B’s blog

One of the traditions of the south is to eat Black Eyed Peas and Cabbage on the New Year. It supposedly brings health and wealth to those who partake. As I don’t like either, guess I’ll be sick and poor! Funny what other parts of the country do for different holidays.

Every year I make sure I have a list of like 10 New Year’s Resolutions written down so that I have something to reach for. Last year, one of my resolutions was to wean Braden (did it), start back on Metformin (doing it), and move (did it). That’s pretty good that I actually met a couple of my goals as most years I don’t. So I’m working on my list and here’s what I came up with:

1. give 110% on the weight loss challenge at work, money or not.
2. paint a few rooms in my house ( 1/2 Bathrooms, Braden’s room, Kitchen?)
3. get all Christmas shopping done by October
4. date nights with Erik at least every other month
5. put money into kid’s savings each paycheck
6.budget, budget, budget!
7. find peace on the job front (go agency vs switch hospitals after Aug 1.)
8. volunteer more at church with Adventure Zone or nursery
9. organize scrapbook events
10. no regular pop

I look forward to hearing what others have come up with for their New Years Resolutions so leave me a comment! Remember, the quickest way to acchieve your goal is to map out the steps you are going to take to get to the final outcome.

A gal at my work has put together an annual weight loss challenge. What it entails is everyone paying $5/week to be in it and the person who loses the most weight wins the pot. Well, last year the lady that won, lost 65 lbs and won like $800 or so. But they also did it for 6 months. This year the pot is up to $1365 and 21 people are involved around the hospital. We weigh once at the start and then on March 31st. It’s only going to be a 3 month thing this time. I don’t know about anyone else but I certainly could use $1365 and stand to lose some weight. I guess this is going to be my last attempt to lose before I consider seeing a surgeon for the lap-band surgery. I’ve considered it in the past and as each failed attempt at WW occurs, I’m one step closer to just doing the surgery. It’s not the drastic gastric bypass that I used to work with but it is still surgery. I believe in WW working for some people but it just doesn’t work for me. So with that said I have 3 months to set the record straight and either become Kingwood’s Biggest Loser, or start checking into my insurance plan for weight loss surgery coverage.

This is one of my best friends down here. She is the gal with family from Iowa. This is part of the reason I love her and her family so much:

You being away from the safe net the home your heart knows at a time like the holidays, can be extremely depressing. I know what you are going thru, I went thru this when I first moved here. It does get better, I promise. And the place you use to call home will now share a place in your heart with your new home. I promise to be here for you thru this rough patch, you are not alone. If you need to just have someone hold your hand and tell you that it is going to ok, Call me. If you need someone to cry to, call me. If you need someone to dress up in cotton snow, and dance around the room singing Iowa’s state song, I will do that for you…. It is all about placing your self around those you love, and that love you!!!! And guess what? We love you!!!

We think of you and your family as if you were our own…

It’s good people like this that are helping me through the rough holidays and the everyday stresses of being far from home. Thank you so much Haley!

Tonight I took Braden to Target to pick out some twin big boy bedding. We of course came home with a sport ball theme. I took down the crib tonight and put his mattress on the floor with the toddler side rail on one side and the other side of the mattress pushed up to the wall. He did really good going to bed for Erik tonight. Erik laid down next to him on the floor and he fell asleep on his new blankets. Tomorrow we are getting the twin mattress and frame.

Things are still up in the air if we are going to come back in March or not. Some things have come up and we may have to reschedule until June, when we come back for Nick’s wedding (Erik’s the best man). We’ll have to talk about it some more and go from there. Spring break for my kids is a week earlier than for the kids in DSM so that sort of throws things off as far as the kids getting to see their friends during the days since family time will be at night. It’s terribly difficult to be fair and find time to see everyone. In fact it’s becoming more stressful and upsetting the harder I try to make it work out. We would like to see everyone but know that isn’t possible. We just hope that we won’t step on any toes if we have to rush through a visit or cancel altogether due to family obligations. So with that said, we are apologizing ahead of time. Erik and I are still talking about the March trip so as soon as I know more, I’ll let everyone know. Here’s what I have figured out if we do come back though: 10th-14th in DSM, to OC the 14th and overnight maybe at Kim and Rob’s, then to MN the 15th-18th. Early in the am on the 19th back to DSM to catch a flight that afternoon back to Texas. I don’t want the kids to be bored out of their minds as we sit around and wait for people to get off work either and I think if we came during the summer, that wouldn’t happen as we’d spend all the days with the friends and the nights with the family. Alot to consider I guess…

When we first were here looking at houses and interviewing for my job this past June, it came down to me picking which house we bought only on one condition…ERIK WOULD GET A BASKETBALL HOOP. Well, thanks to all the pooled Christmas money we received from our families, tonight he got one! He’s out in the garage trying to put it together as we speak. He’s got 2 of the neighbor-dads in on it too. (Mostly because he didn’t read directions and is having a hard time with it) I think he’ll most likely sleep out there with it tonight once it’s done though as he is in love.

Erik has to take a day off before the end of the year for vacation and so we are taking Friday off to have a “date-day”. The kids will be in daycare all day, have to pay for 2 days regardless if they are there or not so we are taking advantage of having all 3 there. We are going to hit a movie (haven’t done that alone since we’ve been here) and just enjoy not having to listen to crying kids or loud Christmas toys all day.

I took the Christmas decorations down today. Love that tree with the lights already on it and the branches that just fold up. LOVE IT! Makes it so easy.

Last night Erik let Avery spend the night at his friend’s house and they stayed up until 1:15am playing video games. We feel like we are the only sane parents here in Texas as we are the only ones we know that put our kids to bed at a set time every night. And if we have company they still goto bed by 10pm most nights! I was left with a very crabby boy today needlesstosay.

Has anyone else been upset that they aren’t showing new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy lately? It messes my whole week up.