Me and my petunia on my first Mother’s Day

Yesterday was my first real Mother’s Day, with a live actual child outside of my body. My day was composed of:

• Sleeping in an extra hour and a half while Dave got up and fed the baby a bottle of pumped milk
• Eating a delicious breakfast made for me by my husband
• Being on a local radio talk show as part of a panel of mothers for their Mother’s Day show
• Seeing my mom and dad as they brought a load of furniture up from my hometown to populate our new house
• Doing some unpacking and rearranging in the house
• Taking a trip to Lowe’s for some items we need now and some price and style checks on other items we’re planning to get for the house in the coming year or years
• Eating pizza and chocolate ice cream and drinking a beer for dinner
• Gluing back together some pieces of 200+-year-old furniture on which the wood glue had finally fallen apart
• Watching 2 episodes of Doctor Who
• Folding laundry
• Writing my first blog post in almost a year to the day

All in all, a pretty satisfying day. Plenty more to catch you up on – it’s been rather a busy year, as you may have surmised – but I’ve missed writing. I may not do it so regularly anymore – at least not at first – but I’ll write when I can. First up will likely be some catch-up posts!

So, last weekend I had the surreal experience of receiving a Mother’s Day gift…from my own mother. Considering I’m not quite a mother yet (I mean, yeah, I’m caring  for a fetus in my uterus, but there’s no infant to wake me up multiple times a night yet), I wasn’t necessarily expecting gifts on Mother’s Day. That said, it was a nice feeling to get that package in the mail. I guess it’s always nice to be reminded of your mother’s love.

Anyway, what she sent was a diaper bag filled with Basq NYC products. Basq is focused on making all-natural skin care products that are safe for use by pregnant women, new moms, and in some cases even babies. Their products are not cheap, as you might imagine, but they are really safe and not tested on animals and all that good stuff. I got four different products, so I’m gonna tell you guys about them, and if you’re interested you can go get some!

Rebalancing Facial Cleanser. Basq promises that this cleanser will get rid of acne, tighten pores, moisturize, fade dark spots, etc. I really, really like this one, so much so that I’m considering splurging on this in the future, despite the fact that it’s $34 for 2 oz. I can’t describe what this smells like, except that it’s good. Sort of fresh and herbal at the same time. It has little beadlets in it for exfoliating, and it makes my skin feel softer and less dry, but not oily. I’ve only used it for a few days, so I can’t say if it will get rid of my acne, but even if it doesn’t, I still like it. A little goes a long way, so I can see 2 oz. lasting me for a while.

Citrus Sugar Body Polish. This one is probably a bit self-explanatory – it’s a sugar-based body scrub, intended to exfoliate the skin. It’s also got some good oils in it for moisturizing. Basq claims it will help stop new stretch marks and repair existing ones. And sugar is not drying for your skin like salt is. It feels good to scrub on my itchy pregnant body – it’s not so scratchy that it irritates, but it definitely relieves the itchiness. I’m not totally sold on the smell – they claim it’s orange blossom, but it’s a little too…something for me. Not an unpleasant smell, but not my favorite of the group. I seem to be going through this one a lot faster, too – I guess I have more area to cover than just my face. It’s 8 oz., but I don’t see it lasting more than maybe 2 or 3 weeks if I used it daily, and $26 is a lot for 2 or 3 weeks worth. I like it, but I’m not sure I’d spend my own money on it.

Resilient Body Oil. Basq calls this the “Gold Standard of Stretch Mark Oils.” I didn’t realize there were so many out there that a gold standard would be needed! This is definitely a moisturizing body oil, though whether it will prevent or repair any stretch marks is beyond me. Even if it doesn’t, I like it. It has a whole bunch of different oils in it (hazelnut, sweet almond, wheat germ, grapeseed, rosehip, eucalyptus and vitamin E), but the predominant smell is of roses. It’s not a terribly overpowering rose scent; just a nice delicate one. And the oil absorbs into your skin quickly – I can rub it in and get dressed right away without feeling oily or anything, which is nice. This is a wonderful decadence for me – I’m not the type to use body oil usually. I rather like the pampering of it – it feels luxurious. And again, a little goes a long way – it’s $38 for 4 oz, but I think it can last for several months. And if it helps with stretch marks, so much the better! The only thing I wish was different is that it had some sort of spray mechanism – it can be kind of messy to try and pour oil in to your hand to then rub on your belly and then pick the bottle up again for more with slippery hands. I haven’t spilled any yet, but a spray would make it so much easier!

