Tools for 2012

1.    MacBook Air

Behold…

This beauty arrived on Christmas morning.  (Thank you, Mike, I mean, Santa!)  I don’t have to share the computer – and the sticky keyboard and mouse – with the boys anymore, and if I ever run away I can easily blog from the road. I want to write A LOT this year, and I’m grateful I have this amazing tool to help me.  Which leads me to…

2.    Gratitude Journal

I’m still working on gratitude with the kids, and I’m pleased to report I’m making some headway.  Last weekend, Dylan and Riley filled a bag of toys to give away.  Of course, they did it to make room for new “Star Wars” toys (that was part of the deal), but they still did it and it was a step in the right direction.

I’m working on gratitude, too.

Yesterday my entry was: I’m grateful for family dinner.  You might want to sit down for this one.  I cooked dinner – baked salmon fillets and sautéed kale with garlic – after Mike got home from work and before we put the boys to bed.  The best part – besides how delicious it was – was that Riley “helped” me cook and both boys sat down with us while we ate.  Not surprisingly, Dylan wouldn’t taste anything, but he asked a lot of questions about the food.  Curiosity is a good thing!  Riley tasted the salmon…and liked it!

Tonight, I’m making cilantro lime shrimp burgers (courtesy of Whole Foods…yum), french fries and broiled asparagus.  I’ll let you know if the kids eat any of it.  Tomorrow, the boys will probably eat their usual macaroni and cheese and fruit on the couch because Mama is going out.  Which leads me to…

3.    Weekly Date

This is the New Year’s Resolution Mike made for me to have a night off each week to do something for myself.  Last week, I went to the mall one evening.  I know, it wasn’t very inspiring, especially for a Shopaholic Mama, but I had to return something (and, um, buy something), and it kept me out of the house until the bedtime antics were over.  Tomorrow, I’m headed to a book club dinner for “Room: A Novel” by Emma Donoghue.  (Yes, I read the whole book.)  Which leads me to…

4.    Read and Run

These are the tools that keep me away from the mall, relieve my anxiety and fuel my creativity.   Currently, I’m reading “The Art Of Racing In The Rain” by Garth Stein.  It’s wonderful and is making me fall in love with my dog all over again.

Next on my book list is “Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me? (And Other Concerns)” by Mindy Kaling.  I hear amazing things about it.  After that, it’s Tina Fey’s “Bossypants.”  I’m a reading machine!

And a running machine!  Well, sort of.   Lately, I’ve been going on twenty-minute runs.  It’s nothing impressive, but it’s enough to keep me healthy, sane, and inspired, which leads me back to the first tool on my list.

What are your tools to stay on track this year?