Change

I'm skipping the whole New Year's Resolution thing this year. This year I'm joining the one little word movement.  A bloggy friend introduced me to this idea. It sounds so much healthier than the annual ritual list of completely unattainable resolutions that I will never stick to. As far as I can tell all resolutions have ever done for me is make me feel bad about myself.  So why do I keep making resolutions year after year after year if it is just going to end up making me feel bad?  You got me.  When put this way it sounds a bit silly, doesn't it?

So one little word.  What would your word be?  It's hard to choose.  After a lot of thought, and possibly several beers, I settled on a word.  Change.  One syllable.  Such a simple word, but such a difficult concept.  I really, truly suck at change.  I fight against it every time.  I don't like change.  A bit ironic considering we move every couple of years for my husband's job.  Not just a move across town, across the state, or even across the country.  No, we move from country to country.  Talk about change.  New languages, new customs, new time zone.  And I fight again it every step of the way.

I want to learn to embrace change.  Big changes and small changes.  I want to be the person who welcomes the challenges of a new country, instead of being the person who skips the whole honeymoon period and heads straight into depression.  I want to hang on to those routines and traditions that work for us as a family, but I want to be brave enough to change those things that need changing.  (Is this where I am supposed to ask for the wisdom to tell the difference?) I want to look at a menu, and instead of ordering the same old thing I want to change it up and try something new.  I want to change my weight goals to true fitness goals that will change the way I feel, and the way I feel about myself.

One little word.

Change.

Home in the 'Hood

Happy New Year's!!  This is going to be a short post because for the first time in 7 years Dave is cooking for a neighborhood party with all our friends in the 'hood.  We were fortunate to live in the most amazing neighborhood for 7 years.  What made it amazing wasn't the houses, it was the people, the community.  The kids playing in the park, in driveways, in front yards and back, and even in the street (much to the HOA's annoyance) while their parents talked, laughed, and got all caught up what was going on.

I am incredibly thankful that we have been able to spend the holiday season with these friends, who have over time become the sisters-of-my-heart. At the same time I am a bit sad to realize that it will probably not happen again for a long long while.  Drat I've gotten all teary-eyed writing that.

Tonight I am going to focus on the fun, not the sad.  I am going to eat my husbands brisket cooked on our old pit that now lives at his brother's house.  I am going to gorge on all the yummies cooked up by friends.  I am going to toast with champagne, beer, soda, or sweet tea which ever is in my hand when the time comes.  And most of all I am going to savor every single minute of it.

I hope where ever you are when you ring in the New Year I hope you find something special about the moment to treasure and someone to share that moment with.

 Happy New Year!

New Years Resolutions 2011

OK I have been putting off New Year's Resolutions. Last year I didn't get them up until the 12th. I probably would have waited at least that long again this year but Linsey at Rambles and Ruminations in hosting the FS blog round up this week and the theme is resolutions, goals, dreams and plans for 2011. Be sure to sure to click over there in Friday to see what everyone is up to.

Looking back at last years resolutions I didn't do too badly. Just to review I made 4 resolutions:
1. Get organized
2. De-clutter the house before packout
3. Get in shape
4. Give children chores and make them do them.
I did OK. I managed to be organized for packout (mostly), I got rid of pounds and pounds of junk before packout (still a lot left - baby steps my friend baby steps), and the kids have chores which they absolutely hate doing. I did not even come close to getting in shape. I guess I am still a slightly chubby couch potato. The only good thing I can say there is I didn't gain any weight, so that is something I guess.

Let's look at this year's resolutions.
1. Get in shape. I think this one has been there every year since I was a teenager, which may have been the last time I actually was in shape. I am going to try the 30 day shred and if I survive perhaps I will move onto C25K. No that has nothing to do with Y2K (remember that from 11 years ago??) it is Couch to 5K, a training program which incrementally steps you through training for a 5K. Monica are you ready to go running with me this summer?
2. Be kinder to myself. I am my own worst critic, I need to learn to be nicer to myself.
3. Make time to write every day, but don't get too frustrated or give up when I miss a day. See number 2 above.
4. Learn to drive on the wrong side of the road. Every time I drive I end up on the American side of the road which is bad since they drive like Brits here. I also turn on the wipers every time I try to turn on the blinkers. Stupid right hand drive car!
5. Have fun! Life it too short to not have fun so I want to try and have fun everyday.

Well I guess that about does it for resolutions, as for dreams and plans we are looking forward to making a few dreams come true. We are heading down to Victoria Falls and Botswana for spring break. That should be great adventure, I can hardly wait. Sometime this year we will be returning to Zambia for camping and safari. We will be heading to Texas this summer where I plan on eating my weight in Mexican food and BBQ. This should be an exciting year. Look out 2011 here we come!

