Friday, January 8, 2010

Committing to a Goal

I've been told that if you want to meet a goal you have to commit yourself to it. I've also heard that telling people about your goal forces you to take responsibility for it. It's more embarrassing if you have to tell people you quit, you lose face...no one wants that. So here I am, committing myself to my goal. Which is to get into a regular workout routine. I am not setting a goal weight or dress size because, while I really DO want to lose weight and look fabulous, the real reason is that I need to get healthier. With two wild little men in my life (and one of them just so close to being mobile), I really need to be in top shape! I want to be the Mom who chases her kids on the playground. I want to be in good health so I don't miss out on all the wonderful things my boys are sure to do!

So, now it's out there (for whoever it is that reads this thing....mom???). And hopefully I'll remember that tomorrow at 7 am, when my alarm goes off or when I'm too tired (hm hmm...lazy) to lace up my sneakers for the gym.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Saying Goodbye to Friends

As a military family, we get to enjoy living in locations that we would otherwise never dream of. We're very lucky to have the opportunities, job stability, and benefits that we have. We have learned to live with the cons of military life and enjoy the benefits -- but the one big, huge, major con that we have not gotten used to, let alone learned to accept, is saying goodbye to friends.

Being far from family is very hard, particularly around holidays, birthdays, and milestone events. But we always know where they are and that we will see them again. It's different with the friends you make along your military journey. Pre-military, I don't know that I would have thought I could have a confidante in someone I'd met only a month or two earlier. In the military, everyone knows that you have to make friends fast or you don't make them at all. Even when you're stationed somewhere for 3 years, everyone you meet is on a different schedule, so you are constantly saying goodbye.

Sadly, we just had to say a goodbye to some wonderful friends we met and became close to here in Iwakuni. Despite it not being a new thing for me, it was terribly sad. But I feel the worst for Bennet. He's at the age now where he really has preferred playmates and this was his first real BFF. As of yet, I don't think he gets it. We talked to him about moving away and how we won't see our friends anymore, but I think the idea was too abstract. Perhaps over the next few weeks, when we don't go to their house or see them, it will sink in for him.

So for now we have a Tanya-Brian-Kirby-Addy sized hole in our hearts. But we hope that the military will bring us back together one day!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Resolutions



2009 has been pretty good to us, but we're very excited to see what 2010 will bring! And just as we always do, we've discussed our resolutions for the year. So without further ado, here they are:

Jude plans to learn how to walk and talk this year. Bennet will continue to expand his vocabulary. I'm working towards cooking from scratch more often. And Tim is going to finish a marathon.

As a family, we have also resolved to continue our quest to go green. This year, the adults are focusing on cleaning and eating green, while the children are going to work on playing green! Basically the boys are giving up battery operated, plastic toys in favor of natural toys that stimulate the imagination. Don't worry if you've given them toys like this in the past -- we've kept a box for rainy days!! BUt as for their everyday toys, we are making sure that anything they play with is constructed safely (no bpa, pthalates, lead paint, etc) and does not do the playing for them (bells, whistles, lights, songs, and buttons). It's certainly going to be a big change, but we all feel that it will help the boys expand their imagination considerably! If you are interested in going green with YOUR child's toys, I've listed several simple ideas and stores at the end of this post!

As I said, the adults are also going green. I am buying more organic and local food as well as cooking more of our food from scratch. We have a steam cleaner on it's way so that we can disinfect our floors and counters without the use of chemicals and I'm testing out different natural cleaning solutions.

Sooo...what's YOUR resolution this year?

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Books, videos, and non-toxic craft supplies are always a hit and easy enough for anyone to find, even if they aren't up and up with the green movement. Several web stores out there have done a fantastic job of stocking educational and natural toys. The go to stores for us include Jillian's Drawers (www.jilliansdrawers.com) and Oompa Toys (www.oompa.com) for young kids and Fat Brain Toys (www.fatbraintoys.com) for older kiddos. Haba, Plan Toys, Green Toys, Sevi, Sprout, Playmobil, Lego, and Sprig are all great brands too!