Happy New Year, my friends

I keep meaning to blog and it doesn’t happen, and now here it is the last day of the year and I feel overwhelmed at the prospect of catching up. End of month, end of year …

We’ve had a good year this year. I wasn’t sure, the beginning was crap. But somehow we’ve pulled it together and had just a great year (although I know so many people who want to kick 2013 in the seat of its pants on the way out).

I don’t have time for the usual survey but here’s what I can remember of the questions: I’m fatter, slightly richer, and happier. My uncle Gene died, my cousin Grant’s wife had a baby.

I can’t remember if I gave myself goals last year, I’m sure I didn’t meet them. But I think overall it’s just the way things are.

This coming year I’d like to work on my health – I’ve gained about half the weight back that I lost in 2011 and I’m not happy with how I look or feel. I know I can do it; I just need to lay off the sugar and concentrate on the exercise. I have a goal weight but it’s not important. The baby steps are important. Just like before, I’m not cutting anything out. I thoroughly believe that moderation is the key (although I’m going to try for 30 days of no added sugar, because I have a pretty serious sugar addiction and sugar makes my tummy hurt – it’s a vicious and tasty cycle) and I also should cut down on my cheese intake.

 My other goals are related to my family – I’d like to commit to 12 dates with my husband because we don’t get that many, and six of them including movies because he loves the movies. I’d like to have three kid dates with each kid – some time alone mano-y-mano. I want to stop taking work home in my head (and on my phone). I want to go to bed at 10pm at the latest through the week so I feel more rested, and turn off the tv earlier so I wind down easier. I’d like to work on my temper and my yelling and my patience. I think every parent feels they are not 100% for their kids, and there’s no way we can hold ourselves up to the standards in our head. I’d like to just be a little more present. Play with them more. Not yell so much. Explain myself when things get annoying and I want to snap.

So this is for the look ahead, and for the glance behind. Let’s make 2014 brilliant, yes?

Full Disclosure

The other day Spencer was going to the bathroom while I was getting ready for work. This happens a lot because once he sits down he likes to ruminate a bit before he deigns to move on (men, seriously). I went to say goodbye (still on toilet) and noticed that his lips were chapped. I grabbed one of my chapsticks and slathered it on, and he said “Maybe I’ll have my own chapstick. Oh! I need to put it on my Christmas list!”

I said, “Sure, maybe Santa will bring you some!”

And then he said (still on toilet, mind you), “Yeah, Santa can always see and hear us.”

Spencer’s been in trouble at school the past couple days. Not huge things, but certainly things that need to be addressed. He’s a follower and has a need to be liked by his peers. So a little girl tells him to do something they think is funny and soon he’s cutting the erasers off the pencils. The first day he got a stern talking to, we took away a television show. We didn’t expect it to happen again the very next day. I’m at a loss as to how to handle it – we talked to him about doing what is right and not what his friends tell him to do. We told him the importance of respecting your teacher and other people’s property. I have never, ever threatened my children with Santa/lack of presents, but I said this:

You know Christmas is coming, right? Maybe you should try to be good.

We took away the evening’s Advent activities (hot chocolate and a Christmas movie) and tv, and wouldn’t let him watch daddy play video games (gasp). Instead he settled down with the collected works of Curious George.

I hope it works. Sometimes this whole parenting is a floundering-in-the-dark sort of feeling. 

Sometimes I think I'm just delirious when I write these things.

I've not been getting to bed at a reasonable time for the past week or so, and I fear it's showing. In my eyes, always, but currently in my mood and reasoning.

Sometimes you just have to deal with what’s in your fridge for breakfast, which is why I threw half an apple and a Danimals smoothie in my bag. That’s better than what I had yesterday, which was nothing (although my Thanksgiving leftovers lunch tasted that much better).

I suppose this means I need to do some grocery shopping, which, except for Thanksgiving specific, I haven’t done in two? Three weeks? Henry’s gone banana obsessed this week so yep, I should probably get to the grocery store. C and I grilled a frozen pizza last night. It was delightful!

Okay, seriously, that smoothie thing was gross – how do kids eat/drink that crap?

I went to buy Rockapella holiday concert tickets yesterday at the box office to save myself $26.50 in convenience fees, at the guy ahead of me was around 70 years old. He was picking up tickets for Julio Iglesias and for Vince Gill. It made me chuckle, and I think the box office guy found it amusing too, because he got far too much amusement out of trilling Julio as much as possible.

Okay, I’m throwing away this Danimals thing. It’s liquid sugar. I don’t mind sugar but I’d prefer it to be in the form of chocolate and candy. The container says “Strawberry Explosion!” . Yep, exploding in my garbage can (“contains no juice”, in case you thought it might.)

I didn’t have time to take a shower this morning and my hair is icky, so I’m officially going to work out at lunch today and then take a shower in the gym. I brought all my morning routine stuff, and I’m set. (ps – I don’t smell, my hair is just icky.) My colleague thinks this is hilarious – “your motivation for exercise is a shower?” yes. I need a shower anyhow, I may as well get sweaty and stinky at lunch. Right?

This post has no point, but you expected that, I expect. Toodles for Tuesday!