St. Athanasius Academy:

So, we've done another cycle around the Sun and it's time to make New Year's resolutions. I usually have these all ironed out before Christmas, but this year -- what with pneumonia, hacking coughs and general malaise around our house -- I just didn't get to it.

A gentle nudge from my friends on the 4Real Forum made me sit down and think about my resolutions this year. Putting them in print makes them seem more real -- more doable. That's the hope at least.

So, here are my 2006 Resolutions:

1. try to write in this blog at least once per day; this will keep me practicing my writing and expose any readers out there to my quirky critiques of books and homeschooling philosophies
2. try to meditate/pray every morning before the day starts; my home page is MyCatholic.com -- this lovely site lets me choose the content I want including:
   

   Saint of the Day
   Reflections from the Saints
   Scripture Verse of the Day
   Life in Christ (excerpt from the Catechism)
   Mass Readings for the Day

3. try to minimize the yelling and fussing at the kids; this is a tough one for me. I come from a long line of yellers and it's hard to break the habit. But peace in the home requires it, so I'll do the best I can.
4. try to be a better wife and helpmate to my dear husband. Having been a widow for 5 years before I met and married my current husband left me with a bad habit of thinking I'm in charge all the time -- not a pretty sight. It's important to share the load -- the good and the bad.
5. work on an air-tight proposal for a CM-style knitting book -- one that's based on patterns that refer to great family read-alouds and living books.
6. continue to work on my writing, attempting to publish as often as is practicable.

Now, as far as trying to improve my homeschool (thanks to another gentle nudge from my friends at 4Real) I came up with the following school-related resolutions:

1. remember that during school time (8-noon) and (3-5p.m.) my kids are my first priority; housework and any other work must come secondary
2. avoid twaddly textbooks and use only living books
3. incorporate picture study, composer study and nature study into every week (this resolution is my WATERLOO!)
4. shift from workbook-style math to living math -- Anno's books, card games, tangrams, etc
5. incorporate real living -- prepping dinner, chores, cuddle time -- into our daily curriculum (I tend to do it all myself as it's faster and easier....)

Have you made your 2006 Resolutions yet?