Sweet Dreams Aromatherapy. Image credit: Basq NYC

Sweet Dreams Aromatherapy. This is an aromatherapy oil intended to help mom (or baby!) relax, de-stress, and/or go to sleep. You can put the oil on pulse points, use it in a bath, drip it on a warm washcloth…lots of different ways. I’ve just been dabbing it on my wrists, neck, belly and behind my knees before sleep every night. I outright adore the smell of it – sweet almond, pear and lavender. I just wish the smell lingered longer – after about 45 minutes, I can’t smell it on myself anymore. Still, it definitely calms me. I can’t say for sure if it helps me sleep better, but the wonderful smell alone is worth it for me! The cost is $20 for what I think is about 2 oz., but being an oil, it will last a long time.

So there you have it! I know my mom got a special deal on this as a package set (because I fussed at her for spending so much, and she promised she didn’t). If you want to pamper a preggo or new mom in your life, I would recommend these products. I have really been enjoying them!

Basq NYC did not provide these products to me or ask me to review them. I have no affiliation with the company. I simply wanted to write about the first Mother’s Day gift I ever received, and this is it!

Anyway, HI! How have you been? Did you miss me? I’m not sure if I’m quite ready to be back full time again yet, but hopefully more often than lately. I needed a break. Some time to burrow down into my own head. Some time to sleep and chill out and not think too hard. Coming up with things to blog about was hard, life was getting busy, so I stopped.

But now I have something to say. Something to tell you. Something that might explain my recent bout of brain exhaustion. Because you guys…I’m pregnant. Knocked up. With child. Hi! I’m gonna have a baby!

Okay – time for all the standard questions:

• Due date: mid to late October – we’ve had 3 different dates so far, so that’s as good as I think I can get.
• Are we happy? Well, duh. We’ve been married almost 7 years. This wasn’t an accident. So yeah, happy.
• Are the families happy? That might be an understatement. This will be Dave’s parents first grandchild, and my only niece is 8, so it’s been a while for my folks too.
• How am I feeling? Oh, it varies day to day. I’ve had some nausea. And vomiting (though thankfully not much of that). I have an Rx for nausea meds because it was interfering with things like, oh, getting up and going to work. I think – hope – it’s getting a little better, but I still have bad days sometimes. I’ve been exhausted, of course – that goes with the territory. I’ve had some of the other typical symptoms too – food aversions, super-sniffer (complete with smell aversions), etc. – no need to bore you with the details.
• How far along are you? Well, by the most recent due date, I should be 14 weeks today.
• How’s the baby? So far as we know, all’s well. Good heartbeat, first ultrasound was wiggly and good. As far as we know now, baby is happy and healthy.
• Boy or girl? A little too early for that yet – we’ll find out late May or early June. And yes, we’re definitely going to find out.

And I think that does it for the usual questions we’ve heard so far. Let me know if you’ve got another in the comments. As for me…I’m writing this on Monday night, and as usual, I’m about done in. Talk to you guys again soon, I hope!

Obviously, this logo is copyrighted by the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Just in case you didn’t know, I am a proud former Girl Scout. I went all the way through Scouts, from Brownies to Seniors. I earned both my Silver and Gold Awards (the Gold Award is the equivalent of the Eagle Award in Boy Scouts). I believe I still have a Girl Scout family – friends who were in Scouts with me and leaders who shared their traditions, jokes, music, and values along the way. I remember many of the songs, the promise, the Girl Scout Law (which has changed a wee bit since my day, but is still basically the same). The title of this post is taken from one of the songs I frequently find stuck in my head.

I’m lucky, I realize. I know that some people had absolutely horrible Girl Scout experiences. I’ve heard stories. But I was surrounded by an active and passionate bunch. I had many of the same leaders throughout because they moved up to the next level with their own girls who were my age. My mom was a leader for a couple of my sister’s troops, and she was always willing to step up to help with either of our troops when extra adult hands were needed for driving, camping, supervising, organizing cookie orders, etc. Scouts taught me to love folk music (I couldn’t even tell you how many times we sang “If I Had a Hammer” and “One Tin Soldier” in my leader’s van), to build a campfire, to cook, to play, to pull the most delicious pranks (leader bras up the flagpole, anyone?), to sing the silliest songs (Princess Pat!), how to sterilize water out in the woods, to care for the environment, to administer basic first aid, and a million different other things. But more importantly, Scouts taught me to treasure strong relationships with other women. Scouts taught me to be kind and courteous, but also to stand up for myself and others when confronted with unfair treatment. Scouts taught me love and tolerance and and confidence and fighting for what I believe in. I wouldn’t be the same person I am today if I hadn’t been a Girl Scout.

