A decade in review.

I would like to review the last decade. The whole New Millinum thing. Glad to see at 12:00 on 01-01-2000 the world did not end, nor did all the computers shut down.

I was engaged for the first year and a half of the new decade, I married my co-worker, Spaghetti, on June 16th 2001. It seemed like I was getting so old then! I was only 22!!

Spaghetti and I bought our first place, fixed it up, saved our asses off, and bought a house 2 years later. That was 7 years ago this March. We starting filling the house up with pets. In two years time, we bought Jordan (Thing 1) and then Maggie May soon after. Sophie came soon to keep Maggie company, and so then was Chloe a rescue from being put down to keep Jordan happy. Spaghetti and I had lots of adventures to go on, so we said at least 5 years of marriage before kids!

Spaghetti and I went to Vegas for his birthday, Myan Riveria for our honeymoon, Arizona to visit family and my dearest gradeschool friend, Wisconsin for the Dells, Cedar Point, Ohio for the BIGGEST (at the time) roller coaster in the USA, Michigan for the collage football, and camping in the dunes, and our last big vacation harah was a two part deal for me, I flew to Utah to my first Stampin' Up! convention (2005) and then after a week there I flew up to Washington to meet Spaghetti at the airport, then to drive down to Portland Oregon to see his cousin and wife. The were gettting married the next week. It was a week of sight seeing, putting my feet in the ocean on the other side of the country, and of white water rafting where we did dangerous things and I almost drowned!

The morning we were going to leave for home from Oregon. We decided to start trying for kids. Lucky us that was August 1st 2005, I was pregnant by mid September 2005. Bagel was born to us on June 2nd 2006, I was 28. Not wanting to drag this whole pregnancy thing out, we tried for our second child when Bagel was just 13 months. She was 15 months when she wore the "I'm going to be a big sister" shirt to the Queen and Carrots house.

Weaky was born to us, April 25th 2008. With our family of 4 all set and intact, and having both kids before I was 30 (knocking on 30's door, July 19th) I was happy to be done being pregnant. And seriously looking forward to the life we would have with our family.

It was a decade full of new things. New homes, new lifestyles, new responsibilities.

But this decade was a hard one. I had just come into Spaghetti's life, and he was sad because he had lost his best friend to a medical mishap the year before I met him. And I had lost my Grampa then too.

I would have never guessed that my little sister would be over come by such a unknown muscle disorder. I still have my wonderful sister Frances, but that damn muscle disorder, Dystonia has taken over her voice by now, and she can not speak. She had a 16 hour brain operation that helped her tremendously. (DBS) she isn't twisted and hunched over, but she can barely feed herself, and speach is seldom.

But the losses this decade were a bit harsh.

Aunt Karen to alcohol abuse in the winter of 2006.
My Gramma Alice to a sweet old age of 90, in November 2006
Uncle Jim, Aunt Karen's husband, died of alcohol abuse, and a broken heart July 2008.
Which the loss of Uncle Jim, caused a rip in my mom's family so big. That her retardedly pompous and hateful sister completely turned the other brother Rich against my mom and me. Stating that it was us that caused Uncle Jims death. We haven't spoken to them in over a year. I know it will be forever after the words that were spoken. Now my mom has a broken heart. Bullies.

2009 was shitty. Spaghetti's Gramma passed away suddenly to a brain Aneurysm. On Spaghetti's birthday. February 7th. Then 7 months later Spaghetti's Uncle T went to the hospital with the flu, and died of a brain tumor and melonomia 21 days later. That was a horrible year for the family.

I can only hope that this new decade brings on happiness with those I surround myself with. That I can keep my family, Frances is able to speak some, and I just live and enjoy.

Here's to a new decade. One of promise, health, happiness, time with family, and enjoying my children grow.

One eyed Carrot Man on New Years Eve!

Happy 2010 Bloggers! I must tell you of my exciting night...

It was a great night, my parents the Queen and Carrots came by and my sister Frances too.

(side note, my father has full use of his right eye, he just choses to be a spaz for each and every picture I ask him to be in. So be it! For my sisters picture. Go here to understand)

Spaghetti had to work at the Video store, so we all just order Giordano's Pizza (deep. dish. I know those of you who KNOW what I am talking about. REAL Chicago pizza... mmm...)

The kids played with Carrots while the Queen read stories...

And it was a horn blowing good time...

singing song of a good time...

Scream Happy New Year!! of a good time...

Until Queen reminds us girls that it is a tradition that we go outside, freeze our asses off (it was about 7 degrees) and light sparklers in the snow!! And then...

To be continued...

2010's New and Improved me.

I've got some new and improved plans for 2010. I like that it's one of those even years. A big brand shiney new decade.

A decade of new starts.

I see alot of my friends on Facebook stating that they have no resolutions, just good hopes for a new year. I mean sure, if you don't have all the issues I do, I remember before kids, and when I was skinny, I didn't know what to say was my resolutions.

