2010: The Year in Review

Two things I'm thankful for

2010 was a very good year. My job was rewarding, my kids became more independent and I felt like my relationship with Josh grew stronger than ever. (Anyone who tells you new babies bring a couple closer together are lying. Or perhaps very, very lucky.)

I tried new things in 2010: rock climbing on vacation and taking regular roller derby classes back home. I toured a hot dog factory and had our very first family portraits done by a professional photographer. And I was thrilled to finally join both a knitting circle and a book club!

I took the family to Akumal, West Chester, Asheville and New York City, and I treated myself to a girls weekend in Portland with my best friend from high school.

My Aussie sister and her two children spent much of the summer in the U.S., so I had the rare pleasure of talking to her regularly on the phone and seeing her family twice in one season (one week in Asheville and a long weekend in Oak Park).

Milestones were recorded. Z lost 4 teeth, learned to ride a 2-wheeler, graduated from Montessori school and skipped though kindergarten in a week and a half. I became a Bat Mitzvah and a Creative Director and A kicked off her preschool career without shedding a single tear.

We had a couple of medical challenges. A killed one of her front teeth falling off the couch and cut open her chin on the bathtub, and I spent the better part of a month covered in measles-like spots from a random case of pityriasis rosea. We battled lice for the first time. And I dealt with seasonal allergies so extreme that I couldn't wear contact lenses any more. Unwilling to live in spectacles, I fulfilled a long-held dream of getting my eyes fixed. In October I had PRK corrective surgery done on both eyes. (I'm loving the results, which get a little better every day.)

Blogging had its benefits in 2010, too. I had lunch with the CEO of Stonyfield Farm, reviewed a couple of plays at Emerald City Theatre and attended the uber-slumber party that is BlogHer. I also contributed a couple of professional posts to the Leo Burnett blog.

And it wouldn't be a true year-in-review if I didn't check in on last year's New Year's resolutions as well.

1. I didn't get to the gym more than once a week until I started skating. Now I'm finally hitting my twice a week goal. Score: B

2. I've failed to close my Internet browser for 2 hours a day while at work, but I've found some other methods for improving my productivity. Score: C

3. Taking each member of my family on some kind of solo date/outing every month. I've been doing this! Score: A

4. Survive New Year's Day. Not only did I host a successful New Year's Day brunch in 2010, I did it again on 1/1/11.

2009: Year in Review
2008: Goodbye and good riddance

My New Year's Resolutions

I know, I know. It's so cliche. But writing my New Year's resolutions on my blog, for all to see, means one of you can help hold me accountable. So here goes. Laugh away. I'm even starting with exercise.

1. Improve my physical fitness by getting to the gym twice a week. At least once I will either take a class or spend 20 minutes on the treadmill, doing interval training. I had been seriously slacking off this past month and a half, but Josh joined the Y and the fact that he's getting in shape is serious inspiration for me. Roawr.

2. Maximize productivity by closing my Internet browser for at least 2 hours while at work. This is hard because my work requires a lot of online time. But I am also way too easily distracted by blogs, Twitter, personal emails and the news.

3. Be a better wife and mother. To that end, I'll aim to take each member of my family on some kind of solo date/outing each month. (I'm stealing this one from Andrea.)

4. Take advantage of my sister and her family's summer trip to the U.S. to plan one heck of a road trip and family reunion.

5. Survive New Year's Day. I invited a bunch of friends to our house for New Year's brunch not really thinking that most would be in town and accept and, oh yeah, they all have families. Turns out 69 people have RSVPed yes. That's not counting the maybes. Holy shit, I'm going to need to buy a lot of orange juice. And bagels. And toilet paper.

But enough with the panic. What about last year's resolution to spend less money? I said we would put off purchasing a new dining room table and chairs and forgo the mini kitchen remodel I wanted. I also said our plans for a 10th anniversary trip would be scaled back or scuttled altogether. We indeed went without the dining room furniture and anniversary celebration (we had dinner at Publican), but we only waited until November to get our kitchen done, but I don't regret spending our hard-earned cash on new counters, backsplash and sink.

Do you do New Year's resolutions? Care to share?

Goodbye 2008 (and good riddance)

Aside from the election of Chicago's own Barack Obama, 2008 was not such a good year. Corruption, greed and stupidity reigned. We saw the economy slide into the toilet. We threw good money after bad wars and big corporations while the average American lost good money, period. Food and gas prices went up. Home values and paychecks sunk. Sarah Palin showed that political illiteracy and a lack of experience can win you a spot on the Republican ticket and Blago demonstrated that there's no limit to the gall of Illinois Governors, no matter which party affiliation.

Unfortunately, 2009 isn't going to provide us with a fresh start. The economy's going to get worse before it gets better. Economists are predicting 10% unemployment and I heard today that layoffs will hit my agency on January 5th. Assuming I don't get a pink slip, the chances of a raise at my one year review seem slim to none. What's more, the Chicago Tribune filed for bankrupcy and publications in general are cutting back on freelancers, meaning Josh's income will be halved--or worse.

So what does this mean for my New Year's resolutions? Well, they start with "spend" and end with "less money." We're going to put off purchasing a new dining room table and chairs and we won't be getting the mini kitchen remodel I've been planning (granite countertops, tile backsplash, a new sink and faucet). And our plans for a 10th anniversary vacation will be scaled back or scuttled altogether.

It's all a little bit of a bummer, but I'm an optimist. If Josh can't stay busy with reviews, perhaps he'll write an Oscar-winning screenplay. If we can't eat out at fancy restaurants, there's Five Guys and a new local Trader Joe's. And who needs expensive entertainment when you've got small children. This pic's of Baby A after her bath tonight...naked and wearing her big sister's shoes.

Ending 2007 on a sweet note

After all the sickness and exhaustion of the past week or so, today offered a welcome respite. Z seems to have completely kicked her stomach bug and regained her appetite (small though it may be). And Baby A has perked up; she's smiling, babbling and much more alert and awake even though she's still got some lingering congestion.

A few other things made the last day of 2007 noteworthy...

As I pulled into our driveway around noon I saw a golden retriever on the loose. I jumped out of the car and approached the dog to see if it had any identifying tags. Since he didn't, I sweet-talked him into our backyard, which is fenced together with our next door neighbors. Their boys played with the friendly dog as we called the Oak Park Police (animal control was off for the holiday). Fortunately they couldn't get the animal control van to start and in the interim I figured out whom the dog might belong to. My hunch was correct and Buddy was reunited with a very relieved neighbor down the block. I only hope they'll put their phone number on his collar ASAP!

Just a few minutes later I heard a knock on our side door. Another neighbor was stopping by to try to lure our contractors to her house and I ended up spending an hour with her walking through her home, which she is hoping to update before she puts it on the market in February. She's lived there for almost 30 years and it was last decorated in the early or mid-eighties, so I advised her to strip off all the wallpaper (it's in every room), pull down the curtains to expose her art glass windows and update her bathroom, which is currently a vision in dark brown tiles (even the ceiling is tiled!). I also got to meet her daughter, a woman my age who lives in Texas.

Continuing a tradition we began last year, we joined our playgroup families for a fabulous early New Year's celebration (I contributed bacon-wrapped dates and spinach-artichoke dip). And just like every year since Z was born, I think I'll be asleep long before the clock strikes midnight.

Happy New Year

Wishing all my readers a safe and happy New Year. We rang in 2007 12 hours early with a playgroup New Year's Brunch and a countdown to noon. Check out the pictures from today and our travels earlier this week here.