Saturday, January 4, 2025
Thursday, January 2, 2025
Currently (January 2025 Edition)
Reading:
Celebrating: so many birthdays. December and January are packed with birthdays in our family.
Wearing: my sleep clothes (i.e. my undies). It’s 3:55 a.m. and I’m having my traditional “wake” session. I probably won’t go back to sleep today.
Eating: dip. For my birthday I decided to have a dip night. I invited a few friends over and asked them to bring dip to share. We had a variety of sweet, savory, hot, and cold.
My friend Carlie and I do a dip themed game night every year, but this was next level because there were more than two people bringing dips.
Suffering from: watery eyes.
Laughing about: the fake Pit Vipers Nicky gave me for Christmas
Have you ever seen anything so cool in your life?
Annoyed by: fast food apps that have not offered me free birthday rewards. Also, fast food apps that offer a free food item when you take a survey, and then the promo code never shows up.
(You owe me 6 minutes of toilet time and a free order of cheese bread, Papa John’s, and I’ll never get over it!)
Buying: a few upgraded items for my house. I got a new bathroom rug, new throw pillows, and a new doormat. I have also found some great things at the thrift store this week.
Missed opportunity to buy a fish table
Watching: season 2 of Shrinking. I’ve watched all the episodes except the finale, and I’m prep for the finale, I decided to start at episode 1 again and rewatch the season. Well, mostly I’m just listening to it in my ear buds during chores.
Dreading: things I can’t say.
Enjoying: no snow. But I’m not going to say anything because I don’t want to jinx it.
Looking forward to: going to work today. I like my job enough that most days I’m excited to go.
Working on: finishing Nicky’s mission papers. We have his dentist appointment today and a doctor appointment next week.
Cooking: nothing. We have been in such strong party mode lately that we are being fed constantly by outside sources. It’s great and all, but I also look forward to getting back in control of our food.
Needing: a new phone case. I just bought one last week, and it shows my greasy fingerprints really bad. It’s gross.
Playing:
The Pando crowd
Craving: water. I’ve definitely let my hydrating slide these past few weeks.
Singing: “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” After a few years, it still resurfaces.
Drinking: way too much Diet Dr. Pepper.
Sick of: hair creases from my CPAP.
Happy about: the regular McChicken returning to the menu at our local McDonald’s. Now if they would just bring back root beer!!
All hail the regular McChicken with the lop-sided mayo blob!
Hoping: to reset my sleeping habits soon. I’m hardly getting any sleep lately, and my brain is always buzzing (which is why I’m currently blogging - it is now 4:44).
Feeling: lost in space and time. Our winter break has been so long (and it will still be five days til my kids go back to school). I have no idea what day it is, what we are supposed to be doing, or whether I’m even wearing pants.
Avoiding: sleep. I could probably fall back asleep this this point, but I think I’m going to go to work instead.
Grateful for: working limbs.
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Sorry it’s not your birthday
It’s 5:51 a.m. on New Year’s Day, and I’m wide awake after a night of hardcore partying. Hardcore partying = everyone in my family left for several hours, and I had the entire house to myself, so I Marco Polo-ed my besties while I did some much-needed cleaning. I also made myself a cheese plate and drank Diet Dr Pepper and Martinellis (a drink for the soul and a drink for the celebration). It occurred to me that in some phases of life, this would have made for a very lonely New Year’s Eve, but in my current state of existence, it was perfect! Just what I needed!
New Year’s Day happens to be my birthday. Fun fact: my cousin and I were born on New Year’s Day 1984 - same hospital, same doctor. I was a bit late, and he was a bit early. My mom went into labor on NYE and had me at 2:29 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Then the doctor came in her room later and said, “Your sister-in-law just showed up!”
My girls went ice skating with some of their cousins
It ended up that everyone was home for the turning of the year, even Nicky!
Right after midnight, Nicky and Daisy sang me “I Love You, Mom!” from Phineas and Ferb.
There are some bummers to having a birthday A) on a holiday and B) so close to Christmas, but I’ve never known anything different, so I just go with it. I actually like my birth date other than being super partied out from all the events of the holidays. It’s always the first date on the scrolly thing when I have to enter my birthday. I get Christmas presents, and then I get follow-up presents. I’ve never had to go to school on my birthday, and in most cases, have had the day off work (Scotty too). Also, there’s something nice about rolling my age over at the same time the year rolls over. It just feels right.
This morning, for the first time in my life, I realized that most people wake up on New Year’s Day, and it’s not their birthday. I have no idea what that’s like. You poor souls just start your year off the same numeric age you were the day before! And then you increase your age on some random day in the middle of the year, and there probably aren’t even fireworks.
New Year’s Day is probably pretty sad for you all. I’m sorry.
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
25 x 25
One thing I discovered about myself this year is that I get a big burst of energy right after Halloween and right after Christmas. As I’m currently in that state, I’m trying really hard to channel it into something productive and useful. I didn’t set any goals this year, and I really didn’t accomplish anything of note. I just sort of flew by the seat of my pants and survived.
Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.
BUT… I decided (for fun) (because this is my weird idea of “fun”) to end my year by completing 25 obscure tasks. You know those things that are easy to ignore because they’re not top priorities, but they feel really good to finally get done? Those tasks.
So for the last several days, I’ve been completing some of those tasks and keeping track of them so I can be a braggart and end my year knowing I did something.
And, of course, I’m going to tell you my 25 tasks (key word was “braggart”).
1. Sharpened all the pencils (including colored pencils) in the house
2. Mended the lining in a purse I love
3. Cleaned out the church bag
4. Cleaned out all of my purses and bags and got rid of a few
5. Vacuumed an early-November sugar spill out of my trunk
6. Threw out a bunch of old nail polish
7. Made sure all of my food apps have my birthday in my profile in case anyone wants to offer me free birthday food. Also tallied up all my points/rewards/coupons and had a free food feast with my family.
