this vacation, Rocket lowered his voice and told Clover, "You're not my grown up!" He meant you're not the boss of me, but I liked his version better. It takes the pressure off. It makes me feel more like a mentor than The Person in Charge.
Rocket's been thrown by the many holiday car commercials, specifically the Lexus commercials because he thought the kids bought the cars for the surprised parents. While I liked where this misunderstanding had gotten him, I explained that it was the other parent who paid for the new car and that only a few children in the world have enough money to pay for a brand new Lexus. His response: "Well, I have enough to afford the dollar store!" Great. Some moms get a Lexus, I can look forward to gum made in Mexico.
