Better late than never... So. Let me see if I can sum up.
I did NaNo this year... and only fell short by about 7000 words (I'm going to blame sickness and travel for not winning this year. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it). It was awesome, and I will probably participate again in 2010. 'Nuff said.
Had a very awesome (but completely crazy and also full of drama on pretty much every front) trip home for Christmas and New Years. Did not visit half the people we intended to, but visited a few we weren't planning to, so I guess it worked out. Brianna had a great time and now has way too many toys that make noise.
I got to hold my first ever nephew! When he was only a few hours old! And it was awesome. I am an Aunt. A *real* aunt, no matter what other people might tell you about. And that's all I have to say about that, as well.
I made a ton of New Years resolutions. Sadly, most of them aren't blog appropriate quite yet. Suffice it to say, not much has changed (resolution-wise) since this time last year. Except I've given up on the losing weight thing - my goal is to not gain a ridiculous amount of weight this year. I figure that one's more attainable, lol.
Brianna will be a year old in a couple of weeks. Blows my mind. She's walking (running), chattering up a storm (there's words in there, but we don't understand them yet), and generally finding every bit of trouble she can to get into. She is very good at getting into trouble :-)
And that's really all I have to say for the moment. I will really try to get online and update a little more frequently, but I got a half-dozen Lego video games for Christmas, so I'm not sure how well that will actually go ;-)
News, and New Years First off, news. I'm still pregnant. For some reason, about a half dozen people have felt the need to ask me if I've had the baby yet... and the answer is no. I still have, at least in theory, 3-4 more weeks. But. I'll let you know when I do.
The baby is doing good... Christmas Eve ultrasound showed the baby weighing in at around 6 pounds 10 ounces, which puts the projected final baby weight around 8.5 pounds. Which is awesome. So no plans for an early baby due to size at this point.
I was told, long long ago when I first was pregnant (seriously, it seems like years or something), that morning sickness can return in the third trimester. And I was like, oh whatever, I guess that would suck... but since I was never really super sick in the beginning, i didn't think about it much. Until this morning. When I've been thinking about it a lot. While trying to keep down my breakfast. So far, I'm winning, but the long and short of it is I feel like crap at the moment, and trying to find a position to sit/lay in that doesn't make me want to hurl, and yet still allows me to work on my computer (I'm working from home today, so computer access is important)... is challenging. Half of my brain thinks I should eat something more, to see if it calms my stomach down, and the other half doesn't want to see what frosted miniwheats look like two hours after you eat them.
Pleasant thought, I know. Brought to you by a grumpy pregnant woman. :-) Edit: apparently, clementines are my new cure for morning sickness. Who would have guessed?
So on to New Years. My goals for this year:
Lose weight. Actually, this one is a gimmie, since I'll be shedding 8.5 pounds of baby plus associated fluids and whatnot at the end of the month. But seriously, it would be nice to be back down to my pre-baby-after-Disney-Cruise weight by the end of the year. (at current count, that would put me losing about 50 pounds, but maybe a little more, since I'll probably gain another five or so before I can start losing any).
To eat healthier, and spend less money eating out. Although I realize that this will be difficult for the next two months, anything is better than nothing. Seriously.
To take advice and criticism better, especially in regards to parenting. Just because someone else does it differently does not make me a bad mommy (even if that someone else is my mom).
Not to change my standards just because the going gets tough. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for convenience. But if I say, "I want to eat healthier, and spend less money eating out", I can't cave and run to McDonald's every night for dinner becasue I''m tired and it's easier than cooking something at home (McDonald's could help this situation by not putting crack in their chicken nuggets, so I wouldn't be so addicted to them).
To be better about taking pictures. I'll have a lot this year with documenting, and pictures will be important. :-)
To be better at blogging/journaling in some form. So I don't forget everything.
