The week started off promising

In effort to drop a few pounds I went back to McFatty Mondays last week. My goal for the week was to work out for 30 minutes a day. I started out great and then fizzled, so after one week I actually gained a pound. BOOO! But entirely my own fault. (you'll understand when you read Sunday's progress)
Monday: My biggest worry most days is fitting in the exercise. Jack is iffy when it comes to naps. Some days he takes 2, other days not so much. In that precious hour or so a lot needs to go down. Especially if I have to work that night. Then I have to use the majority of nap time to shower and get ready. Luckily today was a good nap time. I managed to, load the dishwasher, throw in a load of laundry and do 20 minutes of yoga. I always underestimate yoga, but it makes me sweat every time. On Demand has these great 10lbs Slim Down episodes this month and I am loving them. There are a few of them so I can mix it up everyday. I also decided that I need to hold off on blogging/tweeting/internetting until AFTER a sweat session. Most of the time I have been letting those things monopolize most of nap time. This has got me nowhere but 10 lbs heavier and a messy house. As Susan Powers would say: STOP THE MADNESS!!

Tuesday: 23 minutes of semi interrupted exercise. Did a upper body workout On Demand. Worked out with Jack for an additional 6 minutes. Lifting him up and down is a great workout. He laughs. I burn calories. I love a win/win situation.

Wednesday: Dusted off the treadmill-literally-and walked 1.5 miles! (took me about 23 mins) I rocked out to a great play list and-Bonus- realized I could tweet while I work out. I'm a multitasking genius.
Worked that night, so I figure walking all over the place in my shape up shoes counts towards my remaining minutes.

Thursday: This is where things get ugly... Nap time was a hot mess and after 3 failed attempts to work out-I call it.

Friday: I forgo working out for sleep since Kev got up with Jack and let me sleep in. I plan to work out before Kev goes to work, but he decides to take a nap after lunch. Jack decided naps were not necessary that day, so we danced to Yo Gabba Gabba while daddy slept. Not the workout I had envisioned, but at least it was something.

Saturday: I'm not even going to go there. At least I can say work was busy, which caused me to work up a little sweat.

Sunday: I was up sick all night and so working out was not even a thought in my mind. After I finally got some sleep I felt better. My mom took Jack for the night so Kevin and I could have a date night. We met up with some friends and went to a Japanese Steakhouse. I did my first (&probably only) Sake bomb and ate copious amounts of rice and noodles. I did manage to get a little cardio in that night, but I probably shouldn't elaborate how...

I'm sticking with my goal of getting 30 minutes of exercise a day. I know I can do it, I just need to work harder to make it more of a priority. I also need to work at eating better, especially on days that I cant fit in the full 30 minutes. Hopefully if I can accomplish that the scale goes down next Monday instead of up.

What are your weekly goals?? Link up with us at McFatty Mondays.

Grateful for the Mundane

Sometimes life seems so mundane.
Especially in the winter. When you have Cabin Fever.
My husband and I joke sometimes that everyday seems like Groundhog Day.
We get up and go through the motions.
Follow the same routine.
Trip over and pick up the same pile of toys.
Day, after day, after day.
It's easy to want more, to long for more.

Last night we stayed up and watched American Idol. If you saw it I'm sure you probably know where I am going with this...
The last contestant Chris Medina was a young man with a very heartbreaking story. If you didn't watch the show check out his story here.


The short of it is that he proposed to the love of his life and 2 months short of their wedding she was involved in a horrific accident that left her with a traumatic brain injury. I sobbed as I watched this young man talk about how he takes care of her now. How he still pledges to be there for her, to live life with her, even though it is far from the life he had envisioned for them.

My mind raced as I watched his story. I thought about how it would feel to be so blindsided by life. How life can sometimes sweep you into a direction you never could have imagined.

So before I went to bed I said a little prayer.

I thanked God for every scattered toy on the living room floor.
For every quiet night at home.
For the same old thing for dinner.
For PJ's and days that don't require make-up (or a bra)
Because life can change on a dime.
for better,
for worse,
& it's important to be grateful... even for the mundane.

