The SHOWER!!

Ok... I couldn't WAIT!!

The Girl was napping and The Boy was in a trance while watching Scooby Doo, so I took my chance. I told The Boy I was going and jumped in to test out the plumbers handy work... AND boy did it feel GOOD!!!!!

I've always been a lover of a hot shower... scalding hot make the skin red type of shower. Well, that's EXACTLY what I got today... with the perfect amount of pressure. I feel on top of the world now... nice and clean and VERY well rested!

Now, I know that the plumber didn't REALLY have that much to do with the water getting so hot... I mean he just put in a new sensor so we could get the hot water again. While he was here, he also offered to turn up the temperature on our water heater... I said sure, it's never been quite as hot as I'd like it to be. Nothing worse than a luke warm shower, WHICH is what I've been getting since moving in here... I'm always the last to take a shower it seems (poor mama, right?!). (I only recently realized that WE could turn up the temperature, but never got around to actually figuring out how to do it... I have so much to learn before we buy a house... we are house repair dumb in too many aspects.)

Nothing can ruin this day now... screaming kids can be handled, such a boy Mr. Wonderful can be handled, crazy drivers can be handled, etc., etc., etc. Nothing in the world better than a nice, HOT shower and a FULL nights sleep!!! :)

Ready to be LOST!!!

It's been another hectic week here at the Chatter house!

The hot water in the shower AND the bathtub went out on us last week. The landlord "kindly" let us get a plumber out here to fix it, BUT we had to wait on parts. It's FINALLY fixed today and I'm looking forward to taking a nice, long, HOT shower!! Now we just have to HOPE that the landlord pays us back QUICKLY!!!!!!

I SURVIVED the family picture session... barely! Over the weekend we traveled up to be with the in-laws to celebrate Mr. Wonderful's parents 50th Anniversary. The gift from the kids was a family picture (Mr. Wonderful's parents and kids with families). I hated that we all were told to wear the SAME colors (burgundy, black, or dark tan), but once finding something for everyone here to wear... it wasn't too bad. I like the hodge podge color pictures better. The photographer that we went to seems to be REALLY into matching though... we saw some of her work and she had families wearing identical clothes. I like to see more personality in pictures... just a personal preference! It wasn't for me though, so I went along with the plan. The Boy was WONDERFUL for the session and had a blast "helping" the photographer. He even sat with her on her beanbag as she took some of the pictures that he wasn't in. The Girl on the other hand was a terror... cried for the whole session. I HOPE that there were at least a few good pictures that are usable. Suckers were the final bribe that worked to make her somewhat happy... HOORAY for suckers!

The drive home from the trip was pretty awful. Mr. Wonderful and I are just getting too old to drive the late night drives! Maybe it's NOT that we're too old... just to tired! Luckily there wasn't much traffic, but it took everything we had to stay awake for the entire 3 hour trip!! Interstates sure put people to sleep too easily... I so miss the backroad adventures of my childhood days... it's easier to stay awake when you're hitting stoplights all the time!!

Yesterday, I got myself another MAJOR migraine. I so wished the drugs on the market would actually work on my migraines, but the ones I've tried don't seem to help. I thought yesterdays wasn't too bad, but by the time Mr. Wonderful got home from work I was completely down. I went straight to bed. The nice, quiet, dark room is JUST what I needed! I feel so rested now... after sleeping from about 5 last night until about 7 this morning... amazing feeling I must say!!!!

Now, I'm eagerly awaiting The Kids bedtime so that Mr. Wonderful and I can get completely lost in the new season of LOST!! We've been waiting a long time for this... so glad it's finally coming back! I, of course, haven't had a chance to re-watch the old seasons, but part of the fun of Lost is being lost with the plot. I never REALLY know what's going on, but I can't help but watch it thinking I can figure it all out!

Menu Plan Monday - Jan. 28

Another easy week for me... still have lots of food in the freezer begging to be eaten... AND Mr. Wonderful will probably be away for two nights this week, so don't want to cook anything major!!

