Lots of my gift-giving this Christmas season involves handmade items – the wrapping, the tags, or the gifts themselves. But my darn (i.e. loving, supportive) family and friends often read my blog, so I don’t dare write about what I’m working on, let alone show pics.

So, let’s fast forward to talking about new year’s resolutions. (Why does it surprise you I’d be thinking that far ahead? Have you met me?)

Today I saw a tweet for a book called Sabbath in the Suburbs: A Family’s Experiment with Holy Time, by MaryAnn McKibben Dana. I haven’t read the book yet, but based on the description alone, I’ve decided to let it be the basis for my family’s new year’s resolution.

Last year we tried claiming Sunday as “media free day” – which, in our household meant no computer/DS/Wii for our boys and no playing online for my husband and me. We still used the TV (for things the entire family agreed to watch), but the absence of computers alone made it feel much more Sabbath-like.

Of course, the best laid plans . . .

Needless to say, we’ve veered far off course, and I’m looking for something to inspire me to try again. It was this blurb from the book description that convinced me this author’s approach was realistic: “For a whole day each week, they set aside their doing in order to simply be. Work took a backseat to games, walks, Legos, naps, homebrewing, and leisurely contentment. The practice never got easier – the house was a mess, the kids still fought – but Sabbath became the one essential “to-do” each week.”

So there’s my plan for the new year.

Next up:  how I’ll spend my President’s Day (insert huge grin!)