1/1/09

It's a new year and a new me! Yeah right! Here I am, 27-years-old, with the same resolutions and the same bleak prospects of accomplishing them. This year, however, I have some added goals. Thanks to the birth of my son, "B," I can add ten pounds to the magic number that will make me hot again (Ha!) Also, and more on topic, I plan to become a good homemaker. Yes, my friends, this means I will learn to deep clean, plan menus, and cut the dogs' nails. It's a lofty goal, but I figure that any steps I take towards it will feel like paramount accomplishments.

Here's the bleak truth: I never cleaned a toilet until my first year of marriage four years ago. Even more embarrassing, even these days I probably only clean my toilets once a month. As you can imagine, these are the special and rare occasions when I have guests over to the house. It's not just the toilets that I neglect, however. I can count the times I mopped my kitchen floor in 2008 on one hand. GASP! Well, I do chase the dog-hair-tumbleweeds with my Swiffer and vacuum much more frequently...maybe twice a month. GASP AGAIN! I could list many more shameful oversights, but I'm sure your imagination is running in the right direction.

The worst part? As long as things are picked up and the house doesn't have an odor I find it bearably tidy. Now that I'm staying home with my baby I feel a renewed commitment to keep the house clean, really clean.

It's not just the cleaning issue that makes me a less-than-stellar homemaker. I have a cooking issue, too. Oh, I can cook when I want to. I'm actually a bit of a foodie. I've just fallen into the habit of throwing together ten minute meals and storing leftovers to reheat the next week. In 2009 I will explore some of the recipes in my wonderful collection of cookbooks. I will cook new meals at least three times per week. In fact, since we are Jewish, I am making a serious commitment to prepare formal meals every Friday night. I'll use a clean white tablecloth, shined Nambe candlesticks, china, and crystal. I'll even be able to invite people to the house to share the occasion...especially since the house will be CLEAN, right?

This week my task will be to develop a schedule that is conducive to accomplishing these lofty goals. I'll be reading through Martha Stewart's Homemaking Handbook, and I'll be posting my epiphanies and stumbling blocks. I'm sure there will be many of both. Happy New Year!