January 2010 Round Up

Click mosaic to biggify. Created using Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
I read a book! Trust me, no one is more shocked than I. Finished Heat Wave, by Richard Castle, the spin-off novel from the TV show. Far from the best book I've ever read, and I don't recommend it for anyone not already watching the show and familiar with the characters.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
*TV Time: Dollhouse (what the heck just happened?! and the finale, sniff), plus the other usual suspects
*New Films: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (don't bother), Inkheart (okay; kept more to the spirit of the book than the letter), Jumper (nice concept, not good execution)
*Old Favorites: Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, A Bug's Life, Speed, Hello Dolly!, Apollo 13, The Count of Monte Cristo, Toy Story, The Lion King, Lilo & Stitch

What special days did I celebrate and how?
MIL's birthday was early this month, complete with cards and a phone call as I recall. Not much else, really.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Um, uh, er....

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
I finally started getting over my terrible cold/sinus infection/bronchitis thing a few days into the new year. Took me almost all month to really feel completely well. Luke got sick one night, but we have no idea from what or why. It was really strange.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
Nothing? I know, we're sad. Between everyone being sick at some point and having such a hectic November and December, plus the extra tiredness from L still not sleeping well, we really just chilled most of the month. My parents did come and visit, but it was all very low key.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
I was a cooking fiend this month! I tried four new recipes: rice pudding (nope), pork tenderloin (yum), roast (worth trying again), and triple chip cookies (nope). I also made my first attempt at taking leftovers from one meal (pork tenderloin) and making something else from it (pork fried rice, using a fried rice recipe I already know). Didn't love it (we both prefer shrimp fried rice to pork), but I'm still proud of myself for attempting it. We also tried a new Chinese place. It was pretty good. There are a couple of others in the area as well, so we'll try those, too, and then decide who our "regular" supplier will be.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
Oh, all sorts of random things for the new house, like curtain rods for Luke's room and rug pads for new rugs (one installed, one not), a small step ladder and a new step stool. Dropped a pretty penny and Lowe's, not including the things Mom bought for me (thanks, Mom!). And we've barely put a dent in the list. ::sigh:: But if all goes well, we should be closing on our old house by mid-February, so that will help free up some funds for home improvement projects.

What were this month's disappointments?
Luke is not sleeping in his own room, and progressing (regressing?) to not even wanting to go to the bathroom alone. That's really the main thing. Oh, and my project from %$#@ that was supposed to complete by Jan 31 has now been pushed out again to 2/15, and as of Jan 29, even that date is looking uncertain. It's the project that won't die!!

What were my accomplishments this month?
101 List: I didn't actually accomplish any individual items, but I did a few things to contribute towards on-going goals (like trying new recipes).



I cooked more this month than I probably have in the last 4 months combined (excluding Christmas, when we had 3 cooks here). Four new recipes already mentioned, plus the pork fried rice, plus chicken casserole, hamburger noodles, taco soup, spaghetti, and probably a couple of other things that I'm forgetting right now. (I know that doesn't seem like much to many of you, but believe me, that is huge for me.) We also ordered pizza and Chinese for delivery. Combined with a couple of leftover nights, that means we averaged eating at home 3-4 nights a week, which is just unheard of for us. Hopefully it's the start of a new trend, both of eating at home and having things in our life be stable enough to do so.

What were Luke's accomplishments this month?


I was hoping to be able to say that Luke was sleeping in his room normally by the end of this month, but that is not the case. We have managed to get the lamp turned back off, though, which is helping him only wake once a night instead of 2-3 times like it had been. We're working on getting him to fall asleep in his room by himself, without the light or one of us in there with him. After we manage that, perhaps we can progress to going back to sleep by himself when he wakes in the 1-3 AM time frame. Hey, a girl can dream.

Luke also has a new Pre-K teacher and assistant at school. I actually thought the transition would be a little rougher, but it seems to be going okay. We've had some home behavior issues that may or may not be related to the switch. Hard to say, really. He is doing great in his Kelsey class, according to his teacher for that. Moving ever closer to being able to read and write, just not *quite* there. I actually think he is closer than he is letting on, he's just afraid to be wrong. I can't imagine where he gets that from (::cough::husband::cough::).

Anything else noteworthy to record?
Snow! And it was below freezing for the better part of 2 weeks (causing us a nearly $500 gas bill!!), so the snow stayed and stayed for days (and so did the ice underneath it on the roads). Water mains were breaking everywhere, there were innumerable accidents. It was awful. I am so glad I don't live somewhere that conditions like that are normal!

Monthly Round Up courtesy of Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: ready for some warmth