Here's what I've planned for the week...

SUNDAY: Leftovers: Black Beans & Rice, Pears, Corn Muffins

MONDAY: Leftovers: Turkey Soup, Bread, Salad

TUESDAY: Chicken Caesar Salad

WEDNESDAY: Spaghetti w/ Meatballs, Garlic Bread, Salad

THURSDAY: Beef Pot Roast (Oriental Style), Rice, Steamed Veggies

FRIDAY: Macaroni & Cheese, Chicken Nuggets, Tater Tots

SATURDAY: Mr. Wonderful's seafood night

...AND For more Menu Plan Monday participants jump on over to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie! Lots of good eats over there... :)

More fun in the snow!!!

Snowman number two has been created for this winter season! I must say this one looks much cuter (and cleaner) than the last one... although he does seem to have a strange growth coming out of his stomach!! This snow came fast (about 2-3 inches fell in under 3 hours... the time we were at the mall) and I almost put off building the snowman 'til the next day (I'm glad we didn't 'cause rain followed and made the snow hard as a rock).

What's fun about this snowman, is that the eyes, nose, hat, pipe, etc. are all part of a kit ... that a good friend gave to The Kids for Christmas. Such a cute little kit and it's nice for me 'cause I don't have to run around the yard and house looking for snowman "clothes." All we need to have is the SNOW...The Boy LOVES the snowman clothes and was SO worried that they weren't going to be there when we woke up the next morning to find the snowman had toppled over. Luckily, all pieces have been retrieved are tucked away back in the box awaiting the next snowfall!!

After building the snowman, The Boy and I had the following conversation...

The Boy: Mama, can I throw a snowball at you?
Me: NO!! (Just wasn't in the mood at that point 'cause I was cold and trying to keep The Girl on her feet... she was having lots of problems walking in the snow.)
Me: Maybe you can throw one at yourself (jokingly). ;P
The Boy: Okay!

...AND he did!! I always forget that kids take you so literally. It was pretty funny though! Later, he started throwing snowballs at his snowman. In fact, the picture above shows a snowball being thrown (you can see it about to hit between the bottom two buttons) and you can see the remainder of a snowball that hit the snowman's heart... POOR snowman!!

4 - 0

The Bug is winning. Came in on Thursday and was 1 - 3, The Girl lost. Today It got us all, so now It stands at 4 - 0. ARGH! These are the days that I would LOVE to have family closer by... everyone in the house is down. AND, although us parents know how to take a sick day... The Kids keep on going!! It's hard to keep up when The Bug has taken over...

I'll be SUPER scarce this week... menu plan hasn't been made yet, but I can tell you that it will be soup for the next few days. Will be needing to clean out and get everyone back to good health. Fighting The Bug...

Still having night woes...

The Boy is on night number FOUR with NO paci! We are amazed... there have been very few tears and tonight he didn't even ask for it! Wonders never cease...

On the other hand, The Girl is keeping us awake half the night. I'm running on empty. Desperately slept on the floor the other night just to catch a few zzzzzzzsss... she actually stayed in her bed QUIETLY as long as I was there. I think a few incoming teeth are to blame, I REALLY hope sleep for her is solved soon, 'cause mama and dada have become zombies!!

One problem solved... another appears... the LOVELY fun of parenthood, huh?! I'm off to bed now...

"Rotten" Bananas

What do you do with these?! Make banana bread of course!!

This is what The Boy and I busied ourselves with this afternoon. I've been telling The Boy for the past two days that we were going to make banana bread. We were GOING to do it yesterday, but I was lacking one ingredient. Today we did a grocery store run, so were able to complete the task. When I made my grocery list yesterday, I asked The Boy if he knew of anything that needed to be added. He told me that we needed bread for the bananas. Hmmm... he didn't quite get the banana bread concept.

