2009 in Review

Currently my lovely husband is snoring on the couch. On New Year's Eve. And it's 8:45 in the evening. That's a little sad, dontcha think? Good thing I love him.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? I let go of my little guy and sent him off to preschool and sent my daughter off to kindergarten. It was a difficult transition, as they are my buddies during the day. But I've found that it's nice to have the one-on-one time with Jeremy, and Riley and I need the separation some days.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't think I made any last year. I'm not big into resolutions, but in 2010 I'd like to make more time for myself and not feel guilty for wanting to do so. And lose a few pounds.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My cousin gave birth to Samuel on Jan. 2. They made their town's newspaper as being one of the first births of the year.

4. Did anyone close to you die? My great-aunt passed away in November. That was difficult to deal with, since she was so involved in my life. But she lived such a full life in her 89 years.

5. What places did you visit? Nowhere in particular, other than to visit family. We took the kids on an overnight excursion in March to a water park, but otherwise we just stayed local.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Energy. I don't know if it's the cold-weather blues, but I have been lacking in energy. I'm hoping to get back into an exercise regime so that maybe that can boost my energy level.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Other than my great-aunt's passing, the day that Riley started kindergarten was August 21. And the day she lost her first tooth: Christmas!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? That I learned how to make jelly. And that I survived Jeremy leaving the nest and me.

9. What was your biggest failure? Getting too stressed about things because I work too much. I don't give myself enough time off, and as a result I snap at people (i.e. Phil). We're trying to spend more time together, too, since after the kids go to bed is when I start working. He gets up early to go to work, and I'm such a night owl that it makes it difficult some times to connect.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? A few months ago I came down with a sinus infection, ear infection and bronchitis. Good times.

11. What was the best thing you bought? I can't think of anything in particular, but my parents bought the kids a tee so the kids can play T-ball. It's a lifesaver in the summer because both kids can hit line drives if you pitch to them. Both Phil and I suffered bruises over the summer from playing ball with those kids!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Jeremy for finally getting potty trained. Riley for excelling in school and learning how to ride a bike on her own in 2 days. Phil for tolerating me and buying me ice cream to cheer me up. And me for holding the family together and keeping the kids alive.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Going to plead the fifth here, but those who know me well know the answer.

14. Where did most of your money go? New appliances. Our house is about 15 years old, so we're slowly replacing the appliances. 2009 was the year of the hot water heater and refrigerator. It was going to be the washing machine, too, but we're waiting for the appliance rebates to hit in April.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Attending Jeremy Roenick night at the Blackhawks game.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? "I've Got a Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Happier overall.

b) thinner or fatter? About the same. Still have about 10 lbs I'd like to lose, but I'm still skinner than when I was pregnant with Riley.

c) richer or poorer? Richer. We were smart and are paying 1/4 of our mortgage every week, so we're making an entire mortgage payment extra per year. Plus we're saving on interest each week. I just wish the market was better and we could refinance, but at least we have a home.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Chilled out in general. Gotten massages since they are pure heaven. If we had the money, I'd go more often. I wish I'd taken more time for myself, whether it's have dinner with girlfriends, spent the night at my parents or taken Phil up his offer to go chill and he'll take care of the kids. Gone on overnight excursions with or without the kids.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stressed out. I get so stressed about things that sometimes I forget that there are two adults in this house. I don't need to take on the world.

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2009? We went to BIL's the weekend before Christmas. We spent Christmas day with my parents and spoke to my brother and SIL. It was a perfect celebration and we had a delicious meal prepared by Phil. And then Sunday we're going to the ILs.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? I didn't fall in love, but I'm still in love with everyone in my family, especially my husband. As my mom would say, I may not like what you do sometimes, but I will always love you. And that's how I feel.

22. What was your favorite TV program? We've been watching Community with Joel McHale. He's hilarious and not an episode passes where we don't bust out laughing.

