Bad Habits

I have a list of bad habits that I wish I could get rid of.  None of them are health-inhibiting or terribly awful -- at least not at first glance.  But still, they are habits that I truly wish I could stop or get rid of for the betterment of everyone around me.  I fear some of them may be habits that the kids are picking up, so I need to work on them.

I have a potty mouth.  It's really strange, but I have begun cussing more in the last few months than I did years ago before I had kids.  (Related?  Maybe!)  When I was teaching 6th grade, I concentrated on watching my mouth.  I began replacing dirty words with others, like "fudge" for the F word and "dad-nabbit" for GD. But recently I've caught myself using the bad words instead.  Why the change?  I'm not sure.  Perhaps I use the words to prove a point.  Maybe they make me feel grown up.  Maybe they make me feel cool or like I'm still part of the in-crowd (much like middle school when I first started using them around my friends).  Anyway, from my previous posts, you can see the the kids are starting to pick up on some of these words and the impact they can have, so I better start watching my potty mouth!

I complain.  A lot.  I am certainly not what one might call a glass-is-half-full person.  Perhaps its the worrier in me, but I tend to see the negative in most situations.  I've always been a 'fraidy-cat, but I've generally kept my thoughts to myself.  I know it drives Tim crazy, and I'm afraid it may also be affecting the kids.  So I'm gonna work on either a) seeing things more optimistically, or b) keeping my thoughts to myself.

I'm lazy.  There's no other word for it.  I sit around and complain, climbing on and off the scale as if the walk to the bathroom knocked off an amazing 10 pounds.  I talk a good game -- I can tell you how to count your points and eat good foods, but I don't do it myself.  I used to have such a good workout ethic -- I'm not sure if I've just gotten too comfortable.  Or maybe I just like wine too much.  I'm not sure.  But I am going to start working out again on Monday.  I AM!

I like TV too much.  Don't get me wrong -- I like reading too.  In fact, I'm quite a bookworm.  But especially during the fall season, poor Tim is confined to his recliner watching a plethora of smut TV.  I feel for him. I do.  But I just can't stop watching all these awesome shows.  Or even if they aren't awesome, I still want to see them.  Our DVR has been taken over by these shows for months on end.  Luckily for me, Tim also likes some of them (Hell's Kitchen, House, The Event), but he still has to suffer through some others (Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy).  Poor guy.  I'm not planning on fixing this one, though.  So hopefully some new "good" shows will be out this fall. ;0)  The new Zooey Deschanel show looks promising ...

I gossip.  You know the saying, "If someone talks about someone else in front of you, they will also talk about you"?  It's true.  Wait, don't think that means I'm talking about you.  But I could.  There are many times when I hear words coming out of my mouth and think, "Who are you to judge her, Judgey McJudgerson?"  I've never walked in anyone else's shoes, so I truly have no idea what anyone else is going through.  And I get so mad when people talk about me and my family -- the money we spend, the places we visit, the problems we have -- so I should really be better about not talking about others.

I'm addicted to the Internet.  Specifically, Facebook.  I think this is probably the one that drives everyone crazy more than anything else.  Getting an iPhone and putting the Facebook app on it was probably my first mistake.  Now I can keep up with all 367 of my friends whenever I want.  Because I was so concerned about their lives before they were my "friend" on Facebook, right?  I've tried to be better about sharing my every move on my status updates over the last few weeks -- I mean, who really cares if I'm doing laundry or taking a pee?  I think Facebook just gives SAHM's a chance to feel connected to the outside world.  As opposed to getting out in the outside world.  Which all goes back to being lazy.  Or a worrier.

Last, I'm content. OK, so this may not be a bad habit, per se.  But it does keep me from trying new things and going out on a limb.  This will be year 3 of job seeking for this momma.  I scour the school district websites daily, hoping for a chance to get in somewhere.  But then a portion of me is content just being at home for one more year.  I could go back to school or explore a new career path; but that requires initiative and money.  Then all the logistics of child care and such come into play.  I know other people do it (work 9-5 and have their kids in school and day care), but becoming a teacher was my guarantee that I wouldn't have to worry about any of that.  And I am truly content (not happy, which is different) with where I am right now.

Of course, that may change when both kids are at school all day long and all I have to do is sit around, be lazy, watch TV, eat bad foods, and complain about how bored I am. ;)