Oh but now that I have had a home, and kids, and so much on my plate. I am thinking that 01-01-2010 will be the start of something great.

Now lets cover my current status, and then what I need to do with that status, for those of you who are new here. I won't be beating around any bushes, so lets just be blunt.

I am fat. STOP saying I'm not.

I once was a very cute, petite, 107 lbs. Sure it's tiny but at only 5 feet tall that was a fun weight. I am now weighing in at... fuck I hate even typing the numbers... as of this morning... 141... I am 34 lbs more then I want to be. I am SO tired of the "well you did have two kids" great, sure I did but um the youngest is 20 months, and I am over postpartum so I am me again. And I am sadly 10 lbs heavier then when I went in for my 6 week check up after I had Weaky.

So below is a paint (I know, I know, mad paint skillz here) project I made. Of my fat ass, highlighed in yellow are the area's that need some...well to be blunt... lypo? Since lypo ain't in the budget, we can work on it the el natural way. starvation and insane work out routine

SO I have plans.

In the fantabulous blogosphere we have my new friend, Dual Mom, over at Were At Dad's That Week" who had the details on this whole Lose it Bitch idea.
I would post them here but I'd probably screw that up. Check her out, tell her Feisty sent ya. Oh but I do know to tell you to check in on my fat ass each Wednesday to see my check in results. If your a blogger and up for the challenge feel free to join in.

Alright, so here's the master plan... my diet will consist of these rules...

1. 
   
   Portion control. This is HUGE for me. I am a P.I.G. when it comes to food.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Less carbs. No carbs isn't healthy and I don't think I would last 2 hours with out them.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   No pop. Alright thanks to my sister who hates pop, I too never really drank it as a kid. And since Spaghetti hasn't had a drop of pop since September (I am SO proud!) I think I can give that up.
   
   
   
4. 
   
   Coffee is allowed. Otherwise people will die.
   
   
   
5. 
   
   Lots of protien, I love chicken, yogurts are fun too. Eggs, salads are fun if you have to right stuff in them. So I can tweak the diet. I'm not getting all tofu and salmon pattie crazy here.
   
   
   
6. 
   
   Exercise. Alright so P90X was fun, but it was a bit much to start with. SO we will be starting with a mix of my own. A bit of P90X with a bit of On Demand Yoga and some of my favorite Giaim ball exercises. When we see the sun again and it's above freezing I would love to start walking again (but that is MONTHS from now)
   
   
   
7. 
   
   Declutter the house. Weird I know. But from what I read the less clutter we have, the easier it is to diet and be healthy. Like a healthy house, healthy me? Sure I'll buy it.
   
   
   

Alright that is just the weight loss resolution. Moving on.

Declutter. This is an ongoing thing. I started the process in the fall 2008. I have been doing good, I have organized and found a place for so many of my things. I still have LOTS to do. But it's coming along great!

Budget. Alright, so paying bills isn't budgeting. I am the accountant of the family I guess. Spaghetti makes it, I budget it. And not very well. With a bit of the numbers crunched I figured out that Spaghetti's main job at the Casino is $15 more then we have in bill each month. Sad I know. BUT that is why we have the Video store job. That is our food and gas $$. I just need to learn NOT to blow all the Video store money the second we get it.

I had a long talk with my dad last night about budget. It was good. And I asked him if I could check in more often about what I'm doing. Don't think Spaghetti doens't know, he does. But my dad is the master of budgets, and even though our budgets are a world apart. My dad did budget for a family of 4 on just his unemployment when my sister was just born.

It has to do with less of the debit card, and I have to have cash to go buy things. I think this will help me alot. I seem to have a small Carrots on my shoulder

when I have cash in hand. I am very good at not spending cash. (weird maybe?)

Family Time This one is big. I think it's going to be easier now that Weaky is bigger, and walking. I'm not saying we don't spend a ton of time with our family, but after such a devastating year losing both Spaghetti's Gramma Dorthy and Uncle T. that we have all wanted to make family time more important.

Frances has a Zoo membership, and Chicago has the free Lincoln Park Zoo. There is Starved Rock State Park, not to mention all the bike rides to the local parks we have around here.

A small big thing, is my store. My mom the Queen and I have been talking of our own store, of fun arts and crafts things, for years, and years. Maybe, just maybe... but I have to make stuff, to sell. So this year will be focused on working on my projects, hoping for a Etsy shop in 2011?

There's little things too. Like to keep staying organized in my Stampin' Up! business, to Scrapbook WAY more, to possibly procrasinate less, to send out Birthday cards, and thank you's (since I do that for a living anyway!) and to just really take in 2010 as a New and Improved me. To grasp the 31 year old me by the shirt and tell her it's time to get it together, and enjoy what you've got.

So hold up your drinks, coffee, water, wine, mine is a McD's LARGE coke (last one for a LOOOOONNNGGGG time) and cheers to new decade!

Happy 2010!!