Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Looking Back & Looking Ahead

We're in the final days of 2016 and that's always a good time to take a look back as well as a time to gaze into the future.

My fourth post of 2016 was titled "Hanging on by a Thread," and, as I review the year, that seems pretty fitting. In January, my two youngest daughters were in the middle of their first year at a new school where I struggled to fit in more that they did. My oldest was barreling headlong into the end of her middle school "career" and facing some tough decisions about high school. My husband had just gotten a promotion (Yay!) which meant even more traveling than normal for him (which was already A LOT). Personally, I was still struggling with my own self image, trying to find a little "me time" among chaos, and beginning to lose my writing motivation. It was a rather stressful, not-so-happy time for me. In fact, it felt like a bit of an existential impasse. However, like most of those cycles, it eventually passed - not without a few roller coasters, though.

After much anxiety and many tears, my oldest daughter finally decided on a high school placement. (Seriously, when did choosing a high school turn into something similar to choosing a college???) She chose an advanced college prep program where she will basically do four years of high school in two years and spend 11th and 12th grade taking basic college classes on an actual college campus. She will graduate high school with enough credits to be considered a sophomore in college. It's a great program and she is flourishing, but, as you can imagine it is A LOT of work and I often feel our lives revolve around her homework load and/or her project deadlines. We have made it through one entire semester, so we only have three more of the really cumbersome ones to go.

My younger two girls are at the same school they moved to last year. The middle one is fully entrenched in middle school - work load, social circles, crazy hormone swings and all!! She is also doing very well, but I could stand to see a little more Dr. Jekyll and a little less Mr Hyde! 

The youngest is in fourth grade, which, at their school, will be her last year in elementary school (5th graders bridge up to middle school). In fact, as I helped with her class Christmas party it occurred to me that that was the last elementary class party I would help with and I'm not quite sure how to feel about that - overjoyed or very sad. She is thriving as well, though she has learned a few tough lessons about studying and completing assignments. She has developed an even deeper friendship with one sweet friend in particular. They are indeed BFF's and are making plans to go to college together, live on their own in NYC together, and have a double wedding in the future. We'll have to see how all that works out, but it is fun to watch their friendship and to see my daughter emerging into a social butterfly.

Overall, this fall, we are a bit more settled into our routines and, though I still spend far too much time in the carpool lines, we are finding our rhythm a little more easily than we did in the spring. 

As for me personally, I'm in a better place than I was nine months ago. 
  • My job that was interim for almost two years was made permanent in March. That gave me more stability and a steadier pay rate, but also more time and responsibilities. I really do love it, but it is sometimes hard to juggle along with all the other craziness in our schedules. 
  • At the beginning of 2016, I was really struggling with self-image having gained more pounds than I care to number in a relatively short period of time. I had even visited doctors hoping for an easy answer, but there was none to be found. I dropped my gym membership this fall which has, ironically, helped immensely. Going to the gym was something I did not enjoy at all and really just made me feel worse about myself on top of being something else to figure into my already full schedule and to feel guilty about when I didn't do so successfully. Now, I am still not really happy with my body and would love to drop about 30 pounds, but I have reached a point of contentment and taken an "it is what it is" kind of attitude. I may not be a size 6, but I am healthy and I realize that I have to stop beating myself up and making myself miserable over a number on the tags of my clothes. 
  • For better or worse, the writing/blogging mojo that was on the decline early in the year completely disappeared somewhere along the way. At first, I felt like I needed to be writing and keeping this blog active, but I had no inspiration and no time, so it became just another stressor. This fall, I decided to stop stressing and just put it on the back burner - write whenever I felt like it instead of putting pressure on myself to post regularly. Well, "whenever I felt like it" became not at all for about three months and, honestly, I didn't really miss it at all. Now, I am missing it a little and trying to figure out a new approach moving into 2017. Amidst the demise of my own blog, though, I did help to start a new blog for my department at work and wrote a few posts for it! 
  • My five most viewed posts of 2016 were as follows:
  • I also started 2016 with a list of 10 books I wanted to read. I actually read 14 books this year, but only two of them were on that original list! 
Now that I've looked back,it's time to look ahead. What lies ahead in 2017? Well, if 2016 taught us anything, it's that life is always unpredictable!

As far as school is concerned and careers are concerned, I don't anticipate that much will change. All three girls will still be at their same school this fall. The only change will be the youngest moving up to middle school. (๐Ÿ˜ณWow! Did I really just write that?!?!) As I said, I'm in a better place personally, so hopefully that will continue and I can make it through my impending 40th birthday without too much of a midlife crisis! 

As for blogging, I want to get back to it, finding a happy medium with where I began 2016 (stressed out and frustrated) and where I ended (basically not posting at all). I'm aiming for posting twice a month, but still considering what that will be. I would love to get back to Finish the Sentence Friday linkups and I'm considering returning to my original 2016 goal of doing a "Currently" post once a month (and maybe making that a linkup?????). I think, however, as my blog evolves, it will continue to be more about me and less about my kids. As they are getting older, it is just harder to write about them and I am more concerned about respecting their privacy. 

So, how was 2016 for you? What are you hoping for in 2017?
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Sunday, December 18, 2016

Ten Signs You've Been Married for Eighteen Years

My hubby and I celebrated our 18th anniversary last week. We took a lovely trip to Key West just before Thanksgiving (without the kids!!), but the actual day that marked almost two decades of wedded bliss was quite mundane. It was a Monday, for starters. After a day of work and running kids around, we ended with a mediocre family dinner and all the usual evening quibbles with the kids about homework, bath time, and bedtime. You know what, though? I was totally fine with that very typical, no fanfare, humdrum day because it was spent doing life with the guy who is truly my best friend. 

