Dillierama

Resolutions for 2009

• Loose 50 pounds.  This will not put me at my "ideal" weight.  However, it will put me at a weight that I've been happy at before that feels healthy to me. An added bonus is that I should be able to fit into all the clothes currently taking up all the space in Max's closet.  If I meet this goal and still want to loose more, I'll tackle that in 2010.
  • I am going to start posting PHM (Project Hot Mom) at a separate blog, and I plan to...gulp... post pictures and numbers.  REAL accountability is what I need, and I don't think anything could motivate me to loose weight more than to tell the entire internet how much I weigh. My HUSBAND doesn't even know how much I weigh. 
  •  My plan is to use the WW Flex point system.  I won't actually be JOINING WW, but will use their points to track my food intake.  (I know how to calculate points based on a previous WW stint)
  • My exercise program will consist of walking Fancy every morning (I already do this) around the 1.5 mile loop, doing Turbo Jam at least three days/week and 30DS three days/week.
  • I also want to do a couple 5K's this year.  NOT RUNNING, I hate running, but I would like to BRISKLY WALK at least 2 5K's.  Komen Race For The Cure in May for sure.
• Scrapbook the boys' first years.  I know, Alex is THREE AND A HALF! I have a half filled out baby book for him and a fully finished photobook sitting in my cart at Shutterfly, but what I really want to do is do a scrapbook by hand.  I've been keeping track of their lives here on my blog and I want to go through and print out a lot of the stories and milestones I've recorded here and put them in a physical book that they can have when they get older.  Scrap-booking isn't really my thing, so this will be hard for me.
• Learn more about photography.  Ideally I will have an opportunity to take a class at the community college or maybe an adult ed class.  If I can't do that, I want to at least try to learn more on my own by reading books and taking pictures everyday. 
• Find ways to teach my children altruistic values.  I think Alex is old enough now to start consciously doing things for others.  
  • He will be getting an allowance this year and I want to give him three piggy banks, one to put money in to save, one to put money in to spend, and one to put money in to give.  Once a month we will empty out the "Give" piggy and send it to a charity of his choice.
  • Once a month go through his toys and have him pick some to donate
  • Find some kind of volunteer activity he and I can do together.

2008 in review

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
 Gave birth to a baby with NO PAIN MEDICATION!!!

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

Well, let's see, here's last year's resolutions:

• Only gain half as much weight (or less) during this pregnancy as I did with Alex. I gained 35 pounds with Max, vs 60 pounds with Alex. I'd say I did ok on this resolution
• Loose the pregnancy weight by the end of the year. All but 3 pounds of Max's pregnancy weight is gone. So again, did ok.
• Finally finish Alex's first year photo book Finished it at Shutterfly, but did not print it. I may end up doing a handmade scrapbook instead for both boys.
• Be more active as a family.  We spend way too much time downstairs in front of the TV watching Star Trek re-runs.  I want us to get OUT and do SOMETHING together as a family at least once a week.  Even if it's just a picnic at the park on a Sunday afternoon. We actually did do this, almost every week we go out and have a "Family day"
• Stick to our "total money makeover".  Be gazelle intense.  DO NOT ACCUMULATE MORE DEBT!  Hmmm, no such luck. We had some unexpected expenses that couldn't be avoided and then there were the new windows, which I like to look at as an investment. We have been better about sticking to our monthly cash budget however.

I will definitely be making 2009 resolutions

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, ME!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes. John's mother, John's grandmother, John's aunt and John's dog-brother
5. What countries did you visit?
Stayed in the good ole USofA this year
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Better control of our finances
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
four days:  The day Max was born June 18th, The day Max almost dies June 19th, the day we brought Max home from the hospital and both my boys fell asleep in my arms for the first time June 24th and the day Diane passed away September 13th
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Having Max and potty training Alex
9. What was your biggest failure?
We did not stay on a budget this year, in fact, we managed to accumulate additional bills. We did pay off some debt, but got right back in shortly after... boo.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I stayed healthy this year
11. What was the best thing you bought?
The Garmin
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Alex, who has settled down quite a bit AND is very nearly potty trained!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
  I'm looking at YOU California. |prop 8|
14. Where did most of your money go?
A big chunk to new windows, another chunk to taxes and some to funeral expenses.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Having Max
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
I kissed a girl because it's one of Alex's favorite songs to dance to
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
I'm thinner, only because I'm no longer pregnant c) richer or poorer?
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
exercising
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
eating
20. How did you spend Christmas? Building up the Santa myth for Alex and family get togethers