Yesterday, the Girl Scouts of the USA celebrated their 100th year. I think Juliette Gordon Low would be so amazed by and proud of the organization she founded. Scouts are leaders in their schools and communities, they do so many wonderful charitable works, they help girls become strong and smart women, and yes, they sell those damn cookies most of us have a love-hate relationship with (but I always make sure to buy a few boxes every year). I believe in the Girl Scouts. I believe in what they stand for and I am proud of the person I am today because of my involvement with the organization. So really, I just wanted to join the celebration – yay! 100 years! – and also say thanks. Thanks to all the GSUSA and Council staff members who organize the camps and programs; to the camp directors and leaders who share their strength and their belief that women are amazing with girls every year; and to the girls themselves who will grow up to lead the way in this country – not just in women’s issues, but in everything. Thanks to my mom for getting me involved in the first place and then supporting me in every way (including camping in the cold October rain once) so that I would stay involved. Thanks to all the wonderful leaders I had over the years, especially Gail and Debbie. And thanks to my GS friends who are all still there for me when I need them.

She wears a “G” for Generosity;
She wears an “I” for Interest, too.
She wears an “R” for Real-life sportsmanship;
She wears a “L” for Loyalty! (for loyalty!)

She wears an “S” for her Sincerity;
She wears a “C” for Courtesy.
She wears an “OUT” for Outdoor Life. (for outdoor life)
You can bet she’s a real Girl Scout!

(Apparently other GS sing “And that Girl Scout is me!” for the last line, but that’s not what we sang…)

1. Be naked in public. Surely I don’t have to explain that.
2. Have Lasik eye surgery. My eyes are awful, and I know several people who’ve had the surgery and swear it’s worth it, but the idea of someone cutting open my eye with a laser, peeling back part of it to then laser the inside, all while I’m still awake really, really skeeves me out.
3. Be buried alive. Seriously, this is terrifying to me. That scene in Kill Bill where Uma Thurman digs herself up out of the ground? Every time I see it, that’s the most convincing thing to me that she’s a bad-ass. I would be so paralyzed with fear I’d probably just flail around all panicked and ineffective.
4. Get divorced. This is not a danger, by the way – Dave and I are all happy and snuggly – but I’ve seen too many friends and family members go through this kind of pain and messiness. I don’t ever want to do it.
5. Eat at Cici’s Pizza ever, ever again. Oy. Pizza is pretty much my favorite food group, and I adore cheap dinner out. Cici’s has an entire pizza buffet for $5 a person, but it’s so gross even I don’t want to eat it. I’ve got indigestion just thinking about it.
6. Ride the subway in Asia. Notice a theme here, between my buried alive theme and this? I am really quite claustrophobic.
7. Open a restaurant or retail store. My husband has latent dreams of owning a restaurant or a comedy club, and I used to think owning my own bookstore would be heaven. I’ve since come to understand exactly how much blood, sweat, tears, heartache, and usually failure is involved in such things. I’m far too financially conservative to risk that much money on an enterprise that will be nothing but hard work and is very unlikely to be successful.
8. Have anything other than my ears pierced. I think teeny tiny nose piercings are cute…on other people. I think eyebrow rings look edgy…on teenagers. Other people have all manner of body parts pierced, and I’m not put off by it at all, but I do not want it for myself. I already have 7 holes in my ears; that’s quite enough.
9. Drive a big rig. I’ll be honest – I’ve had to drive SUVs (small, medium and large), pick-up trucks, moving trucks, delivery vans…I’ve hated it every time. I’m not comfortable being the biggest vehicle on the road. It makes me feel like I’m about to run somebody off the road. Not a good feeling.
10. Actually be on a jury. I’ve been called for jury duty once in my life, and I was dismissed by mid-afternoon and never called back. I know, it’s my civic duty and everyone has to do their part and yadda yadda yadda. I even know some people who think they’d relish the opportunity. I am not one of those people. I don’t want to sit through a trial and have to pass judgment on whether they’re guilty or innocent, deciding if a person will have to pay a fine or damages or serve jail/prison time or possibly even get the death penalty. No thanks.

