(Full disclosure:  I had pizza just last night for dinner. And for breakfast this morning. leSigh.)

I was going to start this post with the line “Food is my enemy…”, but I just can’t do it. I love food, I just don’t have a healthy relationship with it. It’s like that guy my mom told me to stay away from. She didn’t mean all guys, just that guy. I have a hard time making the better choice because yum, that’s why!This very bad decision making of mine would not be so terrible if it weren’t for the fact that it’s teaching my kids that it’s OK to order a pizza when you’re tired, or feeling lazy, or because it’s Tuesday. I’ve also gained a ton of weight in recent years, not because I overeat but because I choose the wrong foods . I also tend to eat one or two big meals instead of 3 or 4 smaller meals per day.

So here’s my goal:

• Plan healthy, cook-at-home meals for this week (will post the plan later)
• Eat smaller meals starting with breakfast and pick a healthier snack during the day (granola bar, yogurt, fruit)
• Drink lots of water and teas  instead of my usual diet sodas. (I’d love to know what some of your favorite teas are!)

My tools:

• Allrecipes.com Dinner Spinner app
• Mighty Leaf Mint Tea
• Shopping trip to my local organic market, Whisk, for inspiration and ideas!

I will be on the lookout for a good meal planner to help with the process.

Wish me luck!

- Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

Piece of cake, right? Until I find out how much of my life has been structured around television.  I really had to think about what else to do. So my kids and I did origami projects together, I worked on keeping my kitchen clean (always hard for me), and I read more. All good things! Of course I watched some TV, but I squirreled away my time ration so I could use it for quiet snuggles with the kids (just about the only time they’ll really snuggle with me still), some TED Talks and some insomnia, and for Dr. Who. Obviously.

By the end of the week I could see that my impulse to go sit and watch TV  hadn’t really lessened, but what had changed was the fact that I stopped to think “What else can I be doing with my time?”

I don’t really believe in the power of blogging as an accountability tool (who’s there to be accountable to when you have no readership?), but I do need to find a way to vent my frustrations and work out my goals for fixing the things that I’m frustrated about.

Basically, I can’t afford a therapist so Mostly Mundane will have to pinch hit.

My plan is to take one problem area per week and boot camp it. Change the habit so that it no longer has a grip.  Kinda like when you are  really into show on TV but then you miss a few episodes, you begin to lose interest. Which brings me to my first goal:

Week 1: Addicted to the Boob Tube

I can’t even tell you how many hours I spend watching TV. Seriously, folks. It’s a lot. I wake up with it on, go to sleep with it on, work with it on. It’s actually a little embarrassing. The result of this is that I also sit on my ass a lot. Things get put off because I just need to watch “… ONE MORE EPISODE!”

My goal for this week is no TV. Video games are okay because I don’t play all that often these days and I’ll go crazy otherwise. And since watching TV together tends to be cuddle time with my boys, I’ll allow that as well, but some of it will be substituted with reading or playing together.

I’ll let you know how it goes next Sunday. Wish me luck!

Thus, I bring you the “Make My Home Office Amazing” series, wherein I make my home office amazing.

The Room:

I have a great space next to my kitchen, which in this 60′s type home was intended for a den or family room. It’s been pretty much unused for the year+ we’ve been here. Honey oak paneling is not the easiest to coordinate with decor.

Step 1: Refinish Desktop

I snagged a great dining table set from Craigslist that would work as a two-sided workspace (with room for the kids at the end), it just needed a little love. I used a spray-on finish stripper to take the old finish off, and a simple varnish to pretty it back up.

The Result:

Next up: The chairs!

To be continued…

Mom: Ok, ok. Geez, be still!

Ty was pretty pumped about going to the dance tonight.

Every web designer’s hell: Client: “I know we agreed on the design, and it’s great, really, but we have a staff member we’d like you to train to add early 90′s clip art to the front page of the site.” Designer: “Well, if I had been aware that this would be added after the fact, I could have accounted for it in my design.” Client: “I’m sure we told you.” Designer: (checks contract) “Nope.”

So, a project that you just knew would have been a great addition to your portfolio becomes something you now feel compelled to apologize for.  Depressing.

How do you deal with this kind of situation? My first impulse has been to offer (usually free) updates so that Sally the Staff Member won’t jack it all up, allowing me to retain some sense of pride. A professional designer can’t afford to do this in reality, though. Giving stuff away for free sets a terrible precedent and puts you at financial risk.

Take control early. Your client has come to you for your expertise. Listen to their needs and guide the process as much as they’ll allow.

Communicate often. Clients often realize that they actually do want the awesome twitter widget you recommended in your first meeting. You didn’t account for it in your design and it’s not in the contract but catching it early can make both easier to amend, which brings me to my next point:

Always have a contract! I’ve made it a practice to always have a contract. That said, I don’t always have a contract. I usually have a facepalm moment shortly afterward. My problem is (because I’m a pushover and a little too nice) that, especially in a small town like mine, people tend to operate by handshake. Asking for a contract can feel like saying “I don’t trust you.” My solution? I tell every client that our contract protects both of us. That makes me feel better, anyway.

Get over it. You know, sometimes it’s just out of your hands. You’ve stood up for your design, you’ve drafted and revised, you’ve done your best and once your client gets their hands on it, it still winds up looking like a tech school Learn  Frontpage class assignment (Ohhhh, sparkles!). Grow a thicker skin and get over it.