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Nonstop

snowyscene

We spent the weekend at my Aunt and Uncle’s mountain house. We had a wonderful time. Unfortunately, we had to beat it back to Denver to handle a ton of things and get Matt ready to leave for his business trip.

06:30 – Got up with the kids and stared getting packed up.

07:30 – Made breakfast for the group

08:00 – Consumed breakfast, started cleaning up the kitchen.

08:30 – Clean up, pack up, make beds, load car.

09:30 – Hit the road.

11:30 – Arrive at our lunch destination (yay!), eat lunch.

12:15 – Head to the grocery store for a few items.

13:00 – Arrive home. Naptime for the kids. Matt and I unpack the car.

invites

13:30 – I make brownie truffle pops for a surprise for the kids on Valentine’s day and work on Tabby’s b’day invites. Matt works on cleaning up the house and laundry.

15:00 – We watch an ep of Big Bang Theory and fold laundry. Continue reading “Nonstop”

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The Lost Weekend

hedgie bath

I can sum up this weekend in just a few words:

  1. COLD. Terrible cold.
  2. hedgie bath
  3. semi-pathetic date night
  4. caught up on Downton Abbey
  5. Wreck-It Ralph (again, yay!)
  6. used book store, kids big fans
  7. sushi dinner
  8. Sunday=day of fits (Ben’s)
  9. laundry
  10. not watching the Superbowl
  11. homework

 

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Almost There

Yikes. Moving hosts was so much easier with my custom blog engine. This WP stuff … I think I’ve got it settled now. I think.

skateTabby started a new round of skating today. She is having too much fun. She is also the only girl in her class.

Hedgies are supposed to come home tomorrow. Not entirely certain about that yet.

It’s been a very long week and I will be glad to have a break.

Really glad.

I’m up too late again. Darnit.

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Bye Bye 2012

 

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?

We went to MakerFaire. That was awesome. We built a treehouse bed. I also fired a client. Very freeing.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Didn’t do too well with keeping them, but I will make more.

  • running: sub 2 hr half marathon, 800 miles for the year – hahahaha no. I ran one half marathon, it was not under 2 hrs by any stretch of the imagination. I took over a month off from running and never really got back into the habit of logging my miles. I’m on a better track with running, but I am sure I’m nowhere near 800 miles.
  • organization: whip my forever-messy “office” into usable shape – I worked on it and it’s better, but still a work in progress.
  • stick to our enlarged grocery budget and be in the black on our overall budget – I had a hard time even staying on top of our finances this year but in overall budget we did OK. Grocery not so much.
  • complete my cookbook challenge – I did a few months OK but ended up giving it up. Too impractical.
  • have a REAL date with Matt once a month – We did pretty well with this. Not sure it was once a month but we tried out new restaurants and had new adventures.
  • have more fun family outings on the weekends – We did OK with this. We did a lot of camping and other travel, but on the weekends when we weren’t traveling, it was a lot of  the boring shopping and organizing – but of course that made it possible for us to travel!

 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

One of my good friends from childhood had a baby girl in early December.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

We lost a good family friend to cancer way too young.

5. What countries did you visit?

Stuck close to the USA again this year. Next year we have plans to visit Canada and after that … who knows?

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you didn’t have in 2012?

More patience with my family. A less hectic schedule.

7. What dates from 2012 will be etched upon your memory, and why?

August 13th and August 14th, the days the kids started school.

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?

Keeping it all going. Work has been busier for both Matt and myself and the kids new schedule has been a big adjustment. I’m not going to say it was perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it was overall pretty free of drama and scramble.

9. What was your biggest failure?

The healthy eating thing. It’s been bad.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

We were pretty fortunate overall. We just had the routine colds and flu and such. Tabby did have a weird night in the ER with not-appendicitis, but that was it.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

We love our Roku box. That thing has been invaluable.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Lots of people! My kids make me damn proud, my family and friends give me great support and without Matt’s buy-in, our hectic family life would be chaos.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I’m sure someone’s did, but it’s probably not worth dwelling upon.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Mortgage. Childcare. Food.