How about you? What are some things you never want to do?

• “Popcorn reading” (i.e., taking turns reading aloud) the first Harry Potter book with my niece and husband – the first time reading the story for both of them.
• Making the winning brownies to take to a Super Bowl party – the entire 9×13 pan was almost gone by the end of the night.
• Opening a big box delivered this week as a Valentine’s Day gift from Dave’s parents…and realizing shortly after I’d cut open the top of the box that they sent us a giant box of Biscoff spread (after reading our tweets about loving it but lamenting that it’s too expensive to buy very often).
• Finding a picture of an exceptionally ridiculous wedding dress and sharing it with a friend because I knew she’d want to blog about it.
• Stroking the cheek of a friend’s 3-day-old crying baby and feeling how soft it was, and loving how that seemed to comfort her a bit because she got quiet again for a few minutes.
• Singing at the top of my lungs with my husband to some of our favorite songs driving home from Richmond in the middle of the night after a party.
• Being able to help three different friends with three different internet problems – all over Twitter.
• Walking the doglets and letting them off-leash for a bit, and seeing them romp and run and revel in their freedom.

How about you? Did you have any wonderful, perfect moments this week?

Of course this kind of event makes you think about your own experiences with death. I have rather more than most people my age simply because I grew up in a family that was very close to extended family members. One of my first memories is of going to my great-great aunt’s funeral. I knew three of my great-grandparents and went to two of their funerals. I was close to almost all of my great-aunts and great-uncles and have been to many of their funerals, and I’ve lost five of my six grandparents (and – duh – attended all five funerals). One of those grandparents was from a suicide when I was 16, a grandparent I was very close to, who lived next door to me and helped raise me (but that’s a story for another day). I’ve sadly even been to a funeral for a friend just eight months after her wedding, which might be the most tragic experience I’ve ever personally had, and a close friend of ours lost her sister (who we also knew and loved) to cancer, leaving behind a new husband and a nearly preteen daughter at the time of her death. So I’ve seen enough death for a lifetime already, in my opinion. Unfortunately, I love lots more people who I can still lose. It seems the next logical group is aunts and uncles and parents, and I am really, really not ready for that. So a friend my age losing her dad terrifies me.

Does it make me insensitive that this is what I’m thinking of on the day of my friend’s dad’s funeral? I don’t think so. I ache for her, on her behalf, for her pain. I think it’s perfectly human, though, to relate that kind of pain to yourself…and I don’t want to. I don’t want to imagine losing a parent. I don’t really have a point to all this except that sometimes, life sucks. And you can be damn sure I’m going to hound my loved ones even more to take care of themselves as much as they can. Sometimes stuff happens anyway, I realize, but they’d better do everything they can to stay with me. And I’ll do the same. Scout’s honor.

Salty caramel ice cream. Photo courtesy of Jeni's Ice Creams (jenisicecreams.com), whose ice cream is delicious and also who wrote our ice cream recipe book.

Life since the holidays has, in large part, revolved around our new ice cream maker. We have used it every week. We made a cranberry sorbet (which was amazing both solo and in champagne on NYE), a salty caramel ice cream (BEST. THING. EVER. especially when we added ground honey cinnamon almonds on top), and most recently, a bourbon buttered pecan ice cream (booze + ice cream – need I say more?). We love it. We love trying out recipes, mentally noting our favorites, etc. I don’t really like the dishes that are left after using it, but we’re getting gourmet ice cream for a fraction of the cost of crappy ice cream at the grocery store, and we’re having fun doing it. Plus it’s healthier, I’m sure, because we know exactly what’s going into our ice cream, and I can tell you there are no artificial chemicals or preservatives. I’d call that a win.

I am still running. And walking. My knee started bugging me right at the beginning of the year, so I’ve purchased a band that helps support the tendon in your knee that holds your kneecap in place, since apparently that’s one of the most common knee problems among runners. I just got it last week, so it’s too soon to tell if it will help or not. If not, I suppose I’ll need to go to the doctor to figure it out before I damage myself badly or permanently. But I am still running – the last run I did was for 28 minutes straight. It sucked. I’m slow (no, really slow – I’ve seen other runners complain about how they “only” run 10-minute miles…ha! I wish I could run a 10-minute mile!). But I’m doing it. And I’ve been promised it will get better. I have not gotten on the strength training bandwagon yet, though. I want to…but obviously not enough to actually do it. I will…I just don’t know when yet, exactly.