I'm sure there are more, but this'll do for now. :-)
You treat life like a picture / But its not a moment frozen in time So there’s been a lot going on in my head lately, most of which doesn’t translate well into language, much less blog-world. Just a lot of rambling stuff, I suppose, about growing up, friends, family, and life in general. And I’ll throw some religion and politics in there, just to spice it up a bit.
But yeah. Point is, I really haven’t had much to say. That anyone wants to read. Or for that matter, that I want to write. But, one of my brain ramblings has produced a series of thought that (I think) are actually post worthy, so here goes:
I always have these high plans for things… like this year, I started out with some goals (some realistic, some... well, will take some work, at best). And I go along pretty well for a while on the adrenaline of accomplishing things... I think, this is awesome! And then I miss a day (or whatever)… and I spend so much time beating myself up over the missed part, and feeling like I screwed everything up (I tell myself I’m good at that), that I miss the next one, and the one after... and after a while, I’m like, what’s the point? I've already "fallen off the wagon"... so I might as well not try (after all, I'll probably just mess up again).
And then I get to a point, again, where I’m faced with the consequences of not having done whatever (for example... having 8000 loads of laundry to do, because I put it off… who knew we owned so many clothes? Or having gained weight because I was too tired/lazy to cook, and we ate fast food several times during the week)... and I say to myself... Self, if you had done what you were supposed to, you wouldn’t be here. So I jump back on the wagon, and resolve to do better. Next time. Next week. Next year. Whatever.
I’m working through the FlyLady system... which I really like. But I’ve been doing the crash-and-burn cycle for like, 6 months. I keep reading: "You’re not behind, just jump in where you are", and I think... sure, I’ll jump in. As soon as I get caught up on the dishes. As soon as the laundry is done. As soon as the house is clean. As soon as I lose the 10 pounds I gained over the holidays. As soon as I find the perfect notebook to hold my control journal. As soon as I’m not behind…
The point is, I need to not get so hung up on the "wrongs", and learn to bounce back. Without falling off the wagon. I need to celebrate the "rights", and remember why I’m trying to make changes / do things better. And to see the big picture, not just the tiny corner that says this isn’t working.
So, following that idea, here are the things I’ve accomplished so far this year:
I have started eating healthier, most days of the week (this includes cooking healthier dinners, which has been kind of hit-and-miss, and packing lunch).
I have managed to work out for at least 15 minutes at least twice a week (go ten minute workout dvds!)
I cleaned out one drawer of the dresser and (finally) started using some of the drawer dividers I bought forever ago.
I got (with Chad’s help) almost half of the dvds scanned and into the new cataloging software I bought.
Chad and I cleaned out most of the garage in preparation to make it into a martial arts workout room (this was a huge task).
I’ve been drinking more water (not back up to 8 glasses a day consistently, but working on it).
I have entirely cut out caffeinated soda, and only drink soda at all if I’m out at a restaurant.
You say it won't happen again So it's a new year. Yay for that. And I made resolutions and stuff, which aren't really important at this point, but the basis of all of them was to keep on keeping on... and to take better care of me.
I'm not sure what all is going to happen this year, but I know it's going to be crazy. And weird. And scary. Like last year, but more so. And hopefully a little less drama (no really, I mean it).
Nothing I say will wash it away I'm standing in the pouring rain You say it won't happen again You're manic, manic There is a chemical in your brain It's pouring sunshine and rage You can never know what to expect You're manic, manic
I hear you say, that I'm totally a mess So I absolutely hate New Years resolutions. Because I make the same ones every year. You know: keep the house cleaner, lose weight, eat healthier, be a nicer person in general... And by January 15th (if I'm lucky) I've managed to screw them all up to such a point that I give up. This I suppose, is the quintessential problem with being a perfectionist... I'm not perfect.
So I didn't make any this year.
But now I have a better plan. Instead of resolutions, which are made once a year (usually when the house is still full of Christmas candy and such), and are easy to screw up... I'm just going to try and start good habits. And if I screw up a couple of days in between... I don't need to "catch back up", only jump back in where I left off.