The Boy LOVES to help me cook as much as I let him. He is great at "dumping" the ingredients that I measure out, stirring, opening butter, and greasing pans... oh yeah, and taste testing the final product. He also helped me put together and mash our mashed potatoes that we were having tonight. I had already prepped the potatoes... he helped me add the other stuff and mash. It was a great afternoon... and we all REALLY enjoyed the banana bread!! I LOVED the mashed potatoes, too... The Boy loved taste testing them, but then turned up his nose at them during dinner! I so "love" the whims of a 3 year old!! :)

These are the moments that I cherish with The Kids! ...AND it was great to help teach him that banana bread is something WE could make... not buy bread in the store to put with our bananas!!!
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In other news from around the house...

The Boy has a new favorite saying: "I'm right and your wrong, mom!"

I have NO CLUE where he got this saying... and I must say that I didn't expect to hear this type of thing until he was closer to the teenage years. I guess I'm definitely WRONG about that!! :)
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I just heard from Mr. Wonderful that The Boy went to sleep tonight without tears, whining, meltdowns, OR his paci. WHAT?! ...AND without tears or a major meltdown (like we've been imagining)!!! I completely forgot that I took the paci away from The Boy earlier when he tried to sneak it during playtime and stuck it in my pocket where Mr. Wonderful had NO CHANCE of finding it while I was at work and he was putting The Kids to bed.

We've been meaning to end the paci reign with The Boy for awhile, but the timing always seems to be off (arrival of The Girl, holiday travels, visitors, etc., etc., etc.)... in other words, we keep making excuses because we're too tired to deal with the extra tears. It seems though that NOW might be the time to just "lose" it. Hmmm....

Menu Plan Monday - Jan. 14

I REALLY cannot believe that it is already January 14th... ah, how time flies!!

Last week I tried out one new recipe... here's our review:

• Lemon Honey Chicken w/ Carrots was good, but not amazing like I was hoping. I think I'm going to keep the recipe and try it again a couple weeks from now, altering it a bit to try to get a better flavor. We are having it again this week, but it's just leftovers from last week.

This week is going to be an easy week for me. Lots of leftovers in the freezer just BEGGING to be used, so I'll happily take it easy in the cooking department! It'll be good for the grocery bill, too! :)

Here's what I've planned for the week...

SUNDAY: Eat Out

MONDAY: Leftovers: Lemon Honey Chicken, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies

TUESDAY: Bean & Rice Burritos, Applesauce, Salad

• Made with the leftover Black Beans & Rice that we had last week.
  

WEDNESDAY: Ham & Broccoli Pasta Toss, Jello w/ Fruit

THURSDAY: Leftovers: Turkey Frame Soup, Biscuits, Salad

FRIDAY: Homemade Pizza

SATURDAY: Mr. Wonderful's seafood night

...AND For more Menu Plan Monday participants jump on over to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie! Lots of good eats over there... :)

UPDATE: Bedtime Woes...

So, the other night Mr. Wonderful had to work REALLY late, so I got the "pleasure" of putting both kids to bed on my own. ...AND you know what?! I figured out a "fix" for our problem. Of course, I'm pretty sure it'll be only temporary (especially since I'm writing about it here and jinxing our good luck), but we've enjoyed THREE nights of peaceful bedtime routines!!

What I figured out.... we've been playing Sequence Junior pretty much EVERY NIGHT since Christmas. It's kind of become part of our bedtime routine. So, as I was pulling it out of the box the other night, I thought to myself why not use this as a bargaining chip? I told The Boy that if he went to bed with no tears, meltdowns, or whining, we would play again the next night. If there were tears, meltdowns, or whining, then we wouldn't play the game. I've done this type of bargaining before with The Boy, usually when going to Target or other such store... I don't know why I didn't think to try it with bedtime. Well, so far it's been working! I made sure he understood the terms and even had him repeat them back to me.

I'm pretty sure that this will work for us at least as long as he continues to enjoy Sequence. After that, we'll have to come up with a new plan... ah, the ever changing life of a parent!! :)

Bedtime Woes...

