The Holiday Ups

Today's post has a "bounce in its step" compared to Monday's complaint-fest. Hope it helps get you through hump day!

Despite quite a few "downs" - flight delays, illnesses, self-imposed quarantines, plantar fasciitis, sleepless nights, uncooperative weather - our nearly two-week visit to Wisconsin had plenty of ups as well.  

Both of our flights on our way to Wisconsin were delayed. What's new, American Airlines? Will, who started to feel ill midday, kept falling asleep on the floor of the airport (and then on a window sill at breakfast the following morning) during one of our delays. Poor buddy.

Thankfully, Will ended up with only a cold - though colds take Will down pretty quickly and for long periods of time because of his lung issues - and a mild ear infection.

Hallie, on the other hand, felt right as rain and never stopped talking throughout the entire trip. She was excited about absolutely everything - flying to Grandma and Grandpa's house, seeing Lily and Carter, taking a break from homework and school, CHRISTMAS, sledding and ice skating, drinking cran-apple cocktail on the plane, recognizing words in the airline safety manual, sitting near a cat traveling with its owner in a little purse, eating goldfish and licorice for dinner - and thanks to the volume at which she expressed her enthusiasm, everyone around her knew so. Tom and I each asked her to "use her indoor voice" at least 25 times, and every single time she responded with an "oops!", a promise to quiet down, and then a slow and steady climb back to Excitement Level 10.

The following day we celebrated Lily's fourth birthday with a chocolate, Frozen-themed cake, presents, and a trip to the mall to get her ears pierced. Hallie and I loved sharing in Lily's milestone event.

My favorite moment during Lily's birthday celebration occurred when Lily unwrapped individually packaged Elsa and Anna dolls. When Lily gravitated toward Elsa, dropping Anna on the ground, Carter swooped in and grabbed Anna. He begged his daddy - by frantically signing "please" over and over again - to unwrap Anna, and then, as if he knew Anna was the only doll Lily would ever allow him to play with (and that as the younger sibling, he is "the Anna" in his family of four), he proudly adopted her as his own. Seriously, look at his face in the bottom two pictures below.

We ventured out one evening to see a 300+ year old tree, situated on the University of Wisconsin campus, that the city plans to chop down shortly. I realize that visiting a tree sounds like a strange outing, but it ended up providing us with an opportunity to take (or for a stranger walking by to take) a few group pictures for my parents' Christmas card.

My mom, sister, and I took the kids to see a fantastic train and Lego display at Olbrich Gardens. (Olbrich Gardens, otherwise known as the site of the now infamous butterfly "attack". We verified ahead of time that the train and Lego exhibit would be butterfly-free.) The grown-ups and Will appreciated the elaborate Lego villages, while the younger kids - especially Carter, who could not get enough - loved the train best of all.

 

We held one of our regular jam sessions, with my dad and his best friend, Chuck, on guitars and vocals, Tom on the piano, and me and my sister on vocals. This year we added Will on drums, Carter on harmonica (which he was surprisingly good at), and Hallie and Lily on dancing.

To me, this picture perfectly represents Christmas. Family members and friends, singing and dancing and making music by the light of the tree.

Santa came! He brought Carter trains (to go on the train table my parents bought him) and a drum set, Will a soccer ball and new sneakers (per his request, Will received a "greenish-yellow and gray pair and an orange and blue pair"), and Hallie and Lily American Girl dolls dressed like Elsa. Santa also brought Anna outfits for the dolls, but the Elsa dresses have been worn considerably more frequently at this point.

Two days after Christmas my parents, Tom and I, and Sara and Jeff hosted our biannual holiday open house. We took very few pictures, but I did manage to get my hands on this one, taken of all the neighborhood "kids" in attendance. (The bottom picture was taken at this year's party, while the top picture was taken at the same party two years ago.)

The following day, my friend Katy's mom found this picture. The six of us in the bottom picture above once delivered Girl Scout cookies in a wagon train and made it on the cover of the Wisconsin State Journal. The littlest kid in in the newspaper photo is now the biggest "kid" in the pictures above.

