Goodbye 2012

Last week was a short, quiet week at work.  I was only in the office for two days because of Christmas and really, I left early on Friday because I couldn’t stand to sit bored any longer.  Needless to say, I was not at my best.  Goals were not met.  But, I was able to spend three days home with my kids and enjoy some time with the people I love.  That is much better.

Today is New Years Eve and my birthday; it is time to say goodbye to 2012!  Honestly, it has been weird already.  I woke up at 6am.  That never happens.  It is only 8am now that I am writing this post.  I am shocked.  Today should be fun; my kids and I are going to a local day spa to use gift cards we got for Christmas.  Later, we will have a late lunch at one of my favorite restaurants and maybe do some shopping.  My parents brough cake over last night, so, at some point, we will have cake.  This evening, teen is going to dinner with a friend and staying the night, so I need to find something to do with my kiddo and Larry tonight.  We will see what happens.  Regardless, I am determined to send this year out with a bang!

Tomorrow is another day off and another day of fun.  The kids are going to my parents’ house and staying tomorrow night/Wednesday.  I get a kid free night!  Hopefully, tomorrow night will be movies and a drink with friends.  I am pretty excited.  It has been a while since I got a night out kid free.

My work week starts on Wednesday; my plan is to get back in the office refreshed and ready to tackle my new goals.  It would be wonderful to get up at 6am later this week; I am not holding my breath.  But, for now, I am just going to enjoy a couple more days off, quality time with my family, and some much needed me time.  Hope you are able to enjoy your New Years as well!

Weight Loss Chronicles-The Beginning

I really had planned to start my weight loss/getting healthy journey after January 1.  Not because I am trying to do like every other person that makes weight loss their resolution, but because I have plans for the next couple of days and I want to have my cake and eat it, too.  Literally, tomorrow is my birthday.

I have been trying to diet for a few months now and have lost a few pounds.  Nine to be exact.  My lofty goal is to lose 87 over the next twelve months.   Unfortunately, I haven’t been terribly committed which has to change to reach my goal.  I am always putting myself last, like many moms do.  So, this year, I have got to make myself a priority and stick with it no matter what hiccups my schedule gets thanks to the kids.

So, now what?  Here is my plan at this point….

1. Get the gear.  Like I said, tomorrow is my birthday.  I used my birthday/Christmas money to buy a new scale and cute lunchbox.  Hopefully, I can find some cute tennis shoes on sale over the next couple of days.
2. Track my food and exercise.  I have previously had great results with myfitnesspal.com.  I have got to get back into the habit of journaling my intake.  Look me up; I could use supportive friends.  I am 0rnerydame.  The O is actually a zero.
3. Fit in exercise.  This is usually my biggest challenge.  I want to get 30 minutes a day five days a week.  On days that I am able to take a lunch break at work, I will walk for thirty minutes and pack my lunch.  Days that I am not able to walk at lunch, I will use the elliptical that is currently taking up space in my family room or walk around the neighborhood.  I have also asked my boyfriend for a punch card to my local Zumba studio so that I can drop in when my schedule permits to spice it up a bit.
4. Blog it!  I have decided that Sundays will be my weigh in day.  As I said before, I want to lose 87lbs.  Each Sunday, I will fess up on what I have lost or gained.  I will also let you in on my tracking, exercise, and whatever else is going on.

I know that this will not be an easy road for me to take, but I am pretty excited.  I have the support of my friends to help me stay focused and, hopefully, you will be part of that support group.  Feel free to join me on my journey over the next year; the more the merrier (and hopefully skinnier).

Mapping Out Goals for 2013

Today is my last work day of 2012.  Really, this year has been challenging.  I am pretty glad to see it go and excited to start anew.  I have a feeling that today will be another slow day in the office and figured it was a good time to map out a few of my personal goals/initiatives for the upcoming year.  Not resolutions, mind you, but goals and initiatives.  I have mapped them out before with success, but last year faltered a bit on my follow through.  This year will be different.

