Calm as the Moon

Sit.

Doug to dog: "Sit."

dog not sitting

Doug to dog: "Henry. Sit."

dog still not sitting

Doug to dog: "You're not listening tonight are you?"

Eddie (sitting two feet from Doug and dog at the table reading a book) to Doug: "uh...um...sorry."

Happy Freakin' New Year!

As the new year begins I tend not to make resolutions but more goals. What is the difference you ask? I guess I kind of see a resolution as an intention to fix a problem which might make one think that I have an issue that needs attending (which is likely true but that is not what I am trying to focus on right now). I prefer to approach the new year with at least an attempt at a positive attitude. The first step was to not have expectations for New Year's Eve (same goes for Thanksgiving and Christmas). I find that my depression  (mostly seasonal) really sets in pretty heavy from mid-November to a few weeks from now. It makes me feel very vulnerable and paranoid about everything which doesn't make for a very fun holiday season. (Side note: I'm sure most people have these feelings at times so I don't feel too unusual--I just don't always remember that I really am quite normal (painfully so) and that I'm just as screwed up as most people around me. So in the grand scheme of things I really am fine. "I'm fine.") Fortunately we have made it through another December and I seem to have made it through!

So to enlighten the Internet to the McKenna-Knudsen 2008 goals...Here is one major goal in our house.

It's time to make it our own. We have lived in this house for 2 years and have only painted one room and hung two sets of blinds. Yikes! I am thinking we are needing more color or at least better lighting. We need to invest more time and energy into making this space more of our own. This is going to be encouraged by the ever increasing need to get Eddie and Claire into their own rooms. Right now both of their beds are in the room across the hall from ours. Eddie needs his own space and Claire needs to not bug Eddie so much...so we have to rearrange our house.
The currently agreed upon steps to the reinvention of the McKenna-Knudsen household!
1. Clear out the throw the junk in that corner "storage area" in the basement. Soon to be home to the downstairs stereo/trainer/workout area.
2. Move the insanely messy "toy room" to the former stereo/trainer/workout carpeted area in the basement.
3. Move the "TV room" to the former insanely messy "toy room." Soon to be "Eddie's Room. Enter at your own risk!"
4. Furnish "Claire's Room" and "Eddie's Room. Enter at your own risk!" I'm convinced that Claire is waking up every night at 3:00 am because she keeps rolling into the side of her daybed (formerly her crib). Time to plan a trip to IKEA Canton! 
5. Invest in some proper furnishings for Doug's and my room! New dressers! This may lead to a greater desire on my part to actually put my clothes away. Ha! Right! I'm not fooling anyone! But at least my clothes will look great on the floor next to a beautiful set of cherry dressers that match our wonderful bedframe and bentwood sidetables!

There are more goals and all will get their due coverage over the next couple of weeks.

I hope very much that you are having a very Happy New Year! Here's to only 383 days left to go until the end of the insanity! May our country show some semblance of wisdom over the coming months in choosing our new leader and may he/she (I love that the "she" part is even a possibility!!!) find the sense to move us to a better way of being Americans.