Goals

It is that time again...

That time of year where I start to think about what I need to do to better my life in the next year.

I like to set "goals" rather than resolutions.

Resolutions in the past have not worked.  Resolutions last until about mid-February.

"Goals" are more realistic.  I am a "goal" type of person. 

I like my goals written out like a list.

I am a list person.  I get an HUGE amount of satisfaction from striking a line through something on my list.

Sometimes I have multiple lists going.

Sometimes I write something on my list that I have just recently accomplished JUST so I can strike a line through it.

So here we go... My goals of 2012

1.  I would LOVE to put lose weight on here as a goal, however since I am just starting my third trimester that goal will NOT be a possibility until April.  This one I can actually procrastinate!

2.  Other than number 1... Try to procrastinate less.  I don't want to say "stop procrastinating" because that is an unrealistic goal.  If I say less...then that is something to shoot for.

3.  Delete old emails out of my inbox...and keep it cleaned out.

4.  Clean the kitchen each night after dinner instead of waiting until the next morning...or two.

5.  Fold laundry soon after it comes out of the dryer.  No more folding 8 loads of laundry in one afternoon.

6.  On the same lines as folding laundry... Do one or two loads of laundry a day instead of waiting 3 weeks and doing 8 loads of laundry in one day.  This one actually HAS to happen.  Apparently at our new home it is not recommended to do more than two loads of laundry in one day.  I'm hoping this rule will help me!

7.  De-Clutter and stay clutter free. 

8.  Get the baby room all set up and ready to go.

9.  Sweep/Dust my new wood floor at least once a week, if not more.

10. Finish ALL the unpacking.  Get rid of ALL the boxes.  (I am so tired of boxes...)

Christmas Chatter

A little about my Christmas break... (I hesitate to use the word break, but "vacation" or "time-off" doesn't fit either, so break it is.)

~  We closed on both properties on Friday the 23rd.  We were officially homeless for about 40 minutes.  I am so thankful that everything fell into place as it did. It is so nice to only have one home to focus on and one payment to make.

~ The closing date put a dent in our normal Christmas plans.  We were planning on going home to see my family on the 23rd.  That didn't happen.  So it was a quick trip home on Christmas Eve and then gone again on Christmas Day.

~  My mother out-did herself again with her Christmas shopping.  It is her thing.  She does it well :)

~  My father really out-did himself this year.  I think he made my mom tear up 3 or 4 times.  It was sweet to watch them.

~  We got some cute little outfits for our little girl.  They ALL involved pink.  Ethan was not that thrilled about the pink...

~  We left my parents at noon on Christmas in order to make it back for Ethan's family dinner.  We had a "Feliz Navidad" themed meal that was very good. 

~  All the kids and spouses chipped in this year and got Ethan's parents an I-Pad for Christmas.  I think they are really going to enjoy it.

~  They may enjoy the new Casino more...

~  I finally got all the boxes emptied upstairs (other than the spare bedrooms..) and out of the house.  It is finally starting to feel like our home.  Now if I can just get motivated to do the same in the basement and spare bedrooms.

~  My parents dropped off a crib.  It is the same crib that I used as a baby.  I have NO IDEA how to put it together.  There are no directions. 

~  I officially started my 3rd trimester this week.  I think very soon when the house is all settled, basketball is over, and the nursery is organized it will sink in how fast life is going to change for us.  We are so excited!

~  Our dogs are not impressed with the new house.  I'll post more about their transition later.

~  Our new furnace is loud.  It definitely takes some getting used to. 

~  I love fruit.  I have been wanting/craving fruit for some time now.  I bought probably 30$ worth of it today.

~  One good thing about not having Christmas decorations up...I don't have to be embarrassed when they are still up in February.  :o)

Wait...you mean it's Christmas?!?!

I woke up this morning thinking it was just another Saturday.  I was wrong on two accounts.

It is actually Friday.

And it is the first day of Christmas break.

It doesn't feel like it.

I have no decorations up.

We made no Christmas candy, cookies, or other type of goodies.

I haven't wrapped any presents.  Or done any shopping for that matter.

I don't even know where my Santa hat is.

It is funny when I think back to a couple months ago when I found out we would probably be moving into our new house the weekend before Christmas.  I had all these plans of going ahead and putting up at least one tree and a handful of decorations.  I even thought I might be able to squeeze a batch of cinnamon rolls in to take home to my parents. 

Yeah...didn't happen.

The only thing I have up that is Christmasy is a snow globe nativity that was given to me by our Priest. 

I'm still working on unpacking boxes and figuring out where everything is going. Changing my mind.  Then changing it back.  (I have a feeling that's going to be the theme of my break.)

Then realizing with a small since of panic that I still have to also pack to go home for a couple days.

And run to the mall (shoot me now...)

And call the lighting place

And get ready for the closing of both houses today

Wow...

This is definitely one Christmas I will never forget!

