"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man." -Benjamin Franklin
In 2013 I promise to embrace my goals, my dreams and those I love!
Friday, January 4, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
2013 ...here we come!
I love this time of year. I love the feeling of renewed hope. I love that people are generally in a positive mood.
I usually do make resolutions, but as with most people, I'm not great at following them.
That doesn't stop me from making them each year, though. One of these years, they're bound to stick, right??
2012 was a great year for us- I got to quit my job in late 2011 and stay home all year. I loved it more than I ever thought possible. I did a little traveling and killed my resolution of wanting to reach "50 geocaches found" (we actually found 66 when our original goal was to find 34). I also did really well with making meals at home and eating out less. I estimate that in the last quarter of the year, we saved well over $500 by eating meals at home.
So, here they are for 2013:
1) Make memories. This includes traveling, trying new things, and documenting those memories.
2) Keep a SMASH book. Don't know what one is? I didn't either; until I read this post. The other night at a New Year's party, Robin asked what our favorite memory of 2012 was-- I thought about it so much and I honestly couldn't remember all we had done throughout the year. I KNOW we did some cool stuff, but at that moment, I couldn't remember one second of it. What's the point of making memories if I'm not remembering them?? Hence the SMASH book. Plus, Connie kinda threw down a SMASH book challenge and I'm super competitive so I HAVE to do this. Ultimately I decided that our trip to Indianapolis earlier in the year was one of my favorite memories.
3) Take my vitamins like I should. I feel like such crap when I don't take them regularly. My psychologist husband has given me several ideas for ways I can improve this behavior. And, he didn't charge me for the advice ;) I take:
4) Find 72 geocaches. This will be quite challenging mainly because we've already found most of the local caches. Finding more than we did last year will require us to geocache more often (we cached 28 days last year) and find caches farther away from home. Part of achieving this goal will be to finally HIDE our own geocache. I've done extensive research, met with a local historian, and planned exactly what I want to do for our first hide, I just need to actually do it.
5) Lose 15 pounds. I'm not trying to conquer the world here, but I need a starting point so 15 lbs sounds like a good, reasonable, achievable number. I plan on eating more Monster Spinach Smoothies for lunch in order to do this. They really are very good and only take a few ingredients, so I know this is something I can do. Eating these smoothies will also help save some money. For Christmas, my MIL gave me a Yonanas frozen yogurt machine, so Hubs and I are planning on using that to supplement also.
6) Read more. I've never been a big reader, but in 2012 I read 2 trilogies plus another book for a total of SEVEN books reads. I know quite a few people that read 7 books in a month, so that may not sound like much of an achievement, but for me, I assure you it is. In 2013, I'm hoping to read more than 7 books. I know how important it is for Ryan to see others reading in order to help cultivate his love for books, so that's definitely my primary motivation with this resolution. Let's see how that goes :)
Here's to hoping your new year is filled with laughter, health and more positive optimism that you know how to handle!
I usually do make resolutions, but as with most people, I'm not great at following them.
That doesn't stop me from making them each year, though. One of these years, they're bound to stick, right??
2012 was a great year for us- I got to quit my job in late 2011 and stay home all year. I loved it more than I ever thought possible. I did a little traveling and killed my resolution of wanting to reach "50 geocaches found" (we actually found 66 when our original goal was to find 34). I also did really well with making meals at home and eating out less. I estimate that in the last quarter of the year, we saved well over $500 by eating meals at home.
So, here they are for 2013:
1) Make memories. This includes traveling, trying new things, and documenting those memories.
2) Keep a SMASH book. Don't know what one is? I didn't either; until I read this post. The other night at a New Year's party, Robin asked what our favorite memory of 2012 was-- I thought about it so much and I honestly couldn't remember all we had done throughout the year. I KNOW we did some cool stuff, but at that moment, I couldn't remember one second of it. What's the point of making memories if I'm not remembering them?? Hence the SMASH book. Plus, Connie kinda threw down a SMASH book challenge and I'm super competitive so I HAVE to do this. Ultimately I decided that our trip to Indianapolis earlier in the year was one of my favorite memories.
3) Take my vitamins like I should. I feel like such crap when I don't take them regularly. My psychologist husband has given me several ideas for ways I can improve this behavior. And, he didn't charge me for the advice ;) I take:
- 10,000 IU Vitamin D
- 3,000 mg Vitamin C
- 12.5 mg Iodoral (iodine)
- B-100 complex
4) Find 72 geocaches. This will be quite challenging mainly because we've already found most of the local caches. Finding more than we did last year will require us to geocache more often (we cached 28 days last year) and find caches farther away from home. Part of achieving this goal will be to finally HIDE our own geocache. I've done extensive research, met with a local historian, and planned exactly what I want to do for our first hide, I just need to actually do it.
