Let's Try This Again!

Poor neglected blog. It's been sitting here all lonely for years, but this year (I mean it this time), this blog will get some attention. That's on my 2013 Resolution List, which I've been meaning to blog about. I'm doing things differently this year because I always fail at keeping resolutions for more than like 12 whole seconds. I'm doing this a month at a time. In some college course or random online forum or comment in passing, I learned that it takes 3 weeks to form a habit. If I make new goals and work on them each month, then I get 4 weeks to make and keep new habits. Here's the list for January:

1. Apply to college. (already done!) Get everything else in order to make the college thing actually happen.
2. Exercise 3 times a week. I need to drag the exercise bike in from the garage later today, since I'm not going to go out running in the cold and well, where the public can see me.
3. Blog at least twice a week; I'm only counting this blog for now and I'll get to the other two in the coming months. It's not been fair to all of you that you haven't been able to read my most random thoughts for such a long time.
4. Read with the kids more. That includes reading some sort of scriptures/church books 3 times a week. I think we'll start Harry Potter again even though the older kids have already read it.
5. Print out that cleaning schedule thing and make a real effort to stick to it. What cleaning schedule? This one: {Dot}{Dot}{Dot}: Free Cleaning Schedule Printables!
6. Get 10 freezer meals made and into the freezer. I'm going to be busy with this school thing and work and the kids, so I need to do something to make my life easier.
7. Knit daily. Yeah, I made that a goal. So far I'm doing pretty well with it, too. If you talk to me often or have been to my house, you've seen/heard about the yarn stash or my knitting addiction. Combine that with my craft ADD and I have a ton of projects that are in progress or close to being started. I joined a 52 in 52 group on Ravelry and I will knock out the 52 projects this year. January is the only month where current WIPs count towards the yearly goal, so I really need to resist starting anything new. The two scarves I already started don't count. January projects to finish: mom's shawlette, a pair of socks, and another project TBD.

So, we've got 7 categories for now: Education, Fitness, Writing, Family stuff, Household, Kitchen, and Mental Health. I'll work on new goals for each month for each category, unless I totally fail at something (it's been known to happen) and then I'll keep the same goal until I feel confident enough that I don't need it on the list anymore. Wish me luck! Feel free to make suggestions on how I can stick to these and the upcoming goals this year. :)

How is it almost the end of summer?

Everything is getting away from me lately. "The Bachelorette" is over, and not one minute too soon. "SYTYCD" is almost at the end. I'm insanely behind on "Big Brother," which is so disappointing, but I'll be catching up this afternoon. "True Beauty" was awesome this season- mostly because of David, who was going to ride the I love me train all day. "Dating in the Dark" starts up tomorrow, which I'm totally excited for. That horribly trashy-looking "Bachelor Pad" starts up again tomorrow night, too. Ick. I'll probably watch it anyway because nothing else will be on and I'll need something to keep me awake so I can work. Then again, maybe I'll be strong and not watch and not get sucked into the drama and not be rooting for certain people to get kicked off the first week. I'll probably read 2 minutes of Reality Steve and get sucked in anyway, so it's probably better if I just go ahead and admit that I'll be watching.

10 reasons to watch "Ugly Betty"

Yes, I know I'm a little late to the party on this one since the series is over. Bear with me.

10. She lives in a normal house, not some swanky place with 2 pieces of perfectly clean white furniture and fingerprint-free glass walls.

9. Daniel is adorable. Yes, he's not what I'd be looking for in a boyfriend/husband, but he's so freaking cute.

8. Justin is quite possibly the best character ever on a tv show.

7. She eats real food. Often.

6. She cries over normal stuff just like a normal person.

5. Vanessa Williams is quite insane. Combined with Mark St. James, that's some good TV.

4. Amanda, dear Amanda. I really don't have much that's nice to say about you, but I still love watching you.

3. Betty's love life. It's just beyond awesome: I'm not sure that she's ever gone on a date that went 100% smoothly.

2. Gio and his sandwich cart. I totally wish my house had a sandwich cart.

1. I would so be that fat girl at Mode, wearing the totally wrong clothes and saying the totally wrong things, and I would be loving every minute of it.

If you haven't given Betty a try, please do. If you love her, but haven't watched in a while, get a DVD and watch again. You won't regret it.

SYTYCUTNFOSYTYCD?

That would be "so you think you can understand the new format of So You Think You Can Dance?" Because I can't. I love seeing the previous contestants, but this was not the way to work them into the show. It's so confusing and I feel like I can't properly vote (not that I have ever actually voted on SYTYCD, but I have considered it) because I spend too much time focusing on the previous contestant and then comparing the "top 11" (which annoys me to no end even though 11 IS my favorite number) dancer to the semi-professional and seeing all the times where they're behind or whatever. All I wanted was a top 20. Can't a girl get a top 20 around here anymore?

Since I didn't actually see all the dances last night since we still live in the stone age with no cable and no *gasp* DVR and SYTYCD happens to come on while I'm trying to get 800 children to go to sleep, I'll just have to try to remember all my favorite dancers' names. I love Alex. Kent is hilarious and from Wapakoneta, and I happen to love small towns with crazy names that you always have to spell. *SIDE NOTE* I went to Rappahannock County Elementary School for a year and had to spell that every single time I said it. I also love people with interesting last names and make it a point to learn how to spell them- like Amber Nandhakumar and the Toporovsky triplets, all from Henley Middle School, whom I have not seen in about 18 years and probably wouldn't have any clue who I am anyway, but dang it I can still spell their names. /SIDE NOTE Who else do I love? I dunno. I can't remember names this early in the morning, which is why I should blog at 7:00 AM. Oh well. The whole "top 11" is pretty great and I can only imagine how much greater it would have been if they had actually been a proper top 20.

Wackadoodle

What do you do when you horribly neglect your regular blog and can't post more than 8 times a year? You start up two more blogs to better organize your thoughts, of course! That's the definition of wackadoodle, or maybe, just maybe Kasey from The Bachelorette is the definition of wackadoodle personified. Dude got a freaking tattoo to commemorate his insanity, er, um, his dedication to Ali. Too bad he can't even show it to her. Now that Jonathan is gone, he'll have to take over the role of wimpy dude, which is good for him, I guess. Maybe it will give him slightly less time to devote to his co-presidency (with Frank) of the Creepy Stalker Dude club. If I were Ali, I would have walked away from the show. Or maybe kept Hunter around for longer because he was a nice guy and he reminded me of someone that I used to know.