I sent Nicky out for half, and I went and got the other half. Then we met at home and enjoyed our smorgasbord.
Missing from photo: free Frosties
8. Pierced Daisy’s ears (as in I bought one-time use piercing “guns” and did it myself)
9. Printed some recipes that I wanted to add to my recipe binder
10. Went through all of my decorative plates and got rid of a huge stack
11. Went through all of my clothes and got rid of three garbage bags full
12. Set up my budgeting notebook for 2025
13. Went through all the towels and cloths and got rid of a bunch
14. Sorted through all my gift bags and gift wrap and got rid of a lot
15. Went through all our board games and puzzles and (you guessed it) got rid of a lot
16. Hung new shower caddies
17. Test ran a new self-tanner
18. Cleaned out my phone contacts (who the heck is Susie?)
19. Went through all of my accessories and makeup and got rid of a lot
20. Wrote out a meal plan from now until February (don’t be too impressed, I do this all the time and never stick to it)
21. Decorated for Valentine’s Day (it’s early, yes, but it’s DONE)
22. Set up a reading nook for the kids in the basement
23. Made tweaks to the parental controls on my kids’ phones
24. Washed the kitchen garbage can
25. Scrubbed my kitchen cabinets
——-
I finished the kitchen cabinets at 11:30 New Year’s Eve. It was a strange way to celebrate, but I spent a very productive evening (mostly) alone in my house, and I didn’t hate it!
Happy New Year, folks!
Five Before 2025
Five things I did well this year:
Maintained friendships
Kept the van reasonably clean
Kept Christmas simple
Got good deals
Five things I struggled with:
Following through with our budget and meal plans
Regulating my emotions and my mood
Spending time with my kids
Phone addiction
Taking care of my body
Five things I learned (or relearned):
If my advice is not specifically requested, I probably don’t need to give it. People just need to be listened to and validated.
Past trauma should not be an excuse for poor behavior. Healing is a choice worth making.
There are two sides to every story, and when you allow space for the other person’s version, you will often discover you were wrong about a lot of things.
Horseshoes are far better than circles.
I need to tell people what I’m feeling and experiencing and not just assume they know (okay, mostly Scotty).
Five changes I experienced:
Started working
Got an 18-year old
Drastically decreased how much I read (about 30 books this year vs over 100 in 2024)
Tried 2 ADHD medications but decided not to continue either one
Five things I spent too much money on:
Food
Food
Food
Food
Food
Five skills I used:
Making pumpkin rolls
Being employable
Budgeting
Mass food prep
Thrift shopping
Five places I spent a lot of time:
Work
Kitchen
Bed
My in-laws’ house
Van
Five things I’d like to achieve in 2025:
Consume less (in both “eating” and “buying”)
Disconnect more (from my phone and other distractions)
Invite more
Be truer to my passions, my gifts & talents, and my beliefs
Do more one on one activities with my kids
—————
Peace out, 2024. It’s been a real treat.
Sunday, December 29, 2024
Things the Kids Say: Episode 33
“I know jackelopes are real because I’ve seen them in Lunchables ads.”
-Nicky
—————
Zoe: That car has a bumper sticker on it that says “Honk if you’re horny.” What does horny mean?
Me: It means you want to have sex.
Eva: Guess you better honk then!
—————-
“I’m not into hygiene.”
-Zoe
—————
Daisy reading a passage from Luke 2 in the Music & the Spoken Word program: Mom, they’re totally plagiarizing Charlie Brown!
Me: That’s the scriptures, Daisy. Charlie Brown quotes the scriptures.
Daisy: Are you serious right now?
—————
“If I were a freshman girl, I would straight up go for Hunter Privett.”
-Nicky
—————
“Mooooommmmm!! Nicky won’t stop rapping about me!”
-Eva
Moana 2
Saturday, December 28, 2024
2024 in Review
January
- Went on a vacation to Disneyland
- I turned 40
- Zoe started Young Women and did baptisms for the dead for the first time
- I got a job
February
- Reached 20 years of living in our house
- Zoe competed in the state Lego League comp
- Nicky performed in The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon
- We had a mountain lion tranquilized in our neighborhood
- I was asked to serve on the stake camp committee
March
- Scotty went on Brocation
- Nicky went bowling with the Utah Jazz
- Nicky went to prom and was crowned the “Prom Prince” (with his good friend Addie as “Princess”)
- Zoe had four permanent teeth pulled
- Daisy played Ariel in her school’s production of Footloose
- Nicky went to Disneyland with the high school’s performing arts group
- Nicky played on the tennis team
April
- Went to the Manti Temple open house
- Eva turned nine
- Made our first trip to Lagoon for the season
- Went to the Taylorsville Temple open house
- Scotty and I went to see Come From Away (front row)
May
- The girls had their spring dance recital
- Nicky lettered in theatre
- 21 years married
- Nicky brought home a pottery wheel for the summer and turned the shed into a ceramics studio
- Nicky was awarded a “Triple Threat Athlete” (for playing 3+ sports) and “All Around Athlete” (for doing a sport + performing arts + 3.75 and up GPA)
June
- School started (Nicky 12th, Daisy 9th, Zoe 6th, and Eva 4th)
- Nicky and Scotty went backpacking in the Uintas
- Nicky was cast as the lead in the Music Man
- Daisy was cast in the female "adult" ensemble
September
- I catered a wedding luncheon
- Scotty went to North Carolina for work
- Nicky completed his final season of high school golf and earned a letter and Academic All-Region
November
- Nicky performed in Moana Jr. with Unified Theatre
- Nicky turned 18
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