362nd day of 2010

362

I have a new book out today. I tested all the recipes and wrote this book before the baby was mobile. It was a challenge, but I knew that if I waited until she was moving around, I’d never get it done. There were days when I had 8 crockpots going at a time, and when they were finished, I’d hand out the food and fill em’ up again.

it was kind of nutty.

and wonderful.

absolutely wonderful. The baby turns 1 January 6, and she is all over the place. If she’s awake, she doesn’t hold still—toddling from room to room. Santa surprised her with a pink wooden toy kitchen. Today she spent a good hour banging pots on the fake range, “cooking” Kix cereal and shoving the soggy round balls into my mouth, one at a time.

I am so lucky to have this time with my children, and with this new little one. My heart breaks when I think about what would have happened if I hadn’t stumbled upon the idea of starting a crockpot blog.

she might not be here.

and that’s not okay.

Thank you. Thank you so much for finding me, supporting me, supporting my family, and for being my friend.

and thank you for loving your crockpot (almost) as much as I do.

Today:

daily 7

rework your personal goals. if you haven’t completed them, it’s okay. Most people over-estimate what they can do in 1 year, but under-estimate what they can do in 5. Tweak. Rewrite. It’s all good.

call a good friend and listen more than speak

the last week of the year.

361

Congratulations!

It’s the end of the line. You’ve done it.

This is a week of recovery—-for the next 5 days (4, if you’re entertaining for New Year’s Eve like we are), just put things away and get back on track.

Find a space for everything. If you’ve run out of space, PROM again. If you are planning on moving, or planning on adding on, that’s great. But unless you’re packing up tomorrow or breaking ground, you’ve got to embrace your current space and living arrangements. Make it work.

You can do it.

It’ll be okay.

Today:

recover

meal plan

daily 7

Wednesday, vacuum. dust. mop.

356

It’s another Wednesday. Chances are, you’re feeling run down and worn out. I’m sorry. Me too. Do a quick speed dust, vacuum, and mop today. Don’t obsess, just get it done—super quick. Delegate to the kids if they’re home. A lot of dust can be erradicated with a carton of baby wipes!

Today:

daily 7

quick clean

listen to fun music and sing really loud and off-key. just for fun.

monday!

354

Good morning!

I am late with this today’s post—I completely forgot to write it last night! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Ours was quite productive—filled with PROMing, errands, visits, and laughter.

Today:

kids are off school— can today be a jammy day?

finish all wrapping

candy making/baking

keep up with the Daily 7, especially the laundry so it doesn’t get out of control

drink extra water, try to limit the sweets if you can

have a great day!

saturday and sunday–the second to last of the year

352 & 353

I hope your day is already going well. The excitement the kids are exuding is becoming contagous—this truly is a magical time of year.

Enjoy this weekend. Soak it in. If you have things to do, get them done, but try your hardest to do so with a smile on your face.

Remember: NOTHING is perfect. NOTHING tangible (cookies, baking, wrapping paper, dishes, decorations) is worth getting mad about. Choose joy.

and then spread it.

this weekend:

gather the kids around and PROM the toys one last time. New ones are on the way. There must be something (or a bunch, if you haven’t PROMed in a while!) that another child would enjoy more than your kids currently are.

go for a walk, or drive to see lights

keep up with the Daily 7

you are all in my thoughts and prayers. thank you to everyone of you. oxox

friday–the end of line is near

351

I loved reading your emails and comments yesterday on my technology rant. Thank you for being the very best people in the whole entire world.

Let’s start a compound! I’m not sold on living where we’re living forever… I’d move in a heartbeat if my neighborhood had all of you in it.

Today:

daily 7

finish all wrapping

begin candy/fudge making

350. DUDE.

350

There are only 15 days left in this year. F I F T E E N.

freaky.

I spent way too much time yesterday fiddling with a new BlackBerry that the wonderful folks at BlogHer sent to test out, review, and give away (the post won’t be for a while, though. I’ll keep you posted.)

I think I have carpal tunnel in my fingers and I’m a wee bit cross-eyed. I get it that I work online. I get it that I use technology daily, but I am JUST NOT a gadget person. After spending a good two hours to input 3 numbers, I gave up and made a pot of coffee.

I sometimes think I was born in the wrong decade. I like spending time at home, I like spending time with my kids, I enjoy hanging out with my husband, and my idea of a night on the town is dinner at a nice restaurant that isn’t crowded and then a walk around the block.

oh. and although I live spitting distance to San Francisco, I’d rather this dinner take place in the suburbs where I can find ample parking. for free.

I don’t think classrooms should have smart boards, I don’t think kids should have cell phones unless it’s for contacting mom and dad to pick them up from sports practice, and I am pretty sure we’re the last house on the block without a Wii. And while the kids have DSs (don’t know the plural of that)—they only use them in the car when we are on a long drive. I haven’t made this a rule, that’s just what seems to happen. The kids would rather play or read than videogame.

I haven’t succumbed to a DVD player in the car, either, and so far we’ve made it. This summer we’re planning a roadtrip to Texas and I still don’t feel like this is a necessity.

But.

I get it that I’m not in the majority.

so I’ll suck it up, soak my hands in warm water (ooh, maybe with lavender!), and figure out how to use this darn thing.

Today:

daily 7

count your blessings…. they are probably people and memories,  not gadgets or devices, huh?

quickly write down the top 5 things that are the most important to you right now. Don’t think too hard, just do it. On a regular ol’ day, do your actions reflect these priorities?

clorox wipe off all the doorknobs. this is especially important if you gave candycanes to quiet 5 small children yesterday afternoon while you were on a conference call…

tuesday: run errands

348

Today is the day I finally see the dentist to get those root canals taken care of. Grandpa John is going to sit with the baby, and I need to STOP being a baby and just get this over with.

I ended both of those sentences with a preposition.

I’m anal enough to notice, but not anal enough to correct the mistakes.

in case you were wondering…

I’m tripping out over the power of the Internet. Yesterday  I posted on the crockpot blog that my friend Diane’s son has recently been diagnosed with Lyme’s disease and is stockpiling information on how to best treat the condition. I’m just blown away from the response. There really ARE good people out there (just not at the post office)!

today:

run errands

daily 7

care deeply and give freely.

the weekend

345 & 346

How many of you unplug for the weekend? Do you stop checking email? Do you turn off the computer and cell phone?

I usually don’t. But I wish I did.

I feel obligated to check email, and so I do–sometimes obsessively. I need to change this. It’s not good for me, it’s not good for the family, and it’s not the person I want to be.

so I’m going to change it. It’s Friday, 4:04pm, and I’m turning off my drug.

this weekend:

keep up with the daily 7

wrap presents

spend time with the family

unplug.

Wednesday: 342

342

Good morning!

I’ve been thinking an awful lot about happiness lately. I believe happiness is a choice. I have two very dear friends going through a divorce right now. I wouldn’t wish divorce on anyone, but in this situation I am so proud of my friends for getting out of rather-icky-situations and for protecting their children.

Divorce brings ugliness. There really isn’t a way around this  something ugly, whether you’re Kelsey Grammar or not.

and you know what? these two friends (who don’t know each other, but I should really get them in touch) are doing really well. They have chosen happiness.

I wrote this a while ago on being blissfully happy.

your challenge for today: if you find yourself feeling unhappy, change it. Turn off the news if it’s depressing. Don’t talk to that certain someone who drags you down. Stay away from cranky people at the grocery store. Spread joy.

choose happiness.

Today:

daily 7

holiday schtuff

hug your kids

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