Things to Accomplish in 2009

So here are my resolutions from 2008 and how I did:

My only real resolution for the year to to try to be on time more. Which may be a losing battle, with a baby coming. But my tardiness in this past year has gotten bad, so I'd like to try to plan better so I am not as late. - This I do think I got better at. It was really bad by the end of 2007, but even with more kids I seem to be better at being on time.

There are other things I would like to accomplish as well. In 2008 I would like to make it through the newborn stage again. I don't expect it to be better then the last time or worse, I just hope to make it through.

I hope to put up a fence and sod in the back yard. Possibly even some play equipment for Lucas. Along with that I would like to decorate both the babies room and Lucas's room. Give them some sort of theme Most of this got done. Sod and fence- check. Lucas's room check. Baby's room- not really, don't know what his interests are yet.

I would like to go on a winter vacation. I'm thinking an all inclusive. Baby will be atleast 6 months old. Playing in the sand with Lucas. Swimming in the pool. Something for all of us to look forward too. Again mostly check. We did go on a winter vacation although it wasn't to an all inclusive, but I'm adding that to the next winter.

I'm hoping to be as good of a mom to the new one as I am to Lucas, although I'm worried about it, but that's all for another post. I'd like to think I'm doing as well with Nathan as I did with Lucas. I'm much more relaxed with Nathan then Lucas, but I am not doing as many "classes" as I did with Lucas. I guess that's normal.

I hope to flourish during my year off, somehow figuring out a schedule and fun things for me to do with my little munchkins. Again I kind of feel like I mostly accomplished this. Nathan is good with his schedule and Lucas has a good schedule as well. I do feel like we have some balance with both kids and a mostly tidy house. I get to do things I enjoy in the evenings and it all kind of works out.

I hope to reinstate date night with Darryl, especially after there are two children. I think it will be so easy to get caught up in being a mom, I need to remember that one of the best examples to set for my children is to have a good marriage. Again mostly, although I'll add it to the list for 2009.

Learn 3 new songs on the guitar. Totally not at all. Not even adding it to the list for next year. Maybe I'll add get my guitar restringed and tuned.....

So now onto resolutions or things I would like to accomplish in 2009.

1. Do a sprint marathon. That should be this summer and I'm looking forward to it. I seem to have gotten a team of people together who are also interested in doing it, so I think it will be one of the highlights of the year.

2. With the economy the way it is I have been thinking alot about money. I kind of do things backwards where I buy something large and then pay for it later. It's not a huge deal becuase we both make good money, so it gets paid off quickly. But with all this money talk around I'd like to get better at saving for the things I want before I buy them. Darryl and I would like to get some furinture for the house, and a new TV and maybe even a new washing machine. But I want to save for all of those things before purchasing them.

3. I will be heading back to work in 4 months so I hope to get some rhythm to our lives when that happens.

4. More decorating in this house.

Till Tomorrow

Jenn

100 Things

THis has been going around. I first saw it on Goofballs blog and then Daddy Dan's. The bold is stuff I've done, red is stuff I want to do.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower (outside of Calgary)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (Disney World a bunch of times - never Disney Land)
8. Climbed a mountain (many, many mountains)
9. Held a praying mantis (in Victoria with Lucas).
10. Sang a solo (I sing in the car even with other people, but I don't think that counts).
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (twice)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (playing guitar)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (no but I've been there and do they let you walk all the way up anymore)
18. Grown your own vegetables (and they taste great)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (yep on the schooltrip in Paris)
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort or a sand castle
25. Ate lamb chops (mmmmmmmmmmmm)
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (next year)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (didn't ride on but have been to Venice)
29. Seen a total eclipse (in grade 10)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (Feburary)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (french in school)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke (many, many times)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (where is this??)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight(in Mexico and Jamacia )
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (at Darryl's Christmas Party)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (in Jamaica and Mexico)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (scrapbooking, but I am not a salesperson)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (I think so, Mom??)
62. Gone whale watching (on Vancouver island and St. Johns)
63. Got flowers for no reason (Thanks Mom)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job ( I was 15 and it was very upsetting)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (it was my blog book and I was the only one who bought it)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (I don't think so Mom??)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Wowers I'm a lucky lady...... 51 out of 100.

Till Tomorrow

Jenn

Meme

Here is the last meme going around. I got it from a friend of mine through e-mail (hi andrea) and read Hayley's today too, so I'm happy to jump on the bandwagon.