This is the time of year when I’m always tired. It’s the long drudge before the next holiday. It’s the darkness when I wake up and before I leave work. It’s the cold. It’s the busyness at work (we’re pretty solid busy from January through April in any given year, and this year it will be all year long, I think). The tired and the cold and the dark do not make it easy to get up a half-hour early to go running two days a week.

Pinterest logo, courtesy of Pinterest

I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole that is Pinterest. A few weeks ago, I got a cold, and since I was only scheduled to be in the office one day that week anyway, I stayed home sick so as not to share my germs with my co-workers. I felt cold-ish, but not awful – I didn’t want to be in bed all day. So I asked friends for an invite to this new sharing/bookmarking/fun with pictures site I’d seen others on, Pinterest. I played with it a bit that day. And since…well, I love it. I think it’s part of my non-bloggery problem. I’d rather peruse random people’s pins on Pinterest than write at the moment. It’s what I do while the TV is on at night. If you’d like to follow my pins for some reason, here’s my profile. If you want an invite, let me know in the comments – I don’t know how many invites I get, but I’ve only used one so far. But I’ll warn you – it’s a time-suck. A beautiful, fun, interesting time-suck.

The Liebster Award. I have no idea who designed it - I wish I did so I could give them credit, but I don't have time to do that level of research.

Finally, I’ve had a bloggish award conveyed on me for some reason I don’t understand, but am grateful for. The Coastal Living Mom gave me a Liebster Award. These sorts of things in the blog world are sort of like chain letters, but are intended to tell other bloggers you like them and send them a little traffic as a thank-you. I have no idea how TLCMom even found my blog, but hey, I’ll take it! The deal is supposed to be, for this particular award, that it’s given to small blogs (traffic of 200 or fewer followers). You’re supposed to thank your award-giver (thanks, TLCMom!), link back to their blog (done above), pick 5 more blogs to get the award, tell them by commenting on their blogs, and then posting links to their blogs on your blog. I have mixed feelings about that last part. On the one hand, I would love to send some traffic to my favorite small blogs if I could. On the other, I don’t want them to feel like they have to continue the chain. So I’m going to make a provision: I’ll list 5 small blogs I really enjoy, but they should feel in no way obligated to do the same. I’m just saying I like them, go check them out, but if those bloggers don’t want to continue the award themselves, that’s fine by me. No harm done. I also have no idea if any of these are fewer than 200 followers. I just have a feeling they’re smallish. Also, I’m a lurker rather than a commenter, so most of these people probably have no idea who I am or that I read their blogs. Whatevs. Five small blogs I really, really enjoy are:

• Annie Was Here, by a social media/PR professional in the St. Louis area. This is Annie’s personal blog, and she’s friggin’ hilarious. Almost every post about her adventures in the world, happenings on their new farm, wonderfully funny things her husband says, etc. has me in stitches.
• Dried Figs and Wooden Spools, by a former Charlottesvillian who left shortly after I discovered her blog. She’s crafty, I’m not. She’s got kids, I don’t. It doesn’t matter. I love reading about her life and the interesting, creative things her family does, their adventures in their year in New York, and their ponderings about where to go and what to do next. I’m just sad they’re not local anymore so I can’t meet them.
• Fatuous Observations, by a current Charlottesvillian and fellow book nerd. Under the pen name Patience Crabstick, she writes about Cville, her family, her job, books, wacky adventures, tense moments, all with great insight and a slightly cranky and dry sense of humor. My favorite kind.
• Kinda Domestic, written by my friend Marijean’s future daughter-in-law, which is how I found her blog. She cracks me the hell up, which is why I started following her blog even though we have only the most tenuous of connections.
• Nathalie Foy writes about books and book art and books about books and bookish things. I find her insight into the books she reads to be interesting and often dead-on, and I love her devotion to art made out of books (those are some of my favorite posts).

I could honestly list so many more. My favorite kinds of blogs tend to be random hodgepodge about people’s lives (I’m such a voyeur!), and for whatever reason, those tend to be the smallest ones. I hope none of my friends are offended if they’re not on the list – I could have easily listed 5 or 10 more! Anyway, that’s all I have for today.

