It's time for me to review my resolutions from this past year and realistically take stock in how I did.
(This is the part of making resolutions that I really don't like.)
1. Find friends who scrapbook (to help me use my supplies - and take away those things I probably won't ever use). With the exception of leaving half of my big scrapbooking tools over at Bekki's house the weekend before Baby C was born (I had every intention of returning the following weekend to work on cards and such), I failed miserably at this task. I did, however, manage to find homes for a few items, via our family adoption at work (one of the kids wanted scrapbooking supplies, and who was I to deny someone paper, albums, and hand punches?), and I also parted with a good amount of pink paper. But did I encounter others who scrapbook? No.
2. Eat healthier (and lose the baby fat once he is born). Aha! I accomplished this one! I still don't have my ideal weight, but I can fit into my pre-wedding clothes again. And, really, isn't that the important thing?
3. Keep up with friends' birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, etc. I did a little bit better this year in sending out birthday cards (and presents), but I missed far more than I remembered. As this is an ongoing effort, I will need to file this under 2008's planning resolution and update my calendar accordingly. I should do that as soon as I finish this post. Or, at least, I should make a note to do that.
4. Purge my library (I have MBA books that I really ought to part with and a number of self-help books I've almost memorized - not to mention all my scrapbooking magazines that I still haven't sorted). I purged a little bit from my library (Jen helped me take a huge box to the public library when she was about 7 weeks pregnant - oops!), but I think may have acquired more than I purged. Mind you, the books I acquired are thinner and are all about parenting and preparing baby food, but still. Plus there was that new Harry Potter book, of which I needed to get both the American and British version. As a result, the library hasn't shrunk all that much. This ongoing effort will be filed under 2008's "Reduce, Reduce, Reduce".
5. Keep up with housework. Ha! I might as well have resolved to successfully clone myself three times over and grow six more sets of arms. I have my things at a manageable level, which is to say that I can be company-ready in about 45 minutes if you overlook the dust on the furniture and those things that belong to my husband or the baby. Oh, and if you keep the guest bedroom and master bedroom doors closed. Otherwise, I'd say I'm living in a perpetual state of C.H.A.O.S.* [sigh] This is another ongoing effort to be filed under the 2008's planning resolution.
Let's just hope that I can do better with my resolutions for 2008!
*C.H.A.O.S. is an acronym for Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome, courtesy of FlyLady. And, sadly, that's exactly what my house feels like most of the time.
What's the best gift you received this year?
Oh, this is an easy one. The very best gift I received this year was my little boy!
Even if it means that I haven't had much sleep since, oh, November of 2006, I think he's the very best present I could have received this year.
Or ever, for that matter.
Yeah, I'm kind of fond of him. Could you tell?
... until I turn 33.
Birthdays were always a very big deal for me. I think it's largely because in my family, your birthday isn't just a celebration of you, but also a celebration for Mom. Mom, after all, was the one who survived the trauma of childbirth, and my birthday is the anniversary of that moment.
My birthday (and my sister's, too) was also a big deal to my parents because we survived. My older brother died when he was just four days old, and I know my parents still grieve on the anniversaries of his birth and death. I remember asking my father once if, at my birth, he had to choose between my life and my mom's whose life he would choose, and, without hesitation, he said, "I would have the doctors do everything to save you." When I pressed him for an explanation, he said something along the lines of, "I love your mother and it would make me very sad, but I could always get another wife. I couldn't get another you." I never really understood that statement until I had a child of my own.
My biggest birthday party to date was my 7th birthday. In fact, we didn't have big birthday parties with friends until we were in high school. But for my 7th birthday, my parents pulled out all the stops. They ordered engraved invitations on pink paper (mind you, this was 1981 when they ordered these) with two different dates: one for my friends, and one for all of their friends. Mom hired a clown (Penny Pockets; I'll never forget) to come to the house and keep us entertained, and we had tons and tons of food, including gigantic subway sandwiches (again, it's the early '80s and those were the coolest things ever). On both days, the house and the backyard were both packed with people. It was pretty amazing.
That was almost 26 years ago.