23. What did you do for your birthday in 2009? Nothing in particular, that I can remember. How sad is that?

24. What was the best book you read? The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. Total tear-jerker. I just wish they weren't making a movie about it with Miley Cyrus. Still Alice by Lisa Genova was an excellent book, too.

25. What did you want and get? I lost two freelancing gigs earlier this year, both with no notice. I located another gig on craigslist, of all places, and it's turned out to be rather profitable. I was worried that I'd have a hard time committing to 15 hours per week (that's the minimum), but for the most part it's been doable. Let's see, though, when I try to take time for myself and my marriage!

26. What did you want and not get? A bountiful garden. This crappy summer was not good for the produce. My tomatoes suffered tremendously. The peas enjoyed the cool weather. And the stupid Japanese beetles infested my raspberries and green beans. Ugh! And I didn't get my front-loading washing machine, but that was my doing. We're waiting for the rebate.

27. What was your favorite film of this year? We didn't go see any movies in the theater (second year in a row), but I did enjoy The Hangover. Total stupid humor, but I thought it was funny. And I was enjoying Up, until we had to return it to the library, and I didn't get a chance to finish it!

28. Did you make some new friends this year? I made stronger bonds with people I already knew of but didn't know well.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? To not be so worried about our finances.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Total casual. I could care less about fashion.

31. What kept you sane? Immersing myself in a good book, catching up on my DVR with a large M&M Blizzard.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Rob Thomas still makes me swoon. And he came out with a new CD, which of course is awesome. But my recent heartthrob is Patrick Sharp of the Blackhawks. Which reminds me, Jeremy announced the other day that his favorite Blackhawk is Patrick Sharp because, "He's hot." Oops.

33. What political issue stirred you the most? Any kind of publicity given to Sarah Palin. Seriously, she's giving women a bad name.

34. Who did you miss? D and Casey.

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. Just as my blog says, there are days I have to remind myself that I will miss the fighting and the way the kids talk to each other. Then they laugh and play so well together and it makes my heart melt to know that right now they're each other's best friends. Kids don't stay little very long. We spend so long wanting them to grow up, to do things on their own, but when they do, you mourn the change because it means they need you that much less. Time flies by, and I'm just trying to make it stand still just a little bit longer.

Here's to 2010. Hope your year was as good as mine. Thanks for reading along.

Merry Christmas

The kids are either coloring or doing puzzles while we await Papa and Nana's arrival. Surprisingly they haven't been pestering us too much yet about opening the presents. And yes, we're mean by making them wait until after lunch. But they did get to open their Santa gifts, in which they received coloring items, Princess and Cars stuff and Jeremy received a brand-new bike. (Some assembly might have caused a few curse words.)

I'm blessed to have such a wonderful and caring family. Sure, our year was filled with ups and downs, fights and kisses, but through it all, no matter what kind of day I'm having, I know that everyone in this house loves me and cares for me. We may not have the financial means to provide everything for our children, but that doesn't matter. We may not be able to go on fancy vacations or buy the latest gadgets, but does that make us bad parents? I'd like to think not.

Not a day goes by where Jeremy or Riley don't tell us they love us. And you know what? That's pretty cool. Oftentimes Jeremy will get down from the table and come over to give us a hug. That's so special.

We've tried this year to instill more religion into our lives. I originally wanted to get the kids involved in church so that Jeremy would enter Sunday School and spend some time away from me. I was hoping that would ease the transition into preschool a little better. But now church has blossomed, becoming more important in our lives. Phil volunteers in the Sunday School classroom. Riley has been singing Christmas carols all month. She misses seeing her friends from church. And church has become vital to my spirit, boosting me more than I can really explain. Many times the songs touch me in a way that make me cry.

The spirit most certainly is alive and well. Blessings to all on this Christmas day. May you enjoy time thinking about or being with loved ones today, wherever they may be. Thank you all for being such a vital part of my life. I am eternally blessed. Merry Christmas!

Ice Skating

Through the school's PTA, Riley was able to go ice skating for the first time. We decided that it would be better if Phil took her, and she and Riley met up with one of Riley's close friends, Lauren and her dad. Despite some problems due to the ice rink not knowing about the open skate and the long lines, the girls had a blast. We're hoping to get Jeremy on skates soon, too!

