2010: A Year in Review

I am not really a fan of New Year's resolutions as a rule, mostly because I suck at keeping them. Typically I make them, they last a little (a very little) while, and then they fall by the wayside. I can't even tell you how many January 1sts I have spent making all these lofty weight loss and fitness goals, and for various reasons, failed to follow through. I do think though, that the start of a New Year is a good time to reflect on life... to take a step back and think about where you've been and where you want to go. To kind of revise your short term 'bucket list', so to speak. I've seen quizzes like this on other blogs, and thought it might be sort of cathartic to look back over 2010 and consider some goals for 2011.

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?

Became the parent of a teenager (our oldest turned 13 in May) I may need some help to get through the next 18 years (That's how long we'll have teenagers in our home. Really!)

Ran a 10K (maybe I should start by saying that I ran further than from the grocery store to the parked car when it's raining out, because that's probably the furthest I had run since high school PE class)

Ran a Half Marathon

As a result of the above accomplishments, I have also reached a weight that I'm happy with for the first time in my adult life.

Learned to water ski after MANY failed attempts over the years.

Hiked my first 14er (Mt.Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado)

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?


Like I said, I'm not in the habit of making them anymore, because I would always just end up feeling like a giant (chubby) failure. However, weight loss has been an ongoing goal of mine pretty much since I started having babies, and I did know from fairly early in the year that I would be doing a 'Biggest Loser' type contest. So, I can safely say that losing weight was a goal for me this year. I lost a total of more than 25 pounds, and am fitting into a size I've never worn in my adult life.

I think I actually will write out some goals for myself this year. Maybe if I put them in writing and share them with others, I may feel some accountability and work harder to achieve them. Or? Maybe I'll just feel like a failure again. Oh well, I guess I'll just hope for the first option.

Things I HOPE to accomplish in 2011:

• Run 3-4 times a week

• Train for and finish another half marathon

• Run a full marathon (OMG did I really just say that?)

• Pay off our debt

• Climb another 14er

• Make more time alone with my husband (let's start small... once a month)

• Read at least a book a month

• Manage my stress and anxiety a little better

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?


I am caring for the little munchkin of one of my husband's colleagues while she works. She wasn't really close to me when she gave birth, but BECAUSE she gave birth we are getting closer.

4. Did anyone close to you die?


Yes. My grandmother passed away. She had been battling dementia for a long time, and didn't recognize me the last time I visited her, but it was still hard to know that she was gone from my world completely.

5. What countries did you visit?

We have 5 kids, living on one salary (plus some daycare income), and trying to pay off our debt. I would say that traveling out of the country is pretty much beyond our means for the foreseeable future.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

I would like to have no debt (aside form our mortgage). I am hoping, at the rate we're going, we can achieve this by mid year.

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

May 31st - First 10K (time 56:55)

August 4th - my grandma's passing

August 14th - First Half Marathon (time 2hrs 6min)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?


I would consider finishing a half marathon my biggest accomplishment. Crossing that finish line was the best feeling, and I will absolutely participate in more races.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I tend to let stress make me into a bona fide crazy person, and unfortunately for my family, they tend to bear witness to the craziness.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I tend to be pretty healthy, but I had a hamstring injury back in September that slowed me down for a few weeks. I also had surgery to fix a gnarly varicose vein that had been getting bigger and bulgier for the last 8+ years, but the recovery was quick and easy.

11. What was the best thing you spent money to get?

I would say the surgery to fix the gnarly vein, but we had almost met our deductible by that time. The trip Zack and I took to Leadville to go rafting and hike our first 14,000 foot mountain was money soooo well spent. Three nights alone together can do wonders for a relationship. Also, we just replaced our old, bulky, broken TV with a nice, big flat screen. We have been watching lots more movies as a family, and playing the Wii together.

12. What did you get really excited about?

My races were definitely exciting. I also get pretty darn excited when I get to see my friend of 20 years, Jamie. We managed to get down to New Mexico to see her this summer.

13. What song will always remind you of 2010?

Move Along by The All American Rejects

I ran to this song a lot this year, and it never failed to keep me strong.

Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong

Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through

14. Compared to this time last year, are you:


– happier or sadder? Happier.

– thinner or fatter? Thinner.

– richer or poorer? Because our debt has been paid down so significantly, I would say richer.

15. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Scrapbooked (the further behind I get, the less motivation I have!)

