This morning when I woke up, I said to C, "Happy New Year, honey," and she responded, "You got me a present?!" Guess I know what she considers holidays to be about, my little pistol.
A brief review of the year~
L started Kindergarten, got his 1st pair of glasses, tried out kung fu and joined basketball
J performed in her first dance recital and started a new pre-K and tap
C became her own little independent person, and turned from sugar to piss-n-vinegar
Q was welcomed into this crazy, crazy family, learned to roll and sit while becoming very vocal. She went from sleeping 9 hours at a time to barely sleeping at all.
P and I hit a rough patch, but have gotten back on track...having 4 kids will do that, especially when people are so quick to ask, "are they all yours?!" and make you feel like a leper for answering, "yes"
We have moved to eating more organic foods and have tried to remove corn from our diet because it is so prolific and has been so greatly modified from how God created it. We have also started purchasing fewer processed foods and making more of our own things, like bread.
I also switched from working out 5 days a week at the YMCA to 2-3 days a week at a local gym. Boo! Its been quite the adjustment, socially, mentally and physically. Yikes!
Just like last, this year is going to bring about a whole lot of new experiences for our family.
Q~of course this year will be monumental for her...crawling, standing, walking and eating non-baby food.
C~In February, we will learn whether or not she needs surgery to correct an anatomical defect which has resulted in grade 4 bilateral vesicoureteral reflux, causing her to need a daily antibiotic. In September, she will also begin her first year of preschool, hopefully at the school in our neighborhood.
J~this year will bring her first tap recital and the start of her elementary school career, and probably her first year in tee ball and soccer.
L~Patching and eye training will consume most of 2012 for my little man. Of course, he will also transition from K to 1st grade and move from tee ball to coach pitch.
With all of these changes, our family will need to make some adjustments in order to thrive, bringing about my personal and family goals for 2012.
1. I will drop 20-30 pounds. This is mostly baby weight, but I'll be honest, this year has brought about much stress-eating on my part. I know I can do it, now I simply need the motivation. I'm thinking that the fact that I don't fit any of my clothes may do the trick. I plan on blogging about this process, my strengths/weaknesses and my successes/failures.
2. I will find new ways to decrease our monthly expenditures and stick within some kind of a budget. Having 4 kids is difficult, especially when the cost of healthcare increases each year and paychecks don't. I plan on saving money by taking couponing more seriously and seek out coupons for items that my family uses, eating out less, and menu planning. I've dabbled in menu planning several times, but have found it cumbersome to keep up with. I plan on shopping for my menu, instead of cooking based on what I can find in the kitchen, hopefully reducing the excess and the waste.
3. I will decrease my family's footprint. We have 6 people in our brood which could create quite the footprint, but I plan on trying to keep it as low as possible by reducing our water, gas and electric consumption.
4. Have you heard of geo-caching? A fantastically interesting and wonderful woman and mother I know told me about it. Its like a treasure hunt meets modern day technology, where you use GPS locations and clues to locate a particular item that has been hidden. Sounds like so much fun and a way to get the family more active outdoors. A bonding moment, if you will. Well, this year, we are going to give it a try!
5. I will drive my car less. That means putting all my errands in as few days as possible, getting C into school in our neighborhood, and walking more. This should save on our footprint and save money and mileage.
6. We will grow a garden, only bigger and better than the one we had a year and a half ago. It'll be full of organic veggies (and hopefully fruits, too) that the kids and hubby will actually eat. That should save us some dough, reduce our footprint, reduce the dependence on our vehicle, and hopefully foster a sense of responsibility in the kids.
7. My house will be cleaner. hahahaha...That shouldn't be too difficult. I have found some great tools and I plan on using them to bring my chores to the forefront on my thought, with scheduling and delegating as key tools. We'll see how it goes. I'm just tired of all the mess.
8. I will get my baby into her own bed, sleeping through the night!
9. I will continue to focus on my marriage, and not just the kids, as I have found that being a better wife makes me a better mother, and P and better husband and father.
10. We will get some things accomplished around the house, including, but not limited to painting the walls and ceilings and staining the decks and doors.
11. In 2007, when my brother was killed, I made a goal: run the Marine Corps Marathon. Well, there was no way it was going to happen that year, as I gave birth in June. The next year, I was a blob, depressed, a shell of my former self, pregnant, and then I gave birth again in 2009. In 2010, I was in the best shape of my adult life, but ended up getting pregnant and giving birth for the final time in 2011. Fast forward to the blob I am now. Yuck! Well, this June, I will be participating in the Warrior Dash with my husband, and hopefully, either this October or next, I will be running in the USMC Marathon. I will run to honor the thousands that have died and the millions that have served our nation. I will run for my brother. I will run for healing. I will run for me. My ultimate goal is to run it this year, but I am not naive. I know that running in a marathon is a huge undertaking, mentally and physically, and that it requires a huge time commitment. If I am able to do so this year, I will tackle that goal, though it is probably more realistic to attempt it in 2013. This goal...up in the air. All I know is that I will accomplish it in my 30's.
I think that all of these goals really tie into the whole, be more self-sufficient and less wasteful approach that I'm trying to take, as well as being more environmentally and health conscious. Wish us luck because it should be quite the journey.
From the W family to yours: May 2012 bring you joy, happiness and good health. May we all learn that it is not what we have, but who we have in our lives that will bring us closer to achieving that goal.
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