Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Rev to Conk 2013!

Rev, rev, rev, everybody!  I love the rev.  Time is running out.  I am eating jalapeno chips and drinking Coke while I write this.  Okay, not really, but I was earlier today.  

I also kind of love New Year's Resolutions.  I can see why some people don't, but they really fill me with optimism.  It's fun to think of how PERFECT you're going to be and your life is going to be with just a few changes in the new year.  I'm kidding about the perfection, of course, but really, I have a "better to shoot for the stars and miss than to shoot for a pile of manure and hit" attitude about these things.  The problem with resolutions comes when people feel guilty or beat themselves up for failing, but you don't have to do that.  The resolution police are not coming to get you or shame you! 

Another thing I've noticed is a trend of people saying they hate "resolutions" but like setting new year's "goals".  Um, okay, whatever.  Language can be important in some cases, but this isn't one of them for me.  If it makes you feel better to call it a goal, go for it. 

I'm still formulating my resolutions, otherwise I'd share them here for accountability's sake.  In my book, nothing really starts until Monday the 6th anyway.  In the meantime, I thought I'd share a few New Years-ish things in case anyone else is in the spirit but, like me, feels the need to sign up for crap or even spend money just to get anything done.  : )  (I kid, but seriously, I have learned this about myself: sometimes having a little skin in the game helps.)   

Apartment Therapy's January Cure:  sign up for free daily emails throughout the month of January that will guide you to get your place in order "one manageable step at a time".  

Zen Habits' Simple Fitness Habit:  for a $15/month subscription, you'll learn "a method for changing your eating and exercise habits, and making them stick."  Zen Habits has other plans not geared toward diet or exercise available, too.  Or you can just read the Zen Habits website from time to time for free and pick up some useful advice!

Dr. Christine Carter's Cracking the Habit Code: 21 Days to Keeping Your New Year's Resolutions:  a free, online class with 21 days of emails and short training videos in which you'll learn how to "avoid common booby-traps" and make your resolutions stick.  (You may recall that Dr. Carter is the woman behind the "Raising Happiness" online course that Joe and I are making our way through.  See, I told you I've got a bit of an addiction to signing up for this stuff.)

Interestingly, Joe is not at all like this.  He's more of a self-motivator than a joiner. Case in point:

Joe doing pull-ups in the yard
Um, you can come in from the cold now, Rocky. 

I'm not sure which of these I'll do yet; my biggest risk in the New Year is probably taking on too many changes at once.  How about you?  Any plans?

This will be my last blog post of 2013, but not my last blog post about things that happened in 2013, because I'm so far behind.  I'll leave you with a few pictures from our snowy evening at the Morton Arboretum's Illumination display and our New Year's Snacky Dinner at home.

  
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{The diagonal lines are falling snowflakes, not part of the lights.}

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{15 degrees and snowing.  Okay, fine, it looks like our troop was suffering here, but we all agreed that the snow really made the whole thing.  So picturesque!  I didn't even attempt to photograph the lights on the trees.  That's beyond my skill level, plus it was better to keep my fingers warm(ish?) and just enjoy.}

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Gran and Georgia hugging a tree to make it light up.

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Waylon was a trooper in the stroller bundled up under blankets for about 75% of our mile-long trek.  But then he let us know (as two year olds do) he was actually frozen and just DONE with it.  Poor guy was uncontrollably shivering all over when we went inside!

I guess that's nothing that a little hot chocolate and train heaven can't fix. 

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Joe and I chatted on the way home about how our definition of "fun" has changed.  I thought this was a great outing, even though two out of three children were crying for differing reasons as we got in the van to leave and one was inexplicably complaining that her vagina hurt.  (Hey, I'm not naming names, it's all good.)  I think we all had a good time, just maybe not all at the same time.  That's okay, though - we might never go anywhere if that were our measuring stick.  
 
Big time stuff: Snacky Dinner eaten off a train table in pj's while watching cartoons. This is how we kick it on New Year's Eve.
{Big time stuff to eat Snacky Dinner in pj's off a train table while watching cartoons.}

2013 grand finale chocolate chip cookies. Happy New Year, everybody!

From our family to yours, may your 2014 be full of chocolate chip cookies, figurative or literal.

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Bastards tagged our car!  ; )  XO


  

6 comments:

Danni said...

Happy New Year!!! I am entering 2014 slightly terrified. I have only the goal of surviving. Not sure I've ever brought in a new year basically freaked out by what lies ahead. I expect you can relate. I hope.

Ann Price said...

Love this! Happy New Year! Isn't it funny how perspective is everything? Looks like a great outing (despite that vagina pain--oh, I hear a lot about that too!) and the freezing temps. Sometimes it's just about doing something, anything, and making the effort. So well done! And I hope this year is a good one for you and the whole family. I'm going to look into the Apartment Therapy thing!

Maggie said...

I also agree that it's not about everyone having fun the entire time. That feels like an impossible goal. But if everyone has a little fun and you don't feel like hitting your head into a wall at the end of it, then it was a total success!

jessica said...

Looks like the perfect outing and perfect New Year's to me.

TomT said...
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Kate said...

Danni - you're going to do SO much more than just survive. Your heart is going to explode in a good and mind-blowing way, whatever happens. But yes, I get it - I can totally relate. Best to set expectations low. : )