I didn't always spend birthdays with my family. In fact, it's been a really long time since I last spent my birthday with my mom. After all, as my grandmother would remind me, my birthday was the one day in the whole year that I was allowed to do anything I wanted (within legal limits). And until a few years ago, I really didn't want to spend it with my parents.
It's funny - the older I get, the more I want my parents around. And the older I get, the better friends I become with both of them.
My parents are retired now and spend half of the year in the Philippines and the other half somewhere in the US. They still call the Valley home when they're stateside, but they could be in New York or Utah or, much more infrequently, Florida. I haven't seen them since June, when they left after Baby C's baptism, and I haven't really talked to them since September, when they left for the Philippines. They won't be stateside again at the end of February, when they'll accompany my sister and nieces (who are visiting them for most of February) back to New York in time for my older niece's birthday party.
So, this year, even before the stroke of midnight on January 3, I already know that I won't get what I want most for my birthday.
Well, there's always next year.
This year, before I actually sat down to write my resolutions for 2008, I wanted to take a moment and look up the definition of the word. Here's what I found: res·o·lu·tion
[rez-uh-loo-shuhn] –noun
]
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
I think my favorite of all these definitions is number 10: reduction to a simpler form. And, my primary resolution for 2008 is to do just that.
So, here's my list of resolutions. I really ought to check back in mid-year and report on how I'm doing with them, but I can't commit to that right now. Let's just see how things look at the Fourth of July.
1. Reduce, reduce, reduce. I have a lot of stuff. And when I say this, I really mean that I have a lot of stuff. I've got clothes in my closet that haven't seen the light of day since early 2006 or prior (though I did successfully wear some things this past week into which I never thought I could ever again fit). A good number of my clothes won't even fit into my drawers anymore. I've got scrapbooking supplies that I've long since stylistically outgrown and books that would be put to better use in a public library than on my bookshelves. I've got bags aplenty that never get used and cookbooks that still creak when you open them. In short, it's time to let some things go. My goal is to rid myself of a ton (yes, 2,000 pounds) of stuff before the end of 2008. And yes, I will keep track.
2. Be present. This is an ongoing resolution. I find that my mind isn't always where it ought to be. When I'm watching Baby C at play, for example, my thoughts inevitably shift to the heaping pile of laundry in the corner of my bedroom or the pile of stuff cluttering the kitchen counter, and I have to force them back to the moment at hand. After all, I won't get the chance to watch the baby like this for very much longer; he's changing so much every day that I know I'm already missing so much. Sadly, the clutter will be there for a long while, and the laundry isn't going anywhere, either. But this is also what I'm supposed to do when he's sleeping, right?
3. Eliminate two credit cards.
I've got three. Eliminating two of them would be a nice step in the right direction. And, if I stick to my guns and cut them up as soon as I've paid them off, the temptation to reuse them won't reappear until 2010 (when they'll reappear). Of course, this will require me to pay heed to definition number 4 above: the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute.4. Make time for a creative outlet. As I may have mentioned two or three (hundred) times in previous posts, I have a lot of scrapbooking supplies. I also have a lot of things to scrapbook, and a lot of cards that I can make and send to people I know and like. After all, if I'm not in the mood to complete a page, the least I can do is slap together a card, right? So, I really want to make time for doing something creative. It doesn't have to be a lot of time - just an hour a week would suffice - but I really ought to find the time for it. And this leads us to our next resolution - again, one that is an ongoing one...
5. Be a better planner. I'm good at planning for the long haul. For example, I've got almost enough squirreled away (and an ongoing plan) so that my retirement will be comfortable. It won't be anything posh or extravagant, but I'll be able to eat and buy myself the occassional new trinket or pair of shoes. No, the planning on which I need to work is the day to day sort. The kind that involves making grocery lists and packing lunches and things like that. The kind of planning of which my own mother was a master.
6. Completely furnish and decorate the dining room. I've been asking for my dining room for more than two years, and now that I have the table and four of the chairs, it's only right that I take ownership of it and finish it off. This means breaking out the paintbrushes, finding the right window treatments, and, yes, splurging on some additional pieces from West Elm (alas, Santa did not bring me the chairs or buffet this year). But it is manageable and very doable. Especially if I give myself an entire year to do it.