Over the past 18 years, our lives have changed a lot and, inevitably, our relationship has changed a bit as well - mostly for the better, I think. There are more than a few signs that we've been together for quite a while! 


  1. You can ride in the car together for an hour without speaking and it's totally fine. It doesn't feel like "awkward silence" because you've been together so long that you can just enjoy being together without worrying about saying the right things. 
  2. When you do talk, you finish each other's sentences. Or, better yet, you bring up a subject at the exact same moment your spouse was just thinking about the same thing.
  3. You can discuss each other's bodily functions without being embarrassed. 
  4. You know what the other is probably going to order off the menu for dinner before they have even decided themselves. 
  5. When either of you asks "Does this make my butt look fat?" you totally expect and receive a completely honest answer.
  6. You go to Lowe's, see a self cleaning toilet, say "Hey, you should get me that for our anniversary!" and he totally does and you are totally happy about your new self cleaning toilet anniversary gift. (Not kidding!)
  7. You suffer through while he spends Sunday afternoon watching The Matrix or Gladiator again becasue you know that on another day when your favorite movie, One Fine Day or Pretty Woman, is on, he'll skip the football and let you watch it.
  8. You frequently (and very unintentionally) find yourselves dressed alike - both wearing khaki pants and a green shirt, for example. In fact, it happens so regularly that you have developed a mutual understanding that the person who dressed second is the one who must change clothes even though the "copying" was accidental.
  9. You laugh together a lot more than you cry together. But, crying together is ok, too.
  10. You look at each other over a mediocre, semi-home cooked Monday night anniversary dinner while your children laugh and make fart jokes, the dog is howls, the phone rings, and the homework-bedtime-tomorowmoring battles loom and you just smile because there is nowhere else you would rather be and nobody else you would rather be with.
Happy Anniversary, Babe! ๐Ÿ˜œThanks for the last 18+ years. I'm looking forward to the next 18+! ๐Ÿ’—๐Ÿ’—๐Ÿ’‘

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

47 Random Thoughts I Have During Carpool Line

Hey y'all! I haven't been to this space in quite a while. It's been over two months, in fact. I said I was going to put blogging on a back burner, but it's been a longer hiatus than I anticipated. Honestly, I haven't missed it much until recently. My blogging mojo seems to be slowly returning. 

So, where have I been for the past two months? Mostly in my car. 

We live on one side of the county and all three of my daughters are attending schools that are on the opposite side of the county. Throw in soccer practices and games at various locations, a few other extracurriculars, errands, and whatever else might be going on and it all adds up to hours and hours of time with my bum in the driver's seat of my minivan. 


Many of those hours are spent in various carpool lines doing all the pickups and drop offs that are required. Today, as I sat in carpool line I was thinking about this long neglected blog and trying to come up with something to write about. Interwoven among all my blog thoughts were a lot of other random thoughts and, therein, inspiration was born. Here are 47 thoughts that run through my mind while I grow a little older each and every day sitting in the carpool line.

  1. Candy Crush
  2. I really shouldn't play so much Candy Crush.
  3. I'll check Facebook instead. 
  4. People are so annoying. I should just delete the Facebook app from my phone, but then what would I do during carpool line. 
  5. Did I return that email?
  6. Did I remember to move the laundry to the dryer?
  7. I swear the is somethingI'm forgetting today. 
  8. Man, I hope the kids don't have much homework today. I am so not in the mood to deal with that tonight.
  9. Ugh! I should have grabbed snacks. These kids are going to whine all the way home about being hungry. 
  10. I'm hungry.
  11. Did I eat lunch today??
  12. Speaking of food, what should I make for dinner?
  13. I'll look at recipes on Pinterest.
  14. I am such a failure. My dinners never look like that and I have no sense of style either.
  15. I should just delete the Pinterest app from my phone, but then what would I do during carpool line.
  16. I have to pee. 
  17. Do I have time to get out of the car and go the the bathroom before the kids get out? 
  18. I'll just hold it.
  19. And distract myself with more Candy Crush.
  20. Oh, there's that mom walking by with her perfect self. I wish I had her style. 
  21. I bet she knows what she's cooking for dinner. 
  22. I didn't thaw any meat anyway, so we'll just do take out between activities.
  23. What activities do we have this afternoon anyway??
  24. What day of the week is it??
  25. **Runs through list of activities in head & checks calendar on phone**
  26. Really?!? It's only Wednesday?!?
  27. Good grief! These kids really better not have much homework.
  28. Why do we sing them up for so many activities?!?
  29. Oof! These pants are so uncomfortable. Stupid muffin top.
  30. I should start going back to the gym and get in shape instead of complaining about my weight.
  31. When do I even have time for the gym, though? 
  32. Also I hate the gym, so just forget it.
  33. I can't wait to put on my comfy pajamas tonight.
  34. ::Sigh:: What time is it? How long have I been siting here?
  35. **Checks phone to look at time* Ohh, Candy Crush!!
  36. This level is impossible.
  37. What level is this anyway?? 
  38. Level 2,704,982?!?! Wow! I really should stop.
  39. I should have brought a book to read.
  40. I never did make it to the movie version of that other book I read.
  41. Wonder if it's on Netflix yet? 
  42. I wish I had gone to the bathroom when I had time. Now it's definitely too late.
  43. This car is filfthy.
  44. My kids are slobs.
  45. But, I love them.
  46. What time is it? Seriously, I've been sitting her FOR-EV-ER!!
  47. Think anyone would notice if I nodded off for a few minutes??
Oh, hey kids!! Did you have good day at school? 
(Thank goodness carpool is over now! At least until tomorrow!)
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