Riley hanging on.

She's having fun, I swear.

Riley and Lauren sharing a walker.

These two are the best of friends.

Thanksgiving

This year, we combined Thanksgiving with Christmas for my extended side of the family. We did this because my aunt, uncle and two cousins were heading to Vietnam for Christmas. The four of us actually had our own quiet Thanksgiving at our house on Thanksgiving day, and then Friday morning, Phil did some crazy Black Friday shopping while the kids and I slept in. After breakfast, we loaded up the minivan and headed off to Great-Grandpa's.

Riley ready to get out of the car.

Jeremy cheesing it up.

All in all, we had a wonderful time. Riley enjoyed showing off her new book from Uncle D and Casey (side note: I had NO idea who the main character, Straga Nona was, yet when Riley opened the box, she immediately yelled Straga Nona!!). And of course the kids had a blast playing with their second cousins.

Showing off her book.

The pop-up portions are very cool.

I think Great-Grandpa is impressed.

I'm constantly telling Jeremy to leave the book alone at home.

It is a pretty sweet book, though.

Riley is in love with Baby Sam.

Phil and little Sam.

RIley's Party

Yes, I WILL get caught up one of these days. :)

We had a family party for Riley the weekend after her birthday. It was filled with the usual suspects, minus two families who were able to celebrate with us for Riley's kids' party. We had a nice time visiting with everyone and catching up.

Cousin Ethan playing with some cars.

Ethan's brother Caden.

Clare and Adam.

Jeremy helping Riley with her presents.

All the kids watching.

And then they lose interest.

Jeremy enjoyed playing with other boys rather than surrounded by girls.

Caden and the truck.

This is what happens at the end of the day,
kids full of sugar, and nobody wants to cooperate for pictures.

Riley Through the Years

6 years ago on November 16, 2003:



6 years ago on November 17, 2003:



5 years ago on November 17, 2004:


4 years ago on November 17, 2005:


3 years ago on November 17, 2006:


2 years ago on November 17, 2007:



Last year, on November 17, 2008:



This year, November 17, 2009:


Time sure does fly.

Riley's Real Birthday

We did have a wonderful day on Riley's actual birthday. Phil was able to be home that day, as her birthday landed on a Tuesday. She requested his famous chocolate-chip pancakes to start off her day, and then we all took her to the bus stop. After she boarded, I ran over to the school to drop off her birthday cupcakes. She was very excited to share those with her friends and to receive her birthday crown from her teacher.

Jeremy is ready to celebrate!

For dinner, Riley requested one of her favorite dinners: macaroni and cheese baked in the oven. It's become one of our family favorites, too! After dinner, we took the whole family over to the kids' favorite ice cream shop, and Phil got to experience it for his first time.

Jeremy enjoying some Superman ice cream.

It's a shock that my child chooses chocolate.

We came home, and Riley opened her presents from us and from Jeremy. He was so excited to pick out his gift for her. He even made her a card. It's hard to believe that she's 6, but I seem to feel that way every time the kids celebrate a birthday.

Opening the cards that arrived in the mail.

Riley figuring out who they're from.

Showing off her new toy.

And testing out Jeremy's gift to her.

Party Time

For Riley's first-ever kids' party, we held the festivities at JoAnne's fabric store. The kids made no-sew pillows, which turned out adorable. All the kids we invited were able to attend, and after multiple disastrous pre-party meetings with the people at JoAnne's, the party arrived. (Seriously, ask us about what a nightmare it was to arrange the party. We were SO close to canceling several times, but we were wooed back by promises of discounts.)

The party pictures are on the defunct camera, but trust us in that it was a lot of fun. Jeremy wasn't the only boy there, as Riley invited a brother of one of her close friends. She invited some kids from her class, neighbors, friends from the bus stop and some close family friends. After making the pillows (which required more adult help than I think we all expected), the kids were able to decorate cupcakes and sing happy birthday to the birthday girl.