My mom, sister, and I took a day trip to the outlet mall in Wisconsin Dells (to make up for the fact that we weren't able to travel to Chicago for our annual shopping weekend this year), and my dad reserved/rented out a local indoor soccer field so that all 10 of us could participate in what I imagine will now become a regular soccer extravaganza, but we didn't get any pictures of either of these two outings. 

Finally, a few miscellaneous pictures from the rest of the trip. 

Someone forgot one key article of clothing for
playing outside when the temperature is 12 degrees.
(And she's wearing her swimsuit under her coat.)

Will graciously agreed to cover bedtime book reading more
than once. He told me after we returned home that he was
going to need a nice, long break from princess books.

Opening one of their sets of matching pajamas on Christmas Eve.

Tom fell asleep - and Hallie fell asleep on
him - while tucking Hallie in one night.

My dad represented Aggieland Fitness Dome - my
gym here in TX - while working out in Madison.

Making Rice Krispie Treats (almost) all by herself.

Will and Grandpa at the Badger basketball game.

And last but not least, one of my favorite picture from the trip. Can you tell which child lives in Texas and which child lives in Illinois? One of them had a little trouble with the chilly weather in Wisconsin…

I hope y'all had a wonderful holiday, and that the transition back to "real life" hasn't been too tough!

Maybe Christmas…Perhaps…Means a Little Bit More

Back in November and in preparation for the winter wonderland that is Wisconsin at Christmas time, I had the kids try on all of their snow gear (heavy-duty, ski-caliber coats, snow pants, boots, hats, and mittens, none of which have they ever worn in Texas), purchased replacements for the pieces they'd outgrown, and organized everything - including Tom's and my snow gear - for our flight to my parents' house. We paid $50 to check that expertly-packed suitcase, knowing that the sledding, ice skating, and snow fort building in our near future would make the fee worth it.

Did it snow during our two week trip to Wisconsin? Nope. Not one single flake fell from Wisconsin's dreary skies. The kids were bitter. I was bitter.

An optimist might suggest that a lack of snow, while not ideal for celebrating Christmas in Wisconsin, could translate to increased opportunities to play outside. A pessimist might respond with "that's what you think, Suzy Sunshine".

Because snow had already fallen once in Wisconsin this year, when the temperatures climbed into the 40's - just a couple of days before our arrival - the snow melted, the ground thawed, and what were once hard, frozen surfaces turned to mud.

After a couple of warm, muddy days, the temperatures dropped back down into the lower 30's. The ground froze once again, and conditions would have been perfect for playing outdoors had we not all gotten the flu, colds, and/or ear infections. Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like the gift of nausea and vomiting.

Around the time our many illnesses finally passed and we felt ready to emerge from our cave of germs, the temperatures dropped into the single digits. Have you ever been outside in eight degrees with 20 MPH winds? Without proper attire, you can't feel your fingers and your lungs begin ache within seconds. Even with layers of winter wear, a minutes outside is all most people can stand. Even Will - who argued with me Every. Single. Time. I asked him to don his coat, hat, and/or mittens earlier in the trip - willingly bundled up the one evening we ventured out.

So many components come together to create the "feeling of Christmas". Christmas music fills in the air, stockings hang from the fireplace mantle, cards from family members and friends arrive in the mailbox, haphazardly-placed ornaments adorn a brightly lit tree surrounded by wrapped packages and gift bags, sweet-smelling cookies emerge batch after batch from a hard-working oven, beautifully illustrated children's books about faith and hope and "Jesus' birfday" and Santa Claus cover every coffee table and spill off the foots of the kids' beds. And outside, the ground is white.

I don't know if it was because I felt crummy, or because I was surrounded by people who felt as badly or worse than I did, or because the combination of illness and weather kept us cooped up inside and claustrophobia started to set in, but I had a harder time coping with the lack of snow this year. I had to continually remind myself - like the Grinch - that the feeling of Christmas is bigger than just one thing place or experience.

"Maybe Christmas", he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more". (Just substitute "depend on snow" for "come from a store".)

But oh, when snow first falls, clean and bright replacing brown and dirty, glistening in the sun and full of possibility…could there be a more glorious sight to wake up to on Christmas morning?

Maybe…perhaps…there is.

We left Wisconsin on January 1st. 
It snowed the very next day. 