• Stop allowing people to bring me down.  I take other people’s actions personally and allow their actions and opinions to eat away at my soul.  It always seems to be few people and it is time for me to handle it better or remove them from my circles.
• Get healthy.  Normally, I put lose weight and exercise more.  This one will probably have its own blog post in the next few days as I get started.  It is just too broad for me to succeed.  I need to narrow it to the point of being ridiculous and be held accountable.  I figure blogging my progress will help me to stay focused. (note to self-buy a new scale and tennis shoes)
• Chisel out some me time.  I am always the first to put my needs on the back burner.  The kids always come first.  I do for my spouse, family, and friends.  There is not always a lot of time for me.  Last year, WB and I got pedis once a month during the summer.  It was the highlight of my year just to spend time with a friend and do something for myself.  I need more of that.
• Do more with my kids.  This will be another blog post over the next few days.  I want their input on this.  Personally, I want to take a real vacation and get away for a few days.  I still want to do some weekend trips as well, but I want more of a vacation.
• Get back into the habit of going to church.  I am by no means a holy roller, but I feel better about the world when I take time to thank our creator.  Plus, I think it is good for the kids and for us as a family.
• Pay off my debt.  Really, I try to live within my means and, I believe, I do okay.  I do, however, have a car payment and two small credit cards.  I would LOVE to get them all taken care of and be able to put some money away.
• Save for the kids.  This was probably my weakest point in 2012.  Normally, I try to open a CD each year for them and I failed this year.  It is my goal to do this first upon receiving my tax return as to not screw up again.
• Work on my home.  I love home improvement projects and I have a long list of wishes.  I need to write down my wish list, prioritize, and then it will probably be a blog or ten.
• Focus more on the job.  Considering this is the second blog I have wrote from my desk this week, this may be a bit of a challenge.  Luckily, I have established goals already in place for this one.  I just need to get my butt into gear.

So, I guess this is my starting point.  I have three days to reduce these points to the ridiculous and begin.  Hopefully, a few of you will share your own goals, resolutions, initiatives, and whatnot and we can work on making 2013 great together.

Back In The Office

I did it.  I came back to work after a long weekend.  Impressive, I know.  Normally, I love coming back to work after a few days off.  It does me good to have an abundance of emails to sort, calls to return, things to do, and so on.

This morning, however, my inbox was not saturated.  I suppose it is due to the time of the year.  I have caught up on my calls.  Added bonus, I was able to catch up with my Work Buddy ; I filled her in on all of the crap she missed being out of the office last week and the holiday hoopla.  Now, I am left wondering what to do next.

It looks like today and tomorrow will most likely be spent organizing myself, and my desk, for 2013.  Maybe, if I organize, I can stay on top of things for a bit and get the year off on the right foot.  If not, it would be nice to at least be able to open my left desk drawer again.

Feeling Ornery After Christmas

I come from a large family. I am the oldest of six; four boys and two girls. We are the most mismatched group you could imagine. Despite our differences, we all love one another. We don’t always like one another, some of us go for months at a time without even talking, but we always love one another even if it takes a bit to remember. Honestly, it is a pretty awesome family.

Being that we are such a big family, our gatherings are special. It is hard for us all to come together given our work schedules, school schedules, etc. Our gatherings are loud. You have to jump right on in. They are joyous, often politically incorrect, and always full of love.

Yesterday afternoon, we all started trickling into my parent’s house; my siblings, their spouses, their kids, friends, etc. Each of us had other gatherings and our own families to share the holiday with, so we knew some would be late. We waited patiently for us all to arrive, some more patiently than others, but that is nothing new. One of my brothers never came. My mom had spoken with him earlier; he never indicated not coming. So we continued to wait. Eventually, we went on and celebrated without him and his wife.

Today, my mom spoke with my missing brother. He confessed that they did not come to Christmas because his wife does not like us. She said we do not make her feel welcome. Really, this is crap. We all try to make her feel welcome. They are included in every function. I was even in their wedding just a few months ago. I attribute her attitude to being an only child. She is young. She thinks that the world should revolve around her. That doesn’t fly when you join a big family. You jump in. You share. You let others have the spotlight on occasion.

Apparently, she did feel welcome enough to go to my mom’s house later this week to get her gifts. I guess that way she didn’t have to fool with the rest of us. My mom, however, said no. Go mom! She told my brother that she would meet him this weekend when she comes to town to give him his gifts. I told my mom to hold on to the gift that I had gotten for her. Frankly, I know that it is immature of me, but I am not going to reward her crappy behavior.

I feel like I should be a little upset with myself for feeling so ornery this close to Christmas, but really, I do not. Honestly, I am disappointed in her for not seeing just how awesome we all are. I am even more disappointed in my brother; he could have manned up and came without her, but he chose not to. Regardless, he did not have to share the reason behind their decision with my mother. It hurt her feelings and that will not be tolerated. I feel totally justified in my current state of orneriness.

Child Proof Packaging

I have had a few posts recently on how crappy I have felt. Honestly, my entire family has had an illness of some sort over the past month. It started with my grandma.