5) Lose 15 pounds. I'm not trying to conquer the world here, but I need a starting point so 15 lbs sounds like a good, reasonable, achievable number. I plan on eating more Monster Spinach Smoothies for lunch in order to do this. They really are very good and only take a few ingredients, so I know this is something I can do. Eating these smoothies will also help save some money. For Christmas, my MIL gave me a Yonanas frozen yogurt machine, so Hubs and I are planning on using that to supplement also.
6) Read more. I've never been a big reader, but in 2012 I read 2 trilogies plus another book for a total of SEVEN books reads. I know quite a few people that read 7 books in a month, so that may not sound like much of an achievement, but for me, I assure you it is. In 2013, I'm hoping to read more than 7 books. I know how important it is for Ryan to see others reading in order to help cultivate his love for books, so that's definitely my primary motivation with this resolution. Let's see how that goes :)
Here's to hoping your new year is filled with laughter, health and more positive optimism that you know how to handle!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
A few traditions
Our little family tried a few new traditions this Christmas.
I've already blogged about our North Pole Breakfast a million times. I promise I'm done after this :)
The Mini Express was a huge hit! We'll definitely do that again. When I made the tickets, I intentionally didn't put dates on it so they could be reused.
We had our two nieces over and enjoyed a Prep'n'Landing movie night. We had breakfast for dinner. My 4 year old niece kept saying, "that's my favorite!" Pancakes for dinner? "That's my favorite!" Popcorn during a movie? "That's my favorite!" Even though I was fighting a horrible cough and Ryan purposely spilled his popcorn all over the couch, it was a great night.
We hosted Christmas Eve dinner for my family. Although we've done that before, this year I added Grinch Punch to the dessert menu. Um, Yummo! The recipe calls for lime sherbet, which is difficult to find at the grocery in the days leading up to Christmas, so I substituted Pineapple sherbet instead. I actually think it probably made it taste better.
Even though we already enjoyed the great light display at the City park, my original plan was to drive around town to see lights on houses in our town. The local paper published the winner of the Light Up Town contest along with the 4 runners up. On Christmas Eve Eve, we drove around and admired the scene. The first couple houses were awesome. I can't believe people in our town do up their houses so much! Who knew?? I actually forgot to take a pic of the winner, but these are the top two runners up.
The winning house had a Santa projector in their living room window which made it look like Santa was coming up to the window and looking around outside (at you). It was very realistic looking-- I even commented to Craig that I was pretty sure it was a real person dressed up like Santa. After thinking how cool it was, my next thought was, "we should buy that and set it up outside someone's bedroom window to really scare the crap out of them one night."
My point: it was equal parts cool and creepy. See for yourself:
Oh, and I captured some really great pics.
I've already blogged about our North Pole Breakfast a million times. I promise I'm done after this :)
The Mini Express was a huge hit! We'll definitely do that again. When I made the tickets, I intentionally didn't put dates on it so they could be reused.
We had our two nieces over and enjoyed a Prep'n'Landing movie night. We had breakfast for dinner. My 4 year old niece kept saying, "that's my favorite!" Pancakes for dinner? "That's my favorite!" Popcorn during a movie? "That's my favorite!" Even though I was fighting a horrible cough and Ryan purposely spilled his popcorn all over the couch, it was a great night.
We hosted Christmas Eve dinner for my family. Although we've done that before, this year I added Grinch Punch to the dessert menu. Um, Yummo! The recipe calls for lime sherbet, which is difficult to find at the grocery in the days leading up to Christmas, so I substituted Pineapple sherbet instead. I actually think it probably made it taste better.
 |
| My nephew, Hunter, enjoying some Grinch punch! |
The winning house had a Santa projector in their living room window which made it look like Santa was coming up to the window and looking around outside (at you). It was very realistic looking-- I even commented to Craig that I was pretty sure it was a real person dressed up like Santa. After thinking how cool it was, my next thought was, "we should buy that and set it up outside someone's bedroom window to really scare the crap out of them one night."