I've got my hand in too many pots...

There is a lot going on in Blog-land today.
Blissdom is starting today in Nashville and there are many lucky bloggers heading there right now for a fun filled weekend.
Then there is "For the Love of Blogging" going on over at sluiternation and notsuperjustmom.
There is Bliss at Home '11 on Facebook
and of course there is Working Mom Wednesday at Work, Wife, Mom, Life.

Talk about a full social calendar.
So today I am going to be spreading myself way too thin in attempt to participate in them all.
Because I'm cool like that.

1st Stop: For the Love of Blogging.



Twitter has lead me to some wonderful things. This is no exception. Katie and Miranda, both teachers, have created this event for the bloggers not going to Blissdom. It's a wonderful opportunity to learn more about writing and network with some new people. I look forward to learning a lot from them and hope they can get past my sometimes poor grammar and misuse of the comma. You probably wouldn't know it from reading my blog, but I went to college initially to become an English teacher. Turns out that my rebellious side and my creative side don't always jive. I  love writing but hate most of the rules of grammar, so when I blog I do my best. My hope is that when you come here you are so enamoured with my writing and loveable spirit that you'll forgive my sometimes misplaced punctuation.
Today the ladies are giving some awesome writing tips. Please pay attention especially to Miranda's quickie guide to frequently misused words. I may not be a stickler for grammar all the time but when people use the wrong form of a word it drives me batty. One of my favorite episodes of Sex in the City is the one where Carrie gets a thank you note from Big's fiance Natasha that says "Sorry I couldn't be their". It makes me laugh every time. The ladies writing assignment for the day is to write about a memory, so I am linking up this post that I just wrote about one of my favorite memories. If you are visiting from FTLOB please drop me a line and say hi! You can also follow me on Twitter: @Anngee2011

Stop 2: Bliss at home

You can read most of my info in my About Me section. I've been blogging for a full year now and I started as a way to document my new life as a mother. Since then I have found that it's more of a creative outlet for me and a way to really channel my love of writing. I am still struggling to find my voice, but I love the sense of community blogging brings and I am learning more and more each day. I am in the process of streamlining this blog and my first one, Mama Insomnia, so I've been a busy girl these past few weeks!



Stop 3: WMW



Julia has 2 great prompts up so I urge you to check them out if you are looking for some inspiration. I thought about which to write and came up with nothing for either. But I'm going to save the prompts at the back of my mind for a day that I need a little juice to get me going.






Whew, that was exhausting. And I still have to go workout...

Happy Hump Day!!

Hidden Gems

Every once in awhile I find some real hidden gems as I peruse around the interwebs. Yesterday I was checking out hotel reviews on one of my favorite websites, TripAdvisor. This review made me laugh, so I thought I'd share...

The title of his review...

"Strip Club Across the Way Is a Feature; Not a Problem”

Place offers ideal entertainment once the wife and kids are put down for their very long afternoon nap. Unlike other clubs, business here picks up to an energetic pace in the mid-afternoon with just the right level of crowd flow and there is always a good number of very doable dancers.



Oh, the full-range breakfast buffet is pretty good, especially convenient when traveling with several young children and a fussy/uncooperative wife.


I have a feeling I may know why his wife is fussy and uncooperative....

McFatty Monday: The Blame Game

Back when I first started blogging, I participated in McFatty Monday's over at Heir to Blair on a regular basis. But a lot can happen in a year. Though I managed to lose a bit of weight for our trip to Mexico last year, I am sad to report that I gained it all, plus some, back.

I blame it on a lot of things.

Like my husband who loves me and tells me I'm a hot piece of ass everyday, even when I've stuffed myself and done nothing but sit on the couch all day. I want to call him an enabler, but I really can't fault him for his undying love for me. That just seems wrong.

