I'm baaaack, goals, and other random life things

Made it through the holidays intact.  I have read that if you write your goals down, you are more likely to achieve them.  So here goes!!
1.  Get my house organized.
I know I say this every year but this year I really mean it and I've started with the hardest area...my desk in the kitchen.  I read the book "Eat that Frog" or some such crazy title and it has really gotten me motivated to take on my hardest/most bang for your buck tasks first.  I also am a crazy organizational blog follower.  If only I could do as they do!  I am also following a blog that is issuing a 52 week organizational challenge and that is helpful.
Some things I have already incorporated in my day to help achieve this goal:
a.  I set a timer to do things (mostly 30 minutes max) and I have to stay on task for that entire time.
b.  Make of list of daily and weekly goals (before bed every night)
c.  Take one area at a time...kitchen first.  Now, if only the contractor/electrician would call me back, then I would be really happy!!

2  Get my house decorated.  This goes along with #1 but I'm frustrated going to other people's houses and seeing their nice decor.  We have lived here 5 years and the only thing redone has been carpet in one room (thanks to the cat who likes to pee there) and the powder room (which I said would be the FIRST thing that would go when we bought the place...4.5 years later, I really did get it done)

3.  Have some sort of chore chart thing for the kids...still considering this.  Should it be related to allowance (they don't get any at this point) or just as a privilege of living here.  As we like to say in this house, "This is not a democracy".

4.  Lose 10 pounds.  I have no one to blame but myself for this.  I eat like crap and don't work out.  I am still considering what my plans are for this to be achieved.  Maybe join a gym, personal training, or just stop drinking so much Pepsi (no, couldn't do that last one...).  Maybe just use that shake weight that my hubby got me for Christmas (really, not joking!)

5.  Make more meals for the family/menu plan.  This won't be too hard as I make about 2-3 meals a YEAR right now.  I'm trying to avoid last minute problems when kids have activities late and trying to eat better.  I am very thankful that Eric cooks almost every night and loves doing so but I think it may be time to suck it up and help.  Crockpot meals are the first to be researched.  If anyone actually reads this, send me a favorite (and easy) recipe of yours, crockpot or not.

I think those goals are not so different than most other peoples but I am making a plan for each one of them.  I have already been working on the top 2 and hopefully will share my achievements as I go.

I also received a wonderful gift of a macbook from the hubs.  I'm still trying to figure it out...my mail isn't being forwarded to the cloud and other little things.  I may have to break down and pay $50/hour for someone to sit down with me to help.  Again, see #1 above, its amazing what I can accomplish in 30 minutes or an hour of concentrating on just one thing.

Ready, set.....go!
Happy 2012!!

out of the dark ages

Quickly blogging away on my new Christmas present from the hubby, a MacBook air!! Now if I could only figure the thing out.  Need.serious.help.  Trying to figure out how to get my pictures on here.  It is a sloooooow learning curve.
My other gift...

wait for it...


Shake weight!!!

Jealous?!!

Last day of school

So sad for the last day of school.
More because they will be out of school for 3 months and need to be entertained than being sad that they are a year older but such is life.
Field day, fun times.  oh, except for the pouring down rain.  I got there for lunch and to watch the festivities from there.  The rain had cleared, my kids both ate together in syd's classroom.

then Syd did the basketball shoot...granny shot style

She's so cute!

Then it stopped raining so they went back outside.  Coop participated in the 1/4 mile run

Sydney in the egg race:



After the rewards ceremony, I took them to Crappleby's for sundaes where Syd proceded to tell the hostess "my mom doesn't like to eat here".

vaca pictures

After the hospital epidsode, we had a good time and actually saw sea tutles while snorkeling.  Harrison loved the water...

One night the boys wore their matching cigar shirts...how cute are they?!

Syd turned 6 while we were there and got to pick out a fancy cake...

And then my baby started walking!

Did you hear about our vacation?