The past few weeks The Boy has been giving us problems during his bedtime routine. The stress levels are RISING!

We've had it pretty easy with him... we bring him upstairs, he brushes his teeth, goes to the potty, washes his hands, gets his jammies on, and we go read him three books of his chosing (favorites right now are Scooby Doo and the Fishy Phantom and Little Critter Goes to the Dentist... his Christmas books). After that he usually goes straight to sleep. We have had minor problems in the past with him getting out of bed several times, but more often than not he goes right to sleep.

Well, the last few weeks he's been dragging his feet, whining "I'm not t-i-red" (in that infamous 3 year old whine), and refusing to brush his teeth, go to the bathroom, and put his jammies on. In fact, it's been near meltdowns (in fact, there have been several full meltdowns)... and in the end we've been having to take books away from the regular reading routine as a punishment. It's just not so fun these past few weeks, stressful for all involved.

I suspect it's because he's overtired (still refuses to take naps most days), but I'm not totally sure what to do about it. It's just putting me over the edge at bedtime... I'm already tired myself, so I get growly... which I'm SURE doesn't help the situation. It might also be because he's fighting a cold. I'm t-r-y-i-n-g to be as patient as possible, but not always successful.

By the time we DO get him to bed, after a fight, he is asleep as soon as he hits the pillow... so at least we're not having to deal with him AFTER the routine.

I just want our old routine back. It was so nice... and relaxing. A great end to a long day!! I'm just hoping he grows out of this current phase... maybe once the holiday craziness is put well behind us! :)

Menu Plan Monday - Jan. 7

I'm back to meal planning!

We made it through the holidays!!! I LOVE the holidays, but I hate the rush, rush, rush that goes along with them. Ah... time to relax until the next big day!!

I'm a little behind on my planning this week... got a wicked migraine yesterday (my normal planning day) and didn't get around to it until today. I'm mostly better now... still have a lingering headache, but it's manageable now! Anyway, on to the week's menu...

SUNDAY: Spaghetti w/ Meatballs, Mixed Veggies, Biscuits

MONDAY: Lemon Honey Chicken w/ Carrots, Rice

• Trying out this recipe... it's a crockpot recipe. If we like it, I'll post it next week!
  

TUESDAY: Black Beans and Rice, Applesauce, Cornbread

• A stand-by recipe that will become bean and rice burritos next week.
  

WEDNESDAY: Sweet-n-Sour Pork Chops (freezer leftovers), Mashed Potatoes, Mixed Veggies

THURSDAY: Turkey Frame Soup, Biscuits

• Have some leftovers... need to use. This is my mom's recipe (altered a little bit).
  

FRIDAY: BLTs, Tater Tots, Pudding w/ Fruit

SATURDAY: Mr. Wonderful's seafood night

...AND For more Menu Plan Monday participants jump on over to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie! Lots of good eats over there... :)

How to look good NAKED!!

I watched this show today on Lifetime. It's the new "How to Look Good Naked" with Carson Kressley from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." Let me say... I'm a complete fan after just one episode!

I must admit when I first started seeing commercials for this show... I was just like "he just wants to see naked women" (I admit that I wasn't REALLY paying attention to WHO the host was), "who wants to watch a show about changing beauty queens" (some of the commercials were showing him prancing around beauty queens and talking about change... again, I wasn't REALLY paying attention), and "that's not going to help anyone." BUT I saw a clip on a morning show... can't remember which one it was (probably Good Morning America)... and it got me to the point that I wanted to see the show.

It has a GREAT concept, the show "teaches women of all shapes and sizes how to go from self-loathing to self-loving without resorting to interventions like extreme dieting or cosmetic surgery." Carson takes these girls through a number of tasks... he shows them how to pick the right undergarments, how to dress for the right body type, how to do hair and make-up, how to pamper (think day at the spa), and helps them to see how others see them... and how that is different than how they see themselves. At the end of five days with Carson, the girl is different... she has changed her self-image. Oh yeah, and she does a nude photo shoot!!

