Update on my goals for 2012

In keeping with tradition, I thought I would update on the goals I made at this time last year before posting my goals for 2013.  Here is how I did on my goals from last year.

Goal numero uno was don't get pregnant!  Whoo hoo!!!  I accomplished my first goal! 

In all seriousness, I really didn't want to get pregnant this year and while that really isn't a goal, I am glad that I am not currently preggers.  Don't know that I will be making the same goal for 2013, but I do know that right now I feel like I have my hands pretty full!

Goal number two was to lose weight.  Fail.  Like major fail.  I mostly thought I would lose weight the same way I did after Molly and Isabelle, by breastfeeding.  Not so much.  The weight didn't come off, and I didn't really work much on my diet or exercise this year.  I am pretty bummed to have not succeeded in this area and will for sure have this at the top of my list for 2013.  I think I will also need to set more realistic and more specific goals in order to see progress.

Daily quiet time was next on the list and while I did not master this either, I am much better than I was a year ago.  So, while I didn't totally master this goal, I do feel like I have made progress.

Number four was to be more purposeful with the girls and I think I have done a pretty good job overall in this area.  I don't know how much one on one time happened, but I do know that we spent a lot of time doing "school" and a lot of time doing arts and crafts type activities.  I also tried to make sure the girls spent a significant amount of time playing outdoors whether in the backyard or at our neighborhood park.

My blog schedule goal went really well for awhile, then not so much.  I am going to have to work more on that in the future.  Like as soon as my sleeping schedule is worked out...lol.

I did stay pretty true to my goal to cook new and different recipes.  If I counted correctly, I posted nine of my Adventures in Cooking blogs and that is just what I got around to talking about.  This year I started making more meatless dishes and tried out lots of PW recipes from the new cookbook.  I also utilized pinterest for tons of great and some not so great recipes.  I think that this goal that I started so long ago has been one of the greatest things I have ever done.  Cooking more and trying new things really has changed my life for the better.  It may sound stupid, but Pioneer Woman changed my life through her blog and her recipes.  I am more confident in the kitchen (maybe overly confident even) and feel happy that I can now cook my husband more than just spaghetti and tacos.  In a million years I never would have thought I would enjoy cooking and baking as much as I do now.  Sometimes I think about doing it as a career somehow or going to culinary school or just taking some classes here and there.  Obviously far in the future, but who knows where my new love of cooking might take me!

My seventh goal of getting a clear plan for Mary Kay...well that almost makes me laugh out loud.  I pretty much did nothing in my MK business this year.  I have kept up with my current customers, gained a few new customers and made a little income for my family.  And while there are many who would say I needed to do more, or should have done more or could have done more, I am actually pretty content with what I did.  Would I love to have more money?  Yes, obviously.  Would I love to have more customers?  Again, yes.  But, did I want to sacrifice time at home with my husband in order to get those two things?  No.  A big, fat, NO.  Jason put in a lot of time at work this year and completed several big projects.  When he wasn't working at the office, he was often working on additional side projects at home.  So, when he wasn't working, I wanted to be spending time as a family, not at an appointment.  That was a choice I made and I don't regret it.  The thing I love so much about Mary Kay is that it can be exactly what you need it to be at any given time.  If I really needed to be making more and more and more money I could work more.  It is like anything else, the more you work you put in, the more you will get out.

There it is, my results from this past year.  Not too shabby considering how I did on my goals from 2011!  I can't wait to get my goals for 2013 written down and figured out.  I have so many things I hope to accomplish and I am ready to get started!

Eleven Months

Not a lot has changed in regards to Lawson this month.  I don't want to sound overly complain-y, but we are still dealing with an ear infection.  Because of his ear pain, Lawson isn't really feeling like eating.  After a week long nursing strike, he did start nursing again, but only a little and really only at night.  Some days he will nurse during the day, but it is rare.  We have tried bottles, cups, formula, juice, pedialyte, and nursing while he is sleeping.  Not much is working.  Ugh.

enjoying his avocado lunch!

Here is some more info on Lawson at eleven months old.

Height and Weight:  Weight is back down to 17lbs and 13oz.  We had made it above 18lbs but not for long!  Not sure how long he is, but we will find out at next months one year well check.  I hate that he has lost weight as he was already a little on the small side. 