Played with my kids. You know... the get down on the floor with the toddler kind of play that, for me, too often comes AFTER the cleaning.

16. What do you wish you’d done less of?


Stressed and worried over things that were beyond my control

Raised my voice at the kids

17. What was your favorite TV program?

I watch hardly any TV, but we always watch Survivor as a family. It's probably not the best show on TV, but there aren't a whole lot of options that are appropriate for the whole family.

18. What were your favorite books of the year?

The Hunger Games series, The Girls With the Dragon Tattoo Series, and The Help

19. What was your favorite music from this year?


I rediscovered a lot of music from my youth (particularly Depeche Mode) this year, and I love me some BEP or Pink when I'm running.

20. What were your favorite films of the year?

I didn't watch as many movies as I would have liked, and most of them were PG (a few PG-13s thrown in for good measure)

How to Train Your Dragon

The Girl Who Played With Fire (most definitely NOT PG)

(The Backup Plan was the worst movie I saw. Trust me when I say, DO NOT waste your time on that one!)

21. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

It was just yesterday, and we spent the afternoon plying the Wii, and then went out for dinner as a family. I am now 37 (even though I don't feel any different than I did when I was 29).

22. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?

Less health problems/scares for my children. They are all fine, but we had a couple of minor surgeries and a visit to Denver Children's Hospital to see a specialist (not to mention our ER visit on Christmas Eve).

23. What kept you sane?

Exercise. My dear friend, Jamie (I swear she kept me from going over the edge more than once this year). Coffee. My husband. Writing.





24. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.


I am worthy of the effort. I am worthy of the hard work. And it's totally worth it.

Wishing you all the best things in 2011!!!

The Best Surprise

It seems like just yesterday I was holding and loving on this little boy...

But this is the little boy I see today. Baby no longer.

Two years ago our family received a gift named Quinn. Happy 2nd birthday to the very best surprise. He wasn't in 'the plan', but he has been such an incredible blessing to our family. I just wish the whole 'growing up' thing would slow down just a little bit.

Rubber Boots and Christmas Eve

Rubber Boot Update:

About a week ago I told you all about the walmart.com mix-up and Quinn's leopard print rubber boots. After searching for a phone number on walmart.com, trying to get connected to an actual person and waiting on hold for 30 minutes (Really! 30 minutes!), I spoke to a very friendly and helpful representative who explained how to go about shipping the rubber boots back. She also arranged to have the correct item sent with one day shipping. This was on Monday. It still had not arrived by Friday, so I guess one-day shipping really means one week. Oh well. Quinn didn't notice. He was happy enough with the candy canes. He'll be excited all over again when it finally arrives.

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Twas the Night Before Christmas...

We went to see the Chronicles of Narnia movie on Christmas Eve afternoon. We all really enjoyed it. I didn't so much enjoy the 3D pricing. There is no such thing as a matinee price when it comes to 3D movies; It was $11 bucks each. Have I mentioned that there are seven people in our family? That is one VERY expensive movie! We just got a subscription to internet Netflix, and Zack was quick to point out that the cost of that movie is almost equivalent to a full year of our Netflix subscription.

We got home in time to put the finishing touches on Christmas Eve dinner, but a wrench got thrown in the plan (as so often happens around here). Shayna said she was feeling 'weird' and was jumbling up her words. She also complained that her right arm was asleep and and tingly. At first I thought she was messing with us, and made it very clear to her that I did not enjoy 'health scare' humor. She wasn't messing with us though, and when she sounded slightly intoxicated when she tried to recite the pledge of allegiance, I decided that I should call the doctor.

I was put through to a 24 hour RN call line, and after listening to her symptoms, the on-call nurse told me to hang up the phone and call 911. Now our town is small, and we live less than 5 minutes from the hospital. It's really faster to drive yourself than to wait for an ambulance, not to mention a LOT less dramatic. So, off we went. To the Emergency Room. On Christmas Eve. By the time we got there, the tingling in her arm had started to wear off, and she said she was feeling nauseous and her head was starting to hurt. The nurse took us back right away, and started by testing her blood sugar. It was normal. The doctor came in within a few minutes, and after his exam, proclaimed that she was likely suffering from her first migraine. We were gone for less than an hour, and when we got home she took some medicine and rested in a dark room until it wore off.

