2015 Word of the Year

Now presenting the 2015 word of the year:  

 

In the past I have never nor thought I would do a word of the year.  I mean after all there are sooo many words that a person could choose from.   So why this year?  At the end of last year I looked back at what I did, where I came and what all happened and thought to myself goodness I developed some "strength" over the year. 

Now where would a person go from there and I came up with the word to start my year as "conquer".  I choose conquer because I have some more goals that I know I am strong enough to do. Now I just need to conquer them.  I want to see the family conquer the goals that they have set for the year.   Basically I want us all to be looked at like this at the end of the year...

Come 2016 I will hopefully be looking back and be like boom we conquered it all, damn we are just dangerous.  Watch out world, we are coming!

Linking up for the 12x30 Challenge with Kenzie

Choose Your Own Adventure Goal Challenge: December Simplify Results and January Hopes

Now December's theme was SIMPLIFY.  My Goals were:

1. Utensil Simplification: Also known as there is way to much shit in this drawer it won't close, why do we need 10 spoons, 2 can openers etc. Our mission will be to pull everything out, what we use gets to go back to the drawer.

WIN -

First, I pulled everything out. We seriously discovered a few items that we never knew we had.

These are the first round of goodbyes.

Love items or items that we can not live without went back to the drawer.  The others in a Tupperware tub.  If we looked or used them, then we put back in the drawer

And here is the drawer as of yesterday.  Even though it is not super pretty...I can find most of my stuff and easily shut or open the drawer.  Now one of these days I will break down and get an organizer.

2. Planner Simplification: Basically I was using way to many calendars or places for notes between work and home.  This year it will be funneled into one maybe two locations.  I am seriously freaking out about this also...since I will be working with a whole new planner with a different style. -

BASIC WIN - The original planner I was going to use kind of turned into a fail.  Maybe because I am kind of set in my ways.   The original planner will become at work planner and then there will be one home planner.  Stay tuned for a more detailed post on the planners.


3. Weekly Simplification:   To make my week simpler, work hard to get everything (clothes, food etc) together and ready to go on Sunday.

WIN - This has been going fantastical for me.  I love that I am not standing in front of my closet every morning with a dazed look on my face about what to wear nor carrying a lunch bag everyday.  This prep seriously saved about 10-15 minutes for me every morning.

Very simply every Sunday night when I put away the wash, I pick out my clothes for the week and hang them on the towel bar in the bathroom.  Then I just toss everything in the gym bag in the morning.

 

For once I feel like I kicked some butt in this months challenge.

 

Now onto next month....which theme is COMPLETE.

 

What I will be completing, will be:

1. A book - Hoping if I put this on here it will happen since I appear to be slacking in the reading department

2. Arizona Vacation Collage

3. Yearly Photo Books - These so have to get done.  2013 is close and 2014 is not even started.  Now mind you that in 2015 I intend to give attention to my book monthly and not the wholly shit it is the end of the year I need to get a photo book done.

 

There you have...now hop on over to Steph's blog and join in.

 

Hello New Year

 

Alrighty since we got the whole where are little family will be going in the new year, now let's move on to what actually went down in the sack over the holiday.  Above would be my little man and I attempting to make it until midnight.  Clearly, he did not.  The fact he was all snuggly and not being crazy was a win.

 

Since the whole crew was coming for our New Years eve, we decided to open the last of the Christmas gifts.  Heck to the yeah get it done.  Here are a few snippets

Oh yes that girl loves her pickles.

 

With it being a new year, it meant that it was time to pick the pictures that will be gracing the wall for the next plus set our new year goals or memories to be made. 

 

It was a lot more fun this year since we had more people over to place the vote.  Some people may not have been happy with the winners, but you know how it goes majority rules. And we did something we never have done on new years in the sack before...

 

Lit off a few fireworks.  Hey what else are you suppose to do with leftover fireworks from the fourth of July.

 

 Friday evening found us trying out a new restaurant for our Christmas dinner.  It is called the Blew Inn.

Yes there were various interesting items that graced the walls to say the least.  Somewhere in the depths of the phones there maybe a selfie with this little raccoon that was creeping on our table the whole night.  I guess though if I saw someone eating steak, lobster, and shrimp I would have been creeping too. 

 

 

Saturday found the steppie and myself trying out some fitness classes at the gym one town over.  I loved that they did a try out day.  The classes we tried and our thoughts:

 

Ballet Barre:  Loved this class and completely worked a whole new set of muscles.  I will be signing up for this soon.

 

Gentle Yoga:  I have done yoga before so there were no suprises.

