Goodbye Explorer

Our lease is FINALLY up on the explorer and tomorrow, we're turning it in. We can't wait. We're going to try to operate for a few months with only one car so that we can put some money away to make a larger down payment on our next car. After much research and thought, we're really leaning towards a Honda CRV.

This weekend we're also expecting a visit from Andy, Pam and Owen. We are really excited and planning on bringing them to a Towson basketball game...eventhough Towson basketball is not doing well at all. We went last week and had a great time!

cupcakes

i almost forgot....

This months issue of Martha Stewart features lots of different kinds of cupcakes. My goal: to make them all (except for the yucky looking green one that has pistachios in it). I want to try to make one type a week...There are enough that I could keep going until mid-March at least. Hopefully I'll get to my first batch this weekend. Certainly this is a valid way to spend my time while I procrastinate.

it snowed!

It snowed yesterday. I woke up yesterday morning, looked out the window and saw snow on the lawn and houses across the street. Woohoo! Especially since Tuesday is my work from home day. The girls and I spent the morning drinking hot chocolate (hot chockit if you are Laney and Alie) and eating cinnamon buns in the dining room so we could watch it snow out the back window. We stayed snuggled up for most of the day, watching tv, reading books and playing (while I worked...booo). I love snow.

I do not love the next day, when the snow turns to ice and I have to figure out how to get to work. Lucky for me there is Inda to pick me up!

Exciting news

I've been hestitant to post, but Carl has in fact started his new job! We are so excited as it was quite difficult emotionally and financially. He is excited about the opportunities that this new position might offer.

a weekend from my weekend

I need a weekend from my weekend....

Wendy visited and I think we've never done so much and so little all in one weekend.
Friday night Wen, Big, Ciruc and Bri came over for dinner and then we headed out to High Tops. We drank some Blue Moons and did a little dancing.

Saturday, we went bridesmaid dress shopping in the am. We visited two places and tried on a bunch of dresses. We found one that could work, but nothing final yet. Wen wasn't feeling well so we headed back to Cirucci's for some lunch and couch-time....which ended up being our spot for the remainder of the evening. My girlies came over for some baked-ziti and lots of ice cream for girls night. Ciruc and I drank a little wine and headed to bed.

Sunday, we played wii. All day. Cirucci and Brian made their wonderful meatballs and gravy, which we enjoyed while watching both the Eagles and the Ravens lose...:( We drank more wine (way more than the night before) and played some rock band and then more Wii.

Monday brought a little snow, so Wen decided to head home before the snow was too bad in NC. Cirucci and I headed back to my house on the slippery roads, drank hot chocolate and ate popcorn before a nap and some sledding later in the afternoon. We ordered Little Ceasars and watched the Skeleton key while the girlies napped. I learned how to knit.

Now I'm back at work, missing all of my favorite girls and feeling VERY VERY tired.

coffee letdown

Today, I ate all of my food for the day at lunctime (well except for my breakfast yogurt). I hadn't made coffee this morning and I didn't feel like cleaning out my work mug and making tea. Brian was going out, so I sent him to get my a caramel machiatto from Starbucks. I had this idea in my mind of exactly how my drink was going to taste...and it didn't taste that way at all. It was cold and lacked a lot of flavor. This is why I'm anti Starbucks recently. Everytime I give them another chance, they let me down :(

weekend in review

This past weekend flew by....way too quickly. Friday night was book club. I loved the book. Loved it! The Art of Keeping Secrets. I loved the characters. I loved imagining the scenery. I loved imagining the characters accents and outfits in my head. It was an all around wonderful read.

Saturday brought the Ravens. We woke up, ate breakfast and talked Ravens. I started making myself a calendar collage on shutterfly (I can not wait until it is delivered to our home). Carl made chili for the watching of the Ravens game, and I dressed the girls in Ravens appropriate attire. Carl put the ever classy Ravens flags on the jetta and we headed down to Dan and Mindy's to watch the game, eat fried chicken, chili and big cookie, and enjoy the company of our fellow Raven's fans. We were all very excited that the Ravens won...even Laney and Alie who seemed to have a great time watching all the boys jump around and scream at the tv. I think Carl may have been the most excited since he called almost everyone we know during our long drive home.

Sunday came too soon. I had great intentions of putting some stuff in storage bins in the back room of the basement, but instead ended up doing a whole lot of nothing. We did go to Cirucci's and I laid on the couch with her chatting for a while, while Brian, Carl and the kiddos watched "A Bugs Life". Oh and I went to Target. I have now officially finished buying the girls summer wardrobe (I bought most of it at the end of last summer) and I have almost purchased their entire wardrobe for next fall/winter. I am OBSESSED with the end of season sales. We decided to be lazy and get some pizza and breadsticks for dinner...no worries, we will be eating something a bit more balanced this evening....and I finished a so-so book I was reading.