15. What did you get really excited about?

Our trip to MakerFaire. And it was great.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?

Lonely Boy, and the dance one of my friends at the gym does whenever it comes on.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

A) Happier or about the same. B) A bit fatter, apparently … ski pants aren’t fitting so great. Think I need to probably do something about that.  C) A bit richer and we’re very grateful.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

I wish I’d done a bit more running. I wish I’d done a bit more sleeping.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Yelling at the kids … I’ve really improved this in the past couple of months, learning to manage my reactions instead of “letting” them get me riled up, but it is always a challenge.

20. How will/did you spend Christmas?

We spent Christmas with our lovely families and friends … some before, some during, some after. We’re very lucky to have such great people in our lives.

21. What was your favorite TV program?

Big Bang Theory.

22. What was the best book you read?

I did a whole post on reading, so see that. But if I reflect on this year in reading compared to others, I don’t particularly feel like I read any books that I would consider to be “one of the best books I’ve ever read.” They were good, very enjoyable or edifying, but just not long-term keepers.

23. What did you want and get?

My wants were pretty simple this year.

24. What did you want and not get?

These days my needs are pretty simple and I don’t think there was anything I wanted and didn’t get. I’m truly lucky. As far as intangibles go, I always want more time!

25. What was your favorite film of 2012?

I didn’t see too many new films, but I really enjoyed Wreck-it-Ralph.

26. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 32 this year and it just so happened we were having a Girls’ Weekend in Steamboat so I had a relaxing day, a lovely dinner with some of my best girlfriends and a few too many free drinks.

27. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

More time.

28. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2012?

Hahahahahhahaha. No, but seriously, I’m not much of a fashion girl.

29. What kept you sane?

The great people in my life. Running/workouts.

30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.

Confidence <> competence.

 

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Howdy, December

Well I did better with the blogging thing last week … but I’m still a bit behind. We’ve been having all sorts of fun – I just haven’t had the time to sit down and write about it. But here’s a mini update from this weekend.

Friday I started the weekend off right with a run and a trip to Tabby’s school to volunteer. Instead of the normal reading groups like I’ve done before, we made Eric Carle paper for the projects the kids are going to do soon. Eric Carle (author of such classics as A Very Hungry Caterpillar) paints beautifully textured paper and then cuts it up for his artwork in his books. The kids had seen a movie on this process and were very excited to cover their papers with paint. COVER. They were adorable and so enthusiastic.

After school, I went Christmas shopping with my mom. We got a LOT accomplished but I’ve still got a lot to do. That night my sis and I went to our Bootcamp party. It was TONS of fun. We drank wine, ate a little food and chatted up our fellow gluttons for punishment. It’s a great group of ladies.

Saturday we got up bright and early and went to the gym for a swim. Then we headed back to the mall, but this time we were there for a different purpose. We picked four kids from the angel tree at the mall and spent the morning buying gifts for them. We had to order one thing (a remote control motorcycle) off the internet, but we should be ready to take them back in a couple of days.

Saturday evening, Kelly came over and stayed with the kids so Matt and I could go to my Christmas party. They were thoroughly spoiled with cookie baking, movie watching and Mariokart playing. Meanwhile, Matt and I had a fabulous time at the party. Everyone seemed extra exuberant this year and there was much dancing and merry-making.

We got home late but of course the kids were up early. We let them play independently for a while and then we ran a couple of errands. The normal fare for a Sunday. We spent much of the afternoon working around the house while the kids napped. In the evening we made some mac ‘n’ cheese for dinner which was a pretty big hit. And before long it was time to put the kids in the shower and get everyone ready for the week. It all goes so fast and I’m really starting to look forward to my week off in January!!

