January is the Monday of the Year

Like most people, I detest Monday. 

 
For me Monday means:
1. A new list of things to do while still having to finish the things you failed to do last week only with more urgency
2. A new set of expectations of what you want to get done
3. The sinking realization that what you want to get done will always be less than what you actually get done

The start of a new year feels exactly the same to me, only worse because instead of 7 days to fail, you get 365.  Yay!  I think my husband was on to something when he joked, "I'm tired of breaking resolutions.  This year I plan to start smoking and gain 5 lbs."

In the spirit of defeat, instead of setting up resolutions that are well-meaning/character-building-in-the-long-run, this year I plan to do things that will make me unequivocally happy.

1. Craft more
2. Eat dessert everyday
3. Decorate the house with things that I love NOW even if they are on trend and I'll probably hate it in a month.
4. Run whenever I feel like it, even if it's only 1 mile
5. Drink more wine
6. Learn apathy

 Since this won't fly (dammit).  Here's the real list I will measure myself against.

1. Stick to a budget
2. Decide once and for all on the 2 kid situation
3. Decide on, or waitlist the B for preschool/pre-K
4. Eat more fiber, get the B to eat more fiber
5. Run a half-marathon in under 2 hours
6. Appreciate happy moments more

On the topic of happy moments, the B randomly ran up to me, hugged me and said, "I love Mama".  I'm not sure if it was because she actually loves me, or if she loved that I let her have ice cream, but I'm taking it anyway.  Take that #6!

Where Does the Time Go?

It is amazing how quickly time passes when you have a kid.  People used to tell me that when I was pregnant and I never really understood it.  Time is a constant, right?  Wrong!  Disagree?  Have a kid then tell me your thoughts on time.

The past couple of months have been a whirlwind of activity.  Here are a few milestones. 

1. First there was Halloween.  B moves too darn fast for my phone camera to keep up.  She enjoyed taking handfulls of candy from strangers.  By the end of the night she had forgotten all about the candy, and we ended up giving it away because we ran out.

I don't care if I can't eat it, getting it is the fun part!

2. Then there was the B's 2 year birthday party.  I don't have any pictures because I was too busy getting everything set up.  This is the only photo I have because I'm lame like that.  I made bumblebee cake pops and the B was desperate for one.  Since having a toddler run around a newly cleaned house with a chocolate covered ball of cake sounded like a bad idea, my mom shoved a chopstick into a lemon and I sharpied on stripes and a face.  B probably would have taken it with her to nap time, but the lemon fell off the chopstick and a lemon with a hole in it is just not as much fun. 

There's something wrong with this "bee"...

Because I'm awesome, I didn't get a photo of the B in the birthday dress I made her.  The party was Winnie the Pooh themed and she fit right in.  I slightly modified the wonderful Peplum Dress tutorial Ana sent me.  This was my first experience with installing a zipper and I loved the result.  I did put it on backwards at first but it was easy to rip off and fix.  Turns out zippers aren't that hard.

One of the B's most favorite birthday gift was this fun tea set from her babysitter.  The teapot makes pouring noises when it is tilted.  I seem to have an ability to ignore it, however it drives Jason crazy when she leaves it tilted on the floor.

Would you like some more tea, it will drive my daddy nuts.

3.  The B is potty training!  She's gotten fairly good at pee but pooping is still a struggle.  We tried over Thanksgiving the first time but that was a huge disaster.  The experience dissolved into tears.  "Whose tears?", you might ask.  "Mostly mine", I will answer.  A week later she had a terrible diaper rash.  Probably the worst she's ever had, and I decided to put on her underwear to let her poor butt get some air.  The thought was that I would just change underwear and pants instead of diapers.  Three accidents later, she got a hang of the idea.  Or else she just got tired of having pee run down her legs and getting hosed down in the bathtub.

This isn't a milestone, but Jason and I registered for another half marathon.  This one is in January.  Even though it is only 5 weeks away, I'm not motivated to train because:

A.) It's next year which feels like a long time away

B.) Jason is getting faster than me, and that annoys me

C.) It's cold, dark, and foggy at 5am

It is fairly likely that this is my last post of the year, so I'll leave you with a favorite 2012 photo.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A, B, or C

I have 2ish weeks until the B's 2nd birthday.  For her first birthday I was so overwhelmed with just keeping her alive, it was really just a gathering of people.  This year, I'm determined to make it a themed birthday party.  This idea is causing me a huge headache.  I'm pretty sure at the end I'll be so overwhelmed, it'll just be me putting a cake on her plate, sticking it with 2 candles, and calling it a day.

However, if I can get my act together, the party is going to be Winnie the Pooh themed.  Winnie the Pooh is the B's current obsession.  If you even say Winnie, Pooh, or honey she flies into a tizzy.  Out of necessity my husband has coined the acronym WTP.  The B has not caught on, yet.

For the party, I really want to make her a dress in the same theme.  The pattern that I've fallen in love with was created by An at StraightGrain.  I'm not yet sure of the colors I want to use yet.  If you'll please excuse the bad art work, these are the 3 ideas I have:

Artwork on A would be painted bees.

Do you like A, B, or C?

Also, need some help with food ideas.  This is my list of what I have so far:

1. Tigger tails (cookies/pretzels with drizzled stripes of chocolate)
2. Rabbit's Garden (veggies to dip)
3. Honey Hive cake

Can you think of any ideas for Pooh themed entrees?

Game ideas for the 12 or so kids ranging from the age of 1 year to 4 include:

1. Pin the tail on Eeyore
2. Bee-Bag toss (shoot, I have to make these soon!)
3. Treasure hunt (water table filled with rice and stick toys inside)
4. Window Painting

We can't fit a bounce house at our home so I'm lost for other ideas to burn toddler energy.  Did I mention that most of the kids are boys!  Yikes.

Any toddler boy energy busters that you know of?  (preferably games that are not so destructive of themselves, their friends, or my house.)

Now that my panic is out of the way, let's talk racing!  The LA Rock N' Roll is coming up fast.  It is this Sunday and I'm more excited than nervous this time.  I'm not even worried about pooping my pants.  It may be because it's the 2nd time around, I'm running with Jason, and or I'm not shooting for a time. 

I'm certainly not prepared this time (shame on me), but it's meant to be more focused on running with Jason.  The longest distance he's cover so far is now 8.9 miles.  Which is fantastic for him!  In fact, I don't think he's ever run that far before.  Since I'm ever the brilliant one, I decided to run 12.1 miles on Saturday just to make sure I can finish the half.  It's good to know that I have not lost my base, but I sure was slow.  Whatever, I read somewhere that a half marathon doesn't need a taper.