My point: it was equal parts cool and creepy. See for yourself:
Oh, and I captured some really great pics.
 |
| Our Christmas Cards book from this years cards |
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Elf on the Shelf {Recap}
Recipe for a great Elf on the Shelf season:
- Lots of planning
- Too many dollar bin and dollar $tore trips to count
- A willing and helpful spouse
And the critical ingredient...
This was the first year of our tradition and I couldn't be happier with how things turned out.
It started with our first ever North Pole Breakfast (inspired by the superbly talented Jessica over at Lil Pumpkin Grace- must be the name ;)
Although Ryan was more than a little confused when he woke up on December 1st, he quickly came to accept the sugary breakfast that awaited him. This also served as the introduction to the Elf on the Shelf. After a day of thinking about it, Ryan decided to name the Elf Jolly.
Overall, I consider this a very successful EOTS experience. The genuine wonder in Ryan's eyes and the excitement with which he greeted each morning made this an absolute pleasure for me and my husband. It's not far fetched to say that we enjoyed it just as much as Ryan did (and if you believe my dad, we probably enjoyed it more). I worried if Ryan being only 2.5 years old would be problematic-- maybe he wouldn't participate as much as I had hoped; or maybe he wouldn't "get" it. I was thrilled to be proven wrong. Ryan seemed to sincerely love every minute of it.
A few thoughts on our experience (I'm documenting this mostly for my own benefit :) )--
- Planning was critical. I'm a Type A personality who dives into projects 110%, so it was important to me that I followed through each and every day. What fun would it be if Ryan awakened to find Jolly in the same spot? I'm notorious for starting a project and never finishing it. In order to commit, I HAD to plan. I printed up a blank calendar and had every day planned out by mid-October. This helped with expenses too since I was able to snag most props for $1 or less. I bought a $5 tub at Target and kept it in the dining room so when I picked up a thing or two at the store, I could easily drop it in the bin and keep everything in one place.
- Ultimately I had a good mix of complex/detailed activities and then some easy peasy no-time-to-set-up plans. The list consisted of things I knew I wanted to do (lighted tree, the Elf Garden) and then I had a list of 2 or 3 really easy go-to activities (e.g. book club).
- I should have planned ahead and compiled the Elf Recovery Kit sooner. Although Ryan did really well with not touching Jolly (except for the one time), I had planned to get something like this put together before Dec 1st, but just forgot. Thank goodness he touched Jolly on a not-so-busy day :) Now that I have it printed, I saved everything to use again next year.
- From what I can tell, Ryan seemed to enjoy things that incorporated his toys or his favorite activities. As much as I loved stealing ideas off Pinterest being creative, at his young age, Ryan didn't quite understand some of the more detailed activities. Next year, I want to make more of an effort to use things Ryan likes.
- While I had each activity planned well in advance, I didn't do well at planning where Jolly would hide. Sometimes that's what took the most time-- planning where to set things up. I knew what I wanted to do and I had all of the props, but finding a place to set it up was challenging. Note to self for next year: be more creative with where he hides :)
- The other time consuming aspect was that Jolly was often difficult to physically set up. He doesn't sit up well on his own so even though I knew I wanted him to play angry birds, getting him to sit down and stay in place was very time consuming (and frustrating). I had seen a post on how to make Jolly flexible (and therefore, more easy to handle), but I didn't think it was that necessary. I was wrong. Truth be told, I didn't want to sew. I'm pretty intimidated by sewing needles.
- I'm really glad I didn't start EOTS on the day after Thanksgiving. Most people I know start it then, but I knew my limitations and decided to wait until Dec 1st. I'm VERY glad I waited. The 23 days we did were plenty for us.
- For next year, I want to plan a few more service oriented activities for Jolly to do. Although I think Ryan kinda understood the Canned Good donation tree from this year, I think that next year he'll be the perfect age to start truly understanding the concept of giving to others. This has nothing to do with the comment a gal posted on guest blog I did for another website about how she doesn't think I incorporated enough service-to-others activities into my holiday planning. All I can say to that is she clearly doesn't know us :)
Today I packed everything up from this year, make a few handwritten notes as reminders/suggestions for next year and closed up shop for this season.
 |
| Used a cardboard photo mailer to store the notes, Mini Express tickets, and Elf Recovery paperwork |
Even though I'm glad it's over, it really was very fun.
As an adult, recapturing the magic that we felt as kids can be difficult. This is the first year in as many as I can remember when I actually got goosebumps thinking about how magical the Christmas season can be-- seeing the twinkle in Ryan's eyes each morning and experiencing his excitement brought that back.