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Four Days Well Done

It was such a nice long weekend. After our wonderful Thanksgiving, we slept like babies, but the kids, of course, were up by the crack of dawn and ready to go go go. So we went … shopping. We got some good black friday deals, including Tabby’s “big” gift.

I went for a nice long(er) run in the afternoon (and about to do a bit more of that!).

My folks came over in the evening and we served them Chicken Gumbo and we had some post-Thanksgiving vegging sort of fun, including building the lovely Gingerbread Home Depot.

Saturday, my parents met us for breakfast and took charge of the kids and Matt and I headed out for a date day. We did quite a bit of Christmas shopping. Matt finally found a new Christmas tree and got a great bargain on it. After two separate malls and about 5 hours on the job, we took a break for lunch and a movie. We saw Skyfall, the new James Bond movie. It was AWESOME.

Today was a more typical Sunday. We picked up the kids. Tabby had a b’day party. Ben and I did the grocery shopping. We put up the Christmas tree (but didn’t decorate it). Matt and I worked around the house. The kids refused to nap.

I’m not quite ready to go back to reality tomorrow …

 

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Thanksgiving Celebrations

We started out our day with a run … the 5K Turkey Chase, just a few miles from home. The kids were jazzed and ended up running  a good portion of the race. Ben shocked me by running the first .9 miles solid. They had breaks in the stroller, but ran well over half.

The kids’ stellar performance may have been due to a promise of donuts afterward. We kept our promise and met up with our friends just down the road at King Soopers. The dads went in and grabbed donuts and drinks and we parked away from the traffic and popped open the backs of our cars. In the unseasonably warm weather, we tailgated with donuts and milk and babies.

When we got home, we had showers and Matt decided to check on the turkey. Despite the fact that it had been hanging in our fridge for a week, it was still partially frozen and so it too got a shower before we headed out.

Then we headed for the hills, to my uncle’s house. Matt got the bird ready for frying

and the kids played in the great out of doors (did I mention the unseasonably warm weather??) and bonded with all of the relatives they don’t see that often.

Before long it was time for dinner.

I think I showed admirable restraint, don’t you??

All the food was super nummy (and very very plentiful) but the Sweet Potato Spoonbread was a HUGE hit (there was actually less left than this by the time it was said and done.

There was much more time spent sipping beverages and catching up with everyone. It is always nice to be with the extended family and even better seeing my kids loving on their great aunties and uncles and cousins.

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30 Days of Thankfulness

I always like thinking about the things you’re thankful for this time of year. We all have so much to be thankful for and it’s a wonderful reminder to step back and take inventory. The things we worry about day to day are so small considering all we have.

I am so very thankful for:

  1. our health – this year has very much been one that reminds us how blessed we are to be 99.9% healthy!
  2. a husband who is truly my teammate – who values me and treats me as his equal – and who, after 10 years, I still truly enjoy spending time with
  3. a sweet daughter who amazes me every day with her knowledge, insight, humor and kindness
  4. a sweet son, who is everyday more articulate and thoughtful and wonderful … and hilarious
  5. a sweet puppy who loves on us and protects us from all baddies, imagined or otherwise
  6. wonderful family who are fun to be with and provide us with unparalleled support
  7. friends who make our days fun and keep us sane
  8. a lovely roof over our heads
  9. money for everything we need and a generous percentage of what we want
  10. jobs that provide us with not only money, but that we enjoy and feel useful at and fulfilled in daily
  11. good schools and caretakers for our kids
  12. my running/swimming buddies
  13. the wonderful ladies at my gym who challenge and cheer me on
  14. our amazing public library system that provides me with virtually free, virtually unlimited entertainment
  15. my treadmill!
  16. that my kids are good eaters and will eat hot lunch at their schools once a week so we only have to pack for them 4x/ week!
  17. that we have enough in the budget to pay for someone to clean the house every other week
  18. living in CO … awesome weather, amazingly beautiful
  19. my crazy awesome camera
  20. all the mundane modern conveniences we totally take for granted (cars, running water, electricity, HEAT)
  21. the interwebs (most days anyhow)
  22. my flexible work schedule
  23. citizenship in this wonderful, amazing, if slightly-flawed country
  24. date nights!
  25. girls’ nights and weekends out
  26. online shopping
  27. the opportunity to travel and the good sense to take advantage of it
  28. quiet weekends at home
  29. the time and means to create, whether on the computer at home or work, in the kitchen or the workshop
  30. this amazing life as a whole. Truly I am, we are, blessed.
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Weekend Bye Bye

