Resolutions.....and all that jazz.....

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I'm on the fence when it comes to New Year's Resolutions. On the one hand, I love how the new year seems to usher in this "hope," that we can make life changes and be the people we want to be. On the other hand, I hate how come October, these resolutions have typically gone out the window; only to be made all over again come December 31st. It's a viscous cycle; one that I fall victim to almost evvvvvvery year! So, it is with great hope that as I write my 2012 resolutions, I actually live up to them, accomplish them, and make useful changes. So, in all their hopeful glory, in no particular order; here are my 2012 resolutions...

1. STOP buying books! Yes, I know this goes against the typical "I will read more this year," resolution, but hear me out. I'm a self proclaimed bookworm, I love, love, love to read. Pre baby, it was not unheard of for me to knock out two books a week, but things have changed. I have about fifteen books stacked on my nightstand anxiously awaiting to be read. I need to give in and accept the fact that reading has now become an activity best reserved for a beach vacation or something of that nature. So, this year I vow to stop buying books until I finish the fifteen already on my nightstand.

2.  This one's a two parter..... START making healthy dinners for Tyler and I at least five times a week, no more take out food! Obviously with the occasional exception, but for real, this home-maker has gotta get with it! My EPR depends on it! And secondly, get ahold of our grocery bill! Meaning, stop wasting leftovers. If we eat meatloaf twice a week, so be it. That's why some genius out there invented the meatloaf sandwich for pete sake!

3. This one's a reach, but I swear I am going to try my hardest...... Run the San Antonio Rock N' Roll Marathon... I want to do this, no.... I need to do this! I need a goal to get me fit! I don't do well with just your typical "I gotta lose weight..." I NEED to have a goal to work for and this, well that just seems cool. And if I'm really honest, I really just want to slap one of those 26.2 stickers on the back of my SUV. :)

4. Spend more quality time with my husband. If I'm being brutally honest, hands down--- we stink at it. We're couples kinda people. We like to be really social and hang out and have people around us. It brings out the fun people hidden inside us; we tend to relax more around others. We have a hard time having quality one on one time. When we try it usually turns into a planning session for the week or month or something else totally not fun. This year, we're going to start date night, with rules like--- no bringing up the calendar, our jobs, our check-book,  aggravations etc! Just good ole' fashioned date nights/days.

5. Get Churchy! Somewhere along the way Tyler and I have stopped going to church. We NEED to get back in the groove. Heck, we just need to find a church! I think this would a.) be good for us as individuals and also as a family unit, b.) It would help us meet like minded young families. So, we'll be doing some church searching in these coming months. Hey San Antonio peeps- any suggestions?

So there you have it! My top five New Year's resolutions.

We'll see how it goes!!! 

I've been a busy bee.... sort of......

This whole wisdom teeth thing really slowed down my "New Year, New Me" kick off. Meaning, the plan to hit the gym hard kinda went by the wayside for now...... but I'm hoping I'll be off and running next week once my mouth feels a wee bit better, cross fingers! 

So, my plan during this down time was to sew, sew, sew- I have two projects I NEED to get done, one for a fellow blogger and one for a girlfriends' daughter BUT then my sewing machine literally ATE my first paying customer's hand made blanket!!!! AGH!!!! Who knew a machine could literally bring a grown woman to tears? Luckily the "customer" was VERY understanding but geesh every time I think about it, it kinda makes me want to cry. But that's a whole other story, the point is my sewing machine was on the fritz and had to be taken in to be fixed, so besides caring for my child, I needed to find something else to keep me busy! When AHA! I had an idea..... thank you Pinterest..... 

I cooked, and cooked, and cooked! I made........ 

Pioneer Woman's Lasagna 

Enchiladas

Texas Chicken Bake 

Chili 

Stew 

Colorado White Chili

Meatloaf 

Breakfast Burritos

The best part..... I froze it all!!!! I am so excited! No more, "Hmmmm..... shoot, I didn't figure out dinner in time, gotta call the hubster to pick up take out." No sirrrree! The Deneault's have a full outdoor freezer full of pre-made meals! Hallelujah! 

So, I may have neglected working out the past two weeks, BUT when I finally start next week, at least I won't ruin a day of healthy eating and working out with a take out dinner! So that's a plus :) My favorite recipe hands down is Pioneer Woman's Lasagna, seriously amazing people! You can find it here! 

Enjoy!

Pinterest, you mock me.....

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Ok, so let me start this post by saying.... I truly love Pinterest.  I use it to find recipes, I use it for party tricks and ideas, and of course use it for home inspiration. It's my newest addiction. And at times is extremely helpful.

HOWEVER...... is it me or can it be extremely OVERWHELMING!? Geeesh. Yesterday I realized that I've started to double pin. Meaning I'm repinning ideas that I'd already saved; which means my original pin is lost in a sea of 336 pins on my party board, never to be found again.... There's just got to be a better way.

I've also found that after scouring Pinterest and lusting over the beautiful rooms, homes, and decorating ideas; I've got Pin-envy. MAJOR Pin- envy. My poor husband coms home and I'm immediately a faucet of ideas, wants and needs- " I want to do this, and that, and redo this room, and oh by the way we neeeeeeed this" etc. etc. etc.  He kinda wants to kill me, no joke.