Since Riley's birthday is so close to Christmas, and we were having a family party for her the following week, we asked her guests to bring food that we could donate to the food pantry. For the 11 kids that we invited, we were floored at how generous people were! One family brought 40+ boxes of macaroni and cheese along with 15+ boxes of oatmeal. Another family had so much food that they had to load it into a shopping cart! I think it took Phil and I about 8 trips to the car.

Standing in front of all the food.

She was so proud to help others.

We took all the food to the pantry the following weekend. The parking lot was full of cars of people bringing and wanting food. The director of the pantry weighed the food that we donated, and it totaled 183 pounds! What a wonderful thing to do. We had so many parents say that this was a fantastic idea. I'm just glad we were able to help families in a time of need.

Blackhawks!

So it's been awhile since I posted anything, so many apologies about that. Life gets in the way. It happens every year after Riley's birthday--I don't have enough time to take care of much of anything.

On top of the chaos, our camera died, which was pretty much a blessing. I had been getting more and more annoyed with our camera, with the batteries not lasting long enough to capture anything. We splurged and bought it a week before Riley's birthday, which just so happened to be the weekend that Phil had a surprise for me.

In his defense, it's difficult to keep surprises from me. I'm always pestering him with questions once I find out there's a secret being kept from me. And for the first time that I can remember, I was able to figure out what he had in store. Our conversation was a bit like this:

Me: Why do we need to go to my parents?
Phil: Because your dad has something for us.
Me: Why can't we go Sunday morning?
Phil: Because your mom wants to see us, too.
Me: But she's at grandpa's.
Phil: She's coming back early.
Me: Why? She's going to see us next week for Riley's birthday.
Phil: Like I said, your dad has something for us.
Me: How big is it? Why does he have to give it to us now?

So I think I wore him out. I did guess that we were going to the Blackhawks game, mainly because it was going to be Jeremy Roenick Heritage night, and I SO wanted to go. Phil remembered earlier in the season how important the game would be to me, and he went out and got tickets. My parents ended up watching the kids, and Phil and I had a fantastic time!

I'm sure everyone reading knows by now that we named Jeremy after Roenick, as I've been a fan for as long as I can remember. So it was about due time that the Hawks honored him. The Hawks were playing the Sharks, which was J.R.'s last team. Here's the write-up on the game, which, at the time, was the largest crowd of the season. Apparently the kids tried to find us on TV while they were at Papa and Nana's, but they didn't see us.

J.R. highlights on the jumbo screen before the game.

More of J.R.

The pre-game skate.

This was as close as I got to J.R. He's just a glimmer.

Time to clean the ice.

Looks like we're going to overtime!

A rare photo of the two of us. My dad
lent me his J.R. jersey for the game.

What's that? A Blackhawks OT win?!

Scored by the offensive threat (kidding) D-man Brent Seabrook.

Feeling Grateful

In honor of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd pause for a minute and reflect on aspects of my life that make me thankful.

1) Family
I've said it before, and I'll reiterate it here: to me, family is the most important thing. Ever. Life can break you down, you can lose a job, you can have a bad run of luck, but true family members will stick by you through thick or thin. They'll love you no matter what. I think once I became a stay-at-home mom, I've realized how much I lean on my family for support, and it's nice to know that they're there for me.

I feel blessed to live relatively close to my parents; it's nice to see them every-so-often, especially for the kids. My dad stopped by on Monday just to take me out to dinner. I talk to them a few times a week. After losing a family member recently, it's that much more important to me that I keep in constant contact with those who mean so much to me.

It's well-known how much it pains me to have my brother and his wife so far away. I know this is what is in their heart to do, and I'm beyond proud of the both of them for the work they are doing. But I miss them. Tremendously.

My mom, brother, sister-in-law and dad.

