10 in 2010

Anyone who has been a mother to two, especially two so close in age knows that it's tough to find time and energy to do things for yourself. Selfish indulgence - yes, but also bit of a necessity. Happy Mommy = Good Mommy. So I decided that this year I would make a list of 10 things I wanted to accomplish before 2011 and of those 10, at least 6 had to be just for me. Here's my list and I'm writing it down so friends and family can help keep me accountable...

1) Take Hoop Dancing lessons. (I saw a hula hoop dancer at a street fair this summer and have wanted to do this ever since then. Steve found the girl who was doing the dancing, and had her hand make me a custom hula hoop - in W&M colors, no less - and also agreed to keep the boys one night a week while I take lessons!)

2) Make better use of my lunch hour (or two). I have plenty of annual leave time and plenty of energy during the day (unlike in the evenings) so it dawned on me that I should just take longer lunch hours and actually do something meaningful during lunch. I've enrolled in pilates classes Tuesdays and Thursdays and hope to add other fun things to the list as the year goes on.

3) Learn to cook a few Thai dishes. I love Thai food and I'm tired of cooking the same food. This will also be a chance to explore some of the ethnic grocery stores in Blacksburg that always look so interesting to me.

4) Plan some weekends without the kids. Steve and I have only spent one night alone together since Grayson was born in October 2006. I've already made headway on this one as I just booked a hotel for two nights at Snowshoe!

5) Read more. Something other than magazines.

6) Complete a 5K Run/Walk for a good cause.

7) Attend church more regularly (and by this I mean more than 4 times a year, but I'm not even pretending to think we will become weekly attendees with our schedule).

8) Take the boys to see Thomas the Train.

9) Go camping with the boys.

10) Plan a girls' trip with my Mom and sister.