2011 - too much to do

I don’t have any New Year’s Resolutions to make. (I already go to the gym and eat well. I could arrange to socialise more. And yes, I know, I need to clean the house better.)I don't have resolutions like these from women in The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/31/my-new-years-resolution

However, I do have some decisions to make about how I’ll spend my year. Here are the options. Suggestions and opinions welcome.

Attend the A-MIRCI conference at UQ in April and deliver a paper about mothering in songs. Which means, basically, talk about and play some recordings of songs (I’ve already done the research).

I've been a member of the Greens for the last few years - how involved do I want to be in the state election?

Do a WEA course on great thinkers of the 19th Century.

Do an art class - I really like them!

Join the local community choir.

Make a cookbook for the school about using fruit and vegetables (this was my idea and I said I would do it as a fundraiser we could sell at the fete).

Work on the school fete.

Keep attending P&C meetings.

Do Reading Recovery at school, which means I have three kids I read with each week. I did this in 2010 and really enjoyed it. The local high school also needs reading tutors for girls who have recently arrived in Australia.

Volunteer for uniform shop at school, which I’ve been doing the last few years. It’s fun.

Help out in my kids’ classrooms. Three kids, three sessions each week. The kids like me doing this, but my enjoyment depends on the teachers and the kids.

Do the Teaching Ethics course and teach at another school each week. (I wouldn’t teach at our school - want to avoid the politics - and I’m not convinced I want to be involved in another school.)

I’m already committed to being President of the local Community Centre Management Committee and we are reviewing lots of documentation this year. And we'll be hiring staff.

I’m still a member of the babysitting club I started several years ago, and it is time to do some housekeeping and revise the rules.

Create some paid work for myself, which means either selling some writing, or devising and delivering the course on Mothering in Context that I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I could do it through a community college.

And, the major already happening thing, starting my Grad Dip Ed. This is supposed to take 24 hours a week, however, doing essays, we know, may mean it takes longer. (I'm sure I spent longer than 24 hours a week doing two subjects of an MA in English last semester.) It also means doing pracs at schools, which increase from two weeks to four to six, and would disrupt any weekly commitments. The thing I need to decide is whether to teach English, or to teach English and Drama. If I do drama as well, I need to do two residential schools with teachers who used to be my friends. That would be fun. If I just do English, I take extra English subjects in my course, and they look interesting too. What do you think? Am I a high school English teacher? Or high school English and drama teacher?

Of course, I can’t do everything in one year, so will have to eliminate lots of volunteering and nearly everything that’s just for fun. Looks like that leaves the Dip Ed, Community Centre, A-MIRCI conference, babysitting club, working for money and making the cookbook. The things I’ve already committed to, or are necessary for the family’s future.

The kids will be busy too - dance classes after school and Saturdays, and lots of extra-curricula activities through school - four bands, two instruments, dance groups, choir, busy busy, and the youngest wants to do drama classes. I'm thinking there will be serious visits to the orthodontists' as well.

Any comments? Suggestions? Anything I haven't considered?

Thanks