7. Restore Baby C's closet to its original intended purpose. See, about a year before we knew Baby C was coming - really, about a year before we were even married - I converted the closet in the office-now-nursery into a crafting closet. Now, it's overflowing with stuff (see resolution #1), and I have nowhere to hang the poor baby's clothes. Mind you, most of his stuff gets folded and stored in his drawers, but he's got a few hoodies and some cute little shirts that should be put on hangers and properly hung. My goal for this resolution is the end of February. We'll have to see how that goes, too. (I'll be happy if I can get it done by mid-March!)
8. Find a way to give back to the community. In other words, I want to do more philanthropic things. This past year, I participated in the Orlando Heart Walk. Next year, I plan to do that again, but I want to find something else to do, too. I don't know what yet, though. It will come to me, I'm sure.
9. Let bygones be. This is not, of course, to say that I will become best friends with those whom I feel have wronged me. But one thing I would really like to do - if for no other reason than to set a good example for my son - is to let old acts remain in the past and try (yes, this is the operative word) to focus on present actions and (hopefully) present kindnesses. And if present actions happen to be unkind, well, that leads to the next one...
10. Be more active in speaking up for myself. I don't think I speak up for myself enough. I think I've been notoriously good at letting things slide in hopes that they will one day be, well, "fixed". If something is important enough for me to care about it, then I ought to speak up and let it be known. Now, this isn't to say that I need to be rude about it, but I think it's only fair that I let others know how I feel about certain things. After all, I heed others' wants and needs; it's only fair that I ask for the same courtesy.
So, there you have it: ten things that I want to accomplish in 2008. Some are admittedly easier than others, but that's what resolutions are like, after all.
How well will I do at keeping them? Well, that's ultimately up to me to decide. I'm sure I'll fail more often than I would ever care to admit.
But as long as I keep trying to be better, I think that makes all the difference.
So, I'm sitting at the computer in the office and watching, out of the corner of my eye (good thing I have perfect peripheral vision), Baby C playing on his little blanket. He's playing with these stacking blocks that my sister and her girls gave him at Thanksgiving.
Anyway, there's a round blue block that he was trying to reach. He tossed aside all of his obstacles to reach it, only to push an orange star block in its path. So, he picked up the orange star and held it up, looked at the trashcan (sitting not too far from him) and tried to toss it in!
All right, maybe he really wasn't trying to toss it into the wastebasket. It certainly looked that way, though.
And I thought it was awfully cute!
I missed last week because we were travelling (and the baby was still a little sick, and I was just getting over being sick myself, and my husband was throwing up while we were on the plane - but that's another post all together), so I wanted to be sure that I posted my flashback today.
This week's flashback: baby hiccups. (Or is it hiccoughs? And, really, what's the difference between the two?)
Anyway, these days, whenever Baby C hiccups, I'm reminded of the sudden jolts I would feel in my belly. It was funny to watch while in meetings (my entire belly would shake), and it kept me company on the drive home. Every now and then, I miss it, but not too often. I'm always reminded, though, when I hear him hiccupping, and my hand instinctively goes to my belly, as if he were still there.
The other funny thing about his early hiccups were that I found them satisfyingly comforting because it meant that his respiratory system was developing exactly as it should. And, sure enough, he's got a good set of lungs on him (evidenced by a few 2am screams that woke my husband).
Isn't the human body an amazing thing?
I'm a regifter. I admit it. I think it's very difficult to not regift, only because I receive a lot of very nice gifts (usually from people who don't know me well) that aren't necessarily my taste and that I know someone else would like to have. And such is the way of the regift.
I think regifting gets a bad rap because of those who don't do it well. For example, the paper mache snowman figurine given to me this year by a coworker is not going to be regifted. In fact, it probably won't even make it inside the house. Likewise for the plaster snowman family that I received a few years ago from a coworker at a different job. I can't imagine anyone out there really would want it, unless they happen to be avid snowman figure collectors (of which I know of none). So, maybe it's an Ebay item, instead. For a penny.
No, the art of the regift is about passing along a nice (this is the critical piece) gift to someone who would enjoy it at least as much - but hopefully more - than you would. Even better is if said gift is actually something you know someone else has expressed an interest in having. For example, a few years ago, I received a Best Buy gift card as a thank you for a job well done. It was a very nice gift, and for a decent amount, too (more than $50). But I have little need to go to Best Buy, and I don't often go there when I need something they sell, anyway... so it got regifted. And the recipient was pleased as punch. That's how to properly regift.
