A quick look back, and a happy New Year!

The boys got a huge kick out of sounding the steam whistles themselves … nothing like boys getting to make super-loud noises in the middle of the night!

Happy 2012 to you all!  We rang in the new year last night with our annual tradition of going to the steam whistle extravaganza down the street at the Pratt Institute (deets and video in the link).  It’s great fun for all, and participation is encouraged so the boys had a ball pulling the cords to blast the things off, listening to the calliope, and running around like maniacs playing with balloons. 

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Q of the Week : Meme Monday!

Fynn in his dad’s latest foam creation, made for “Alien Day” at his art camp last week. I’ve got to keep it light today, fighting the blues and the heat here. 

Without further ado then …

1. Breakfast today?

2. Last book read?

3. Coffee or Tea?

4. Kept your last name or took your spouses?

5. Word you overuse a lot …

6. Oldest person you know personally?

7. Something you’re really good at …

Thanks for playing along!  Hope your week is looking good.  It’s my last one with only one kid here, we make our way up to NH (somehow) this coming weekend to pick him up! 

Q of the Week : Best part of January?

Fynn and SparrowWe had a great game night here last night, hopefully the first of many.  In an attempt to break up winter, and find other strategy-game-loving 8-year-olds, we put an invite out to the neighborhood at large, and ended up with two families joining us, toting 2 kids apiece.  It was a perfect way to start, and there was much laughter, some acting and thinking and die-rolling, and a very long wait for the pizza to arrive.  Once it came and we were all splayed across the floor in the front room (huge and empty as we’re in between tenants), one mom asked that we go around saying what our favorite part of the day was. 
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Happy New Year, Moms!

Whew, we made it!  Another year of mothering, growing, stretching, learning, and hopefully so much more than surviving … and thank you all so very much for being a part of my year.  I’m honored by your company, comments, and sharing of yourselves, it really means a lot to me.  Thank you, fellow sane moms!

So how did you spend New Year’s Eve?

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Merry Merry Christmas to you all, and Happy Holidays!

Hand-cut card by my talented house-mate, you can find her work here on Etsy. I hope you’re all tucked in somewhere lovely, finding bits of your heart fed, pockets of delight, and enjoying warm thoughts and toes.  It’s a time to revel in love and friends, indulge in what gives you joy, and know that if things are rough, they’re even rougher somewhere else.  I was commenting to a friend on the phone yesterday about my husband having a big upcoming job dropped into limbo, and when she said “things must be hard for you” I realized I was talking to someone whose life was in a far darker place than mine, and I had no reason to complain!  May your children be grateful, your love reciprocated, and your fellowship rich.  Thanks for all your support and comments on SaneMoms this past year, it’s been great to have you all along in my quest for sanity! It truly makes the journey more enjoyable. 

Love and Merry Christmas to you all,

Bethany

Of Rotten Kids and other things ...

That’s Grandma Figgy on the left, likely taken just after some sassy comment left her lips … It’s been a scattered week, but aren’t they all?  Recovering from my run was surprisingly less painful than expected, but I took it really easy anyhow.  No big outings, just puttering around the house and giving the boys a lighter-than-usual workload. 

I’ve been warily eyeing that monster called depression, who I expected to come bounding around the corner the minute the marathon was over, but so far we haven’t met in close quarters.  I saw him in the distance once.  This is good, though it makes me a bit afraid that I’m going to get blindsided.  One day at a time.  Chocolate helps, and I’ve been making steady inroads into the stashes hidden around the house :).

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I had one major sad note this week though, and that was to find that one of my original Rotten Kids passed away on Monday. 

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Happy Mother's Day!

I hope you have some love coming your way this weekend, even if it means sleeping in an extra half hour!  We have a late party to go to the night before Mother’s Day, which involves an open bar among other things, so we may both be vying for that extra half hour, we’ll see :). 

I listened to Kelly Corrigan’s Mother’s Day message earlier this week, and it hit me in exactly the right place.  I’m going to simply say Happy Mother’s Day to all you amazing moms, no matter what you said or did or yelled or thought this week (I highly doubt it’s lower than my low point a few days ago!), and “what Kelly said”, because she says it so much more eloquently than I ever could!  You are amazing for being there day in and day out through all the yuck and the yum and the sanity-stretching moments, and I hope you get a bit of acknowledgement of it this weekend.  Just in case, it’s said beautifully below. 

Getaway

It was a wonderful 24 hours.  Off to a forgetful start as we were (of course) running late so I crammed my run in by running from home to the in-laws while Michael took the kids over there on the subway.  Halfway over the Brooklyn Bridge I remembered that I’d forgotten to put my dress boots in the clean-clothes bag he toted over for me.  Grrrrrr.  Anyhow, it was a lot of fun to wander around a huge ship full of people determined to cram as much fun into 16 hours as they possibly could!  We managed quite well ourselves, but the best part was getting to cruise down the Hudson at sunset, and come back in at sunrise.  And stars … we never get to see stars here!  Too many city lights, so being miles offshore and seeing all the stars in Orion (my favorite constellation) was a real treat.  I don’t think I’m a cruiser at heart (claustropobic tendencies don’t fit in too well!) but I’m very very glad we went and it was a true chance to unwind.  Back to real life tomorrow :). 

Big thanks M&T for sending us!

The Best Thing I Never Knew I Needed*

Here’s to a new decade, a new year, and a somewhat clean slate!  As I’m resolving to at least complete the first month of NaBloPoMo, I’ll try to give a nod most days to their chosen theme of BEST.  To start my year off with some gratitude (which I’ve been short on lately), here are the top ten BEST things from 2009, in no particular order …

1. We all stayed healthy.  No flu, a few colds and coughs and sore muscles, but absolutely nothing I can label as sick.  I think Fynn had a fever of 100 for one day?  Pretty amazing for a family of 4 with two kids in school!

2. We took a long road trip that included territory-scouting for where we’d like to move, lots of family, a wedding, some good camping, and a second visit to my 93-year-old grandmother. 

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope my American peeps aren’t too stuffed with turkey, and are having a good day no matter how you spend it!  I’ve gotten my Turkey Trot race finished without overdoing it, my pies done (whew, I’m NOT a baker … how DO you ‘wrap the edges in tinfoil’ of a pie anyhow?!) and am off for a quick nap before taking my pies to my aunt/uncle’s for dinner.  Wishing you all safe travels, good fellowship, and lots of leftovers.  I’m thankful for all of you that read and respond to SaneMoms, it’s a great part of my life.  Thanks for being (in)sane along with me!

Happy Thanksgiving :).

Q of the Week : What are you really thankful for?

It’s that time of year again here in the U.S., and I hope you get some time to reflect on and enjoy the things that you’re thankful for in the next few days!  I’ve been seeing the FaceBook statuses change to “I’m thankful for …” , swerved through the mob at the farmer’s market as they scooped up pumpkins and cream and turkeys, gotten my assignment of 2 pies for thursday, and am truly looking forward to a few days off and no travel!

I’ll start you off with my top-of-mind list. 

This year I’m thankful …

  • For a husband who supports me no matter which direction I’m career(een)ing in
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