About a month ago, my grandma went to the doctor and was diagnosed with bronchitis. She took the meds and started feeling better, but has not been 100%. Yesterday, I spoke to her on the phone at suppertime and she was sounding hoarse. She said she was not feeling well and was going to lay down. I was out and asked if she needed anything, of course, she declined.

Shortly after, my mom called. My grandmother went to the store to get herself medicine. However, she refused to buy herself any because of the cost. My mom wanted me to go to the store for her; of course, and I told her that I was more than happy to help her out and how had asked her just a bit earlier if I could do anything for her but, of course, she said no.

I went to the store and ran the meds to my grandma. I knew she wasn’t feeling up to company, so I only stayed a minute. She seemed genuinely glad to have the medicine, so I felt certain she would take it once I left. I was just sure that I would call her this morning and she would feel better.

I woke up this morning and decided to wait a bit to call my grandma in case she slept in. When I called, she said she really wasn’t feeling any better. She had gone to the doctor this morning and was put on another round of antibiotics. I told her I was disappointed and I had hoped that the medicine would have been enough to make her feel better. My grandma just laughed.

Apparently, the bottle of cough syrup I purchased was rather difficult to open. So difficult, in fact, that she was not able to take the medicine. She actually took the bottle with her to the doctor this morning and had them open it for her. She said that the doctor struggled with the container herself saying she had never seen packaging like it.

I had to laugh. It never entered my mind that she would not be able to open the bottle and I did not call because I wanted her to rest. I am sure it would have never entered her mind to ask me to open the bottle. From now on, I will be sure to packaging is not child proof before leaving my grandma.

Mean Santa

photo credit: amy_b via photopin cc

If you have read any of my posts, you know that I have a teenager.  She is self-centered, sloppy, obsessed with her hair and nails, and she is very dramatic.  Pretty much, she is a normal teenager.  Honestly, she is a lot of fun when she is not driving us all crazy.  The best thing about her is that she can take a joke.  That is why I have decided to be a little mean to her this Christmas.

I guess I should start at the beginning and tell you all that this has been building up for a while.  A few months ago her cell phone started acting hinky.  It quit allowing her to send texts, take pictures, and would die for no reason at all.  A thirteen year old with cell phone trouble….I am sure you can all imagine the terror that ensued.

It was only magnified when I decided to upgrade my own phone.  She was with me at the time and learned her phone was due for an upgrade a few months later.  From that moment on, she has hounded me.  She has begged.  She has tried to make bets to win a new phone from me.  She has tried to bargain and barter.  She has wanted a smart phone.

Every month since she was due for an upgrade I have come up with a different excuse for why we should wait.  I wanted to see how her grades were.  I had unexpected bills to pay.  She did not take care of the one she had.  You name it; I used it to shoot her down.  Eventually, I wore her down and, even though it is on her Christmas list, she is not sure that she will be getting one as she believes she must wait due to her grades.  Which, given her recent issues in math, probably is not such a bad idea, but I will go ahead and extend a little trust.

I ordered the phone online earlier this week and prayed she would not be home when the package arrived.  Luckily she was not and I was able to hide the box safely away.  I have been contemplating how to give it to her ever since and this is what I am going to do.

After she is fast asleep Christmas Eve, I am going to snag her phone and activate her new one.  I will get an app and give it a fun ring tone.  Perhaps, Santa laughing?  I will put the old phone back once the new one is activated as to not raise suspicion.  Then, I will stash the new one until Christmas morning.  Under the tree, wrapped, will be the box for the new phone with a note that reads, “Gotcha!”  As she starts to freak out a little, I will call the cell phone and let her find it.

Once she does find it, she will be thrilled and proclaim that I am the best mom ever with tears of happiness streaming down her face as she hugs me tightly.  Yeah, I am a bit dramatic; see where she gets it from?

Needless to say, she should be very pleased and we should all get a good laugh on Christmas morning.  I can hardly wait!

Reaching for the Stars

“Buddha says ‘A child without courage is like a night without stars!’”, Punjab, Annie the Movie.

After much worry and a few tears earlier this week, things worked out and my teen was able to get a part in her school’s musical.  Initially, we were worried that, despite her practicing for weeks, she would not be allowed to try out because she missed the first day of the auditions due to being sick.  She was only somewhat disappointed when she thought she would not be able to try out which I attributed to fear of failure.

Much to our surprise, the school was much more lenient that they had initially planned to be.  My guess is that the auditions did not produce the number of candidates that they had hoped for.  Regardless of why, my teen was pulled out of a class on Tuesday and given the opportunity to perform her monologue and song for the vice principal; afterwards, she was worried having no idea how she had done.  I was thrilled she was able to try out; no matter how she did, I do not want her to ever quit trying to do the things she desires.  I was simply glad she had the opportunity to try out and to showcase the hours she spent practicing.