1. What time did you get up this morning? 8:30, the boys slept in, so I got to as well.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the first film you saw at the cinema! Snow White, with money I got from returning beer bottles with my Pop
4. What is your favorite TV show? Currently, The Office, of all time Friends
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Blueberry bagel or Cinnamon Raisin Toast
6. What is your middle name (s)? Lynn
7. What food do you dislike? Green peppers
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Weakerthans
9. What kind of car do you drive? Honda CRV
10. Favorite sandwich? Turkey with tomato and lettuce
11. What characteristic do you despise? Immaturity
12. Favorite item of clothing?Lulu Lemon jogging pants
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would
you go? Somewhere hot, tahiti
14. Favorite brand of clothing? Gap
15. Where would you retire to? Whereever my kids are. Which may sound crazy, but I want to keep my family close
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Best birthday ever was my 23rd. Big party, kareoke
17. Favorite sport to watch? Tennis, womens or mens
18. Furtherest place you are sending this? The two people who will read it are Goofball and Jenn and the Home Schooler
19. Person you expect to send it back first? I hope everyone does it, it's always fun to learn about the people whos blogs I read
20. When is your birthday? September 15th
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? MOrning, which works well, because Darryl is not.
22. What is your shoe size? 8
23. Pets? Emma the houdini dog, Torin and Tigger the cats
24. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with us? Lucas has not had a peeing or pooping accident all week.
25. What did you want to be when you were little? Teacher or Radio DJ
26. How are you today? Really good.
27. What is your favorite candy? I don't really like candy, I like chocolate
28. What is your favorite flower? Lily
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? December 18th, we are going on our next holiday.
30. What are you listening to right now? Oprah and the money problem.
31. What was the last thing you ate? Earl Grey Vanilla tea and aero bar
32. Do you wish on stars? Yes
33. If you were a crayon, what color would yoube ? Orange..... I don't really know.
34. How is the weather right now? It's been hot and sunny all week, but going downhill next week
35. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? Tammy
36. Favorite restaurant? Wendy's, The Keg
37. Real hair color? Brown
38. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbies
39. Summer or winter? Can I go half way in between and say fall
40. Hugs or kisses? Neither from strangers both from my boys.
41. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
42. Coffee or tea? tea
44. Do you want your friends to email you back? Yes, it makes me feel loved and connected.
45. When was the last time you cried? At the Oprah where the mother accidentally killed her child.
46. What is under your bed? Usually Emma
47. What did you do last night? Watched Survivor, the Vice Presidental Debate, drank tea and had a peice of chocolate
48. What are you afraid of? Bad things happening to my kids.
49. How many keys on your key ring? Two
50. How many years at your current job? Mother for 3 years. Instructor for 5 years, X-ray technologist 9 years.
51. Favorite day of the week? All of them. Wednesday is Nathan and Mommy day. Weekends Darryl is around all day. Everyday because I get to spend it with my whole family.
52. How many towns have you lived in? 3
53. Do you make friends easily? Yes and no. Get along with most people. Good friends are few and far between.
54. How many people will you send these questions to?
55. How many will respond? No idea, but kudos if you got this far.
56. Salty or sweet? Sweet
57. Favorite soft drink? Coke! Coke! Although I've gone two days without it.

Till Tomorrow

Jenn

Interview Questions

One of the fun things about blogging is that I have have met lots of fun people and a part of every evening is to check what all my "bloggin" friends have written about. Goofball had someone ask her questions and offered to do it for any of her readers. I thought it would be interesting to see what people wanted to know about me, so here are her questions. If anyone else has any questions please ask in comments. If you want me to interview you, also let me know in comments with your e-mail and I'll send you interview questions.

So here are mine:

I see that you sometimes refer to yourself as “curly jenn”… do you have nicknames or do some of your friends or relatives have funny nicknames and what is the story behind it?

I don't really have a nickname. For certain things I do refer to myself as CurlyJenn, it probably started with my gmail account, becuase my very common name was taken. I have curly hair, so that is where the curly jenn came from. I do use one other alias, so that people don't know my real name, like at Old Navy when they want your name to put on the change room or if a telemarketer is calling and that is Paige Robertson. I'd love to see if anyone can guess what that is from. I'll be sure to put it in my next post.


2) I always love it when other people post about a funny misunderstanding or some embarrassing moment. It makes us all so human. So…it’s confessing time: what was your funniest misunderstanding or embarrassing moment?

I do a lot of crazy things, so much so that I'm not really embarrassed by too much anymore. I think the most embarrassing thing I did lately was at a meeting with the dean of health I was wearing a green bra with a light yellow shirt. At home you couldn't really see through the shirt, but once I got under the fluorosent lights you could defintly tell the difference.


3) You work in the medical sector, partly an operating job in a hospital (I don’t know exactly what) and partly teaching. What is the most rewarding and the most challenging in those jobs?


The most rewarding part of being an x-ray technologist in the hospital is the patients. I don't get to work in the hospital that much and miss the interaction with patients. It's nice to feel like you have made a difference in a patients day or that you have had a good interaction with a patient. The most rewarding part of being a teacher is the students. It's nice to see them come from knowing very little about x-rays to being experts at it and being a part of the little world we are part of. The most challenging part of working in the hospital is that it is very physcially demanding. The most challenging part of being an instructor is the politics.



