Names have been changed to protect the innocent...and my husband...and me...but not the dog. His name is Dexter.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Oh yeah...my resolutions....

So, remember last year when I posted my New Years' Resolutions for Groundhogs Day? Well, I think it's high time for my first update post! You'll be happy to hear that it is also my last update post for 2010 goals.

As you probably don't remember, my goals were broke up into small and large goals. I think I also threw in a ridiculous goal in there as well. Today we'll go through each goal in painful detail. But never fear! There will be pictures. And they will most likely be embarrassing.

Small Goals
#1-Make a new recipe each month. This is a great goal. Assuming you don't already do that. Which I pretty much do. So, thankfully, I managed a little success in this goal. It's a slightly hollow success, but a success none the less.

#2-Continue My Attempts at Healthier Living. Well, I guess you could say I did this. According to the Wii, I had made a goal of losing 10 pounds last year. That's not that much. And yet...didn't happen. I lost 5 pounds and gained 6. For some unimaginable reason, I did go down a size in yoga pants. I'm not sure how that happened but I have a feeling it includes a complex calculation involving spandex and geometry and I'm not really good at either one of those.

#3-Continue on with the grocery budget of $200 per month. I've done okay on this and I think that is in large part due to using only cash for groceries. I have found that although I can stick within the $200 budget for our groceries, it makes it hard to maintain and increase our food storage. I occasionally spend $250 for groceries and I'm considering making that permanent in order to afford the more healthy options. I also recall saying that I would blog some of my handy dandy tips. Didn't get around to that yet, but now I have another blog post idea for this year. Yay for us all!

#4-Updating our 72 hour kits. I got them fairly up to date this past year and just have a few things that I still need to purchase. Overall though, I feel comfortable with where they're at now. Maybe eventually I'll post a list of what I've put in them here. Since I am sure you must all be dying to know what is in them. Oh, the suspense!

Large Goals
#1-A Year of Savings. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha HA! <----Yep, that was my crazy laugh. We didn't even come CLOSE! Instead we opted for some financial hemorrhage action. Part of what made that goal reasonable was that we were renting our basement. Which didn't work out so good, to say the least. And after spending almost $3,000 to clean up the disgusting mess left behind, our savings account was just a tad bit further away from our goal. (In case you're wondering, dog pee has a weird sweet smell to it and not an awful smell like cat pee. Which explains Dexter's "indiscretions" last summer.) And I can't even talk about the truck. So, yeah, we don't have a year's worth of expenses in savings. I'm hoping to have enough to put in central air this year and replace CG's car once it becomes absolutely necessary. And when I say "absolutely necessary" I mean that we'll replace it once it "no go". If we're really lucky, we may get another year out of it...although CG may not see that as lucky.

#2-Organize Our Home. Ah ah ha ha ha ha HA! <----Again, my crazy laugh. I have such great intentions but really have no idea what I'm doing. I even took a before picture of the washer and dryer. See?

Before
After
Can you see the differences? There's a light on in the first one. And I think the pile in the second picture is taller. And there are less hangers. On a happier note, my shoes are still fairly organized. It's wonderful.

Ridiculous Goal
#1-Write a book. Oh, the ridiculousness of that goal. Ironically, I did make two books this year. I would qualify it as "writing a book" but they are in book form. Using Blurb I made each of my girls a book of their first year for Christmas this year. It's full of pictures and little details and stories that children love to hear about themselves.

As for this year, I haven't really made any goals. At least not yet. I have made plans to ride in a few cycle events/races. Thanks to the encouragement of my lovely friends Emily of Is This Really My Life?! and Camille of Make It Work Mom I'm actually going for it. And, bless their hearts, they're even happy to have me join their team and possibly embarrass us all. That alone should tell you how nice they are. Hopefully they still like me afterward. CG says that this should count as my New Years' Resolution, but it seems like the goal should come before the plan. But at this point, it's all I got.

Maybe that should be my first resolution....to make some real New Year's Resolutions! As for a word of the year....probably not going to happen. I have a phrase for the year. It's "probably not going to happen". After last year, I have nothing if not realistic expectations.

So! Now, I want to know....what are your resolutions? I'm looking for ideas....

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Thursday, January 20, 2011

A New Word

I've invented a new word. And it's a good one. Crapalanche. It's like an avalanche. But with random crap instead of snow or other avalanche related debris. I was trying to sort through the various "important items" on my kitchen counter and, well, one thing led to another. And as it all came crashing down it came to me. I was experiencing a crapalanche. No other word can really describe it as well.

So, if you're wondering where I've been lately, now you know. I've been trying to dig myself out from under the crapalanche at my house. Feel free to send Mountain Dew, chocolate and other life sustaining items as you feel is necessary. Just please no paperwork.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Another Birthday?!

Why, yes, it is yet another birthday post! My birthday! But that's in a minute. First, we have a completely random thing to discuss. I've been thinking about birthdays. Specifically the placement in my family. My mom's birthday is 12 days before my sister's birthday (oldest child) and 2 days before mine. My little Lolly girl was born about 2.5 weeks before my birthday. My sister's daughter was born 15 days before her own birthday. One of my aunts birthday happens to fall 13 days before her first daughter was born. And if I'm remembering correctly (probably not) another aunt's birthday is about 2.5 weeks before her second daughters birthday. I can't remember all the birthdays, but are we noticing a theme here? Also, my grandmother just happened to be born exactly 80 years before my little Babs. And her second cousin who was born just hours later. I warned you that tangent would be random.....