So, to recap:
DON'T regift tchotchki items unless the recipient actually collects tchotchki. It's painfully obvious that it's a regift, so save yourself the embarrassment of listening to the polite (but strained) thank yous and put it up on Ebay instead. Or, better yet, submit it for a White Elephant present.
DON'T forget to take out any packaging, cards, notes, or any other items that blatantly call you out as a regifter. My husband's old roommates received a very nice bar set for their wedding, only to find a card from the recipient's Great Uncle So-and-So in the packaging. Oops.
DON'T regift to someone in the same circle as the giver - and especially not to someone who was there when you initially opened the present that you now plan to regift. I like to break up my associates into groups: I've got Family (F), Close Friends from Home (CFH), Current Co-Workers (CCW), and Close Friends in Florida (CFF). Now, because F is in close proximity to CFH, I won't regift between those groups. But I can regift something from F to CFF, or from CFH to CCW, or even from CFF to CCW. But regifting within any one group is a definite no-no.
DO include something new with your regift. Even if you're already regifting a very nice, very expensive something, it wouldn't hurt to include an additional touch. I think I paired the Best Buy gift card in my above example with a video game. The art of the regift is about being frugal and thus able to give more, not about being cheap.
DO carefully pair the intended recipient with the item you wish to regift. Someone who is just learning to knit, for example, would be the perfect recipient for a book on knitting that you received from someone who didn't realize that you're an expert knitter. (I'm not a knitter; this is truly an example. And though I've scrapbooked for ages, I would be hard-pressed to part with any of my idea books.)
DO take good care of the items you plan to eventually regift. My mother was an expert at this. She would carefully unwrap something, dutifully write the thank you card, then take the gift and store it in our hallway closet (where she kept all the last-minute presents for surprise visitors). We always had back-up presents stashed, all boxed and in pristine condition, and no one ever knew they were regifts. Or, at least, no one ever let on that they knew. I remember one Christmas when some people came over to the house unexepectedly, and Mom brought out all these presents for everyone - wrapped and all - as though she had known all along that they were coming. That was the year I gained a whole new appreciation for the Post-It note.
By the way, if you're wondering if you've ever received a regift from me, you probably have. I'm an equal opportunity regifter.
But I also make it a point to not regift crap.
Were your holiday cards store bought, handmade, online, TBD or MIA?
I made a resolution in 2004 to not purchase any cards, and I've kept up with it (excepting 3 birthday cards I ordered from Shutterfly) since. This year's cards are simple but also include a picture of the baby, so I hope those who receive unsigned cards are a bit more forgiving.
Baby C is sick, or, at the very least, not feeling well. He let out a cry at midnight and, when Chris went into the nursery to pick up and comfort the baby, threw up on his dad's shoulder.
Not fun.
He then proceeded to throw up every 15-45 minutes thereafter, until around 4 am. Then it was just once per hour for the next four hours. I think he's starting to hold down most of his food, so here's hoping I've seen the end of the vomit for a while.
I got him to sleep for about 15 minutes before he woke up. I feel so bad when he wakes up and doesn't see me right away. He looks panicked, almost desperate, then suddenly relieved when he sees me.
So, he's on a liquid diet today. Tomorrow, I'm hoping he'll be well enough to go to school, or, at least, start up on solids again.
And now we just did an explosive diarrhea in Mommy's lap. He, at least, seems to be feeling better.
Oh joy, thy name is Motherhood.
My first outgoing Christmas card is in the mail!
My parents are always the first to receive my Christmas card, or, at least, their card is within the first outgoing stack. This year, I still have quite a few cards to make, but I didn't want to wait too long (they're in the Philippines) before sending their card. Besides, I needed to include a few pictures of the boy.
I'll post the card design in a day or so; I need to get off my duff and finish them up soon - preferably before this weekend. I think it's my best card to date, personally, and it's inspired me to seriously consider setting up an Etsy shop and putting up cards for sale.
That will require more research, though. Thank goodness Baby C is starting to sleep a little more now.