Bring It, 2015

In my New Year's Resolutions post from three years ago I mentioned that I don't particularly like feeling pressured (by society, businesses/organizations, the media, and/or myself…) to make dramatic changes in my life and/or to myself at a time of year when, for me, change is particularly difficult and therefore doesn't make a lot of sense. I, for one, would prefer to start the New Year and make resolutions in September when summer ends, the kids and Tom head back to school, and every aspect of our schedules changes anyway.

But the New Year starts when the New Year starts, and despite how I feel about January 1st and resolutions, for the past 15+ years I have succumbed to the pressure and jumped on board the New Year's Resolutions band wagon.

When it comes to New Year's Resolutions, I've taken a wide variety of routes hoping to find one that led to (better-than-C-average) success. Three years ago I went simple and abstract. Two years ago I went categorical and measurable. Last year I went positive and impactful. The one thing these differently-designed resolutions had in common (other than their mediocre success rates), was their lengths; my lists have always been long, because more resolutions = more opportunities to succeed, right? This year, however, I'm going short, simple, and straight-forward…this year I have only two New Year's Resolutions.

First, I want to live more intentionally.

Second, I want to multi-task less.

These two resolutions go hand-in-hand, and I hope that keeping them in the forefront of my mind throughout the year will help me be more present for my family members and friends, manage my time more efficiently, work more effectively, and enjoy - without feeling guilty - my moments alone with a good book and glass of wine.

These resolutions don't lend themselves to measurable results, but I'm certain I'll figure out a way to determine whether or not I'm doing a good job of following through. I'll keep you posted…

So what are your New Year's Resolutions?

A "C" Average Resolutionary

Ah, New Year's Resolutions… Every year I make a dozen, accomplish a few, and forget the rest, and this year was no exception. Here's my end-of-the-year New Year's Resolutions report card.

My original New Year's Resolutions post is here, and my mid-term review is here.

Eat cleaner. Specifically, I'd like to bake my own bread and granola bars. (B-)
As I mentioned in July, we cut back on the (non-whole wheat) bread, processed granola bars, and processed snacks that, while never staples in our diets, probably appeared a little too often. I still can't find a bread machine recipe that produces good sandwich bread, but I found a 100% whole wheat and sugar-free store-bought bread that we all enjoy. When it comes to granola bars, it turns out we don't miss them when we don't have them so I haven't attempted any new recipes since August. And the processed snacks? They occasionally make their way into our kitchen, but not nearly as often as they once did.

Spend less. I don't spend frivolously, but in the coming year I plan to keep better track of where our dollars go and purchase only what we really need. (C)
I oscillated between success and failure when it came to this resolution. I tend to get carried away around birthdays and holidays (and did so at least a few times this year), so to make up for this weakness I did my best cut back in between these special occasions.

Streamline my volunteer efforts. This will occur naturally come fall, when both Will and Hallie attend the same school, but I can expedite the process by simply waiting to say "yes" to volunteer requests until I've had the opportunity to evaluate whether or not the nature of and time commitment for the request make sense for me and my family. (B-)
Yes, the kids attend the same school so I'm able to dedicate my school-related volunteer efforts to just one academic institution, but that one academic institution keeps me pretty darn busy. I continue to volunteer for the American Red Cross, but I've gotten better at only taking on assignments and projects for which I know I have the time and energy.

Date my husband. Traditional weekend evening dates don't always work for us, both because of our vastly different schedules and because paying for good childcare makes child-free activities cost twice as much, so our plan is to trend toward lunch dates, coffee shop "work" dates, and at-home-after-the-kids-fall-asleep dates. (C-)
After failing miserably for the first 10 months of the year, we aced November and December. Two dates in November and two dates in December brought us to five dates total for the year. I hope to carry this dating momentum into 2015.

Stop feeling guilty. About eating a brownie two brownies for dessert, drinking a Blue Moon on a Tuesday evening, reading a book instead of writing or researching while the kids are at school, and focusing my energy on people who build me up (instead of on those who weigh me down, which I admit to doing in the not-so-distant past). (C)
Still working on it.

Teach Hallie to read and tie her shoes. Though teaching Hallie to read made it onto my 2013 list, she just wasn't ready last year. Now that Hallie's both academically and mentally rearing to go, I plan to help her reach her goal. And along the way I'll teach her to tie her shoes, because just like parents reach a point when they're ready to be done changing diapers, parents also reach a point when they're ready to be done tying shoes. I'm there. (A)
Done and done. Bam.

