The {Guest} Post About Super Serious Resolutions

Today's guest rabbit chaser is Ellie Ann Soderstrom.

One Friday, many moons ago, @ClayMorganPA on Twitter recommended folks follow @EllieSoderstrom. I didn't know Ellie Ann, but her 140 character bio included a love for reading and writing. Since I also love to read and write...on dry-erase boards, I embraced the suggestion and followed her.

I don't think it's a leap to say we've become BEST FRIENDS FOREVER. I mean, come on. We're now even friends on Facebook, which is the second base of online friendship. 

Ellie Ann is smart, funny, and most importantly - engaging - which is the key to all things good and holy on the Internet. Minus cats falling off things - no engagement needed.

Ellie Ann shares her snazzy New Year's Resolutions. These made me feel better about already failing at 2 of mine. Stupid bed-making.

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My Super Serious Resolutions

1! 

Use exclamation marks more. 

It’ll add extra excitement to what would be! mundane! sentences!

2!

Get in more food fights.

When I was a young girl (about two years ago) I spent all afternoon making pudding, spaghetti, whipped cream pies, jigglers, mashed potatoes, and a host of other food-fight worthy foods. I called everyone out to the porch to eat the pudding I had made for them, and as we started eating I insulted my husband in mock anger and threw a SPOONFUL OF PUDDING AT HIM. Oh my gosh, everyone’s eyes widened and the look on their faces was priceless. My husband threw a spoonful back at me, and then I got to yell at the top of my lungs the two most awesome words in the world: “FOOD FIGHT!”

What fun. This shouldn’t be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it should be more like a once-a-season experience, and we can experiment with different seasonal foods to fight with. I’ve never thrown a pumpkin pie at anyone *pouty face*, something that I will remedy come this Thanksgiving. This will be the year of food fights.

3! 

Read More Comics

Being home schooled, I never got to read comics, and instead was given A Tale of Two Cities, Grapes of Wrath, Middlemarch, The Deerslayer, Robinson Crusoe, The Book of Virtues, Elsie Dinsmore, and The Scarlet Letter. 

Just kidding, I never got to read The Scarlet Letter. I think it was about global warming or taking prayer out of schools or other such liberal agenda...does the scarlet letter A stand for abortion? I don’t know. 

But this year, after 26 years of Classical Reading, I think I’m entitled to read some comics. So I’m going to pursue a comic book education: Batman, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Hellboy, Superman, The Flash, X-Men, The Walking Dead ... oh, and does anyone know if there’s a graphic novel of The Scarlet Letter?

4!

Declare War On My Closets

(my closet by the end of the year)

Let’s be real. I have the organizational skills of a toddler orangutan doped out on Monster drinks and sugar cookies. And my closets look like said orangutan is living in them. It’s time to kick that monkey in the butt, and get serious about tupperware storage bins.  

5! 

Give Random Items To Neighbors

This goes along beautifully with number 4! 

I’m good friends with some of my neighbors, but I want to get to know some of my other neighbors better. What better way to make friends is there than to come bearing gifts? Instead of waiting for them to ask if they can borrow a cup of sugar, why not bring a cup of sugar to them first? Or hangers! Everyone needs more hangers. I could give them a bundle of hangers and then the next time we pass each other in the parking lot we can have a nice friendly conversation about the usefulness of hangers. And possibly whether we prefer plastic, metal, or wooden hangers.

I’ve also discovered we own about a dozen deck of cards. Time to give some away to the neighbors! Then the next time I pass them in the parking lot I could ask them their favorite card game, and possibly invite them over to play. And maybe ask them to bring snacks made from the cup of sugar I gave them. By the end of the year of random gifts, I suppose I’ll have tons of new friends.

6!

Eat More Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Eggrolls, and Homemade Doughnuts

Some days I’m in a bad mood for no apparent reason. I do not like that quality about myself. However, I find it impossible to be in a bad mood when I’m eating Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Eggrolls, or homemade doughnuts. So obviously I need to be eating those foodstuffs more often.

7!

Play more Games With Toddlers

Much like number 6! it’s hard for me to stay grumpy and unthankful when I’m gallomping about the room playing Alligator Attack with my kids. Hide and Go Seek, Simon Says, Mother May I, Red Light Green Light, Treasure Hunt, and last but not least: Ring Around the Rosies are good for the soul. Plus, I’ll get my excercise in. Quality giggle time with the kids should never be underestimated or forgotten, which I am wont to do sometimes. But not this year! I declare this the year of Duck Duck Goose!

What about you? What New Year's Resolutions do you have?

Ellie Ann Soderstrom is a reader, runner, watcher, cooker of eggrolls, wife to the best man there is, and mama to three adorable children. She likes to write. A lot. Currently she's collaborating on a YA steampunk with Albert Berg, and if you like aliens, robots, and a boy desperately in love with a girl then you might like it. Read her blog. Follow her on Twitter.