I start to walk around my beautiful house and am suddenly dissatisfied. I want to change....er.... everything? What's up with that?  Seriously, no joke, Pinterest is kind of what I would imagine a drug addiction would be like... It's bad.

My husband likes to joke.... "Honey step away from the computer, put the computer down...."

So I ask all you Pinners out there.... Am I the only one? Or are you as addicted? Are you just as overwhelmed with the plethora of ideas suddenly at  your fingertips? How do you break it down so you don't lose your pins, or want to recreate your home every other day??? What's your strategy?

Signed,
Suddenly Psycho Pinner

My Yearly EPR (Employee Performance Review)

So to understand the title of this post you've gotta understand my loving, sweet, and well let's be honest, slightly sarcastic, husband. His favorite thing to say when he comes home from work and dinner's not made, the house is a disaster, or I forgot to pick up something he needed, or It's 6:00 pm and I'm still in my pj's, which may or may not be covered with peas etc. is ," Honey, let's not make this a habit,  it's not going to look good on your upcoming EPR (Employee Performance Review)." Now obviously this is said with a smile and love. My husband is a peach, but, in truth, he's used this line a lot since Ford was born because lets' face it, there's a learning curve with this "New Mom" thing--- it's tough. There is no manual, there is no right/wrong way (despite what some may say), it's all about being informed and then going with your gut. And as a woman (Mom or not) it's not always easy to trust your gut.

So that said, as I've been trying to compile a few possible New Year's resolutions (more on that later), I've been reflecting on our first year as parents, my first year as a Mom--- the good, the bad, and the downright ugly, because after all aren't you supposed to reflect after an EPR?

It's been a roller coaster of a year, one that I wouldn't change for a second, but gosh what a year of self discovery. I've learned so much about myself, my husband, my child, my parents, my relatives, my friends etc. As cliche as it sounds, "Parenting changes everything."

Hands down, parenting is THE most challenging experience I've ever had the pleasure of participating. It has the highest highs and the lowest lows. Over the past eight months I've had to get over the terribly high standards I placed on myself, on my husband and on us as a unit. I had to get over my preconceived notions of" This is how it HAS to be!" I had to remind myself that there will always be women who do it better and well, frankly, women who do it worse. But as long as I'm fairing well on my husband and child's EPR, that's really all that matters.

There are a million books out there that tell you how you can be a good parent and let's be honest half will tell you to do it this way, while the other half will tell you that's completely wrong. There are a million Moms out there who believe one thing and a million Moms who believe another. It's really hard to sort through and find the "right way." But I guess if I've learned anything at all over the past eight months it's that you've got to go with your gut and make decisions about your child based on your beliefs, your opinions, and what you think will help him/her. It's no one else's business if you decide to go cloth diaper or disposable, organic or non-organic, breast fed or bottle fed, use babywise or don't use babywise etc. etc. etc...... My decisions don't make me a bad Mother and are not going to completely mess up my child. He is loved..... and really isn't that all that matters?

I love my son and my little family more than words can possibly begin to explain. My world changed forever when Ford was born. So I guess, if I've learned anything this year and what I'll continue to strive for in 2012 is to love whole heartedly, unconditionally, and enormously. Love my child, love my husband, and love this little life we've created, together.......... as a family. 2011 has been wonderful to the Deneault's and I only hope 2012 will continue to be even better. Life is good.

Now, how's that for an EPR, honey???

Recovering.....

Note to self: Don't wait five years after the dentist tells you to get your wisdom teeth

 out to actually do it, chances are they'll be impacted and well... it just hurts more!

Snuggled in bed with the Little

We're back AND exhausted!!!

Christmas has come and gone! Geeesh, it flew! Lesson learned, next year we will not pack as much into such an already busy month! Holy smokes, this Mama needs a vacation!!! Speaking of vacation, here are a few pictures of our trip to Florida. This time around it was pretty family oriented; we went out for dinner one night with friends, but other than that it was pretty low key. And let's be honest with an eight month old, it's pretty hard to have anything other than low key! We're EXHAUSTED!

Ford got lots of cuddle time with his Grandparents!

And tried lasagna (blended of course!) for the first time! He kinda made a mess :) Hence the very quick bath in the sink!!! Holy Mess!!!

 We ate lots and lots and of course made the traditional French Meat Pies 

And Ford, of course, in true crawler fashion, found trouble where ever he went :)

(Bust gosh, he's just so darn cute!)

It was a super fun trip, but now it's back to reality!!! 

This Mama is getting her IMPACTED wisdom teeth out on Tuesday! Hopefully, cross your fingers, I recover quickly and don't have those pesky dry sockets which everyone seems to have a story about! ARGH! I hate the dentist!!!!

Have a fabulous New Years! 

Best Pals

Mommy is running around like crazy trying to get ready for the holidays in Florida, but in the meantime, Tana's doing a great job of keeping an eye on Senor Ford :)