Then there is my High School Poms sweatshirt that still fits me...loosely. I know the thing has magical powers considering the jeans I wore back then wouldn't even fit on one leg. I know. I tried. But it's so hard to tell myself  to lose weight when I can ration that I still fit in clothes I wore in High School.

And of course there is my love of food. Because to me there are indeed things that taste better than skinny feels. I used to be skinny, and it felt great. But a Lou Malnati's pizza tastes WAY better.

So I'm a classic case of personwhoisfatcausesheblameseveryoneelseanddoesnttakeresponsibilityforherself.
There I said it.
Isn't admitting it step one??

I could probably list a billion more reasons why it is damn near impossible for me to lose some weight, but enough is enough. I'm going to need to make some changes and since support is the key to a successful change I'm linking back up to McFatty Monday.

I just realized that I am going to San Diego in less than a month and I am not at all where I'd like to be weight wise. As much as I'd love to resort to some sort of crash diet to shed some weight quickly, I'm going to do this right. So I'm taking baby steps. This weeks goal is to get active for 30 minutes everyday. Whether I'm doing a fitness DVD, running with my little guy, walking on the treadmill, etc. I am aiming to have 30 minutes of exercise everyday. Weekends included.

I'll log my progress and report back next week!

Cabin Fever

Chicago winters are brutal.

Sometimes I am thankful that I no longer have a long commute that forces me out into the cold, snow and ice. But then there are days like Monday.

It was laundry day and as I folded it up I came to a sad realization...I haven't been out in weeks.

At least not for a real outing.
The kind of outing that didn't require picking up diapers or going to work.
The kind of outing that calls for something slightly more fancy than yoga pants.

So we decided to get out.

I showered. I actually dried my hair instead of throwing it in a messy bun. I put on makeup and jeans. JEANS! And since it happened to be a day that we all were home, we decided to run a few errands and then go out for dinner to our favorite pizza place. At least that was the plan.
Because it is totally realistic to plan with a toddler right??

1st on our list of plans, get Jacks hair cut. Since its his first haircut we decided to go all out and take him to one of those fancy places that specializes in kids hair cuts. They have cute little cars and bee's for the kids to sit in and they let them watch a movie while they cut their hair. In theory we should have had a great time, except they could only fit us in at naptime. And of course they were running about 20 mins behind schedule which is great for a 14 month old that is over tired and wants to get into everything. So by the time they are ready for Jack he's a mess of emotions, which I'm guessing is the reason why the back of hair is all sorts of crooked. After all is said and done I cough up $20 for a haircut I could have done myself. But at least I got this picture to remind me of the lovely event....

Next on our list, Kev's dentist appointment. Except that we arrived super early so we all of a sudden had an hour to kill. We were in downtown Naperville which would have provided us with tons to do had it not been a sleety icy tundra. We decided to hunker down in Barnes and Nobel for a bit and grab some coffee while we let the boy run around. But alas it was MLK day and the place was swarming with little hellions. And there was this jack-ass yuppie couple that decided to take up the whole kids stage area with their stuff while their teenage girls sat nearby-in the KIDS area drinking coffee on the kiddy picnic table. Did I mention that there were a ton of open tables and chairs everywhere else?? We let Jack run around for a little while and then packed it up quickly because my husband realized I was about to go all bananas on the wife of said yuppie couple. She kept giving me these judgy looks and then kept whispering to her douche rod of a husband who was working on his laptop in the middle of the kids area. Sorry if we were distracting you, but this area is for kids, so I'll let my toddler run where ever he wants you precocious beeoch.

Finally we went to Kev's (thankfully) quick dentist appointment and since the day was pretty much a complete mess, we decided on ordering our pizza and bringing it home.  And because we were still all off on our planning we arrived to pick it up 20 mins early. Because waiting in the car with a hungry, tired toddler is indeed my idea of a good time.

I guess I'll just ride out this winter thing and make my next appearance in the spring...

WMW: I believe...

I believe...