4) How did you meet your husband?

It is kind of a boring story. We met through a mutual friend. Although our first date was fun, we went skiing.



5) What’s the furthest place you’ve traveled? What was your impression of that place?

The furthest place I've traveled is Rome. I loved it. I loved the history and the food. I could leave the crazy drivers out, but everything else about it was amazing.

6) what is a habit you should try to get rid off?

Lateness, it's already my new years resolution. To plan ahead better and make proper commitments so I'm not late.

Thanks Goofball for the questions. If you want me to interview you let me know? Any other things you want to know about me?

Till Tomorrow

Jenn

Interview Questions

One of the fun things about blogging is that I have have met lots of fun people and a part of every evening is to check what all my "bloggin" friends have written about. Goofball had someone ask her questions and offered to do it for any of her readers. I thought it would be interesting to see what people wanted to know about me, so here are her questions. If anyone else has any questions please ask in comments. If you want me to interview you, also let me know in comments with your e-mail and I'll send you interview questions.

So here are mine:

I see that you sometimes refer to yourself as “curly jenn”… do you have nicknames or do some of your friends or relatives have funny nicknames and what is the story behind it?

I don't really have a nickname. For certain things I do refer to myself as CurlyJenn, it probably started with my gmail account, becuase my very common name was taken. I have curly hair, so that is where the curly jenn came from. I do use one other alias, so that people don't know my real name, like at Old Navy when they want your name to put on the change room or if a telemarketer is calling and that is Paige Robertson. I'd love to see if anyone can guess what that is from. I'll be sure to put it in my next post.


2) I always love it when other people post about a funny misunderstanding or some embarrassing moment. It makes us all so human. So…it’s confessing time: what was your funniest misunderstanding or embarrassing moment?

I do a lot of crazy things, so much so that I'm not really embarrassed by too much anymore. I think the most embarrassing thing I did lately was at a meeting with the dean of health I was wearing a green bra with a light yellow shirt. At home you couldn't really see through the shirt, but once I got under the fluorosent lights you could defintly tell the difference.


3) You work in the medical sector, partly an operating job in a hospital (I don’t know exactly what) and partly teaching. What is the most rewarding and the most challenging in those jobs?


The most rewarding part of being an x-ray technologist in the hospital is the patients. I don't get to work in the hospital that much and miss the interaction with patients. It's nice to feel like you have made a difference in a patients day or that you have had a good interaction with a patient. The most rewarding part of being a teacher is the students. It's nice to see them come from knowing very little about x-rays to being experts at it and being a part of the little world we are part of. The most challenging part of working in the hospital is that it is very physcially demanding. The most challenging part of being an instructor is the politics.



4) How did you meet your husband?

It is kind of a boring story. We met through a mutual friend. Although our first date was fun, we went skiing.



5) What’s the furthest place you’ve traveled? What was your impression of that place?

The furthest place I've traveled is Rome. I loved it. I loved the history and the food. I could leave the crazy drivers out, but everything else about it was amazing.

6) what is a habit you should try to get rid off?

Lateness, it's already my new years resolution. To plan ahead better and make proper commitments so I'm not late.

Thanks Goofball for the questions. If you want me to interview you let me know? Any other things you want to know about me?

Till Tomorrow

Jenn

4 Year Meme

Allie from Life at the Whittinghams tagged me for this deep thinking meme. Four years ago was June 14th 2003. I had just started my job at SAIT. We lived in this house.

Four new things I have learned or experienced in the past four years:

1. The biggest thing, of course, is being a mom. My god that has taught me more about love, life and laughing then any other experience. It has also taught me how to survive on very little sleep.=) It taught me to not be so judgmental over mothering. There are so many right ways to do things.
2. My job as a teacher has been a big learning experience. I can't believe how much information is in my brain some days. There are days I feel like an expert at my job and other days I feel like I still have a thousand things to learn.
3. I think, although this could be an answer for everyone, with more life experience I've opened my mind more. Traveling to Europe and realizing there are different ways of living, traveling to Jamaica and seeing people live so poorly. No matter where 1. you go in the world the same things make us happy. Food, family and friends......
4. Becoming more aware of what's is important in life. Lucas is a happy healthy kid. I've become solid and confident in my marriage. I have a great best friend. And my relationship with my family has become even better then it was. I'm much more relaxed about life as long as those things are in place. I'll always work to keep them there. But I don't freak out about drivers, or changes at work. They are not really important.

Four things that I want to try to do in the next four years:

In four years it will be 2011..... Lucas will be 5 and 1/2 n school.....

1. Have another baby.
2. Work less and spend more time with my babies while they are not in school
3. Go south
4. Develop a great backyard!

I tag the four following people:

1. Lesley at Life at the Becks
2. Kristine at Kristine's Baby Adventures
3. Haley at the Cheaty Monkey
4. Sari at The Geek Inside


Till Tomorrow

Jenn

Jenn