Finalize our will. Though we've made arrangements for our children should something unfortunate happen to us, Tom and I MUST finalize this document before the end of 2014. (F)
I'm embarrassed to admit that we still haven't done this. Can anyone recommend a good lawyer (preferably in BCS) to help us with this project? I absolutely MUST cross this one off my list in 2015!

Paint my front door. Red? Green? Black? I'm conflicted. (A+)
Crossed this one off the list back in March. Still love it in December.

Learn American history. I recently realized how little I know about American history. My fifth grade teacher spent 30 minutes a day covering the Revolutionary War through the Civil War, but after I graduated from Mrs. Nowakowski's class I never saw another American history text book. Not in middle school, high school, or college. As an educated adult and the parent of a school-aged child who will soon embark on his own journey to learn about the history of our country, I find this gaping hole in my education appalling, so much so that I'd like to begin filling the gap. To be clear, my goal isn't to become a history buff. My goal is to understand a bit more about who we are and where we came from…and to be able to hold my own should I ever appear on the game show "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?". (D)
For nearly 12 months, The Complete Idiot's Guide to American History, 5th Edition and the "History of the United States, Volume 2" DVD collection sat,  virtually untouched, on my nightstand. In January and February I found a few free minutes each evening to read a chapter or watch a DVD segment, but when I discovered that just a few days later I couldn't remember what I'd learned, I grew frustrated and started picking up novels and watching Netflix instead of shoring up my historical knowledge base. I've decided to hold off on any additional American history lessons until Will reaches this subject in school; when that time arrives he and I can learn (or relearn, in my case) the information together.

Learn Texas history. What better time to learn about the history of my current home state than while I'm already learning about the history of my home country? I hope these history "lessons" turn out to be educational, yes, but also fun and something Will (and maybe Hallie, in some cases) and I can enjoy together. (F)
I forgot about this resolution during the first six months of year, and yes, I forgot about this resolution during the second six months of the year as well. I found an interesting educational website - www.apples4theteacher.com - back in July and planned to visit it with the kids "during our downtime" in August, but we never actually had any downtime in August. Or September. Or October. And so on. Maybe next summer...

Read books and watch movies. It seems silly to include reading and movie watching on a New Year's Resolution list, but because I have trouble finding the time to do both, onto the list they go. (B)
Here are a few of my favorite books and movies from the second half of the year, along with what's next on my reading and viewing lists.

Maybe this is why I didn't get as much
reading done these last few months.

Books

Four, Veronica Roth

Hector and the Search for Happiness, Francois Lelord

If I Stay, Gayle Forman

Sharp Objects, Gillian Flynn

Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (preparing for Mockingjay, Part 1 in November)

Divergent, Veronica Roth (preparing for Insurgent in March)

I didn't get to Don't Kill the Birthday Girl, In the Garden of Beasts, Accused, All Fall Down, and The Fever, so they remain on my list, and I've added That Night, Eyes on You, and Station Eleven to my list as well. I also plan to read Insurgent (again) in preparation for the movie release in March.

Movies
Our Idiot Brother (I wouldn't recommend this one)
The Monuments Men
Planes: Fire and Rescue
Earth to Echo
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Maze Runner
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (this one is a must-see for kids and grown-ups alike)
Gone Girl
The Book of Life
Mockingjay, Part 1 (three times)
Big Hero 6

And of course we watched (most of) our Christmas favorites like The Santa Clause, Four Christmases, Elf, Home Alone, and Christmas Vacation.

I still haven't seen Ender's Game, Draft Day, Maleficent, and Tammy so hopefully I can find them OnDemand or on Netflix soon. Over the holidays I hope to fit in Annie and Into the Woods, and I have Unbroken, American Sniper, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Wild, Paddington, The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, and the new Cinderella remake on my list. 

So how did you fare with your New Year's Resolutions?

For fun, I calculated my GPA based on the letter grades I gave myself above. I earned a 2.10, which while only a C average, is 0.03 points higher than I earned during the first six months of the year. Progress is progress, right?