So this conversation just happened.

My husband - "We need a new morning ritual.  I'm not enjoying ours."
Me - "Remember in our first apartment when I would turn on Bloomberg  News and bring you coffee in bed?  You liked that ritual."
My husband - "Misty, you did it twice."

Ritual, schmitual.  To my credit I do think I did it more than twice but I know the ritual didn't last long enough to be properly labelled as a ritual.  

This is our ritual now:  

I get up first and make a fresh fruit salad and a big pot of stone ground oatmeal.   The coffee gets started and fresh orange juice squeezed.  Then while the oatmeal is cooking I have a time of prayer and meditation.  My husband walks into the kitchen with our sweet, sleepy-faced son just as everything is set nicely on the table and  they greet me with a smile and a kiss.

Yeah, right!  

1.  My husband gets up early enough to take calls from his clients in NY.  Early.  
2.  I get up when Max wakes up and we stumble to the kitchen to make coffee.  
3.  Max helps by smelling the coffee beans and turning the coffee pot on  after I put in the grounds and water.  
4.  I heat up two cups in preparation for the coffee and Max eats his first breakfast, oatmeal.  
5.  We take Josh a cup of coffee and I sit with Max to drink mine while we read books.  
6.  Then I make 3 fried eggs, 3 pieces of toast and refill the coffee cups.  
7.  Josh and I eat our first breakfast and Max eats his second.  Woohoo! Isn't that inspiring.

Today however, before my husband insulted me with the ritual conversation, I was contemplating how much better my day would go if I purposed to get up and get dressed before Max wakes up.  I would actually be ready to walk out the door at any time of the day!  I might even make it to some of those mommy groups and play dates that always start way too early in the morning for me.  Well, that is a stretch but maybe.  

Do you have morning rituals?  Do any of you stay-at-home-moms or work-at-home-moms end up staying in your p.j.s way longer than you care to admit?

This morning Calgary looks foggy but it is actually a layer of steam rising up from the houses and buildings.  I opened the door to take a picture of it and captured my breath instead.  Cold and mornings are both things that I have major issues with.  I don't like either one!  Sometimes I hate them.  Today is one of those days.  Frigid cold here in Calgary.  Negative 30 degrees Celsius (negative 22 degrees Fahrenheit).  Oh yeah, and Max had no mercy this morning even though, or maybe because, I was extra grumpy and could barely see out of my eyes when he woke us up.  

Is anyone else wondering what SOPA is all about?  I tend to be one of those who remain uninformed on most issues until the day something is actually happening.  So this morning I did a quick search and found this helpful infographic that breaks it down simply and effectively.  I am still not informed enough to comment intelligently but I will be paying more attention to the issue now.

When 2012 crept up on me and slapped me in the face, I along with countless other people reflected on the past year and wondered how 2011 could already be over.  I have never been a successful resolution keeper, so last year I didn't make any resolutions.  As a matter of fact, the beginning of last year was not a great time of my life to say the least.  If I had to describe what 2011 was in a single word it would probably be 'overwhelmed'.   I spent this past year treading water.  There were times when I managed to grab a life vest and float, soaking in the warmth of the moment only to have a ferocious wave knock me back under the sea of life.  

Some of the things that helped me float last year:

January 16 - started this blog which has for the most part been very therapeutic for me. 

Two visits to New York.  Once to see my brother, Matt, graduate from The Academy of Dramatic Arts.  You can read the blog here and see more pics here.  The second visit was a three-week stint in July/August in which I determined to get my groove back.

June - Auditioned for a role in Storybook Theatre's production of Anne of Green Gables.  Was cast as Mrs. Minnie Pye!  Thanks Jacqueline for taking a chance on me!  Rehearsing and performing breathed creative life into me and I met some great friends in the process!  If you enjoy singing and don't mind performing in front of an audience I would highly recommend community theatre.   I still haven't done a wrap-up post on my experience because I have been super busy since the play ended. 

More than all of this  was love of great friends and family and most of all was the reminder I was given at the beginning of the year when a friend told me about Tim Chester's 4 G's of the Gospel. 

• God is great – so we don’t have to be in control
• God is glorious – so we don’t have to fear others
• God is good – so we don’t have to look elsewhere
• God is gracious – so we don’t have to prove ourselves
  

This year a lot of bloggers are using one word to focus themselves on how they want the year to turn out.  I like how Robin at Farewell Stranger describes how one word (or an idea) can impact how you view things.  I think my word for this year is Navigate.  I have been thinking about how each day and situation calls for a focused reorientation of purpose and directon in order for there to be consistent progress.  If I can set a course and then navigate through this sea instead of treading water then 2012 will be a better year.


Have you made a determination for this new year?