Tens in '10

10 Things I look forward to in '10

1. trip to Idaho. We will be driving this year and that may not be so fun but we plan on stopping and seeing things along the way and I look forward to that. Ray's cousin's wedding, the Grand Canyon, and Mesa Verde are on our list currently.

2. winter olympics. I love the Olympics. I will watch nonstop all day long. Whatever I can find on I will watch. It is the only time I really watch sporting events. My favorites are of course the figure skating, speed skating, curling, and ski events. Oh and can't forget the bobsledding.

3. getting Ray's raise and promotion. We are still waiting. It has been three months. I hope it comes this month. It will be nice to have the extra money.

4. "Towers of Midnight" release. My husband and friend got me hooked on Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. I just finished the 12th book in the series that came out in November and I am excited to read the next volume. Robert Jordan died over a year ago but left extensive notes and so Brandon Sanderson is finishing up the series. I have read all of Brandon's stuff and like it too. His own series is starting this year too and so I look forward to that book too.

5. getting a new van. Once Ray's raise takes affect we plan on getting a new van. Ours in only 4 years old but we have had issues with it and now the warranty is gone we don't want to chance taking it across country. We plan on having the van before we head west. Although we are also looking at the Kia Borrego (SUV.) Right now in the minivan catergories we are contemplating the Kia Sedona and the Volkswagon Routon. We still want to check out the Toyota Sienna and the Town and Country. I ruled out the Honda Odyssey because I hate (and I am serious about that word) their head rests.


6. Sheila going to kindergarten. Although she is in pre-school right now it will be nice when she goes to kindergarten. One reason is no naps (or very short ones) and so maybe we can get her to sleep every night on time.


7. all of Kimberly's firsts. Although I will cherish her infancy it will be fun to share in her accomplishments.

8. going to the beach again. I was pregnant during the hot months last year so we didn't go to the beach that much but I plan on taking the kids once a month starting around March and going until October or November depending on the weather.

9. going to the temple. We live 6 hours away from the closest temple right now and so we don't get to go often. Usually just 1-2 times a year. This year I am hoping to make up for that during our trip to Idaho. I hope we can hit all the temples along the way or at least some of them. We won't be able to go together since we won't have any babysitters until we make it to Utah/Idaho but we will try to give each other turns.

10. moving. Okay, this isn't set in stone but once Ray's raise comes through we are going to start getting our house ready to put on sale (paint, fix minor repairs, etc) and then if it is meant to be it will sell and we will find something a little larger closer to town.

10 Goals for '10 (or New Year Resolutions)

1. learn to use my serger. I got it for Christmas a few years ago and I have only gotten it out of the box once. I need to relearn it. I haven't used a serger since I was about 15.

2. finish Old Testament. I have been working on this one for a few years. I do really good at reading it until something throws me off my schedule (this year it was having a baby.) I use to read 1 chapter in the Book of Mormon, 10 minutes in the Old Testament, and then 10 minutes in the Ensign but lately I have been lucky to get through the Book of Mormon. Now that I finished the Book of Mormon (a few days before Christmas) I plan to read the Doctrine and Covenants again and then restart the Book of Mormon.

3. catch up on at least one scrapbook. Kimberly's doesn't count since it is only 2 months behind. Yes, I am already behind in hers. I plan to keep up with hers and then catch up at least ours, or one of the kids which all of them are about 2 years behind. Timmy's is still in his first year of life.

4. paint the inside of the house. I can't stand my walls anymore. This year I am going to do it. I will by one or two gallons of paint every month. I want to paint the dining room first. Our paint is horrible and is so marked up.

5. finish rereading "The Work and the Glory" series. Also reread the Twilight and Harry Potter series. This will be the third time of rereading "The Work and the Glory" series. I have two volumes left. Also Harry Potter will be the third time for all but the last book and it will be twice. The Twilight will be my second. I have a list of books I want to read or reread and I am working my way down them. I love books and if I love a book enough I will reread it. Just like a movie, I discover things I missed the first time around.