Until next year...
Elf on the Shelf Day 23
Here we are-- over three weeks after our North Pole breakfast (I can't believe it's been that long since then...it feels like yesterday!).
It's the final day of Jolly's first Christmas season in our home.
To celebrate, Jolly left us some Elf-sized donuts. Obviously he ate some of them too....
Ryan did really well with the Elf on the Shelf. Except for the one time, he never touched him. Nearly every morning, Ryan's first thought was to locate Jolly. He seemed genuinely surprised each time Jolly was in a new hiding spot. I loved seeing the sparkle of wonder in Ryan's eyes when he realized what exactly Jolly was doing (playing angry birds, enjoying a picnic, knitting an ugly sweater).
I can't say that Jolly's presence helped Ryan's behavior any, but we also didn't overly emphasize that aspect of things (per the book, the Elf is basically a scout for Santa and reports back to him every night about your child's behavior). It's not that I think that's a bad thing, but we just didn't think to use Jolly as a "you better watch out" tool. Ryan is also a very good kid, so maybe it's that we didn't *have* to use it. Maybe next year (not that I'm asking for him to misbehave!!)
I've got an Elf on the Shelf recap post planned where I'll review things I liked and things I need to improve upon for next year. Until then...
It's the final day of Jolly's first Christmas season in our home.
To celebrate, Jolly left us some Elf-sized donuts. Obviously he ate some of them too....
Ryan did really well with the Elf on the Shelf. Except for the one time, he never touched him. Nearly every morning, Ryan's first thought was to locate Jolly. He seemed genuinely surprised each time Jolly was in a new hiding spot. I loved seeing the sparkle of wonder in Ryan's eyes when he realized what exactly Jolly was doing (playing angry birds, enjoying a picnic, knitting an ugly sweater).
I can't say that Jolly's presence helped Ryan's behavior any, but we also didn't overly emphasize that aspect of things (per the book, the Elf is basically a scout for Santa and reports back to him every night about your child's behavior). It's not that I think that's a bad thing, but we just didn't think to use Jolly as a "you better watch out" tool. Ryan is also a very good kid, so maybe it's that we didn't *have* to use it. Maybe next year (not that I'm asking for him to misbehave!!)
I've got an Elf on the Shelf recap post planned where I'll review things I liked and things I need to improve upon for next year. Until then...
Elf on the Shelf Day 22
With a little patience and some special attention, look what grew!
See what happens when you use Christmas tree sprinkles? Christmas tree cookies sprout!
My sister and their elf, Santy, planted peppermint discs and grew candy canes. I like that idea too.
See what happens when you use Christmas tree sprinkles? Christmas tree cookies sprout!
My sister and their elf, Santy, planted peppermint discs and grew candy canes. I like that idea too.
Elf on the Shelf Day 21
This was a really fun day for Jolly and RJ.
Jolly left an Elf Gardening kit for Ryan.
With instructions to:
1) Plan red and green seeds (tic tacs)
2) Water the seeds with Elf sprinkles (tree shaped sugar sprinkles) three times today
3) Wait for a magical treat to grow
Ryan really enjoyed planting the seeds (in a bowl full of sugar) and sprinkling them with the trees.
Craig and I went to see Wicked with Scott and Robin (LOVE that musical), so Tiffany and Gracie babysat. I think Gracie enjoyed watering too :)
After Wicked, we went to a fabulous Greek restaurant in St. Louis. Scott and Robin help us try new foods. I meant to take pics of the appetizer we had (fried goat cheese; I'm forgetting the fancy Greek name for it) which was DELICIOUS. They pour a shot of brandy on it and light it on fire. Opa!
Jolly left an Elf Gardening kit for Ryan.
With instructions to:
1) Plan red and green seeds (tic tacs)
2) Water the seeds with Elf sprinkles (tree shaped sugar sprinkles) three times today
3) Wait for a magical treat to grow
Ryan really enjoyed planting the seeds (in a bowl full of sugar) and sprinkling them with the trees.
Craig and I went to see Wicked with Scott and Robin (LOVE that musical), so Tiffany and Gracie babysat. I think Gracie enjoyed watering too :)
After Wicked, we went to a fabulous Greek restaurant in St. Louis. Scott and Robin help us try new foods. I meant to take pics of the appetizer we had (fried goat cheese; I'm forgetting the fancy Greek name for it) which was DELICIOUS. They pour a shot of brandy on it and light it on fire. Opa!
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