2-0-0-9

Happy New year! As I write this, it is around noon on January 1st. There is snow on the ground and it's about 15 degrees out. We arrived home about an hour ago, having spent the New Year with some great friends and their families. There was food, booze and fun. The only thing missing was Husband, as he celebrated the New Year at work.

Last year was a pretty quiet year. For our family no babies, no sickness, no deaths, no good friends moving away, no lost jobs. For some of our friends, 2008 was tremulous. We've learned to count our blessings and appreciate all the we have and not spend time dwelling on that which we don't have.

For 2009 - we can only hope that we have a year as good as 2008.

For me personally, I'd like to continuing losing some more weight. While not completely following the South Beach diet still, I am losing a little here and there. And I'm sure the Wii Fit will help. I feel much better than I have in a awhile and I know Husband feels the same.

I'd also like to actually contribute to the household income more. So already, I have 2 full days lined up to sub at the local schools (which, BTW, would already put me at more time worked the last two years). I'm going to try and work more, mainly to pay off some credit card debt we've accumulated from way back when (which isn't much, but it's still there). And also, to ease back into working. You see, come September, Moe will be in school full time. Let that sink in for a moment. All my kids will be in school. All day. Everyday. Now I don't know about anyone else, but I think I'd go bonkers staying home. I know already on the three half days, I've started finding myself a bit bored (which is, BTW, why I have a gazillion scrabble games going on in Facebook at the moment). So, while I still won't need to work, I want to. For my sanity and to help contribute to the family. I still have guilt that I've spent so many years at home (I know, I shouldn't, I've been raising my family after all, but still...mommy guilt....). At the same time, I don't know what I want to do once they're in school. I have no real career path. I guess it all depends on what happens in the beginning of the year with Husband's job (nothing bad, don't worry) that would control whether or not I can go back to school as well.

Eventually, (and maybe closer to the near future) Husband and I have talked about buying (or building) a new house. One with, you know, insulated walls, windows that open (and stay open), a garage, where each of the girls can have their own room, three bathrooms (although no one uses the two that we have, so...) and a yard. Maybe a barn instead of a garage, we'll see. Ideally, we'd love an old farmhouse, but I'm sure it wouldn't have the modern convinces like insulated walls (sensing a trend??) we I want. But who know, we'll know it when we see it. So that's part of why I want to work more and reduce our debt. I want us to be in a great place when we find that house of our dreams. And with the market being as it is, it may be closer than we thought.

And when I'm home, which is alot, I want to use my time more wisely. We have many, many projects around the house that need to be finished. The hallway is going on 8 months or so... The bedroom, needs wallpaper still. There are touch ups to be done everywhere. The playroom repainted. The glass panel in the dining room needs to be replaced. The walls washed down. Little things that no one wants to do. But I want to now, and I'm going to try. Get some of those unfinished projects finished so if when the time comes to sell, we won't be rushing to finish things.

I also want to take more time, to make more clothes for the girls. I have a ton of fabric I've picked up, and before summer come, I want to make them some more outfits. It takes me a bit, because I'm learning as I go. But I've been happy with almost everything I've created thus far.

And a once a month game night with friends is definitely in the cards! We tried in 2008, but it never really caught. So here's to making an actually effort!

So that's it in a nutshell, just some things I want to work on. Here's to hoping everyone has a healthy and prosperous 2009.