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Fell in love with my little family even more.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
Nova Science Now
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Not really
24. What was the best book you read?
I read some books, but none of them all that great.  Sadly, my diet books were probably the best books I've read this year
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Didn't have one

26. What did you want and get?
New windows for our house
27. What did you want and not get?  A new furnace and humidifier  

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I liked The Dark Knight, Hancock, Iron Man and Tropic Thunder
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 31 this year. My grandma was in town so we celebrated a little with her and a little with John's family.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Getting completely out of debt.  
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Fashion concept?  HA! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
32. What kept you sane?
My marriage, my mom's group, my family
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I couldn't help it, even though I was a Hillary supporter, after the primary I got on the Obama wagon, big time.  

34. What political issue stirred you the most? Um....THE ELECTION!  

35. Who did you miss?
Diane
36. Who was the best new person you met?
Max
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
It is possible, though sometimes very difficult, to find something positive in every situation.  Though it doesn't necessarily make that situation ok, or happy or really any better, it is worth looking to the positive, it is worth trying to find something to learn from the situation, to make your sacrifice or loss not to have been in vain. 
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
As crazy a year as this was for us, it seems the only constant was our marriage.  Our relationship got us through some really tough times, and I feel like, right now, we are stronger together than ever.  So, it might be sappy, but I'm going with a love song:

JUST THE WAY YOU ARE (Billy Joel)

I wouldn't leave you in times of trouble
We never could have come this far
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times
I'll take you just the way you are

Quick holiday recap

On Christmas Eve, the Dillier Siblings w/ spouses, dogs and kids as well as Grandma Marie, Aunt Virginia and her girls came over for Diane's homemade chicken noodle soup as made (perfectly, in my opinion) by Little Jen. 

We also had the traditional gift exchange / white elephant during which I fought my sister-in-law for a PediPaws (she won), but I scored a fuzzy brown body pillow.  John insisted on being the first to open a present and immediately became stuck with a High School Musical DVD game until my sister-in-law, playing as her boyfriend, stole it from him and John got to open a nutcracker.

We played Ticket to Ride and then everyone went home, John and I stayed up arranging Santa presents in the living room for the boys, and trying to take bites out of the Santa cookies Alex made earlier in the evening (we got through all but one) then fell into bed exahusted.

Sleep, however, was not in the cards for me, as an overstimulated Max was up all night long.  Wouldn't have mattered anyway because I wasn't able to sleep.  Earlier in the day I'd noticed that the back of my head was sore, and feeling back there, it seemed like there was some kind of swollen lump on the back of my head, maybe a gland or something.  Anyhow, thoughout the night it hurt more and more, and when I finally gave up trying to sleep at 5:30, I felt as though someone had whacked me in the back of the head with a baseball bat.  I stayed up, expecting Alex to call for me any minute, but he didn't get up until after 7 in the morning with a groggy "Happy Christmas" squeak coming from his room.

Christmas morning was nice, all of Alex's presents were winners, in particular his igloo tent, which he opened and exclaimed "It's an IKEA thing! I LOVE IT!"  He loved everything.  He's so easy to please these days.

Soon after Alex opened his presents, my mom and Mark came over for breakfast and Alex opened gifts from them. The neighbor called to wish us a Merry Christmas and to inform us that our fence on their side has blown over. We all played Alex's new Chutes and Ladders game, which Alex got bored of after a few minutes (but has since asked to play many, MANY times).

