New New New

So far, this year is off to a bang up start. Baby Girl has so much energy I may have to start napping when she does again. She is definitely in explorer mode these days. We have two baby gates up and have to keep a couple doors closed in the kitchen. And, watch the dogs' water bowl. And make sure the dishwasher is closed. And no more dish towels hanging off the fridge or the cabinet. Baby Girl throws them right on the floor (where EVERYTHING belongs, apparently). And, I have officially entered the phase of life where I cannot go to the bathroom alone. I've become very anxious when we go out lest I need to use the restroom. Generally speaking, I'm not a germophobe, but I cringe at the thought of setting her down in a public restroom now that she doesn't come in a protective carrier and is still a bit young to understand the whole "don't touch things" concept. I'm gonna have to start carrying around Wet Ones....

She has noticed the microwave (which isn't surprising since it's at eye level for her). And, she knows how to open it. Thus far, she hasn't figured out that she can hit the buttons and make it start. I'm trying to discourage touching it at all. She LOVES the refrigerator and actually will drop whatever she is doing anytime it's opened while she's in the vicinity and hustle over to look up into it's chilly magnificence. She knows that's where food comes from, but I can't figure out if that's the draw, or if she just sees lots of colorful things that she can't reach (but would like to).

I don't have any firm and fast resolutions this year, but I do have a running list of things to improve, do or change.

1. Get our estate in order. We've been planning to make wills since before she was born, but 2012 is the year.
2. Plan meals better and cook more. I was inclined to quantify this a bit, but didn't really know where to start. That probably doesn't bode well. Really, I'd just like to get back where I was a couple months ago and cook a couple things on the weekend that I can heat quickly through the week instead of having to resist the temptation to stop somewhere to get a quick meal. And, eat more salads.
3. Socialize Ellie better. Since it's just the two of us most of the day, I'm gonna try to set up some play dates.
4. Get outside more. Even in the winter. But, especially to the garden this summer. I'd like to see if a little more "benign" and a little less "neglect" will yield more vegetables. 

If you look just a little bit, you can find some fascinating things in the blogosphere. I was looking up meal planning for ideas and tips and tricks and ran across one that kind of depressed me. This woman has 2 or 3 blogs, 6 kids, home schools, does exhaustive meal planning and coupon clipping, and finds the time to fill her freezer(s) with home cooked meals every month, AND then creates google docs to share several versions each month so you can just follow her lead and not have to do any of the planning yourself. She is either not as together as she sounds on her blog, certifiable, or a friggin superwoman. Whichever it is, I felt woefully inadequate after reading her blog.

In other news, I'm beginning to plan my garden. My intention is to stick with "easy" things like tomatoes and tomatillos, maybe some lettuce, and definitely herbs, although I'm going to try growing them in window boxes this year so they're right outside the kitchen. I'm also thinking about trying carrots, which I realize is not really "easy", but the way I figure, they'll either grow or not. I'm also considering trying to do lettuce again, but I have to make a schedule for staggering it so I don't do what I do every other time I've tried it, and end up planting too much at the beginning, not doing any successive plantings, and letting most of it bolt. The seed catalogs are just so tempting. They make everything seem possible. The one thing I intend to do for sure is set up some soaker hoses so I water more regularly. Oh, and I'm planning to turn my least food-friendly plot over to flowers and try getting some good bouquets this summer. It'll probably look like the feral fields in our subdivision, but nothing has done well in that spot since it still has more clay than organic matter. So, I'll amend again and see how the flowers go. If Ellie is a good garden buddy, we should be able to get out there and keep things tidy by going out after breakfast daily. Of course, this is January, and it'll be July before anything starts to take off in the garden. So, a lot could change before then. Wish us luck.