2010 "To-Do List" Update

It's two and a half months into the new year, so I thought I'd give an update on how my "2010 To-Do List" is going.


1. Dramatically decrease Internet time.  I was off to a good start with for awhile, until a few weeks ago when I went back to my habit of using my laptop in the kitchen to browse Facebook or other sites when I should be doing more productive things.  I'm going to have to work on this one.


2. Read more good books.  Since Bible study started back up in mid-January, I've haven't had as much time to read as I did over the holidays. I usually work on my Bible study during my 'free period' of nap time (the downtime where I don't have any chores to do). I think I'm going to try getting it done in the morning before the boys wake up, so I have more time to relax and read during their nap time. 


3. Research homeschooling methods.  I'm doing well here too. I'm almost finished with a book about the Charlotte Mason method, which I really like so far. Next, I'm going to start tracking down books about Waldorf and Montessori, and any other methods I might come across.


4. Meal plan.  I haven't been doing much meal planning lately. In fact, the meal plan that is currently stuck on the fridge is from over a month ago. I still do my usual shopping routine of buying meats we like and lots of veggies, but I haven't gotten around to formally sitting down and assigning meals to days. I really want to get back to doing that because it takes the stress out of figuring out what's for dinner on a given day.


5. Make my own bread.  Still haven't found the Holy Grail of bread that we can all enjoy (and I can feed my family with a good conscience). Lately I've only been making bread when I want to eat it for dinner, such as with an Italian meal. Otherwise, I haven't been using the bread maker very much at all lately. It's been a bit frustrating trying to find a recipe that turns out right every single time and that we all like. Will need to revisit the idea of making bread later.


6. Exercise more.  I'm happy to report success here! Though not the way I had planned. Initially I was diligent in dragging the kids to the bike trail every dry morning, but I realized that I needed to do more than a stop/start two mile walk if I wanted a real fitness routine. So a month ago I started doing quick at-home exercises during the boys' nap time (another reason for decreased reading time. And then a week ago I started jogging for 15 minutes on the treadmill in the morning. I have to wake up at 5:30am to do this, but it's worth it because I feel so much better afterwards and for the rest of the day. Eventually I'd like to work up to 30 minutes on the treadmill, so I'm going to add on 5 minutes (and subtract 5 minutes from my sleep *sniff*) a week until I get to 30 minutes.


7. Read to the boys 30 minutes a day.  Unfortunately, I'm not doing well with this. I need to figure out different times of day to read them books, because right before nap and after nap isn't a very good time at all. The boys are too tired to sit still for 15 minutes (each session) of reading, and quite frankly, I just want to get them to bed as quickly as possible so I can go get a nap myself (yet another reason for my own decreased reading time!) I'm thinking that scattering book reading throughout the whole day is a much better idea - perhaps a book at each meal, a few books at nap time, books for potty time, and then one or two books before sleep times.  


8. Read the whole Bible.  I'm continuing with my Bible reading on schedule. I've read Genesis through 2 Samuel and now I'm halfway through the book of Psalms. I've so enjoyed reading about David's life, and a few times caught myself reading well past my stopping point for the day simply because the story was so interesting. This makes me think of John Piper's quick segment about how exciting the Bible is. After reading the detailed account of David's life, I'm finding the Psalms, which I've read many times before, so much more enriching and encouraging. It's amazing that David praised God so enthusiastically and whole-heartedly, not because his life was so trouble-free and effortless, but because he had so many troubles.


9. Memorize scripture.  I'm doing moderately well with memorizing scripture, but not as well as I could (or should) be. I memorized a few longer scriptures on contentment which have helped me a lot. But now I need to memorize other verses which aren't as instantly helpful as the others, but that are important to know and to hold in my heart. I would really love to memorize Psalm 63 and 103.