I made a peach cobbler for later and discovered that my microwave mysteriously stopped working, which sent me into mild hysterics because I JUST GOT IT! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT A MICROWAVE AGAIN! NOOOOO! it is only a few months old and was functioning properly the night before, so who knows what's going on.  Thankfully we have a tiny microwave in the mancave downstairs that I can use.  Once the cobbler was finished (looking to me like peaches with snot and buiscuits.  Thankfully, it didn't taste like it) I took a nap with Max hoping my throbbing head would feel better, it didn't but the nap did give me some energy.

We went over to John's dad's for a lunch of Christmas goose and another gift exchange.  I scored a remote shutter control for my camera and John got a whole bag of stuff from Grandma Judy, including lots of sports related stuff, lots of Star Wars related stuff and a Best Buy gift card.  The kids were thouroughly spoiled by the entire family. (incedentally, the High Scool Musical game reappeared during this gift exchange and it looks to be going home with Nate, unless he was able to unload it later in the day at his family party)

Alex fell asleep on the way home at 5:30, and woke just as I was getting into bed with Max around 11.  I sent him downstairs with John and they stayed up until 2 in the morning playing with Alex's toys.  I was still feeling awful so John got up with Alex around 7 and I slept for an extra hour or so with Max.

I spent a good chunk of yesterday afternoon with a heating pad on my head reading Harry Potter, and this morning, I seem to be feeling better, still sore, but not nearly as bad.  John keeps bugging me to call the doctor, he actually referred to it as a matter of life and death.  I am not so dramatic about it, figuring it's either a swollen gland because I'm getting sick or simply stress from the holidays.  I did agree to call the doctor Monday if it's not significantly better.

So, other than my head, the microwave and the fence, it really was a nice Christmas.  John and I went to bed on Christmas eve talking about how lucky we were.  How happy we are to be a family.  Christmas is also the time when I consider us officially becoming a family, as this year it was the sixth anniversary of our engagement (though it was the seventh Christmas we've spent together).  It was our fourth Christmas with Alex and our first with Max.  It was my seventh without my dad and John's first without his mom. 

2008 will go down in our family history as the year of the rollercoaster.  We had wonderful, AMAZING things happen to us this year; John's promotion and completing our family with the birth of Max to name a few.  But we also had some scary things happen and unexpected losses this year that have hurt us deeply.  This year has changed us, and I hope, has made us stronger for things to come.  It is with some relief that I bid adeiu to 2008 and look forward to 2009 with optimism.  I want the coming year to bring us...less.  I don't want extremes for 2009.  Not even happy ones.  I want to just enjoy what we have right now.  Eachother, our home, our family, our health...

I hope everyone had a great holiday!

It's what the cool kids are wearing

John and I were out shopping yesterday and John mentioned that he needed some new jeans.  So we made our way to the mens section of the department store we were in and found the denim section. 

"These look good" John said, pointing to a display
"Oh, Honey, you're not hip enough to pull those off" I told him
"But look at the price, they're cheap!"
"Yea, because they're ripped!  Look"

I kept going on and on about these strange wide belts, and do men really wear boot cut?  And why are they ripped? And they look dirty.  If you want dirty pants, just wear the ones you've got for a few weeks, they'll look the same as these right here!

I pointed John to a pair of crisp dark blue jeans with a straight leg and a high waist.  I'm sure if he'd have tried them on, he could have pulled them up to his nipples, Urkle style if there ever were any.

John took a pair of the "dirty" pants and a pair of less hip, yet less dorky than the Urkle pants to the dressing room, and on the way there I babbled on about these shirts!  What is with these shirts?  Who wears this stuff?  This shirt here?  With the print on the chest?  It's a button down! I don't get it.   

I sounded like my dad anytime he took me shopping as a teenager.  Kids these days.  You call these clothes?  You call this a style?  That's too tight!  That's falling off!  Do people wear that color in public these days?