6. start making my own cookbook. I have so many cooking magazines. I have started marking the recipes I want to try and ones we really like. I plan on cutting those ones out and making a scrapbook like cook book with all our favorites so I can get rid of the older magazines and more wore out cook books.

7. finish losing the baby weight plus the 10 extra pounds that I put on right before the pregnancy because of the cruise and holidays. I have about 4 of the baby weight left to go. It was down to 2 but I put on a couple of pounds during the holidays. My goal is to have it gone (the whole 14 pounds) by June when we go back to Idaho. If I can do that then I would like to try to lose 5-10 more before the end of the year.

8. make over $200 at the county fair with my crafts. In 2009 I made almost $200. I am hoping to have enough quality stuff done to get $200. That money will go toward my camera I am saving for.

9. get a fence and a new shed. Our shed is deteriorating fast. It is a rubbermaid so we thought it would last longer but it is bowing and the shelves have all fallen down. We hope to get one made. That way we can store more stuff out there safer. Everything rust out here so right now the kids bikes are in their room.

10. start writing again. A long time goal of mine is to publish a novel. I have several ideas, several started in various states, but I have not written regularly since I have gotten married.

10 Mom Confessions (Thanks Meryn for this idea)

1. I hate bathing kids, not babies, but kids. My kids scream when we are washing their hair, even my four year old. She won't lay down or even lean back so we can rinse her hair so we have to pour the water over her head and she just screams and fights it the whole time. Ray hates it too so for that fact they do not get bathed as much as most kids. They are clean though. If they get too dirty they get a bath.


2. I read my books to the kids. If there is no pictures they don't turn the pages. I do read their books to them sometimes but when Sheila was a baby she would turn the pages so fast I could never read a story to her and so I had to tell them to her. It drove me nuts that she would turn the pages so quickly so when I want to really read to them I read my books to them. They usually fall asleep faster that way too.

3. sometimes playing with my children bores me. Not all the time and it depends on what we are playing. Games definitely since my children refuse to let me teach them how to play it. They just want to move the people around the board. Sheila has a cool doll house (I always wanted one when I was the kid) and she has all the rooms and dolls for it (I just found the nursery set that she was going to get for her birthday) but she has no interest in playing with it except using the house for other toys. When she got it (her grandparents gave it to her) I was excited to play with it with her but it was not meant to be. At least not yet.

4. I love buying things for my children. I really need to stop doing that so much. That could be one of my goals for the year. I don't buy them something everytime I go to the store but often I do. I hardly ever got anything new besides for my birthday or Christmas, and not always then, when I was a kid so I think that is why I do it now. I have decided they don't really need anything more right now, clothes and toys they are good on.

5. I sometimes eat treats in hiding. The kids make a mess out of some things and if it something I know they probably won't like or I don't feel like cleaning up I will wait until after bed or hide in the bathroom.

6. My husband has to clean up vomit. Ever since I was pregnant the first time it makes me gag horribly so if one of the kids are sick he has to clean it up. I will clean it up if he is gone but it's all I can do to not add to it.

7. My husband also has to get up with the kids in the middle of night (except the baby) because I am not a nice person when I don't get enough sleep and my temper is very short during the middle of the night.

8. All the rules I thought I would live by went out the window when I had children and now I am flying by the seat of my pants.

9. I wish I could hire some one to potty train my kids. My daughter has a communication disorder so it was a very hard and long process to get her trained. Now I need to work on my son and I am not looking forward to that. I secretly envy people that say their kids trained themselves or did it in one day. Please come to my house and show me how to do it.

10. sometimes I tell them I will do something later and then I forget. I really try not too because I want them to know that mommy will always do what she promises but sometimes I just forget. Once they start reminding me I am sure I won't forget as often but then I might wish they had forgotten.