A lot happened over Christmas, but with the new year a day away I wanted to make some resolutions. Well, sorta.
I'm not really a resolutionista (I love how anyone can be described as anything by adding "ista" to the end of it: fashionista, bargainista, frugalista, eat too much chocolate-ista). In the past I've actually failed to realize that December 31st had rolled around and woke up January 1 without having made any plans on how I was going to improve my life for the new year. And on years that I did make a list of things I resolved to be better at doing, by the third week in January I had forgotten them. I'd find the list in my journal mid-year and think, "Oh ya, I was going to learn how to knit this year. And not eat fried foods. And run everyday. Hmm, I think I'll go eat some bacon and sit on the couch and not knit."
And this year isn't going to be any different. Because let's face it, you can't really make resolutions and expect them to come to fruition if you never planned on changing the way you lived your life in the first place. Yes, it's nice to say, "This year I'm going to lose weight". But if you never really had a plan as to how you were going to lose said weight, come February you probably will have gained ten pounds. Believe me. It's happened to the best of us.
So why disappoint yourself with a list of unattainable goals? Just do like Amber did. Her resolution list made me laugh. And you know she's keeping every one of her resolutions this year.
In reality I have lots of resolutions I could make for 2011:
eat healthier
exercise more
become a couponer
be more organized
have family home evening more consistently
read more
serve other people
smile
become a scripture-ista...I mean scripturian
go to the temple more often
learn to knit...haha
But if I actually tried to do all of those things starting January 1, I'd get too overwhelmed and quit. So for now, I'll resolve to pick one and work on it. And I won't be surprised if by July I have forgotten what that one thing was.
Happy New Year!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
So this is Christmas...
I've been away from the keyboard for a while because I'm having so much fun with my family. But I thought I'd post a picture from this morning.
So this is what our Christmases will be like from now on: lining up all the gifts for Blake and making him take a picture with them. And that makes me happy!
Merry Christmas, everyone!
So this is what our Christmases will be like from now on: lining up all the gifts for Blake and making him take a picture with them. And that makes me happy!
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Reasons I Hate Flying
1. Fear of the plane crashing. It's happened before and I'm sure the people on airplanes that have crashed thought it could never happen to them. But it did.
2. No matter what I do, by the time I get to my destination I look and feel like crap. I don't usually get dressed up to fly on an airplane. I try to be as comfortable as possible. But no matter how much time I spend on my hair, make up, and outfit I usually stop in the an airport restroom only to look in the mirror and wonder what happened.
3. Turbulence.
4. The headache and nausea I experience 75% of the times I fly.
5. Smallest bathrooms known to man.
6. No leg room.
7. Disgusting airplane air.
8. Possibility of my baby a)crying the whole time or b)barfing all over the place 5 minutes before the plane lands. Blake did pretty well on this trip considering it was an all day adventure. Because Jetblue discontinued their direct flight from JFK to Richmond we have to go from JFK to Boston and then to Richmond. And that basically took us 11 hours to do yesterday. So I was pretty understanding when Blake was antsy the last half of our second flight. But when he projectile vomited right before we landed I decided that an all day flying adventure would not be in our future after this trip unless absolutely necessary. It was disgusting. And sad. Let's just hope that doesn't happen on our flight back when I'll be going solo. I'll keep the barf bag ready just in case.
2. No matter what I do, by the time I get to my destination I look and feel like crap. I don't usually get dressed up to fly on an airplane. I try to be as comfortable as possible. But no matter how much time I spend on my hair, make up, and outfit I usually stop in the an airport restroom only to look in the mirror and wonder what happened.
3. Turbulence.
4. The headache and nausea I experience 75% of the times I fly.
5. Smallest bathrooms known to man.
6. No leg room.
7. Disgusting airplane air.
8. Possibility of my baby a)crying the whole time or b)barfing all over the place 5 minutes before the plane lands. Blake did pretty well on this trip considering it was an all day adventure. Because Jetblue discontinued their direct flight from JFK to Richmond we have to go from JFK to Boston and then to Richmond. And that basically took us 11 hours to do yesterday. So I was pretty understanding when Blake was antsy the last half of our second flight. But when he projectile vomited right before we landed I decided that an all day flying adventure would not be in our future after this trip unless absolutely necessary. It was disgusting. And sad. Let's just hope that doesn't happen on our flight back when I'll be going solo. I'll keep the barf bag ready just in case.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
honesty of the brutal kind
Yesterday Blake didn't nap very well. While I don't have a rigid schedule of when he eats and sleeps, he generally follows a pretty set pattern:
wake up at 6:30 and eat
go back to sleep until 9:30
eat and play until noonish
short nap
eat lunch and play until 5ish
nap
eat dinner and play until bedtime
The times in his schedule aren't really set. I just try to watch him and when he gets fussy and shows signs of being tired then I put him down for a nap. I know not everyday will follow that schedule and I don't expect it to (especially on Sundays). But yesterday my little one didn't go back to sleep in the morning like he usually does and hardly napped at all the rest of the day. He was awakened by a neighbor who had locked himself out and rang our doorbell. Then later in the day he just decided he only needed a 20 minute power nap.