It's no secret that I have NO fashion sense at all.  None.  I don't even have out dated fashion sense.  I wear pants and shirts.  As plain and as style free as possible.  Part of it is because I'm fat, and wearing anything that calls attention to me, calls attention to my fat.  Part of it is also because, I suspect, I'm getting old.  I used to go shopping and wish I could buy all the cute clothes.  Now I go out and struggle to find something that doesn't cause me to laugh uncontrollably, because I'm supposed to WEAR that?  I'm incredibly practical.  That short sleeved sweater?  But what if my arms get cold?  will a scarf tied around my neck keep me warm if I'm just wearing a t-shirt? I truly don't understand wearing something simply for the look.

John came out of the dressing room and said he liked the "dirty" pants.  I looked at them again and thought they weren't so bad.  At least he can wear them a few times before I had to wash them, no one would know the difference.

A visit from Santa

Santa paid Alex and Max a visit to make sure they were being good boys this year.

(this is pretty long, about 5 minutes)

My Macho Pony

I generally let Alex play with any toys he happens to be interested in. I pay little to no attention to whether that toy is a "boy" toy or a "girl" toy.  The majority of the time, Alex does prefer typically boy toys like cars and blocks and sports stuff, but occasionally he'll  be interested in other things, such as his doll "Baby Po" and that one time he got a Polly Pocket in his happy meal (he LOVED that Polly Pocket).  Twice now he's gotten a My Little Pony in his happy meals, and let me tell you, the boy LOVES his My Little Pony (he only has one because the first one he left at McDonald's). 

I brought home a happy meal for him after taking Max to the doctor this afternoon, and when he saw that he got a new My Little Pony he exclaims  "Mommy!  My pony dreams have come true!"  He is now happily combing it's hair with the yellow sparkly brush and putting rainbow stickers all over it. 

I see absolutely nothing wrong with this.

In fact, I think the My Little Pony manufacturers are missing out on a HUGE opportunity here.  Alex isn't the only little boy who likes My Little Pony.  The last time we were at McDonald's his little friend demanded he get the pony toy.  Alex was so enamored of his friend's pony, I returned his Bionicle (what the hell are those things anyway?) and got the "girl" toy for him.  They had a ball playing, and I caught a couple other little boys trying to play with Alex and Caden's ponies.  What makes ponies specifically girly?  They could easily market My Little Pony's to boys just by making them in non-pastel colors, and maybe with spiky mowhawks instead of flowing curls.  They could put baseballs and race cars  on them instead of rainbows and butterflies.  Not that I wouldn't still buy the rainbow and butterfly version for my sons if they should so desire them, but it would make My Little Pony a bit more palatable for the macho dads like John.

Clearly he didn't learn the same wholesome holiday songs I did

So we're driving around to see the holiday lights at Thanksgiving Point tonight.  We've got the radio tuned in to the local 24 hour a day Christmas music station and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as sung by Gene Autry is playing and John and I are singing along.

...all of the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names...

"Like shithead!"  John sings

I give him a look but we continue singing

...he'll go down in history...

"LIKE HITLER!" He bellows joyfully

"Ok, that's enough Christmas music for one night I think"  I say loudly, hoping Alex doesn't start singing his father's version of the Christmas carol with his friends.

Concert pianist in the making

The bowing, it's all about the bowing

L'chei-im

We were lucky enough to be invited to a Hanukkah dinner on Friday night.  We were to bring drinks, and though my Jewish friends aren't really all that devout, we wanted to get into the spirit of things and bring some sort of kosher alcoholic beverage. 

I sent John to the liquor store to pick up some kosher wine. So John goes and looks and looks and looks, then finally calls me for advice.  Apparently my advice "just get something that sounds Jewish" isn't all that helpful because he askes me "What about Sutter Home?"  I respond "Does Sutter Home sound Jewish to you?"  He gets all exasperated and says "I DON'T KNOW?!?!"  Finally I tell him just to ask someone.  He refuses.  Which I don't get (classic man-won't-ask-for-directions syndrome).  So I get off the phone with him, call the liquor store myself (he's still AT the liquor store at this point) and ask them if they have kosher wine.  They say they have two, I hang up and I call John back.  I tell him what to get, and he looks and he looks and he looks, still can't find it.  I get fed up and tell him to ASK SOMEONE ALREADY! and hang up.  He came home with the two wines I'd told him to get: Manischewitz red creme concord and Mogen David Blackberry.

