2013 * Just keep swimming*

Last night I did the math and I realized that the last time I stayed up until midnight was 1997. What can I say, I know how to party!!!

However, last night my kids insisted that they could stay up until midnight. I had planned to celebrate at 9:00 instead of midnight but they all promised that they could stay up.

By 8:30, the two youngest were out.

By 9:00 Ethan was out.

My husband and I plus Harmony and Connor were the only ones who made it. The only way I made it was that I sat and organized coupons. Otherwise I would have been out by 7:00!

Before everyone fell asleep, we filled out a "Year in Review" sheet and decided on a new family motto.  It was cute because everyone tried to guess one anothers answers on their review sheet. I was pretty impressed with how well my kids know each other!

After thinking of many different mottos, we came up with, "Just Keep Swimming".  So no matter what happens, our family is just going to keep on swimming. Doing the best that we can and just leaving the rest. Works for me!

Just for kicks, I thought I would share my answers:

Name: Marie
Age: 34
Favorite color: pink and blue
Favorite food: pizza
Favorite activity: couponing, reading, blogging, crafting
Favorite book: Harry Potter series. I can't pick just one of them :)

Highlights of 2012:
Greatest lesson learned---> That while people may do things I don't approve of, it is THEIR problem and not MINE. Just support them and move on. Let them find out for themselves.

Hardest thing of the year---> deployment...'nough said!

Saying goodbye

Favorite memory: meeting my husband at the airport after his return from deployment...on our 14th wedding anniversary

What I loved most about 2012: Spending time with family and friends, trying to enjoy the little things...learning, growing and moving on!

Looking forward to 2013

Want to learn---> not to be so hard on myself. I am my own worse critic
Want to get better at---> keeping my home clean and organized
Biggest goal---> to SAVE MORE MONEY and to track it so I know how much I saved!

So what are you looking forward to this new year? What were your highlights of the last year? Lessons learned? Feel free to answer the same questions on your blog or in the comments. I would love to hear!

I will be sharing the rest of my goals in a later post.

the Christmas clean up

It happens to me every single year. I spend sometimes months or weeks preparing for Christmas. As the holiday draws closer, and the busy-ness of the season consumes us, some of my daily to do's get put on the back burner...


 --->  laundry
  ---> couponing/keeping my binder organized
   ---> dishes
   --->  planning meals (instead of just throwing a pizza in)
    ---> going to the gym ( I had gone for almost 2 months straight!!!)
---> blogging
---> keeping the kids on a good schedule
---> making my kids nice healthy-er lunches, instead of a lot of processed foods

Just some of our trash from the holiday

Have I ever mentioned that I am not very organized? Or a good housekeeper? Well it is true. But after Christmas, I just have this hankering to get things cleaned and organized. To put all of the Christmas decorations away, and put a new schedule into place.

Is it a New Years thing? A type of "nesting" thing (can you nest if you aren't preggo?) I don't know what it is. But I have that feeling.

While making Christmas dinner, I started putting things away into bins for next year. I didn't take down the tree or anything like that, but I am feeling that urge. The urge to purge!!

I keep thinking to myself that I don't want to make any resolutions because I don't want to be dissapointed if I don't do it. However, aren't we supposed to try and improve ourselves?

Well I know that keeping a clean house, an organized schedule and nicer meals on the table would be a good thing. It would improve our lives. So the quest to be better continues.

I just have to get all this Christmas stuff put away...

A New Year re-do

I spent a lot of time over my vacation writing lists and goals, plans and schedules. I had so many good intentions when it came to my resolutions.

view near my parents house the day that we left

I was happy and was excited for the new year and some changes/goals I really wanted to achieve.

So here it is, starting the 2nd week of January, and what happened? Why should I get a re-do? Here are my reasons...

view from the Hood River bridge

1.) We were on vacation for over a week. The drive is 16 hours...each way. So we spent a lot of time in the car. A lot.

2)We arrived home on Sunday the 1st and not only did we have to unpack all the luggage,do all the laundry, find a home for all the new gifts but we had to take all of the Christmas decorations down!

3.) My kids went back to school that Tuesday and I was still not caught up.

4.) One of my resolutions was being more organized with my coupons. I decided I would not set foot in the store until everything was organized. It took forever but it is done. I will not be getting that behind again.

5.) My husband had M-W off from work. He totally throws my schedule off! I love having him around (and going on lunch dates) but...

We also had appointments, church, Cub Scouts, and all those other things that make up our life.

So if I don't deserve a re-do then I don't know who does! I am "pretending" that tomorrow is the first of the month and I will start implementing all those plans and ideas that I spent so much time working on (: Here is too a Happy New Year!

Are you ready?

For 2011?

Christmas has only been over for a few hours now, but I am feeling the urge to put my decorations away, clean house, and be all prepared for the New Year.

I always like to change my blog background with the seasons/holidays....but the only New Years one I found had 2010 on it, and it is hard to have a winter one when it is 70 degrees and sunny outside! I know you all feel bad for me!

So instead I went with a nice CLEAN look. (:

Do you make resolutions every year? I do. And can I tell you something? I have rarely kept them! That is why I am not the perfect weight, my checkbook balance does not resemble Bill Gates, my home is not clean and organized, my scrapbooks are not up to date...I could go on, but I will spare you! LOL

I always start out the new year with HUGE goals and plans. We have all heard the phrase "GO BIG OR GO HOME" right? Well there may be times when that works but when you are trying to achieve a goal, that doesn't always work.

Tonight I will be posting my 2011 Resolution challenge. I hope you will join me and we can work together on being the best that WE can be. Not someone elses standard. So check back  tonight because  you will find:

**a Sweet Sunday dessert & inspirational message
** my Menu plan for the week (can't remember the last time I made one!)

** 2011 Resolution Challenge! With all the info to participate! Did I mention I will be having a GIVEAWAY every month of the year for those who participate?!