2) My freelancing options
I'm grateful to have supplementary income, no matter how annoyed or frustrated I might get. My main source of income abruptly ceased communication with a majority of its editors/writers earlier this summer, leaving many of us in the lurch. For a while, I was able to work with my old company doing fact-checking work, which wasn't bad, but not very steady. Then I answered an ad on craigslist, and surprisingly, have found steady work (furiously knocking on wood). It's not the world's most exciting work, but it's nice that I can work at home, once the kids are in bed, so we can do fun things, buy nice stuff for Christmas and be comfortable.

I'm not the best at marketing myself, or even promoting myself, so I thought I would be in much more dire straits than I am, so it was wonderful that this job "landed" in my life. It requires me to work 15 hours a week, which at times can be daunting, especially after a rough day with the kids or life in general, but it's been painless so far.

Plus, it doesn't hurt that Phil still has a job that he enjoys and will be getting a nice bonus next month. And he works one day a week at home. So I'm thankful for that.

3) My kids
Yes, certain days they drive me absolutely up the wall. And there are days when I cannot believe that I chose to stay home with them. All. The. Time. And on days like yesterday, when they've both been home due to a day off of school. And I've had to scold them several times. For stupid stuff. Like not sharing toys. Or pestering each other. Or annoying each other. But that's what wine is for.

Those goofy kids.

But then there are other days when I can volunteer in Riley's classroom. And watching her play sports. Or having either kid hand me a freshly made picture. Or days when all Jeremy wants to do is play games and tickle.

This was taken a few years ago. Look how little the kids are!

And the kids crack me up. Literally, there is not a day that passes where I don't laugh at something. Just tonight, I covered Jeremy up with his blankets, and he asked, "Mom, I don't know where I am." Or at our mini-Thanksgiving dinner tonight, where Jeremy took one bite of the turkey and pronounced: "This is absolutely delicious!"

4) My husband
I might not talk about how wonderful he is, but he is at times. He knows that I need a break, and he insists that I take an hour for myself each day. He knows how much I enjoy Dairy Queen, so every week he drives over there and gets me my weekly Blizzard. (By the way, DQ closes in just a few weeks, so that's always a sad day in my world.) When I was pregnant with Jeremy, he would draw a bath for me every Friday. Just because. And it was heaven.

Our wedding day, 8+ years ago.

He puts up with my nagging, my never-ending lists and my overall crabby moods. He knows when to take the kids in the basement after pjs to just let loose. He knows when to have massive tickle fights. He knows in the summer when to take them outside and play bat and ball, throw the Frisbee around or bust out the bubbles. He's the best dad to those kids, and I've never once doubted his ability to do what's best for those kids. They greet him with massive hugs and a welcome that could make anyone smile.

He knows me better than anyone, which is good and bad. It prevents me from getting away with anything, but we all need someone who can put us in our place. We've been together 10+ years now, and I can't imagine my life without him. I hope he knows that.

5) Hockey
Yeah, that's right. I'm SO grateful for hockey. As an early Christmas present, Phil got me tickets to a Blackhawks game earlier this month. We just purchased a new camera, and I've yet to install the software needed to view the pictures, but the game was fantastic. It was Jeremy Roenick heritage night, and those who know me know that I'm a HUGE JR fan. In fact, we named Jeremy after him.

It was an awesome game as the Hawks won 4-3 in a shootout. The crowd was the largest of the season (so far), and it was fantastic to be a part of the team's success this season. I've been enjoying the games on television and cannot wait to see how the rest of the season pans out.

It does make me sad that I no longer work in the professional sports arena. In '98 turned down a job to work for the Chicago Wolves minor-league hockey team. I thought they were offering me too little of money to do too much work. I know, though, that I would've missed out on so many aspects of life if I would've taken that job, but it does make me wistful.

Anyway, the kids know several of the players by name, and they're always asking if Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews scored. I think it's pretty cute. I cannot wait until they are old enough to enjoy attending a game. Of course, we'll have to refinance the house to do that when the time comes. Maybe I should start getting Jeremy on those ice skates so he can be a Hawk someday. Wouldn't that be great?!