I don't hate TV. I own two of them. TV is just a tool. You can use it for good, or not-so-good. I have some colleagues who don't own TVs. Most of them are low-key about it, but a couple of them are annoyingly proud of their non-TV status. Like they are so much better than the rest of us who enjoy every single hour of Shark Week on the Discovery Channel each July...
But I digress.
Summer is almost here and unlike last year, we have no big trip planned. Kiddo doesn't want to go to camp, I don't want to shell out too much for gas, and we are both a bit tired after a grueling school year for her, and the pressure of raising state test scores for me. I have been thinking that we can't just laze about the house with the TV on all summer (like the Summer Of SpongeBob back in '06), we have to have some goals.
Usually, I hate coming up with goals because then what if I don't meet the goals? Fail. I hate not meeting goals. Even worse than not meeting goals is telling a lot of people about a goal and THEN not meeting it! Epic Fail.
So, I am going out on a limb here and writing down my goals and sharing them with y'all. (It's ok- I used to live in Texas, I can say y'all.)
Physical goals:
- More exercise. Love the vague-ness? Basically, anything would be more than what we do now, so I know I will meet that goal. We joined a local athletic club yesterday. It has two pools- one indoor and one outdoor, and it has a place where the kids can hang out while the parents work out. So, kiddo can join me in her favorite world of the underwater while I swim laps, and then she can shoot hoops or play racquetball with friends while I use the weight room or walk the indoor track. I really like the fact that there is a pool. I used to lifeguard and teach swim lessons, so it is a familiar and comfortable environment. Not so sure about the weight room, but I bet someone will show me how to do stuff. And, we will most likely ride the tandem to the club because it is only a couple of miles away. Double points for not needing the car!
- Less TV. No more getting up in the morning and having breakfast in front of the TV. No TV until after the club. And, the time we do spend in front of the TV will most likely be DVDs instead of commercial TV. The ads are ridiculous these days.
Learning goals:
- Instead of travel to far away museums and historic sites, we will take in local museums and cool things in and around our town. We will try to get to the coast, the gorge, Mount Hood, the End of the Oregon Trail Museum, and the Space Needle (it's 50 years old this year- like me!)
- I will be studying and learning more about the IB program at my school so I don't have to work so hard during the next school year. I will also be planning the calendar and making a framework for my lesson plans.
- Kiddo is going to do some memorizing. She still isn't finished with the states and capitals, and there are some poems I think she should know.
- Both of us will be reading more. We both have Nooks, and we are working on getting them set up with our public library so we can borrow electronically. Last night we read the first few chapters of Little Pilgrim's Progress out loud to each other. We took turns- a few paragraphs for me, a few for her. It was fun and I hope to find a few more books that would work to read together.
Crafty goals:
- I have two quilts that need finishing. I want to get the machine-pieced top finished and then start on the hand-pieced top. I want to have it ready to work on while watching NFL in the fall.
- One digital and one traditional scrapbook are waiting for me to get them finished.
- Kiddo will continue to work on her sketches and paintings. Maybe she'll sign up for another art class or two.
Spiritual goals:
- In preparation for the transition to middle school, I'm going to have kiddo memorize the Shorter Catechism.
- I'm going to write out the whole book of Proverbs by hand, and work on some memorization as well- just not sure of the specifics yet.
Napping goals:
- Yeah. Maybe not daily, but every now and then... in the hammock...
Huh. For someone who hates to write down goals, I sure just wrote a lot. You might wonder when we will have time for it all... I'm wondering, too! I think mornings will be learning and crafty and memorizing while afternoons will be physical. Once a week we will be tourists in our own town.
I'll probably let you know how it goes...