So we ate dinner, watched Miracle on 34th Street and sent the younger kids off to bed. Zack & I shut ourselves in our room to finish the wrapping. I know. Nothing like the last minute. In our defense, the only place to hide gifts is in the garage, and if we brought them all in to wrap them, we would have to take them all back out again. And bring them all back in again. It seemed to make more sense to carry them in once.

Things were moving along nicely... cutting, taping, tagging. Then we opened the box that Owen's guitar was shipped in and saw this:

The lesson here: Always open the box and check the condition of the items BEFORE Christmas Eve. It came while the kids were home and I put it in the garage right away, and then I got busy with our rodent visitors and I just never got to it. Major Christmas bummer for Owen. We put it under the tree anyway with a note about how it got broken on the sleigh ride.

Finally, Zack and I settled our brains for a NOT so long winter's nap. It was shorter even than I expected because at about 2:45 I heard voices in the living room and hurried in to find Evan about to dump out his stocking. Owen had been up for about 20 minutes checking things out, and decided he needed some company. He woke Evan up and they were both making a little Christmas mischief. After a little scolding, I sent them back to bed until DAYLIGHT!!!

But... it's hard to stay grouchy for too long when you see these faces...

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Delivery For... Quinn???

A few minutes ago Zack went outside to unplug the Christmas lights and there was a Fed Ex box sitting on the porch. He brought it in, and I asked who it was from. He checked the label and said it was from Wal Mart. The 'Ship To' label said 'Quinn Allen'. So we open the box expecting to see a fun toy, and this is what we see instead:

SIX PAIRS of them. All the same size. A women's size 8. What. the. HELL???

We were baffled and bewildered and thinking maybe someone is pulling some kind of prank. So we checked the label again. It's definitely from Wal Mart. It definitely reads, "Ship To: Quinn Allen". The same Quinn Allen who happens to be a boy. The same Quinn Allen who is not yet 2, and doesn't quite fit into a women's size 8. The same Quinn Allen who only has ONE PAIR OF FEET!

Then we noticed that the shipping label lists the contents of the box as a 'stroll and go trike'. Ooops. Someone screwed up.

Now what the HECK am I going to do with six pair of size 8 boots????

The WORST Kind of Visitors

I am kind of reluctant to blog tonight. To be very frank, I am kind of a wreck. Actually, I have been a big bawling, hysterical crazy-woman tonight. My husband almost booked me into a hotel. Yes, it was THAT bad.

This craziness has all been the result of some visitors to our home. In-laws?, you may be thinking. I have to say these visitors are Oh SO MUCH WORSE than in-laws! Oh my gracious, you guys! SO MUCH WORSE than in laws. Mice.

I KNOW! It has me completely freaked out. I am literally afraid to open a drawer. Afraid to go into the bathroom. Afraid to get something out of a cabinet. Afraid to walk through my own house.

It started a little over a week ago when I opened a cabinet to get out a rubbermaid container for our dinner leftovers and saw what I thought to be mouse droppings. I KNOW! I was completely disgusted too! Not panicked though. Not yet. That was yet to come.

Weird coincidence... we have NEVER bought mousetraps in all our 15 years together. We have never had a need. But Zack just bought some so that Shayna would have one for her science project (a mousetrap car). So... he set one for our little uninvited houseguest. He checked it the next day, and the blasted thing had eaten the peanut butter off and went on about his mousy little business (in MY house).

A few days later Shayna was in the basement watching TV in the family room and came upstairs hollering that she had just seen a mouse scurry through the light fixture (we have large florescent lights that are recessed in the ceiling and connected to ductwork). An actual 'mouse sighting'. So our little mouse problem got just a little bit bigger.

Zack went ahead and set all 3 of the extra traps we had - one in the light fixture, one in the cabinet, and one at the base of the cabinets. The next morning (this past Saturday) when he checked them, one was untouched and the bait had been taken from the other two. What the heck kind of mice do we have here? Apparently, the kind that eat peanut butter off of a trap without setting it off. The horror continues: I also found evidence (ie mouse crap and cotton balls strewn about) in my bathroom cabinet.

That same morning we were headed to hockey games in Durango (that trip is a whole other story). So, before we left, the traps were re-set in the hopes that we would return home to some very dead mice.

We returned home this evening (Sunday) to find - YET AGAIN - that the bait had been taken off two of the traps. I was really thinking that it was time to try some different traps. So, I was pretty upset, but still holding it together. I opened a drawer to get out a rag to wipe down the counters so that I could make dinner... and a piece of chewed up rag fell out. AND!? It had mouse poop all over it. Zack dumped out the contents of the drawer and the hot pads had also been chewed and had stuffing pulled out of them.