Having kids helped me finally understand why some people need coffee to function

Merging on the expressway should be a mandatory pass/fail part of every ones driving test

Politicians need to worry more about funding for schools and less about everything else

It takes a village to raise a child. We all need to support each other more and criticize less

Manners are never overrated. Please and Thank you's are so rare nowadays and rudeness is too widely tolerated. I also think everyone should be required to work as a server &/or in customer service. Maybe then some people would think twice about how they act in public.

Toddler giggles are the key to world peace

People need to stop worrying so much about what everyone else is doing and focus on themselves. Nobody likes a busybody.

Life is too short not to laugh every day.

That if you spend your whole life waiting for life's big moments, you'll miss out on all the wonderful small ones.

The occasional "Me" time makes me a much better mommy and wife.

Link up with us over at Working Mom Wednesday.

What a creeper!

Last weekend I went to Victoria's Secret and treated myself to some new PJ's. Normally I just go with sweats and an old t-shirt -my husband is so lucky right?- but I felt like indulging in something a little more girly and fun, so I splurged for a matching flannel set. (Again...lucky guy!)
While I was there I decided to go crazy and get some new underwear. I'm really not picky about my draws' at all. If I see a deal I usually just rummage thru the bins/drawers/whathaveyou and pick out the most appealing colors/patterns. Sometimes I don't even bother looking at the size. Or the cut. Which lead me to this week's panty snafu.

I'm ok with most cuts of underwear. Even though I don't wear them as much as I used to, thongs don't bother me. The thing I admire about the thong is, what you see is what you get. They say, "I'm going to nudge myself right up your ass whether you like it or not". So you know the risks going in.

Brief, Bikini, Boyshorts are all my usual favorites. I buy them at Victoria's Secret because they are soft and lacy, and not so granny-pantyish. It makes me feel less guilty about having pretty much given up on the sexy seductive, uncomfortable lingerie.

But this last shopping trip threw me a real curve ball (Shame on you Vicky!)

Apparently Victoria's Secret has a new cut of panties called the "Cheeky"  & it looks like this...

(And yes...that's totally me modeling them)

According to their website the Cheeky cut is "A little panty with lots of cheek peek. More back coverage than a thong but less than a bikini. The perfect pick for when a little reveal is all you want "

What the What??


What they should have called this panty was the Creeper. Because that's all it does. Unlike a thong, this panty is sneaky. It will creep right up in your nether regions when you're not looking & because it's not meant to be there, you will pull it out. Over and over again. You will have the world's worst wedgie ALL DAY. Imagine a brief doing a thongs job all day. It's neither sexy or comfortable.

Unless of course you use some sticky double sided tape and glue it right onto your 'arse.

PS: Urban Dictionary defines "cheeky" as:

1. it is a word used to describe someone who does something or says something sort of disrespectful and sometimes rude, but says it in a cunning way. 2. can also be used in a more serious way i.e if you found out that one of your friends has been talking behind your back, you might say that she is a "cheeky bitch"


So the fact that this underwear looks all sweet and innocent but than when you aren't looking sneaks up your ass, makes it quite appropriately named....

Blog Boycott Day

As some of you may already know I finally broke down and joined Twitter a few months ago. Since then I have met some awesome people and connected with some great lady bloggers.
So today I will be participating in Blog Boycott Day.

Instead of hopping around and reading/writing posts, I'll have my iPhone at my side so I can chat it up with all of you. (There is even a #wine party tonight!(

So log in to Twitter and Tweet me!!

@Anngee2011

The obligatory salad post

Even though I swore up and down that I wouldn't jump on the "ItsJanuaryandnowIneedtolooseweight" bandwagon, I weighed myself last week.
& it wasn't pretty
So salads and cardio it is my friends!

I'm sharing my favorite salad recipe with you today because its so versatile and mostly because it's yummy. If any of you know me, you know I rarely get excited about veggies, especially spinach. So the fact that I could live on this salad should tell you something...