It Will All Get Done

• The cabinets will all be cleared
• The clothes will all get washed, folded, and packed
• The sub plans will get written
• The basketball game will get coached
• The boxes will be moved
• The boxes will be emptied
• The old house will get cleaned and ready for it's new owner
• The new house will have each room organized with everything put away
• We will sign the papers to close on both houses on the same day

It will all get done.

I don't really know how, but I do know that by this time next week I will be sitting in our new house, on our new couches, and enjoying that many of the things on this list will be behind me.

A Plethora...

Ethan and I are movie people.  We don't go to the movie theater very often.  We LOVE movies, but we are also fairly logical of the way we spend money.  We both agree that it is ridiculous to spend 20$ for us to go see a movie one time.  Instead, we wait until the movie comes out on video and we buy it.

We also have netflix.

Our most recent netflix move was "The Three Amigos"

Hilarious.

One scene in particular where Jefe is tells his boss, El Guapo, that there are many many pinatas for his birthday celebration.

The rest of the scene plays out like this...

El Guapo:  "Jefe, would you say I have a plethora of piñatas?

Jefe:  "Uh, Yes!"

El Guapo:  "Jefe, what is a plethora?"

Jefe: "Uh..."

El Guapo:  "Well, you just told me that I had a plethora, and I would just like to know if you know what it means to have a plethora. I would not like to think that someone would tell someone else he has a plethora, and then find out that that person has no idea what it means to have a plethora."

I love that scene. 

Does anyone really know how what exact number constitutes for a "Plethora?"

I do not.

However, as I was beginning the process of packing things for our big move into the new house in two weeks.  I started by packing up our DVD collection.

I brought in one good sized box.

Didn't even come close to holding all our movies.

So I got another box.

And another...


4 and 1/2 boxes later the DVDs are all packed and ready to move.


I would definitely say that we have a "Plethora" of movies!

Car Trouble...

I am an intelligent person.  I'm not a rocket scientist my any means, but I typically grasp concepts pretty quickly.  Except for one...

Cars.

I don't understand them.

I use words like "thingy," "what-cha-ma-call-it," and "dohicky."

Conversation on the phone with my husband as I was driving to work:

Me:  "Oh crap...what just happened!  One of those warning light thingies just flashed on and my car is doing some kind of jerky thing"

Hubby: "What does the light look like?"

Me: "uhhh...I have no idea"



Hubby:  "Well, what is going on with your car right now"

Me: "It seems to be ok now, but when that light turned on it jerked me forward a few times and then stopped.  Should I pull over?"

Hubby:  "Yes, pull over...  Ok, what does that light look like..."

Me:  "There is no shape in the known world that I can describe to you what this looks like.  It is kind of rectangle with a lot of different other pieces on it..."

Hubby:  "Does it look like an engine?"

Me:  "I don't know, maybe, I have no idea what an engine looks like.  I'm going to get out the manual to find out which light that is and what it means."

Now, do you think there would be an easy category in the back of the manual for warning symbols and what they mean.  NO!  It took me probably 10 minutes to just find a place in the book to tell me that yes, the symbol was the "check engine" light.  Seriously...why can they just have the words "CHECK ENGINE" or even the word "CHECK" under the picture to help me figure it out. 

We finally figuring out that the car would be fine to get to school and then we could try to figure out what was going on.  Once I got to school, I received numerous offers of help.  Have I mentioned that I work with some of the most kind hearted, wonderful people?!?  The mechanic teacher came down on his planning period, and with a very handy tool provided by my Principal's husband, we (ha...I mean HE) was able to figure out that the problem was with the crankshaft position sensor.

The what???

Crankshaft position sensor.

That means NOTHING to me.

Is the car ok to drive?

Is this fix going to be expensive??

(In case you have missed the last few previous posts now is NOT a good time to have expensive car trouble...we're building a house AND having a baby...I repeat...NOT a good time for an expensive car problem)

(PLUS...we JUST had some expensive car work done not even a month ago.  Brakes, timing belt, tires, oil, water pump, the works...this should NOT be happening!)

Turns out the problem with the crankshaft position sensor SHOULD have been something that was either looked at or replaced when the timing belt was changed...3 weeks ago.  So, in a very polite but firm voice that meant business my husband called the repair shop that did the work and told them what was going.  They said to get the car in right away and they would have a look at it. 

Hubby took the afternoon off work (he hasn't been feeling well, so he was planning on going home early to get some rest anyway before the fiasco with the car happened) and came to the school to pick up the car and take it in to the shop.  I followed him in with the truck, dropped him off at the house, and returned to work in time for my last class. 

The end result...the problem was with the crankshaft thingy and the shop fixed it at not cost to us because that should have been done 3 weeks ago. 

Thank goodness for honest mechanics! 

After a very long and humbling day I am proud to say that I have learned a few things with this adventure.

1.  My coworkers are AWESOME!
2.  The car has a very important part called a crankshaft position sensor.
3.  These little mishaps are really hilarious when everything is all said and done.  (It helps that we don't have to pay for the repair...I'm sure the story would not be near that funny if it came with a big price tag)

And probably the most important thing I learned today...
4.  That funny looking symbol is actually the shape of an engine.