I admit that I don't REALLY love my body these days... what with my thunder thighs, muffin top, and flabby arms... so this kind of show appeals to me. I don't know if I've EVER been happy with my body... even when I got down to a size 8 between the births of The Kids. People have told me that I look good... skinny even, but I get too focused on the scale. How can I look skinny when I weight 182 pounds???? (I can't believe I'm revealing that here!) I have to admit that I AM 5 foot 8 inches... so, although 182 DOES put me in the "overweight" category according to BMI calculations, it doesn't label me as FAT. I think I'm FAT though. So, when I tell myself that I want to lose 30 pounds to get back to my size 8s... really I only need to be healthy... I need to exercise (I do fine with the eating healthy), but only to be healthy AND get some energy back... NOT to necessarily to lose weight. At this time I HARDLY ever exercise (pretty much my exercise is marching around the house once or twice with The Kids). I could use some help with my body image... and this show should help me to see more clearly! My wardrobe definitely needs help (I'm living full-time in the baggy clothes these days)... and I know I need help with pampering myself, too! So, I WILL be watching this show again... and hopefully, learning to LOVE my body for what it is!!

My BIGGEST problem with this show was the commercials (no TiVo here) that were shown during the show. Ummm... guess what over half of them were?! Dieting aids!! Lifetime puts this GREAT show on to help women with their body images, BUT then every commercial break tells them to diet or lose weight. Ok, I know they need their money, but you'd think they'd work on that a little don't ya think?!

Anyway, if you haven't checked this show out yet... and you don't REALLY love your body as it is, check this out!! :)

This entry has been cross-posted at A Cluttered Life.

Is it 'cause she's a girl or a second child?!

I NEVER had these problems with The Boy!! He was a saint baby, ate everything he was supposed to, threw very little food, never really showed an interest in climbing, rarely had screaming fits (didn't scream just for fun either)... AND now... The Girl is the complete OPPOSITE!! She never eats much, dumps her food over all the time and thinks it's a HUGE game and VERY funny... this morning she dumped a FULL bowl of applesauce that splattered from floor to ceiling... she is a BIG climber... today I caught her climbing the baby gate (I'm so NOT ready for her to succeed)... AND she screams... LOUD and LONG!! She's eating away at my patience very quickly. My head hurts at the end of many days. SHE'S also the trouble maker in the family already... if there's mischief being had by The Kids... she was the instigator most of the time!!

I got to wonder... is it 'cause she's a girl OR is it 'cause she's a second child? I have heard that second children are wilder than first borns. I have also heard that girls are more difficult babies/toddlers than boys. I suppose she's just the product of both then... and double the trouble!

It's SO LUCKY for her that she's cute as a button and so funny and sweet (she makes so many ADORABLE faces and "conversations" and she laughs ALL the time... when she's not getting in trouble! :)

A Day for Complaining

Looking back now, the day wasn't THAT bad, but throughout today... NOTHING seemed to go right! (WARNING: this post is really about nothing... yet pretty long!)

To start the day off... I grab my morning moment to check my email and other internet going-ons when the connection DISAPPEARS. Our cable went OUT! My two seconds of refreshment GONE. I couldn't even call a sister 'cause our phone was out, too... dang bundles. Of course, by the time it comes on 20 minutes later, I can't get on the computer 'cause The Kids are in full swing and not willing to let mama sit for a moment.

What's next?! We decided to LEAVE the house. The Kids and I haven't really left the house since December (sounds awful when you put it like that, huh?!). Today we NEEDED to get a few things from Target. So, I packed up The Kids... never an easy task... and headed out this cold, cold morning (I think we were at around 15 when I finally got everyone suited up). Oh yeah, forgot to mention that I found a ugly bug on my shoe... not so happy with that... had to dump it outside before I could put it on and add calling bug guy to my LONG to do list!!