Wednesday passed with no decisions being made regarding the cast.  Winter break edged closer and I worried they would not make the announcements until next year which, to me, seemed a bit cruel and unusual.  Then, yesterday, I received a text from my daughter, “I’m in Annie!  I am Drake and Duffy.”  Of course I was thrilled.  She then instructed me to tell the world on my Facebook page and to make sure that I tagged her in my post; I was already a step ahead of her.

I had to Google the parts to find out exactly who my daughter was playing; it has been a while since I sat through the movie.  She has two very different parts.  She plays Duffy, the oldest orphan, and from what I can tell the more vocal, negative orphan; I am confident she can play this part with ease.  The other part should be interesting; she is the butler.  Honestly, I do not remember much of anything about this character, but my daughter being a servant is not really something that I can envision.

My daughter was on Cloud Nine the remainder of the day.  She went with a friend to a local cupcake shop after school to celebrate, called family members, and drove her little sister crazy talking about the upcoming performance.  I only hope she can keep her enthusiasm when the hard stuff starts.

Immediately following their break, the cast will begin practicing.  Practice is pretty serious.  They will work two afternoons per week until 5pm every week leading up to the show in April.  She is required to keep her grades up to participate and, of course, this is in addition to her other extracurricular activities.  Needless to say, the beginning of 2013 is shaping up to be interesting; I hope she is ready.

If the world ends after bedtime…

The world is supposed to end tomorrow according to the Mayan Calendar.  Scary stuff, I know.  At least it is, if you believe that.  Personally, I do not.  But I like how it gets us all thinking.  What if the world were ending?  Who would you chose to spend your last hours with and what would you spend them doing?  I think I will use the opportunity to get the kids thinking and get a quality mother/daughter night out of the deal.

This evening I will ask my kids a few questions to get them thinking.  Here are the questions I think I will have my children answer.

 If the world ends after bedtime…

1. What should we have for our last dinner?
2. What should we do for our last night together?  Games, movies, manicures?
3. If movies (which I think will be their choice), what movie should we watch?
4. Is there anything you would like to tell your mother and/or sister?

 I am looking forward to their answers and to, hopefully, getting to veg out tomorrow night with the kiddos.  What will you be doing this Friday?  Anything special in case the world should end?

The Cookies Crumbled

This week did not start out pretty. If you have read my other posts this week, you know that my house has been cursed with the crud that is going around. On top of the crud, I have had to attend my company’s Christmas luncheon, I have had kids home sick, tried to work from home, and, of course, balance the household duties. So, yesterday afternoon when I was reminded by Larry that I had agreed to make cookies for the pot luck at his work, you could say I was less than pleased.

Really, making the cookies is not difficult. He had volunteered for No Bake Cookies which I can normally whip up with no problem. At least normally they are not difficult and there is no problem.

The teen volunteered to help and we started our endeavor after dinner. The tween had retired to her room to rest still feeling poorly. I started plopping the ingredients into the pot being careful to stir constantly to prevent sticking. I was barking out ingredients to my daughter who stood just a few feet away digging in the refrigerator. The mixture began to boil and I noticed it had a strange consistency, but assumed it was nothing. We continued on our way. Eventually we added the oats only to find that the usually muddy textured mixture was dry and crumbling. I had to throw the mixture away and start over, but not before my daughter, laughing, snapped a couple of pictures to showcase my endeavor for Facebook.

We started again, this time being more careful as the mixture began to boil. Again it was looking odd, especially when we added the oats. This time, my wise daughter asked, “Did we add the milk?” Then it hit me. That was what we forgot in the first batch. By the time she asked, it was too late to boil the milk with the other ingredients, so I just threw a cup of milk in on top of the oats and sandy mixture. Luckily, this did bring the mixture to the right consistency and we were able to make cookies.

Our third batch was perfect. I put the milk in first thing as to not forget.

When you make the cookies, you really don’t know how they will turn out until they have had a chance to set up. We had two batches get to that point. The first being actually the second batch we attempted turned out darker and gooier. Still edible though. The second batch, actually our third, was a lighter brown and had the proper texture. It was cookie perfection, or as close as you get in our house.

Fifty plus cookies are now on their way to the pot luck. I told Larry of the mishap and suggested that he and his friends try to claim the lighter brown cookies first. Let the employees he doesn’t care for have the crappy cookies. I cannot wait to hear the reviews later on tonight.