Eating:  We have started feeding him an avocado a day along with the rest of his food to try and get some extra calories and fat in him!  He still doesn't have any teeth, so his food choices are still kind of limited.  He eats oatmeal with banana for breakfast, lunch is avocado and a banana or pear, dinner is some type of veggie/meat combo and then he is nursing sporadically during the day.

Sleeping:  Lawson. Is. Not. Sleeping.  Up at least once every hour at night.  Naps are better.  He will usually sleep for two hours during the day.

Likes:  Playing the Dora guitar, playing with sisters' princess castle, eating puffs, being held.

Dislikes:  Nighttime, eating, taking medicine.

Milestones:  Crawling!!!!  Whoo Hoo!!!  Lawson has been mostly doing his army crawl until this month when he finally started actually crawling.  He has also started pulling up on the furniture.  Just when I thought he wasn't going to be walking for a very, very, long time, he surprises me and masters crawling and pulling up in one month. 

I love Lawson so much.  I am so blessed to be his mom.  I know that one day this time in our lives will seem like it went by very quickly despite how long it feels right now.  He is such a sweet baby and I hope that next month I will be reporting on a healthy and fat little guy!

Family Update

I haven't been super regular in my blogging lately.  Frankly, I am too tired to do much of anything at the end of the day.  But, I don't want to let too much time go by without updating on what is going on with our family.  This is, after all, a family blog!

So, just a few updates today on what is going on at our house.

Lawson:  Poor guy.   Currently, we are on our third round of antibiotics for an ear infection that just seems to never end.  To say he isn't sleeping or eating well would be the understatement of the century.  I am trying anything and everything to help him.  The suggestion of tubes is being thrown around by the pediatrician but is not something we can consider until he has had more ear infections or until this one sticks around for another couple of months.  If you are a praying person, say a prayer for us.  I will update more on Lawson tomorrow when he turns 11 months old!

Molly:  I could write a whole blog on my weird child, Molly.  Seriously.  Moll is currently/still in the no clothes phase of toddlerhood.  Pretty sure she would be naked 24/7 if I'd let her.  Molly also has begun to ask that we call her Will (she pronounces it wheel).  Another funny and weird fact about Molly is that she has started asking to watch Jem in the mornings.  If you aren't familiar with Jem, it is an 80's or possibly early 90's cartoon about a rock star named Jem.  It is on Netflix and is not really age appropriate, but the girl loves it. 

Isabelle:  Isabelle is pretty excited about Christmas.  This is really the first year that she has been excited about Santa or presents.  She is only asking for a book and for a candy cane.  I love that she is so easy to please.  She is also pretty excited about seeing her family and spending time with her dad.  Isabelle still asks to do school everyday which makes me happy and lets me know that at least I am not making it so horrible that she wants to stop.  She recently started rhyming up a storm and is showing more interest in learning to read.  She is a very smart girl.

Jason:  Jason is working.  Really, working.  Not all the time, but quite a bit.  We are lucky that he will have several days off for the holidays.  He has been able to work on some really cool projects though and it is neat to see his work all over the city (and in Stillwater!).

I have so many things I want to write about in my brain.  I have a cooking post, a post about my weird kids, one about Christmas, and lots of photos as well.  We will see how soon I am able to get to them.  If it comes down to blogging or sleeping I will choose sleep every time!  In the meantime, I hope you and your family have a very merry Christmas!

Embracing CC Miller's Camera

We recently had family photos taken.  Just like every other time we have had pics taken, the kids were uncooperative, running around like crazy, and crying.  Oh, and Lawson was sick with diarrhea from antibiotics!!!  I pretty much wanted to go home and cry after we were done.  Okay, I did cry after we were done.  I don't know why I can't just remember that our photographer, CC Miller, is a miracle worker and always manages to make it look like everything went (mostly) according to plan.

I will say that I am not happy with how I look in the photos.  I like the photos, just not how I look in them.  Does that make sense?  I am currently WAY over my normal weight.  For some reason it did not come off with breastfeeding like it did with Moll and Isabelle.  And my hair wasn't exactly cooperating. 

However, there are some wonderful photos.  And there are a couple of me with the kids that I am happy with.  So, today I am embracing the camera, CC Miller style.