My list

Tomorrow is May 1, and I will begin my own Month of Good.

What is a Month of Good, you ask? Well, I wish I could say I came up with this, but I didn't. My neighbor did, and I liked the concept so much, I decided to adopt it. ("Adopt" sounds so much better than "steal".)

Anyway, a Month of Good is a month during which I am to take what I believe are the most important things on my To Do list and, well, do them. Here's the thing, though (and the reason I really liked this concept): if I don't get to all of it - or even any of it - because I consciously choose to forego the activity for something more desirable, that's okay. In fact, that's precisely what it's about. Because, my To Do list is essentially what people have told me are Good Things To Do, and I tend to beat myself up because I don't do it all. My goal for this month is to see, of the things on this existing To Do list, what things I can allow myself to release - guilt-free.

Basically, the key to this exercise is to be more aware of those things I choose to do, and to be more cognizant of those times I let life control me, versus me controlling my life.

So, without further ado, here is my list of 25 Things (I've Been Told Are Good Things) To Do:

1. Keep track of my Weight Watchers points. I'm not going to meetings, but I need to weigh myself regularly and keep track of what I eat and do.
2. Walk 3x a week. This sounds terrible until you remember that walking around Target for 45 minutes counts as a form of light exercise. Hey - if it earns me a Weight Watchers point, it counts!
3. Drink 3 tall glasses of water each day. This means water, not juice or milk. Those are other things to drink in addition to the water.
4. Do one load of laundry each day. If I do this during the week, I only have one load to do over the weekend, instead of five. I did this pretty religiously before I got pregnant, so it can't be too difficult to do again.
5. Floss daily. I'm terrible about this. I really need to do it. Let's move on.
6. Balance my checkbook daily. I look at my balance every couple of days, but I really need to look at it more. Besides, it keeps me from spending money. Seriously.
7. Blog about my Month of Good status daily. This will be tough, but I think if I make a point of reporting in, I feel more accountable for my actions.
8. Clear my stuff off the dining room table and kitchen counters nightly. This has been a major point of contention for my husband, so I really need to make this a habit.
9. Clean bathrooms weekly. If I can just clean one on Monday, one on Wednesday, and one on Thursday, I will be happy. A good cleaning really doesn't take that long, when you think about it...
10. Toys picked up nightly. I'm very sporadic about this. Hopefully we will make it to IKEA and get some cool bins to make this process a little easier (and more fun for The Boy to help clean up?).
11. Pack my lunch 4 times a week (or shop at lunch on Monday for the rest of the week). I think grocery shopping on Monday for the week is easier than packing my lunch, but we'll see how it goes.
12. Pack The Boy's school bag nightly. If I can save a little bit of time in the morning while he's awake and needs constant attention by doing something while he's asleep and oblivious to his surroundings, it sounds like a no-brainer.
13. Change bedding weekly. I change The Boy's sheets each week, but I need to make that every few days because he drools onto the sheets. As for my own, I need to change the bedding more often than every three weeks (yuck, I know), and the Good Lord knows I have enough sheets to rotate - even without doing laundry every day!
14. Clear desk at work nightly. Our Sr. Director just asked everyone to do some Spring Cleaning, and I'd like to maintain my workspace. One of the things I loved about my desk when I first started here almost 2 years ago was that it was so nice and minimalist. Now, 2 years later, there's still a lot less clutter and such on my desk than there was at my old job, but I tend to leave papers scattered when I leave at night. I must be better about this.
15. Sweep/Swiffer kitchen floor nightly. I need to do this nightly. I've been doing it every other night (sometimes every third), but I really do need to step it up.
16. Vacuum family room weekly. I just need to do this. Let's move on.
17. Make grocery lists and use coupons. What good is the act of clipping coupons if I don't use them? Today, I did a little grocery shopping during lunch and saved $3.55 in coupons! (I spent $34 and some change.) Coupons are a good thing. I must use them more - and for more than just diapers.
18. Put out recycling nightly. Here's the thing: the recycling bin is just outside my laundry room door. It's not hard to take it out each night. But I don't always do it, and then Thursday comes and there are still recyclables all over the kitchen counters. Of course, if I stick with #8, this will be a cake walk!
19. Upload pictures weekly. Some friends and family have been asking for more photos of The Boy. They would all agree that I need to be better about this.
20. Read one book. I read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in one sitting. I just want to read a book this month. This really isn't too much to ask!
21. Post at least one thing on Ebay each week. I sold my first 2 items last week, and it wasn't painful. I also have lots other things I could sell. (This would also help me reduce clutter, per my top 2008 resolution!)
22. Take a box to Goodwill. It's actually been sitting on the floor of my laundry room for the past month. I can also probably fill up a second box. At any rate, I must get it out of the house.
23. Take a box of books to the library. I need to be realistic and purge my personal library of all those books I'm honestly not going to reopen, let alone re-read. And it's also tax-deductible.
24. Take vitamins daily. I bought some at lunch today so that I have no excuse but to take them. I mean, if I make The Boy take his vitamins each night (and he does so willingly), how hard could it possibly be for me to take them?
25. Have a family outing once a week. Last Saturday, we went to the Orange County Fair, and The Boy enjoyed himself thoroughly. (A sheep bleated at him, and it didn't even faze him. Crowing roosters, though, were another thing altogether.) While I wouldn't want to repeat something as elaborate as a day at the fair any time soon, just a little outing (even if it's the three of us going to Target) would be nice.

So, these are my things that I'd like to do during my Month of Good. Some are things I'd really like to do (reading a book, for example) and some are things I really need to do for my own health and well-being (vitamins and flossing, to be specific). We'll see how I do.

Starting tomorrow, I've got 31 days to figure out how to Be Good - to myself most of all.