As I was saying....my birthday. The big 3-2. And we celebrated in high fashion. The only way to celebrate this year, in my humble opinion. We took the girls to the Hansen Planetarium. By way of The Train. Two train rides just 2.5 weeks apart?! That excitement can not be paralleled.

But first, I got to open my gift. CG was as giddy as my girls at the thought of my opening my gift, even though they didn't actually know what it was. But opening gifts....that's exciting. As much as I love my wonderful Nikon P80 that I got last year, it's a bit big. And I worry when I carry it around a lot that it'll get broken. Not for major things, but it's not the kind of camera that can be carried around in the purse for impromptu pictures. I've used my cell phone on more than one occasion but it's not exactly state of the art. It has been suggested about my phone that 1982 wants it's phone back from me. And after months of, well I wouldn't say whining, but out loud wishing for a point and shoot, CG delivered.
And it's PINK. He done good.
After we prettied ourselves up, we headed off for a day on the town. Lolly had gotten two children's passes for the Hansen Planetarium for participating in her school Reflections contest so there was one for her and one for Babs. If I didn't know better, I would think she planned it that way. And, thanks to UTA and the Mom Aboard campaign, it was a very budget friendly day.

On the train on our way downtown. Poor little Babs fell asleep on the way there, before the excitement even began!
Fun at the planetarium!
I love you to the moon and back!
Life on Mars...It's Fun
The ride home. Birthdays around here are always celebrated well!
Did I mention the flowers? There was also chocolate cake. That I didn't have to make. Yum.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

To Party Or Not To Party

That was the question for Miss Lolly Chaos recently.

We had plotted and planned for her 6th birthday party for literally months. She was very specific on the type of party she wanted. She wanted a "cowboy party". Not like a traditional cowboy party, but the cowboy party of Evo '10 fame. Remember?

So this particular party planning took a lot of thought and creativity on my part. The only sponsors available for this particular event were CG and I and we have, ya know, a budget that isn't really equal to that of a major corporation. Also, all things needed to be age appropriate for 5-6 year olds. But I did it. I figured out a really fun, budget friendly, kid friendly party. Except for the invitations. I was struggling a little with those.

But how can I make invitations without a final count for the party?! And so, the guest list making began. And went on. And on. Changing almost daily. Mostly getting bigger. Once we reached 16 kids (yes, SIXTEEN!) and growing, I finally had to break the news that we would need to do some editing. A lot of editing. Because 16+ kids at a party inside our house was just not going to happen. Winter birthdays=indoor parties. And that changes things. As we got into serious negotiations, Lolly started to get upset. She was worried that if she didn't invite everyone, that people's feelings would be hurt. And it's not like I could say that the kids feeling wouldn't be hurt. Anyone who has ever not been invited to a party knows. It hurts to be left out. And with kindergartners, everyone is "friends" and they are devastated to not be invited to any party....even if they don't know/like the birthday kid.

She was clearly distressed and I felt so bad. Birthday parties are not supposed to be upsetting! At least not for the birthday girl. So I gave her another option: birthday party with friends with a smaller invitation list OR family party (the 4 of us) at Chuck E Cheese.

She contemplated her options for about 2 seconds. Then she chose Chuck E. Cheese. And was a happy girl. I was actually disappointed. I'd spent so much time and creative energy planning this party!

And then I came to my senses. Chuck E Cheese it was!

We played. We had fun. We had pizza.
And birthday cake delivered by Chuck E Cheese himself.
Babs wasn't too fond of him.
A good time was had by all.
Then we went home.
And the rest of her birthday celebration week began. It was fun and exhausting all at the same time. We had Lolly pick out a weeks worth of her favorite meals to have during her birthday week. A wonderful idea that I totally stole from Jessica of Duck Duck Cow. It's a great and relatively simple way to make the birthday girl (or boy) feel special and celebrated for more than just 24 hours. I highly recommend.

The birthday girl in her special birthday outfit.
On her actual birthday the festivities included Babs and Mommy surprising her for lunch and the three of us having lunch at the school cafeteria. This was an unplanned surprise resulting after her incompetent mother forgot to pay for her requested hot lunch and having a very sweet lunch lady suggest it. Worked out better than planned. We even stayed for the lunch recess. Because they were a little short-handed. And I was there. The afternoon ended with her sharing Ring Pops with her class. It was quite the day.

After Daddy got home from work, Lolly got to open her presents. Birthday gifts included multiple Barbie's and an art kit made by mom. I didn't actually make anything, I just got some fun art supplies and put it in a cute Hello Kitty lunch box along with a sketch book and red beret for true art making.
Then we got all bundled up and headed out to see the Christmas lights on Temple Square. We even got to ride the train (also known as UTA Trax) compliments of the Mom Aboard campaign. It was awesome and it's one of my kids favorite traditions.
My Happy Birthday Girl
It's hard to believe my baby is 6 but I'm so happy to celebrate her birthday and everything about her.
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