He finally took an almost 2 hour nap last night, which ended at 8. So you can imagine that when his bedtime rolled around he was pretty wired and I was ready to sleep for 3 years. And of course this morning he decided not to go back to sleep again, so I figured today was going to be about as exhausting as yesterday was. In all honesty, that's when I thought I'd be crazy to have another child. I don't know how my mom did it and I don't know how anyone else has more than one child. I felt bad thinking that, but it's truly how I felt. And I always wanted to have a big family!
But then as I was typing this blog I noticed that Blake was unusually quiet. When I looked down at him, this is what I saw:
And then I honestly thought that I'd miss that cute little baby when he was a big boy and would probably want another baby after all.
wake up at 6:30 and eat
go back to sleep until 9:30
eat and play until noonish
short nap
eat lunch and play until 5ish
nap
eat dinner and play until bedtime
The times in his schedule aren't really set. I just try to watch him and when he gets fussy and shows signs of being tired then I put him down for a nap. I know not everyday will follow that schedule and I don't expect it to (especially on Sundays). But yesterday my little one didn't go back to sleep in the morning like he usually does and hardly napped at all the rest of the day. He was awakened by a neighbor who had locked himself out and rang our doorbell. Then later in the day he just decided he only needed a 20 minute power nap.
He finally took an almost 2 hour nap last night, which ended at 8. So you can imagine that when his bedtime rolled around he was pretty wired and I was ready to sleep for 3 years. And of course this morning he decided not to go back to sleep again, so I figured today was going to be about as exhausting as yesterday was. In all honesty, that's when I thought I'd be crazy to have another child. I don't know how my mom did it and I don't know how anyone else has more than one child. I felt bad thinking that, but it's truly how I felt. And I always wanted to have a big family!
But then as I was typing this blog I noticed that Blake was unusually quiet. When I looked down at him, this is what I saw:
And then I honestly thought that I'd miss that cute little baby when he was a big boy and would probably want another baby after all.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mary and the baby Jesus
Whenever I think of the birth of Christ, certain pictures pop into my mind.
And while all of those pictures are lovely and better than any picture I could personally create, they don't match what I think it was actually like to see Christ as an infant.
But then I saw this picture, and I instantly fell in love with it. It's my new favorite painting and I hope one day to own it and hang it in my home.
I love the way that the baby Jesus is looking up. Haven't you seen little babies do that, struggle to lift their head up and look around? It just seems so true to life. Liz Lemon Swindle is the artist and her words about this painting are better than my own. Here's what she says: "I remember a moment after the birth of my first child when everyone had left and I was alone with my son for the first time. I looked at him lying on the bed and realized I was responsible for this new life. How could I teach him everything he needed? I was terrified.
I held him close and the two of us cried. Those were tears of fear and tears of joy, but most of all they were tears of love. Looking into his little face that day I made promises to my Father that I have tried very hard to keep.
Was it different for Mary on that night in Bethlehem? Like any first-time mother she must have felt all the fear, all the joy, and all of the love that comes with a child. This painting reminds me that we are never alone when we look heavenward."
Amen.
And while all of those pictures are lovely and better than any picture I could personally create, they don't match what I think it was actually like to see Christ as an infant.
But then I saw this picture, and I instantly fell in love with it. It's my new favorite painting and I hope one day to own it and hang it in my home.
I love the way that the baby Jesus is looking up. Haven't you seen little babies do that, struggle to lift their head up and look around? It just seems so true to life. Liz Lemon Swindle is the artist and her words about this painting are better than my own. Here's what she says: "I remember a moment after the birth of my first child when everyone had left and I was alone with my son for the first time. I looked at him lying on the bed and realized I was responsible for this new life. How could I teach him everything he needed? I was terrified.
I held him close and the two of us cried. Those were tears of fear and tears of joy, but most of all they were tears of love. Looking into his little face that day I made promises to my Father that I have tried very hard to keep.