Spinach Salad dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar depending on your preference
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tbsp dry minced onion

Whisk and chill

Now the most popular version of this salad is
Spinach
Strawberries
Mandarin Oranges
sliced almonds
white cheddar/munchie cheese *optional

But you could add almost anything to this salad. In the fall I made it with dried cranberries and honey crisp apples and it was just as good. You could even add grilled chicken to really make it a meal.

And a bonus tip...drizzle the dressing over crispy baked sweet potato fries!

Link up your favorite recipe for Working Mom Wednesday!

Social Media & Other Drugs

Blogging isn't just about writing. It's about reading. And over the course of the past year I have been lucky enough to stumble on some amazing women/writers that entertain and inspire me. Sometimes they even do both.
Enter Liz over at abellabeanandachicagodog. Her writing is honest and witty and real. And even though she seems to have hit the bigs in blog land she is still down to earth enough to answer my tweets which makes me love her even more. Right now she has a great post about Twitter being like 3rd base that you should read. Like Now. Just promise you'll come back here mmmmkay?? Cause she was the inspiration for this post...

Social networks are like the drugs of the world wide web.

Facebook is like pot. Or ganja, Mary Jane, weed, whatever you want to call it.

You are inundated with emails inviting you to join and so you finally give up and do it. Because all the cool kids are. And you sign on and create your profile and connect with a few friends. But soon you start to see how great it is so you use it more and more.
Before you know it you are up at 3am, eyes glazed over, playing Fast Money nomming on a box of Chicken in a Biscuit.

It's a gateway drug.
Soon you are looking for something stronger...

Enter Twitter.

Like heroin or any other stronger, more potent drug** the addiction is instant. There is no turning back. You are hooked. Next thing you know, you are pawning your jewelry to afford a smart phone just so you can Tweet every second of every day.

**all knowledge of said drugs are secondhand and mostly come from what I've read about Lindsay Lohan and Motley Crue

And like drugs, there are millions out there.
BlogFrog, MySpace, Linkedin, Friendster, Ning.
Pick your poison.

Me? A total addict.

I succumbed to the peer pressure long ago and I'm hooked. The only thing keeping me out of Dr Drew's rehab house is the fact that I'm not famous. (&the fact that 75% of the worlds population would be in rehab if this were an actual ailment)

If you want to get to first base with me hit me up on Twitter!! @MamaInsomnia
Other ways we can make out...

My Facebook page

Join my BlogFrog community (It's like an orgy over there!!)

PSA: Dining Out...Rules to live by Part II

If you are new or need a refresher course please check out this post on my first set of rules!

Serving the general public is an exercise in patience. If you've ever served/waitressed/bartended you know why. Dining out can turn otherwise normal and functioning people into pure idiots.

Though to be fair some of those people were idiots to begin with.

Since there is no required reading on how to act in a restaurant, I'd like to take this opportunity to pass some wisdom onto you.

*Split checks are a pain in the ass. If you absolutely positively must have split checks let your server know this at the BEGINNING of the meal. Nothing is worse than having a party of 15 people that ask for separate checks at the end of the meal and then trying to figure out who ordered what and how many beers they had. Also, if you asked for separate checks don't be an impatient asshole when you are waiting for your change/credit card back. I can only process 15 cards/get change so fast.

*Be realistic about time: Something you should know....time in a restaurant is no different than time outside a restaurant. So please don't tell me you waited a half hour for your food when I can see on your ticket that it only took 14 minutes or tell me no one has greeted you for 20 minutes when I saw you just sit down.

*If you want coffee go to Starbucks: In most casual restaurants there is one shitty coffee maker that was made back in the Mad Men era. And most days one pot of coffee is all that's made. So if old stale coffee is your thing....order away. And hot tea?? If you want to have a tea party- stay home.

*Don't be such a hoarder: Please don't ask me for extra napkins/refills/to-go boxes and other misc. items that you are never going to use. Once they hit your table, most of them have to get thrown out. Even if you haven't used them. And don't ask me for water AND your drink and then never touch the water. There are some countries that don't even have clean drinking water, so you wasting yours is like a giant F-you to them.