 

Hang Tough - This class used something similar to a TRX system.  Work out level intense.  Not sure if I am ready for this yet, but could see myself trying this in the future.

 

 

After all of that...the rest of the weekend looked pretty much like this....

 

Aside from the fact that I finally got my sidebar updated on the blog. Which I am absolutely in love with.

 

From my family to yours....

 

 

 

Where we came and what to do with this year...

As the credits roll on another year of moments, it can be rather bittersweet.  Bittersweet are the goodbyes yet what we gained has only created a more whole individual of ourselves.

I have seen quite a bit come of my family over the last year.  Watched the littles become potty trained, more confident in the water, and of course, their own personalities shine thru even more. While the little brother, I have seen find a sense of comfortableness in being on his own after coming out of a long term relationship.   The hubbie has discovered a comfort level within his job.  Our teens have had huge gains thru the year.  Forest has gotten a license, a job, went to a summer camp, and experienced his first break up.  The steppie has taken on the world of high school and all the experiences it has to offer.   It is amazing where everyone has went, what they have done and the discoveries that they had made of themselves.  I love being privileged enough to view this.

My own portion of the year of my moments could be summed up in one word: Strength.  It came to me one day while I was running, of course.   The amount of strength I have had over this year.   I traveled on my own for the first time.  During these travels experienced delays and the whole deal and still made it...on my own.  I finished a marathon...holler.  That taught me so much about myself and overcoming myself.  I have had some great adventures.  It will be sad to see 2014 go, but I can be sure I will be taking the strength that I learned with me.

There is the blank page that comes ahead awaiting us to grab the crayons and markers and draw upon what we want this to become.  What we want to become of ourselves in the new year. Without further hesitation, let's bring on our new year goals and memories to be made...

Little Man - To not shit in the house : no more eating walls, couch cushions or the littles toys
Bullet - Catch the UPS man and mail man
Forest - Run 1/2 and full marathon : no late or missing assignments
Hubbie - Finish the basement
Steppie - No more retakes : Get some muscle
Charlie - Take over the world and expand his business
Myself - Try and take a new fitness class : Run a 1/2 and full marathon : Backpack a new place : No more nail polish : Read 2 more books : Travel to a new destination : Better organize the house : Random good moment everyday : Ensure we celebrate and have family time : Try some new restaurants

Now to get started...that is half battle.  Wish us luck as we conquer our goals and make some awesome memories for the year.  And to my readers, may you achieve everything you hoped for and more in the coming year.

December Faves

Moment:  This month was kind of hard for moments since I wanted to kind of steer clear of Christmas related moments...because that time being a fave should be a given.  One though had to slip in

The littles seeing Santa.  It is always a ton of fun watching kids (who don't scream bloody terror) going to see santa.

Bad picture, but checking out a new Italian restaurant one town over was definitely awesome.  I like food.

Music My Jam -  Jessie J Burning' Up ft. 2 Chainz

Beauty Product - Winter has embraced Wisconsin.  Less the snow which I seriously have issues with.  We will leave that conversation with a therapist though.   Of course with it being cold and me being dry like a desert my fave beauty product of the months goes to anything that moisturizes me, whether it me lotion, lip balms, you get the idea.

Clothes - Did I mention the cold...I have been all about super big cozy socks and scarves.  Not those fancy pretty fashion ones either.  The knitted give me some warmth I don't care if with this lied I look like the stay puff marshmallow man kind.

Reading -   Still waiting to get to a book and some magazines.  One of these days.  Over this break I am kind of getting very, very caught up on projects...so actually getting to the book "Wild" is definitely a possibility.

Watching -  We finally  finished up "The Following" and "Dexter".  I can not wait until I see what they do with the next season of "The Following".  Then the ending to "Dexter", I seriously do not know what to think about that.

Food/Drink -  Anything in the form of a sweet

Smelling - Would have been a cupcake candle that I got from my son. Just happened to toss it prior to take a picture.

Purchase - Gifts for my Family

Internet Random - nada

Blog Post - Nothing really popping out here.  Had a few things that I wanted to look at and few oppurtuntities ones being  Helene in Betweens Blogger Gram on instagram.  Such a fun idea to get some exposure and then Chasing the extraordinaries 12X30 challenege.  Right about a topic each month and or post a pic to instagram and based o ntheir topic.  Simply as pie right.

Looking Forward too in next month Things quieting after the holidays...and the nighthike at the marsh.  

Now hold tight for a little year in review post and what are hopes and dreams are for the next year.