I'm going to try to be better at the updating thing. 
Ahhhh, vacation.  Love those words.  This year we went with the entire family to St Kitts.  Never been there before so it was a new adventure and this was the first time Harry flew.  It was a nice time until Harrison started wheezing and coughing like crazy one night.  I was worried so we called the doctor on call for the hotel and he came and looked and listened to him and said that we should go to the hospital for a breathing treatment or two, he would call ahead to let them know we were coming. 
The cab driver told us that the hospital had been "recently renovated" so I wasn't thinking it would be as bad as I thought...well, it was worse.   We went to the ER and sat in beach chairs in the "asthma center" to get his treatments.  It was hot and horrible and he cried the entire time.  Eric asked if we could get something for him to drink and they said "you have to provide it yourself" so Eric went in search of something that would rehydrate him.  After sitting in the ER for 5 hours and receiving 3 breathing treatments, they determined that we should stay the night and he needed more throughout the night.  They led us to the children's ward...

rows of beds and cribs lined up with a folding chair next to each one (for the parent) and NO AIR CONDITIONING.  I thought I would cry.

Immediately nurse Ratchett came up and made us sign something saying that we agreed with the rules of the ward which included only one parent could stay and a bunch of other ridiculousness.  Not only did he get breathing treatments every 3 hours, we were also supposed to keep the oxygen on him by nasal cannula...uh, yeah, right!  He was a sweaty mess within 5 minutes and so were we.  It was grody to the max!  We gave him bottle and continued to try to get fluids in him.  Nurse bitchy bitch told us "you can't use that bottle, you can only use hospital-issued bottles" because ""we can't be totally sure how you cleaned yours".  Are You Shitting Me?!!  We are sweat buckets and brought out own beverages and you're concerned about our bottle?!  Eric lost it and finally BB said "you can take this up with the charge nurse in the morning" (this was around 1:30 in the morning.  To which I said "bring it!"

The next 8 hours were hell.  Breathing treaments, sweat, and a fan from the 50s that wasn't helpful.  One of the worst nights of my life.  Around 8 a.m. Harrison looked much better and the doctor came around and we indicated that we would like to go home.  She walked away and about 5 minutes later a phlebotomist came to draw H's blood.  Eric lost it again and demanded to talk to the doctor.  She finally came back and said "well we should get some bloodwork and maybe a chest xray to see if there is anything else going on".  I said "if you were worried, it should have been done last night in the ER, we want to go home." 
We signed out AMA, but not before they asked if we would like to give H a bath. 

They led us to a small room and pointed us to a baby bathtub..."oh, wait, we need to clean it out".  I watched them clean it out and then they gave us The bar of soap...the one used by everyone else before us.  We didn't care, we were wondering if we would fit into the tub.  Oh, and then, "would he like breakfast?"...oh, NOW you provide food...

WTF?!

Toast, ham?, a few scraps of lettuce, a tomato and tea.  For breakfast.  No thanks.

Finally we left, and went to pay our bill..., I thought they should be paying US but we finally paid the entire bill...wait for it..

....$265.  

Soccer Syd

OK, here is the deal with soccer.  I hate it.  It's boring and boring and did I mention, boring?!  Anyhoo, I have never encouraged soccer in our house.  Luckily, my hubby feels the same way.  Coop did it one time and cried almost every game and his team only scored 1 goal the ENTIRE SEASON.  I don't think I would want to do it again either.  So when Syd said she wanted to do it, I smiled and said ok.

I was working during the first practice last week.  Apparently it was cold and rainy but Syd loved every minute of it.  The next day was her first game...10:00 Saturday morning.  Again, it was cold and rainy and windy.  I thought it was horrible!  Guess what, Syd loved every minute of it, even if she was freezing.  Here she is in the goalie shirt/dress.  She even scored a goal...now what am I going to do?!!  Guess I'll get my knitting and reading done.

the boys in the bath

I love that my kids want to get in the bath with Harrison.  They fight over it.  I think they secretly love to play with his bath toys but I don't care.  We currently just put him directly in the tub with a little water, although he still likes to be in his own tub and the seat.   Here is Coop showing Harry how his new tub toy works. 

I LOVE little butts!