Was it different for Mary on that night in Bethlehem? Like any first-time mother she must have felt all the fear, all the joy, and all of the love that comes with a child. This painting reminds me that we are never alone when we look heavenward."
Amen.
Friday, December 10, 2010
funny things kids say
Remember that post about how I couldn't remember any of the good times when I was teaching? Well thanks to Facebook I remembered some of those good memories and the hilarious things kids say. Enjoy!
During morning meeting when we share what we did over the weekend:
Student A: My hamster died this weekend. My mom said he had a blood clock.
Me: Oh, haha. Ok, well it's blood clot, with a t. And I'm sorry your hamster died.
Student B: My aunt has a science infection.
Me: I hate those! And it's sinus, not science. Tell her we hope she feels better!
Student C: My aunt died of cancer!
Me: Ummm, I'm sorry.
Student C: She died a few years ago so it's ok.
During social studies:
Me: Does anyone know what the word "Deseret" means?
Student: Bookstore?
Me: Hahahahah no, but good guess!
During a Christmas discussion with the class sitting on the floor in front of me:
Me: Ok, take one big scoot backwards. You are making me claustrophobic.
Student A: What does claustrophobic mean?
Student B: It means you're afraid of Santa Claus.
During a book group meeting with second graders:
Student: We have a lots of Mexicans in our class and they like to talk and get in trouble.
Me: Oh.
Student: But I'm not Mexican. I'm Mormon.
Me: Oh did you know that you can be Mexican and Mormon?
Student: Really? Oh ya. We do have a temple in Mexico.
During morning meeting when we share what we did over the weekend:
Student A: My hamster died this weekend. My mom said he had a blood clock.
Me: Oh, haha. Ok, well it's blood clot, with a t. And I'm sorry your hamster died.
Student B: My aunt has a science infection.
Me: I hate those! And it's sinus, not science. Tell her we hope she feels better!
Student C: My aunt died of cancer!
Me: Ummm, I'm sorry.
Student C: She died a few years ago so it's ok.
During social studies:
Me: Does anyone know what the word "Deseret" means?
Student: Bookstore?
Me: Hahahahah no, but good guess!
During a Christmas discussion with the class sitting on the floor in front of me:
Me: Ok, take one big scoot backwards. You are making me claustrophobic.
Student A: What does claustrophobic mean?
Student B: It means you're afraid of Santa Claus.
During a book group meeting with second graders:
Student: We have a lots of Mexicans in our class and they like to talk and get in trouble.
Me: Oh.
Student: But I'm not Mexican. I'm Mormon.
Me: Oh did you know that you can be Mexican and Mormon?
Student: Really? Oh ya. We do have a temple in Mexico.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Baby it's cold outsiiiiiiiiiiiide!
I always forget how much I hate winter. It's probably because when I think of winter I think of Christmas and I love Christmas! But the Christmas season is only a small part of winter (and if you live in Utah where your winter seems to last for 7 or 8 months then it's a reeeeally small part).
Naturally as the weather turns colder people tend to bundle up, including babies. Blake has a cute blue gummi bear suit that I usually put him in when we are outside. But he is quickly outgrowing it and by the end of winter his little toes will be peeking out. So thanks to a recommendation from a mom who has weathered a few Brooklyn winters with a baby, I got one of these.
When I first saw how much they cost I decided it wasn't really worth it and we'd just have to wrap our baby in a blanket and deal with it falling out of the stroller every few minutes. Then I thought I could make one. Then I laughed at myself for thinking I could actually make something like that. Then I got an email from a lady selling her slightly used BundleMe so I went the second-hand route!
Blake and I went for a stroll today and it kept him nice and warm. It's amazing/weird how happy baby accessories make me. Seriously. Now if only I could find a bigger stroller and adult sized BundleMe for myself. Oh and someone to push me around the city.
Naturally as the weather turns colder people tend to bundle up, including babies. Blake has a cute blue gummi bear suit that I usually put him in when we are outside. But he is quickly outgrowing it and by the end of winter his little toes will be peeking out. So thanks to a recommendation from a mom who has weathered a few Brooklyn winters with a baby, I got one of these.
When I first saw how much they cost I decided it wasn't really worth it and we'd just have to wrap our baby in a blanket and deal with it falling out of the stroller every few minutes. Then I thought I could make one. Then I laughed at myself for thinking I could actually make something like that. Then I got an email from a lady selling her slightly used BundleMe so I went the second-hand route!
Blake and I went for a stroll today and it kept him nice and warm. It's amazing/weird how happy baby accessories make me. Seriously. Now if only I could find a bigger stroller and adult sized BundleMe for myself. Oh and someone to push me around the city.
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