I had a list of about 15 items that I either needed or just wanted to check out sales on. Of those 15 items, at least 5 of them were out of stock. One of them was diapers for The Girl. Man, I am getting really pissed at our Target... they just NEVER have the diapers I want anymore (box of size 4 Luvs). They haven't had these in MONTHS. I have been getting the smaller packs. I would get a different brand, but I've just never been happy with those. I'd go to another store for them, but I'm just too tired after Target to go anywhere else!! AND besides they're on sale this week at Target!! ;P

So, unstocked store... unhappy mama.

THEN, Target has the gall to put HALF the toy section on clearance! That's my behavior bribe with The Boy... you know "If you walk next to the cart and not run away and knock things off the shelf, we'll go look at the toys for a little while." I came out of the toy aisles pretty unharmed though. Only picked up a VTech Food Fun fridge magnet set (50% off!!!) and a new game (Boggle Jr.) to try for our nightly game nights with The Boy (also 50% off).

Ok... now here's where I got REALLY peeved. I checked out and went on my merry way... actually went to the nearby Office Depot to FINALLY get my labeler, which OF COURSE they were out of!!! Anyway, then I headed home. The Girl fell asleep in the car since we spent too long in the toy aisles and infringed upon nap time. Got home, put The Girl down and unpacked the car. This is when I realized that the checkout guy didn't give me my juice OR the two bottles of creamer that I had purchased!!!! UGH... and I was in DESPERATE need of another coffee (and was SO looking forward to a cup with the new creamer... NOT the plain ol' sugar and milk version).

So, no creamer... tired, grumpy mama.

Of course, what does this mean? We'd have to make ANOTHER trek to Target. So not in my plans today. The Girl's nose is running madly now (she will NOT let me wipe it or even come within 10 feet of her nose)... and The Boy is starting to get what everyone else had earlier this week AND he was getting into his tired, crazy... "I'm not taking a nap" phase. So we shouldn't REALLY be out much anyway! I didn't even want to go to Target in the first place, but we really did NEED a few items (yeah, I said that I didn't really want to go... it's sad I know).

Well, after a lot of hemming and hawing (and bitching and moaning with two sisters)... I finally went back WITH The Kids. They had my bag of juice and creamer at customer service. I ended up exchanging for NEW creamer (I can't believe they leave refrigerated stuff up in their unrefrigerated bins)... AND paying for a light bulb that somehow didn't get paid for earlier... I'm so nice like that... if I actually notice.

In the end, I got home from Target the second time. Had my cup of coffee... AND felt ALL better!! Everything is ALRIGHT now! Dinner was on the table in 15 minutes, Mr. Wonderful came home and entertained The Kids while I lounged for a few minutes (actually stretched my leg out since I must of pulled something earlier). AND now The Kids are sleeping and I will soon be following!!!

Ah, the power of a good cup of coffee!! :)

Game Night

Every night since Christmas has become a game night at our house... for the half hour after The Girl goes to bed and before The Boy goes to bed... AND it's been a hoot every minute!!

Santa, genius that he is (wink, wink), gave our family the game Sequence for Kids. Now Mr. Wonderful and I have been long time fans of the regular Sequence game... and that's not just because I usually win... it's a fun game! Well, Santa knew that The Boy would LOVE this game. It's now the highlight of every day!! To The Boy, it's "that game with the dragons, the unicorns, and the other animals with the chips, the cards, and board." To us, it's been deemed as the BEST of the Christmas gifts this year!!

The Boy LOVES getting dragons and unicorns! He's bursting at the seams EVERY TIME he gets one... and he jumps around screaming "I gotta DRAGON (or UNICORN)!" No keeping his hand a secret. I'd say his favorite is the dragon cards... who can't love a big pink dragon?! It's funny when he gets dealt a dragon and takes his turn first. He SO WANTS to play the dragon card, but has no chips to steal off the board (what the dragon card lets you do... steal someone else's chip). It takes every ounce off patience this boy has to wait until his next turn to use that dragon card!!! He's getting better at holding the unicorn card until he's close to winning, but the dragon card is played as SOON as possible!