Tonight I will need to do everything that I didn't do yesterday. Of course.

3 year appointment

Laney and Alie had their three year check up yesterday and everything is as it should be. They are both in the 5th percentile for height and weight, and are in keeping with the curve which is what is important. Laney weighs 25 lbs and Alie weighs 24. Laney is 1/4 of an inch taller than her sister. The doctor was impressed with their speech. He told Carl that twins oftentimes have a rough time speaking anything other than twin language and are often quite delayed in their speech. The girls are not at all. He was also impressed with their interests and progress with potty training. Woohoo! I'm so proud of my little ladies.

We are looking forward to this weekend. Last weekend we watched the Ravens game at Dan and Mindy's and really had a great time. We are planning to watch the 2nd playoff game there tomorrow and I'm really excited!!! It is also supposed to snow this weekend. Justin Burke hasn't given a sense of how much accumulation to expect, but just seeing some snow will make me happy. This morning while we were watching the news as I was getting dressed, Laney asked if she could get out her sled. I'm hoping she gets to use it!

Finally, we're coming to the end of our explorer lease..woohoo! The problem is that I can't seem to decide on our next car. I don't want to go too big (I'm not looking for a minivan or regular sized SUV). I want something that has a wagon-type design or a smaller SUV. My two front-runners are the subaru outback and the Honda CRV. Everyday I go back and forth. We'll see what Carl and I eventually choose.

On being a woman this year....

I have spent the past month or so reflecting on what it means to be a woman. For one of my courses this semester I read "The Labyrinth" which explained a change for women in the workforce. It suggests (and I agree) that there is no longer a glass ceiling, rather a labyrinth that women need to navigate to get to the top. The book had a large chapter devoted to motherhood and how it played into this tricky navigation scenerio. I'm usually pumped after reading femininst books, ready to work hard and make a difference, but this book had a different effect. I finished feeling somewhat doomed and defeated. The book basically said that the idea of "balance" is phooey (which I agree with, I think balance is a personal thing and something that you have to make for yourself. its not necessarily some ideal that is sensationalized so often). But they presented the idea of balance as something that is completely fictional all together. The authors listed "things" that trip women up on their way to the top, and many of these negatives I consider positives...my kiddos and my husband being biggies. Another of my classmates presented the idea of the lobster starting in a pot of cold water slowly brought to a boil. Evidentally the lobster doesn't realize its boiling. My classmate encouraged us, especially the women in the class to aviod this scenerio. She wanted us to constantly consider opportunities and not to become complacent. So....after giving all of this A LOT of thought, I have converted some of the things I took away from this course into New Years resolutions for 2009. I considered my goals and what is important to me, paired with some other things I have read recently and come up with this:

1. Call my friends more often (some of my friends have heard the 3 day rule) and add more friends to my frequently called list. My friends are important to me and I consider them extensions of my family. They support me and keep me sane. Who knows where I would be without them. Taking some time out of each day to make a call will hopefully strengthen our relationships and become a calming and relaxing time for me.

2. (I stole this one partially from an author that I read frequently) Really enjoy things that are happening now that I will miss in 20 years. I found myself asking Laney and Alie to promise to always come home and relax in bed with me as they grow older. Its something that we love to do now, but may be something that will not last forever.

3. Practice the distinction between relaxation and recreation. I read a book earlier this year that I thought was really great. It was all about different ways for busy women to find peace in their lives and reduce their stress levels. It explained that people oftentimes confuse relaxation or down-time with just not working. While it is important to be involved in book clubs and other social groups, it is also important to really take some time to do something relaxing that you truly enjoy like reading, taking a bath, gardening or painting your nails. I resolve to take time for both!

4. I resolve to be healthier. 2008 served my family and I with our fair share of stressors. We have used the holiday break to discuss the type of things we really enjoy and how they fit into our current lifestyle. This year, I resolve to make the necessary diet and exercise changes for our family to live even healthier. This resolution is not about losing weight, it is more about creating the lifestyle that we plan to raise our children in, especially now that Laney and Alie are so involved in everything that we do. In keeping with resolution #1, I want them to always be surrounded by family and friends, learn healthful ways of eating, exercise and enjoy the outdoors.

These are the things that are imporant to me. I am happy with my professional life. Carl and I have been working hard to save for the things we will need in the future. I think that he and I have found the work-life balance that works for us...heavier on the life side and I don't believe that indicates complacency, just a different alignment of priorities. It has taken a few years, but I think we finally have our priorities all worked out. Happy New Year!