Whatever shall I do??

How pleasant it is at the end of the day,
No follies to have to repent;
But reflect on the past and be able to say,
That my time has been properly spent.

What does "properly spent" imply? I have been mulling over my current at-home situation with a heavy heart these past weeks and find myself a unable to say that I spend my time "properly". Sure, the housework is done, relatively healthy meals hit the table many times a day, the kids are clean and growing and (I think) happy; however, I really have to wonder what else there is.

I know there is work. There is always work, but the girls are still so small and I can't fathom sending them off to a babysitter for hours every week. I also can't imagine working every night and not seeing Mike. Greedy? Perhaps.

I know there are a pile of hobbies that I would like to delve deeper into - quilting, photography, drawing - but there are definitely creativity deficiencies that prevent me from doing art. Note that these are strictly personally perceived and likely a load of hooey.

I have started a 30-day dumbell exercise program (with dumbells, not for dumbells) and am on day 3. I am also resting my elbows on my knees as I type this as I seem to be unable to suspend my quivering arms in the air long enough to maintain proper keyboarding posture. Note to self: blog BEFORE working out! I have managed to become relatively inactive since our move, as my fave sports just aren't happening here. This has contributed to a fine layer of, ahem, winter insulation to put it nicely and I am extremely bothered by this. Now that the gallbladder is out, though, I have a green light to resume exercise and am doing my best to get at it.

That leaves education. Though it gives Mike nightmares (seriously), I love to study, write papers, take exams and engage my brain. Online makes the most sense to me, so I have started to explore my options. I think I will be taking a 6-week writing for children course in January. There is also a freelance magazine article writing course that I am eyeing. I would dearly love to do some ecology stuff, but I think I will start slowly and see how this distance ed thing works out.

Perhaps, then, this will become a place to "test out" my new material, so to speak. Keep your eyes open after the holidays!