New Year's Resolutions

This post is not for the faint hearted nor those who think stuff about oneself is over indulgence. I've decided on a full and comprehensive overhaul for 09 so, in lieu of this quite full resolutions are required and are detailed below.

My first one is due to circumstances but will require a steely strength which I don't know if I possess. Not one single clothes purchase for a year! This does exclude knickers because mine are on their last legs already but I'm going to keep 'em going for as long as possible. This is such a toughie because I do have magpie tendencies, look I even accepted socks because they were new! However, my MA is so important and all my funds, what little I have, have to go towards the completion of it. This includes shoes too - yeah gods I'm going to be weeping I can tell. It does feel like the hardest thing I will ever embark on. I can make alterations and dye items of course but I won't even be able to imitate Skye or Sharon Rose - crikey! Agh I just realised this means no sunnies as well, every year I get new sunnies and this year I had my eye on these beauties.

Lose 13 pounds. Okay this sounds drastic but Mr MDS had a routine medical at work and he was told to lose 4lbs. The doctor did the BMI electric current thing to him and height stuff. I multiplied the advice by 3 for me and added one for luck. Truth be told 7lbs has crept on since I stopped my running which consisted of at least 10 miles a week. The other 6 are due to Barbados and Christmas - on average most people accumulate 5lbs over Christmas, in part due to need but mainly due to greed! There is hope that losing 13 pounds will also make my wardrobe work harder for me. I'm sure the leaner I get the better fitting and more shape options I'll have.

This leads me on to my third resolution Observing Lent I figure the festival and feast approach to life is quite useful when balanced by abstinence and Lent fits into the nature lifespan of famine and feast. It is fundamentally quite strict and includes no dairy, meat and giving up something, so that will be alcohol for me! The giving something up bit is so you can give money to the poor. Anyway I will investigate this further and try to administer some Mount Athos frugalism which will help shift the pounds. This coupled with some increase in exercise should deliver the honed healthy body by Easter time. As you can tell I need to do some proper research on this matter not rely on 40 days and 40 nights stories for kids.

Be nicer to Mr MDS. Now this sounds like I'm an old witch but I was reading Style magazine on Sunday and Sally Brompton wrote an interesting piece in a section called how to be a good wife. Yes I know it does sound one sided and probably is but Sally's bit was quite open and honest. She hit a chord with her 'We are in this together - that's my first rule of marriage. The second is to concentrate on friendship and be grateful for small kindnesses rather than overblown romantic gestures. I was recently given a great piece of marriage guidance: "Always treat your husband as you would your closet friend." When my closet friend is in the house I do not criticise her way of stacking the dishwasher. I never look askance if she has another glass of wine. I do not try to change her. Because I love her, I allow her be the person she magnificently is.' Hmm well classically the dishwasher scenario applies to me. So, whilst I'll never be the perfect person I think striving towards a kinder person to live with as a wife wouldn't go amiss!

Image: Skylark and Son


Tend to the house. No don't worry I'm not going all pinafored up and mad for dusting! We've lived in our house for over a year and apart from painting our bedroom and hanging a few pictures we've done zilch to tend to our home. I'd like to imprint some taste and style, so weekends will be turned over to interior design. I picked up a number of interior magazines in France in the summer so at last I'm going to put them to use.

Make a film. I just thought I'd throw this one in to see if you are still with me! This is my most ambitious one! Yet the most important ....hard work, charm and endeavour is the order of the day to achieve this one and I suspect I'll have to give up my part time styling work to achieve this. I don't want to think about the effort it will require.

No swearing. I'm a terror for the F word. Seriously I had a discussion with my dad about it as we both think it has become common usage in the way damn was. He does it too! I'm adopting crikey after seeing Australia
I think losing the swearing would be a good look and save the petit garcon from a dreadful habit.

Watch this space on the resolutions - I will fess up if I break(!) and how about yours????