Wordless Wednesday - Fun With Sparklers

New Year's Eve 2010

It has been a quiet day at home. David went shopping while I made a couple of big pots of black-eyed peas for a party tomorrow. If you are from the southern US you must eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day to ensure good luck for the rest of the year. I have no idea why, I just know that every year of my life January 1st found me eating a big bowl of them. As a child I hated them with a passion but Mom was firm, they were going down my throat one way or another. As an adult I have grown to like them a bit although I pretty much think once a year is enough for me.

The kids have run about like little heathens all day and are filthy and happy. The tortoise is still here in spite of my "No you can't keep him!" edict. It has been named Squirtle and identified as a male Bell's Hingeback Tortoise. He has been lost and found a few times, but seems destined to be a family pet for the time being. The kids started working on a pen for him today after I stepped (barefoot) in turtle poo in the khonde and ultimatums were made.

Now it is dark, in the distance I hear firecrackers going off and David and the boys are making noise about setting off some of our own. I better wish everyone out there a Happy New Years and get outside before I miss all the fun! See you all here in cyberspace on cyberones in 2011!

New Year's Resolutions 2010

I decided this year I wasn't going to make any resolutions, I was just going to get on with my life. I guess I didn't tell my subconscious. I have several new things going on in my life and it seems I have waited until the new year to begin so I might as well label them resolutions and get on with the year.

New Year's Resolutions 2010
1. Get organized! We are heading to Malawi this summer so getting everything organized before packout will make our life so much easier both when we pack up and when we unpack.
2. Get rid of all the junk in the house or at least most of it. This really goes hand and hand with number one. We have so much junk in the house and as much as I want to blame it all on the kids a good bit of that clutter belongs to David and myself.
3. Get in shape! OK this is the same thing that has been on every list since I was about 23. This year we are moving to Malawi (I said that already, didn't I?). It has a nice, warm climate. Which means swimming more than once a year. I LOVE swimming but right now I really don't want to be seen in public in a swimsuit. I have until the end of June to get in swimsuit shape. Plus I really want to be able to keep up with the kids.
4. Make the children help out more around the house. It used to drive me crazy when I was teaching and my students had no chores at home, but my own kids have next to no chores. Well they HAD next to no chores but as of this week they have chores. They are not very happy with me at the moment but they will get over it and more importantly when they eventually leave home they will be able to take care of themselves because they will know how to cook, clean, and do laundry. After all, unless they are very very lucky they will not have a maid when they grow up. In case you are wondering YES we will have a maid in Malawi but make no mistake she will be my maid, not the kids!

That's it. It is a short list. There are more things going on but they are mostly short term projects over in a month or two. These four items are all yearlong things I struggle with on a regular basis. Apparently I am a disorganized couch potato and packrat who likes to spoil her kids. Maybe by this time next year I will be a organized hard body with disciplined, obedient kids who are happy to help out around the house.

Wii are Old, Well I Am Anyway

David and I took the Wii fitness test from Wii sports. Apparently I have robbed the cradle. It pegged David at an Wii fitness age of 26 and I have a Wii fitness age of 80. Yikes he is young and Wow am I old. I guess the first New Year's Resolution will be to get in better shape than an 80 year old!

It's a New Year!

Last night we celebrated our first New Year's Eve in Germany. Dave and I stayed home with the kids, as usual. We celebrated the end of the year and the repair of the TV by watching Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. The kids all enjoyed it and spent today reenacting the fight scenes with the cardboard shields we made for Halloween and swords made out of K'nex. David is really looking forward to listening to the rest of the Narnia stories. Santa brought him the entire series of books on CD. He will be loading them to his ipod soon.

When the movie ended it almost eleven. After some serious begging we decided to let the kids stay up until midnight. This is the first time we have let the little ones stay up to ring in the New Year. I am so glad we did. From our apartment we can see downtown where the professional fireworks were launched. The best view is from the upstairs bathroom window, so we all crowded in and watched the fun. The trees blocked much of the view of the professional show but there were so many people popping fireworks all over town we had a great show anyway. The kids ended up racing from window to window trying to see it all.


After the fireworks started to slow down we toasted the 2009 with some fake champagne, no alcohol because of the children.


Then we took our first family portrait of 2009 and sent everyone to bed. The kids decided they were having a sleep over in Cody's room.


As I drifted off to sleep I could hear the kids giggling in Cody's bedroom and firecrackers still popping from every direction. It was very good night!