*Show me your VIP card: Saying things like "I come here all the time" or "So and So always does it for me" will get your nowhere. If you are a regular than you should be aware of how things are done. And if you have a favorite server than sit in his/her section. Otherwise shut the hell up.

*Basic reading and math skills are required: Yes, it's my job to know what's on the menu. It is not my job, however, to read it all to you. And if you only have a certain amount of money to spend, then it is you're job to stay within your limit, not mine. Prices are on the menu for a reason.

*The sign on the door is there for a reason: Would you go to a place like Taco Bell and ask if they sever taco's?? No. Then don't go to a wing joint and ask if they sell wings or into a bar and ask if they serve beer. Please use your common sense people.

*You are not the sun: I did not come to work to solely wait on you. Other people need refills, more ranch, and to order/pay etc. Keep your witty dumb/unfunny jokes and stories about your one time at band camp to yourself. Time is money people. Literally.

*I left my crystal ball at home: I don't know what you "feel" like and when I ask you what kind of dressing you'd like, "whatever" is not an appropriate answer. And if you tell me to " just pick one" for you, know that I probably won't be picking my personal favorite.

*Ready means ready: Don't call me over and tell me you are ready and when I get there, look blindly at the menu and say "hmmm what do I want". Or insist your group is ready and then spend 6 minutes debating over the Nachos or Mushrooms for an appetizer and whether you are going to have the burger or salad. I have other things to do and we both know you are going to order the burger. You aren't fooling anyone.

*No, I wont buy you a beer: Even if you are my most favorite customer. I don't have a comp card and last I checked I'm working to put food on my table not because I like volunteering my free time to help stupid people eat. You wouldn't go to the grocery store and ask the clerk to buy you a gallon of milk would you??

Summer Breeze (fill in the blank friday)

I try not to hate on winter too much because I truly do believe that suffering thru it makes you more appreciative of Spring/Summer. That said, it's nice to think ahead to what the Spring and Summer will bring which is just what I did for today's Fill in the Blank Friday. (join us over at The Little Things We do!)

1. Winter is too long. I know technically it is no longer than any other season, but the fact that it is so BLAH makes it feel like it drags on forever. I do however love Christmas and the idea that during the winter you can just relax and hibernate.

2. Summer is colorful and busy. Truthfully I love summer only if it isn't sweltering outside. I'm getting to an age where extreme heat is more bothersome than enjoyable. (aka...I'm getting old...there I said it)

3. If it were summer instead of winter right now I'd take Jack to the park. I can't wait until it's nice enough to do this because this year he will be old enough to run around and actually play!

4. My favorite thing to do in winter is relax. Catch up on TV shows, watch movies, read and write!

5. My favorite thing to do in summer is hang out with friends, have BBQ's, go out to great beer gardens, play bags/cornhole.

6. The ideal outfit for a sunny summer day is comfy shorts, a tank top and flip flops.

7. The ideal outfit for a frigid winter day is my PJ's. Because hopefully I wont have to leave the house!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

A Picture Perfect Memory

God gave us memories that we might have roses in December.  ~J.M. Barrie

So I was watching the Today show this morning and I saw a very interesting segment about actress Marilu Henner. She seems to have what's known as a  superior autobiographical memory. This gift, which only a handful of people in the world possess, allows her to recall each and every day of her life. What she wore. What she ate. Everything. They even showed her going through her closet and she could remember the first time she wore every pair of shoes in it. She would grab a pair and say "Oh these I wore on October 13, 1977. It was a Thursday and I was meeting my friend for lunch. I ordered a Cobb Salad and she got a Tuna Sandwich, yadda yadda yadda...you get the point.

Could you imagine being able to recollect such details of your life??

I'd like to think that my memory is pretty good, but I would never be able to tell you what exact day something happened. Or what I wore. Or ate. And I'm ok with that, because I think the idea of a memory is to bring you back to how you felt at the time, not all the other mundane details.

