January 2013 Round Up and Pinspirations

Dog image from 123RF. Rope frame by MandaBean (no longer available). Font is Kristen ITC.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

I finished The Hobbit! I actually consider that a major accomplishment, since I've tried repeatedly in the past and never made it beyond the first chapter. Not sure if seeing the movie helped or what, but I finally read it. And not only that, I finished Fellowship of the Ring and am about half way through The Two Towers. It's like a miracle! I wish someone had told me that things improve a great deal once you get past the prologue of Fellowship. I think that's always where I got tripped up before, thinking that the whole book is like that (it's not, I promise!).

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
* TV Time: We've moved into Season 4 on Big Bang Theory. Nothing else special comes to mind, just the usual suspects (though Suits did start back for the first time since summer). Wait, I don't know if I've done a round-up since we started watching Elementary. We are really enjoying that one, much more than I thought I would when it started. It has actually become quite a favorite of ours.
* New Films: Um, did I see any new films? I don't think I did. We mainly just caught chunks of some old favorites this month.
* Old Favorites: Jurassic Park, Aliens, The Matrix, X-Men: First Class, Love Actually (twice, actually), The Matrix: Revolutions, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Winnie the Pooh (the new one)

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?
Had a big family gathering at my uncle's house in honor of the visit by my aunt and cousin from New Mexico. We enjoyed a belated Christmas celebration with them. We took Luke to The Fox to see Blue Man Group. He had been to The Fox once before with his school, but it was our first time going as a family. None of us had seen Blue Man Group before, but it was a great show, and we had a wonderful time! We also attended my cousin's daughter's first birthday party. It was so great seeing everyone, including some folks I hadn't seen in over 5 years.



What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Pictures, as in printed photographs, were my gift of choice this year, so my grandmother got her copies at the family GTG. We gave the birthday girl two hooded towels; I thought two was prudent, considering she has an older sister.  :-)

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
We started planning this year's Disney trip, including Spring Training tickets this year. First time we will have been to a game at Disney since 2009, I think. Seems like there was something else, but it's not coming to mind.

What new foods, recipes, or restaurants did I try this month?
Um, uh, er.... but, but.... I am trying a new meal planning technique! There's only so many new things you can put in motion at one time, particularly at the beginning of the year. Our lives have so many moving parts right now, and I know it will only get worse! I have absolutely NO idea how families with more than one child keep it together and actually still manage to see each other for more than 5 minutes a day (or then again, maybe the don't do at least one of those things).

What Pinspirations did I try this month (besides any recipes above)?
Um, uh, er.... (hangs head in shame). But I did actually start pinning stuff again! That's more than I did during most of November and December. That counts. Right?

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
I had a pretty bad cold as the new year began, but I actually managed to fend it off without it turning into something nasty! It's like a minor miracle.

What were my accomplishments this month?

Click to biggify.

As you can see, 2013 Project 365 is going well. That's not to say I haven't already missed a day or two, but generally speaking, I am being much more deliberate about taking pictures so far this year than I was last year.

My major accomplishment was work related: I had to prepare data for a big presentation. A colleague and I agreed to a due date, having been told that one major portion of the work was already done (by someone else), only to find out that it really wasn't. If we'd known we would have to do it ourselves, we never would have said we could do it in two weeks. But we got it done (and I have the overtime hours to prove it).

I'm also doing pretty well on my New Year's resolutions. I didn't really talk about them here on my blog (how did that happen?! maybe I'll do that in February), but I did make some. The main one was to start keeping a food diary and being more aware of what (and how much) I am eating. It's not really meant to be a diet, though losing weight is a great side effect! It's about simply being aware and conscious and deliberate about what I'm eating. I decided to do this on Jan 2, and I've logged every bite since then. Read Tolkien was also on the list: As previously mentioned, I've finished The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring, and I'm almost half way done with The Two Towers. Yet to do are learn to make some kind of bread (even rolls), finish Midsummer Night's Fairy, and to stay employed all year (not that I have much control over that one, but it's something I *really* want!!). I'll keep working on it.

What were Luke's accomplishments this month?

Luke Weekly:


Luke started playing basketball this month. He's in a program where they have practice and games on the same day, and it's only 5 weeks. We figured that would be enough to start with, since we didn't know for sure if he would like it or not. He seems to love it, though, which thrills my husband to bits. We were hoping they would start another 5 week class right after this one, but they only have soccer and flag football. We did sign him up for their soccer program (different from the one he's been in the last couple of years), just to keep him active, but again, practice and games are both on Saturdays, and it's a fairly short season (6 weeks, I think).

He was complimented on his manners by a waitress at Sonny's, and a waiter at Olive Garden complimented him on his ordering skills (we've been making him order for himself at restaurants for a couple of years now). I know I shouldn't "need" the validation as a parent, but it made me feel good, and it made him feel good, which is always good. :-) His first jeans with busted knees for 2013 have also appeared, a few weeks earlier than usual. I think these were the ones we bought late last winter, though, so that's okay. Still need to make it a few more weeks on the new jeans!

Not sure if this really counts as an "accomplishment" or not, but we did take Luke for his pediatrician-recommended psychoeducational evaluation, or at least the first visit where they see if testing is really needed. His actual testing has been scheduled for mid-February.

What were this month's disappointments or frustrations?Luke is having another of his January school meltdowns. I think he's had more "non-green" days this month than he has during all the previous months of second grade combined. I don't know what it is about coming back from the Christmas holidays that makes him this way. It isn't the extended absence from school, because this doesn't happen after the summer. Very frustrating.

Anything else noteworthy to record?
Can't think of anything!

Monthly Round Up concept courtesy of Katie the Scrapbook Lady, tweaked by me.

Currently feeling: rounded for January