Tonight while playing, here's the "funnies" that were heard:

The Boy (TB): Mama, it's your turn.

Me: I'm looking for where my cards are. (I was trying to plan my winning strategy.)

TB: They're in your hand.

and then there was (doesn't have anything to do with the game, but said during the game)...

Me: I think that's the humidifier. (referring to the noise heard through The Girl's monitor)

Mr. Wonderful (MW): Are you sure it wasn't her sniffling?

Me: Yeah, I figured out that it's the humidifier bubbling up as it takes more water. (We just recently got the humidifier... due to recent sicknesses... so aren't too sure about sounds yet.)

Me: Maybe we should get one for The Boy tomorrow since he's getting all stuffed up now.

MW: Probably a good idea.

Me: (sniffle)

MW: We should probably get one for you, too!

The Boy: (with his face right in my face, looking up my nose) I don't see you making any bubbles, mama!!

Ah, fun times!! I'm loving family game night... definitely will be lookout for more kid games (that aren't too boring for Mr. Wonderful and I)! :)

Wordless Wednesday - PLAYIN'

For more Wordless Wednesday, go here...

Happy NEW YEAR!!

Today is the first day of the New Year!! I can't believe how FAST 2007 went... every year just seems to speed by quicker and quicker. I suppose it's because I'm getting older and older and each year represents a smaller portion of my entire life.

We've survived the holiday travels and celebrations. Enjoyed some time with Mr. Wonderful's family and some time with one of my brothers and his family. A good time was had by all... and The Boy enjoyed every bit of it. This year was all about making it fun for him since this is the first year that he is really IN to it!! Despite many "Santa" mistakes on my part, The Boy "bought" the whole set-up!! :) I'm really going to have to plan better for next year if I want to get him to believe past the age of 4!! :)

Now, we are all sick. :( Let's just say we were all in bed by 9:30 last night!! It's just BAD colds I think, but it sure isn't fun to have a house full of sick people. (The Boy refuses to admit he's sick... AND he's got cabin fever BAD!!) I think I'm finally on the up and up, but I still can barely breathe... and sleeping has been pretty rough the last couple of nights.

Despite this, I have been "reflecting" on the past year... and thinking about possible resolutions. I suppose I don't really make resolutions for the new year. Too much pressure... I have plenty of pressure to deal with already, don't need to add more! I do have plans to continue with things that I've already been working on: decluttering my house and mind, trying out new things/classes, reading more, getting out with Mr. Wonderful on occasion... oh, and losing those pesky 30 pounds I've put on since The Girl!

Then there's the "reflecting" on what I've done this past year... I think the "reflecting" helps to show that I DID accomplish something in a whirlwind year!! Well, I didn't do much, BUT I did

• manage to start planning weekly menus (I admit that I haven't done them the last TWO weeks, but now that the holidays are past I will start again on Sunday),
  
• clean and organize my front room (including files... oh... and I got 2nd place in the 30 Day Organizational Challenge I joined!!!) and the kid's rooms/toy area,
  
• get The Boy signed up for several classes (art and sports),
  
• stop and re-start my part-time job outside of the home,
  
• join a mom's group,
  
• attend several girl's nights out (so FUN... I can't stop laughing at these gatherings),
  
• start this blog (although I've been neglecting it lately),
  
• manage to keep the house running and in semi-order while dealing with TWO toddlers (they keep me SO TIRED and on my toes, but somehow I make it through each day),
• learn a little about web design and html (enough to get in trouble, but not enough to create anything amazing),
• and survive the year!!!

I'm sure there is/was more, but my head is still fuzzy from being sick. This is enough of a list to help me to see that I did accomplish more than just the normal hum drum of life. I'm learning how to make this parenting/family thing a go as smoothly and stress-free as possible... I think that by the time I conquer it, The Kids will quite possibly have kids of their own and I can tell them how to do it all!! ;P