So for today's post I'd like to share one of my favorite memories.

I can't tell you what day of the week it was, but I can tell you it was just another ordinary day. No holiday, or big event. Just some random day. I was home from college at the end of the summer. Back then my mother and I didn't have the best relationship, so it was torture for me to be at home. What sucked even more was that I couldn't drive. No car. No license. Luckily my best friend was, and is, the kind of person that I could always rely on to help me out through these times. And she had a car. And she knew that I needed to get out, that I needed to vent, that I needed a friend.

So after one particularly bad night, she did what she always did. She came and picked me up and we drove up to Gillson Beach and sat in the darkness, watching the moon illuminate the lake and smoked cigarettes, and talked. About anything and everything. On this particular night, the weather was pure perfection. The hotness of the late summer had faded enough, but not too much. Somewhere in our talking, which I don't even remember what we were talking about, we decided to take off our shoes and dip our feet in the lake. When we did we found the water to be near perfect. Cool enough to be refreshing, but warm and inviting. Before I knew it, there were no words, just a knowing glance as we threw off our purses (gotcha...you thought I was going to say clothes didn't you?) and ran into the water. Fully clothed. And we laughed at how impulsive we were. And how by just looking at each other we knew what the other was thinking. We floated around for awhile. Talking. Laughing. And then we loaded ourselves, damp clothes and all, into the car and drove home.

I've never forgotten that night. How innocent and spontaneous we were. How we laughed and laughed and laughed.How that night is exactly what I needed at the time and how the memory of it got me through so many other crappy nights.

What's one of your favorite memories?

WMMWW

That stands for Working Mom Mostly Wordless Wednesday. I'm breaking all the rules and combining the two.

I had a hard time thinking about today's WMW prompts. One was about a Christmas memory, and that is next to impossible to narrow down because I've been very fortunate to have had some great ones. (Minus this year...my gift was a killer cold) The other prompt was about Challenges for 2011 and that's a tough one for me because I try to look at the new year with as little expectation as possible. My philosophy is "whatever will be, will be". I find that when I approach the year with an open mind I'm less likely to be disappointed when inevitably something doesn't go according to plan. (And they rarely ever go as planned!)
That said I do so love Julia over at Work, Wife, Mom, Life and I love participating in Working Mom Wednesday even if I don't have anything very poignant to say.

And I had to post this picture because it made my week. Kev surprised me by bringing Jack in to visit me at work the other day...

I love this kid!!
PS...it's a horrible picture from my iPhone but I love it anyways!

New for 2011

I'm usually one foot in, one foot out when it comes to making resolutions for the new year. I tend to not officially declare any, but I in the back of my mind I always have ideas of new routines/changes I'd like to make in the upcoming year.

I'm not going to bore you with my illusions of grandeur about how I'm going to drop 20 lbs. and re-organize my whole house. But as far as blogging goes, I have a few changes I'd like to make and this is what's on my agenda for 2011...

*Blogging will be more off the cuff. Sometimes I over think posts and become overwhelmed by the logistics of blogging. This year I am going to focus on shorter, more lighthearted posts.

*When you work with the general public material has a way of presenting itself...often. I need to start tapping into that part of my life.

*I want to interact with my fellow bloggers more. I'm going to make a real effort to connect with my bloggy friends more often by commenting more and tweeting more. Also, I want to get more involved with blogfrog. And I vow this year to only participate in blog hops that I enjoy, instead of participating in a bunch of meaningless ones just to get readers.

*On that note, I really need to go thru my blog roll and delete some blogs from my list. I have so many that are all about ad's or spammy ones.

*I would really like to give this space a makeover. Ideally, my goal is to teach myself how to do this, but if anyone wants to take me on pro-bono I'd gladly accept!! (Maybe for my Blog Birthday coming up??)
Also, I keep toying around with the idea of renaming my blog, but until I come up with something truly spectacular, I won't. (I probably won't anyways, because I'm lazy like that!)


Do you have any blogging resolutions for the new year??