It's crazy to think that 2014 is now over. What a year its been! We had The Good (Sam hitting some awesome milestones), The Bad (medical bills, car repairs, home repairs) and The Ugly (Jeff's disastrous new job from May to August).
Overall, I can hardly complain. My family continue to thrives and we are hanging in there. Here is my annual recap.
Travel in 2014:
February: Orlando for a long weekend*
March: Jeff and Ian go to Orlando for Spring Training.
April: Spent the night at Jeff's parents and then toured factories in PA during Spring Break.
June: Weekend trip to NYC with Jeff / Kids at Jeff's parents.
June: Ian in Massachusetts at Camp Ramah for 12 days
June/July: 11 days in Israel*
July: Trip to Dutch Wonderland and Hershey with the kids and friends.
July: Kids in Orlando for 12 days, I was there for 4 of them.
August: Weekend trip to NYC with Jeff / Kids with my parents.
August: Ocean City, NJ for a week at the beach.
October: Girls weekend to Berkeley Springs, WVA*
November: Girls weekend to Charlottesville, VA*
November: Orlando for Thanksgiving (me and the kids)
December: Cherry Hill, NJ with the kids during Winter Break to see family.
*Represents trips taken solo.
I always read what I wrote the year before. I find it interesting to see how close I get to my goals becoming a reality. One year ago I wrote that I am giving up on our family doing a week at the beach together. Guess what? I made it happen!! This past August, my family (along with my mom and stepfather) joined my cousin's family at Ocean City, NJ for a week. We rented houses side-by-side, 3 blocks from the boardwalk. Jeff was even able to join us...he was working very hard on searching for a new job during that week, but we had him around. We all had a great time and very much enjoyed being with extended family.
I love that I keep a written record of our adventures. It's way too easy to forget things we've done or experienced. I am happy to report that we are doing a better job not overscheduling. Only Tuesdays is my ridiculous day that has me in survival mode. I feel like from the moment I wake up to the moment my head can hit the pillow again, it is one 14 hour juggling act. Fortunately most Tuesdays Jeff is able to pick Ian up from religious school. Therefore, Sam and I can head straight home from her gymnastics class and get dinner made. I intentionally pick very easy meals to prepare on Tuesdays.
This past year Sam had some phenomenal moments. I am so impressed with what she accomplishes the minute she thinks it is a good idea. She went from having a very soaked pull-up each night when sleeping to deciding she no longer wanted to wear an overnight pull-up ever again. That was that. No accidents what-so-ever. It's pretty extraordinary how she was able to do that. Another amazing achievement was how quickly she learned how to tie her shoes. She wanted to learn and BAM!, within 2 days, she got it. It is so much fun to listen to Sam read. She is light years ahead of where Ian was at this age. Sam still has a lot of social anxiety and trouble expressing her feelings. We have a coordinated effort at school and with her play therapy to help her with this. I guess its getting better. But I tend to see all the instances where she lashes out and is not comfortable in a social setting. Her goal with therapy can be summed up with these four words: "Explode less, Cope more." She willingly goes to school each day, so I am thankful for that. :)
Ian has chosen to learn to play the violin. He walks around the house playing his heart out. He doesn't sound half bad either. He no longer is doing gymnastics and has a new passion in playing Flag Football. Who knew I'd enjoy watching his game almost as much as he enjoys playing them? He continues to do well in school and has a SCA (student council association) position in his class. He attends meetings regularly and helps decide things like Spirit Days. It's too cute listening to him fill us in on his lunch meetings. Ian is currently working on better managing his time each night with his homework. It's a hard balance for him to get a grasp on.
I am most pleased to report that Jeff landed on his feet after the new job nightmare this past summer. The newer new company he works for is a better match for Jeff's strengths and is a great fit for both Jeff and the new place. He comes home at a reasonable hour each day, feels good about the work he is doing and is not stressed. I know I appreciate having my former husband back and the kids love having their dad back.
Me? I've been struggling with getting Jeff more included on things we do outside the house. I've gotten into a very bad habit of planning with the kids and if Jeff doesn't want to come, we proceed without him. Before I realized it, the majority of our activities didn't include him. This has made me sad.
This past year I've taken steps for my family to eat healthier. I no longer allow preservatives, enriched flour, high fructose corn syrup, or red dye/yellow dye in the house. I buy organic / all natural as much as possible. It takes a lot of time to read labels at the grocery story, but its paying off. Ian's latest blood work came back much improved. And I feel better about the food we are all eating.
In 2014 my mom's health scared me big-time. Her Bypass (from only 2 years earlier!) had
failed and she was in the hospital multiple times getting the blockages
repaired. I hate seeing my mom go through this. It's hard seeing our
parents age. I will continue to go down to Orlando to be with my family
as much as possible. It's important to me for my kids and I to spend as much time as I can with the Florida crew. Of course with every visit, my desire to move and live closer to them gets stronger.
I continue to juggle all my part-time jobs. I somehow make it work and can still be there for the kids before school and after. I love the flexibility and am fortunate to have filled up the time my kids are in school. I've gotten in a good groove and hope it can continue for the foreseeable future.
I still have many, many issues with my weight. I am not sure I will ever come to peace with this situation. I do my best to work out regularly, but I can tell you without a doubt eating is my downfall. Who knows, maybe I am trying to fill some void? It will always be a struggle.
Looking forward to 2015:
I am enjoying our less hectic schedule and want this to continue through the new year. I also hope that we can do more things as a family, rather than me and the kids without Jeff. I am going to do my best to not plan too far in advance and take each day as it comes. I am encouraging Jeff to plan at least one activity (outside the house) once a month for us to do as a family. Hopefully he can chose things he will enjoy and want to be a part of. Meanwhile, I will pick an activity for us to do (in our home) as a family once a month. Admittedly, I do a very poor job of not interacting that much with anyone when we are all home. We do eat dinner as a family each night, but then I let Jeff take over hanging with the kids. More time spent as a family (both inside and outside our house) is my main goal in 2015.
I have big plans for our lawn. I am tired of it looking like crap. We got a proposal for an irrigation system approved by our homeowner's association. This should be installed sometime in the Spring. Having our lawn water itself will go a long way to helping our grass stay green. And having taken down two trees will help more sun shine through. If this doesn't get our lawn looking good, I don't know what will.
In 2014 we did get recessed lighting in our downstairs family room. We absolutely love it! It's been one of the best home improvement jobs we've done to the house. It would be nice in 2015 if we can continue and put more recessed lighting in other parts of the house.
My last thing I look forward to in 2015 is being grateful. Taking time each day (or maybe weekly is more realistic) to appreciate all we have. Even as Sam is exploding, my mom's words ring in my ears: "You wouldn't want her any other way." I know so many families where the parents are dealing with many more challenging issues...their son barely speaks, or the daughter is severely handicapped, etc. Yes, I am thankful for Sam and her ability to let us know she is in the room. :) We have a roof over our heads, always plenty of food on the table, and lights that come on when we want them too. A car that works (even if it has 167,000 miles on it!) and can get fixed when it needs to, and a family that is always there for each other. Not to mention friends who double as family. It's a pretty sweet life and we should be thankful for all we have. We are truly blessed.
A New Year's Wish:
To those reading this: I hope the new year is full of only good moments. May each day be better than the last overflowing with love and laughter. Go beyond your comfort zone and live life to its fullest.
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