This was the beginning of the hysteria. They had been crawling around in my drawers! The silverware drawer too. And the cabinet where I had found the first sign earlier in the week? Tons of droppings. IN MY KITCHEN!!! WHERE I MAKE FOOD!!! THE FOOD WE EAT!!!

The dilemma? How do I clean, if they are just going to get into my drawers again during the night? Well after I spent a little time (OK. A lot of time) freaking out, crying and just being generally HORRIFIED, we took the silverware and other items out of the drawers, sterilized it all and shut it all up in the dishwasher with the other clean dishes. I also put some in the microwave. And the oven. Those are pretty mouse-proof, right?

I have to tell you, I was hesitant to share this with all of you. Why? Well, because I am kind of compulsive about having a clean house, and this is all so DIRTY. It's very embarrassing... not to mention completely disgusting. I am wary in my own home. I am the opposite of comfortable and relaxed, which is what I SHOULD be. It is all highly unsettling.

I want this all to go away. Like, YESTERDAY! It is time to call in the professionals. I want this done fast (OH MY GOSH! BEFORE THEY HAVE LIKE 100 BABIES!!!!) and I want it done right. So, I have already left a message with an exterminator. Hopefully they can come and HELP ME first thing tomorrow. Are all these capitals helping you understand how AWFUL this is. ABSOLUTELY AWFUL.

The Basement: No Children Allowed

I had a visit from the area childcare licensing specialist this morning. About three months ago, I started jumping through the required hoops to get my daycare license. I know all the hoops are really the state's attempt to look out for the best interests of little people. I have to say though, that in order for me to run this type of business, it is my opinion that the state invades my rights just a tad.

Example: I want my basement to be exempt, meaning that the children in my care will not go in the basement during childcare hours. This is because we use a wood stove as the primary heat source for our home. If I were to allow the children to use the basement, I would have to put some sort of fence around the stove. More trouble than it's worth, really. Thus... the exemption.

Well, the gal tells me while she's at the house this am that if the basement is exempt, MY OWN CHILDREN can't go down there during my childcare hours. How on earth can they tell me that my own children can't go into a part of OUR own home. Riley is not allowed to go into his own bedroom and the boys can't play video games or watch TV in the family room. WHAT?

She goes on to explain that all the rules that apply to the children in my care, apply to my own children as well. That means I must use gloves when I change Quinn's diaper, and I have to put a monitor in Quinn's room while he naps (even though I can hear him from anywhere in the house when he calls to me from his room) AND I'm not allowed to spank my kids during operating hours. Dang. I guess their spankings will have to wait until after 5:00 (: Settle down. I'm just kidding). But, I do find it bordering on absurd that my children can't be at home in our home until after 5:00.

Am I overreacting?

A Day to Myself (Well... almost)

Today was a heavenly day. Zack took the four older kids skiing, and Quinn and I spent the day at home together... just the two of us. We read books, watched Yo Gabba Gabba (even though I really sort of hate that show) and snuggled.

While Quinn napped, I sipped coffee and caught up on some shows I had on the DVR. I read a little. I did a load of laundry. I cleaned the floors. I made some soup and baked a loaf of fresh bread.

This might not sound like the standard definition of 'heavenly', but I did not have to referee a single disagreement. I didn't have to make and clean up after meals for a herd of children. I did not have 5 children placing demands on me. Just one sweet toddler who was perfectly happy not to have to share my attention with his siblings.

The day was peaceful. It was productive. I loved every minute of it. Then... my family came home. It went from peaceful to chaotic. Arguments over dibs on the TV/video games broke out within minutes. I watched as the cleaning I had done was promptly undone. The entryway looked like a poorly organized ski shop. Half a dozen helmets, gloves and various other skiing accessories were strewn about haphazzardly.

But... Evan was positively bursting to tell me how he moved up from level 1 to 3 after his very first ski lesson. Not many things are quite as exciting as your first time on the chairlift. Riley filled me in on the changes to the terrain park. Apparently there are some pretty rad jumps and rails. I'll take his word for it. Owen told me that the bread I made with dinner was the best ever (even though he didn't really like the soup).

I like it when they leave. It makes me appreciate having them home again.