I am so glad that we moved recently. The necessary clutter and disheveled closets that inevitably occur when one lone woman tries to stay on top of a household full of small children are still in the manageable stages.

I am so glad I started school three weeks ago. Routines are in place. If I say, “Go fetch the Solutions Manuel,” my son knows what I’m talking about. I understand all those cryptic abbreviations on my daily planner.

Topping this month’s to-do list are some pretty big chores. I could put them off, but I’ll regret it. One is stocking my freezer and pantry with at least the ingredients for some basic, easy meals. It would be nice if I actually converted the bricks of ground meat into homemade meatballs or hamburger patties, too, but I’m not going to push it. If I have meat, pasta, and a jar of Ragu, I can throw together dinner in short order. And heaven forbid we run out of frozen waffles and I have to listen to complaining after being awake all night with a baby.

And then there’s the big clothing swap: the dreaded chore of pulling out long pants and shirts and then lugging kids to stores or the thrift shop to find pants long enough in the leg but narrow enough in the waist. Finally, the temperatures are showing a bit of promise that they may go low enough that someone might actually want to wear pants. I’m not getting any skinnier, so the awkwardness of doing the chore with a big belly can’t deter me from this. I might gamble on decent temps through mid-October, it could happen, but doing this job with a newborn who must be held constantly doesn’t sound very appealing either. It’s really got to be done by the end of the month.

And then there’s our fourth annual Oktoberfest. Bill actually suggested not doing it. I actually considered his suggestion. But I think if we keep it simple, it won’t be too overwhelming. Of course, if you know me…or Bill…we don’t know how to do simple. The date is September 29th, so if you think you might be in the area, and you like German beer, bratwurst and warm potato salad, this is the place to be.

With such a busy month, who has time for a resolution, right? No, no, no. This is exactly the kind of month where one does need to resolve something to keep one’s sanity. For me, it will be my walking. I definitely feel much worse if I don’t go out and stretch those aching hips with a stiff waddle around the neighborhood. I’m aiming for three days a week, minimum. The dog is hoping for every day. That’s it: 20 to 30 minutes around the block.

Do you have a new month’s resolution?