The dinner was great, we had Matzoh Ball Chicken Soup, Potato Latkes, Carrot Tzimmis (aka candied carrots and apples), Challah bread, Tomato & Onion Braised Brisket and Noodle Kugel (aka noodle pudding) for dessert.

Our wines were good, though the Manischewitz was WAY too sweet for me.  I ended up having three or four glasses of the Mogen David, with no real buzz, so I'm thinking kosher = weak on the alcohol content.

It was fun to share someone else's holiday traditions for a change.  Though the Gentiles outnumbered the Jews at this particular dinner (out of the 10 of us, only 2 were Jewish), it didn't really matter.  Good food and good company make for a wonderful evening in my book. 

 

The Holiday Virus

I just looked at the calendar this morning and it's December 14th!  10 days until Christmas eve! 

I've been trying to just float on by this holiday doing as little as possible.  We haven't put up ANY decorations, Didn't even bother dusting off the crappy door wreath even.  Not the blow up snow man, and the tree?  The tree that's still got lights on it from last year and is waiting, menacingly in it's box in the garage?  HAHAHA!  John and I have had exactly one conversation about holiday decorating this year and we decided, yea, we'll do it later. It's looking like later, may be 2009.

It's not that I'm feeling grinchy, just...lazy.  But I'm starting to snap out of it.  Starting to get my holiday groove on.  Thanks to Alex who demands to know where Santa is several times a day.  Alex and Santa, that's a whole other story. For years I'd get up on my soapbox and announce to John that we weren't going to DO Santa with our kids.  I didn't want to raise snotty little "gimmie gimmie" kids who thought the holidays were just a reason for them to get presents.  I also was a little hippie about it and didn't want to lie to my children.  I'd tell them that some kids believed in Santa, but that he's not real, just a symbol of the holiday spirit, yadda, yadda... But then I told Alex there was a monster in our hall closet and if he gets in there one more time, he might get bitten.  So, apparently I'm just fine with lying to my kids after all, especially if it could cause lifelong phobias of hall closets. (For the record, Alex STILL gets into the hall closet, so I don't think he's been scarred at all)

Alex is LOVING the holiday season.  He loves the decorations in people's yards and in stores we go to.  He loves talking about Santa and where is he? And will he bring presents?  He loves wrapping up random things around the house and giving them to me and John saying "Happy Christmas Birthday Mommy!"  When I see his eyes light up at the sight of a Christmas tree, how can I deny him?  He wants to know where Santa lives, how his sleigh flies, why he brings presents... I find myself telling him, repeating the things I "learned" about Santa when I was a kid, and it's FUN.  Watching his eyes get all big when I tell him the reindeer eat magic hay and it makes them fly.  Telling him Santa lives at the North Pole with toy making elves, that his favorite food is pomegranates... I think I get it now.  I think I understand why parents make up Santa and try to keep up the ruse as long as they can.  It's fun to watch your kids believe in magic. 

So, now I have work to do.  I want to write a letter to Santa with Alex and take it to Macy's (This is Alex's idea, he saw a commercial about it and now asks every day to take his Santa letter to Macy's).  I'm going to find the best Santa I can and have Alex sit on his lap (Which I've done every year just for the photo op, but this year, it will be for Alex).  We're going to make cookies and hang our stockings, and watch Santa Tracker on the news on Christmas eve.  Maybe we'll put up decorations.  Maybe not.  Ok, probably not.  But this week we are going to go look at lights and I'm going to check out some holiday books at the library to read to Alex (I think it's important for Alex to know about the other holidays celebrated during this season.). And I need to wrap Alex's presents in paper he's never seen before and write a letter to him from Santa in different handwriting than my own.

There's nothing like having a child catch the holiday spirit.  This is one bug I don't mind spreading around my household.