We’ve been pretty lucky to have a few great weekends lately … weekends where we did a lot, but we also stayed at home a lot. I like these. They feel longer and I’m not so bummed when Sunday rolls around and I have to get my act together and get ready for the week.

Friday was my day off and Matt and I had a glorious 4 mile run. I remembered (for once) to actually use my inhaler and I felt like a real runner for the first time in a long time. I clocked some great splits and actually ENJOYED myself. Then I spent the rest of the day getting the house in order and my ducks in a row to host friends for the evening. All of our friends are the sort that I do not clean FOR THEM, but it is an excellent excuse to clean for myself.

After I picked Tabby up from school, we made the side dishes for dinner – sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole – since our friends were coming over for our Third Annual Turkey Fry. These folks are dear friends with schedules similar to ours, meaning that we only see them about once a quarter – and we always have a wonderful time. The turkey came out great, the kids played really well together and we had a fab time catching up with our friends.

Saturday I made banana pancakes for everyone. I don’t do this very often, but we had bananas that were past their prime and buttermilk and so it would have been crazy NOT to, right? After breakfast and some goofing around, we were drawn outside by our neighbors whose grandkids were over for the day. Our kids love their grandkids and they had a wonderful few hours playing outside on bikes and scooters and with sidewalk chalk. Loki gave us a bad few hours when during this time, he snuck off to have a little walk-about and we couldn’t find him. Our neighbors eventually spotted him though and we were very relieved to have him home.

After naps, we cleaned up the house again (turkey fryer makes such a mess!) and my folks came bearing Lasagna which we enjoyed very much. The kids played Wii (Mariokart) endlessly and entertained us all. We were all reluctant for the night to end.

Sunday I decided we needed to go see a movie so we skipped breakfast and went straight to the movie theatre to see Wreck it Ralph. The kids thought it was super decadent to have popcorn for breakfast and we all LOVED the movie. It is super clever, really funny and definitely worth seeing. It’s one I definitely want to own when it comes out – and I hope they make at least one full-fledged video game out of it.

After the movie, we ran an errand or two and then headed home for naps. Matt and I did some small projects while the kids napped. Then Matt oversaw cleanup of the playroom while I went for a run. When I was done I found them back in front of the Wii, battling it out on the road.

We had dinner, a little more Wii fun, showers, and off to bed. I love a good weekend with my family.

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Bad Blogging

I have been such a bad blogger lately, but I am giving myself a pass on all this bad bloggerness. It’s just been a game of picking and choosing what I can get done in a day and blogging has not often made the list.

But I have been working a lot, not skipping my workouts – I took only  ONE day off all week – and continuing to keep things together on the homefront, including  spending lots of time in the kitchen.

We have been making lots of recipes … all of our recent hits have been from Iowa Girl Eats:

I really need to do some updates on the kids too. It’s been forever. They’ve changed so much since school started. Ben has become so much more articulate. The things he says … ! And Tabby has not only shot up in height, but she’s leaped ahead in all things school. She writes and reads so well I can hardly believe she’s the same girl who started Kindergarten just a couple of months ago. It’s wonderful.

So I am going to try and remember to be a better blogger. I know blogs have mostly fallen by the wayside, but I still enjoy this as my little family’s history.