Not all of the things on my list necessarily rose to popularity during 2011, but they were popular – or still popular – last year. And I’m SO over them. Surely I’m not the only one.

1. “Checking in” to places or media on the internet. So you’re eating at Chili’s, or shopping at Wal-Mart, or watching Arrested Development. Good for you. If you have something of substance to say about it – a really good deal to be had, a funny conversation you overheard, some critical analysis – fine, share away. But I really don’t need to know your every move. Posts on Twitter and Facebook from Foursquare, Yelp, GetGlue, etc. are about to drive me bonkers. I get that some people check in to get a discount somewhere – and being a frugal gal myself, I support that – but can you disconnect your other social media accounts from your Foursquare account? K-thanx-bye.
   

   Source: Flickr user TAKA@P.P.R.S

2. Bacon.Yes, I like bacon too. I think it tastes good. I enjoy bacon on my pizza, with my eggs, crumbled up on a salad, and in many other iterations. No, I do not think it belongs in cupcakes. No, I do not want bacon on my t-shirt or keychain.
   

   Source: Flickr user Lara604

3. The end of the world.How many times was that predicted by that one crazy guy in 2011? And I’m already so far over the 12/21/2012 Mayan apocalypse thing. I’m pretty damn sure the world isn’t ending and all the jokes have been made. Let’s move on.
   

   Source: Flickr user Peta-de-Aztlan

4. 3-D everything.The vast, vast majority of movies that are put out in 3-D have no reason to be in 3-D except it’s a thing now. And most of them were not filmed/created in 3-D, so the effect actually sucks. Furthermore, I have ZERO desire to wear 3-D glasses on my couch in my house while I watch normal TV. This is something that should be rare and special and well-done when it’s done, and the trendy bit needs to die.
   

   Source: Flickr user lsgcp

5. Skinny jeans.Let’s be honest: only about 1% of the population actually looks good in skinny jeans. I’m especially over the men-in-skinny-jeans thing. What’s wrong with normal jeans?
   

   Source: Flickr user josie_marie

6. Hating on people who want to change the crappy things. Did I go down to my local Occupy protest and join in? No, I didn’t – but I understood why some people did. Do I grow all of my own food and can or freeze everything and raise chickens? No, but I totally understand why some people choose that lifestyle. Did I wear the same dress 365 different ways last year or commit to buying nothing but food and toilet paper? No, but I commend those who took a stand against rampant consumerism. So many of the systems we interact with every day are broken. They don’t work. The economy, healthcare and insurance, mega-corporations, politics, big food industry…most of these systems guarantee that the rich get richer at the expense of the pocketbook and the health of the middle class and poor. These systems need to change.So why do so many people ridicule their friends and neighbors for trying to change things?
   

   Source: Flickr user Sunset Parkerpix

7. Judging people who don’t live as virtuous a life as you.As a caveat to the above, I also hate seeing the judgment in someone’s eyes when I admit that we don’t buy 100% all natural, organic, local whole foods, or that (God forbid) we ate hot dogs for dinner last night. Because the systems are broken, it’s a lot harder and more expensive to buy all local, healthy foods – I can only do my best within my time and budget allowance. And damn it, sometimes I want to eat a hot dog – I shouldn’t have to apologize for that.
   

   Source: Flickr user thebittenword.com

    

8. The government pretending that the economy is fine! No, really! It’s recovering and everything will be just hunky-dory soon! For serious? My house is currently worth at least $50,000 less than we owe on it. Almost every person I know is working hard (and sometimes failing) to make ends meet. Our country is currently $15 trillionin debt. Don’t worry about all that, though. The economy is really just fine! Stop patronizing us, assholes. We’re adults. We have common sense. Lying about it just makes you look duplicitous…which you are, but I’m guessing that’s not the public image you really want to have.
   

   Source: Flickr user woodleywonderworks

9. Reality TV talent shows.American Idol. The X Factor. The Voice. America’s Got Talent. You know what I’m saying. I have never really enjoyed most network reality TV, but it seems like the talent show types are multiplying for some inexplicable reason. America really does not have that much talent. You are not destined to be a star. Go back to school and learn science or economics or communications or something useful.
   

   Source: Flickr user BestofWDW

10. QR codes.I can never get them to scan correctly. They usually just take me to a website that could have been printed using less space than the QR code. I find them to be dumb and a pain in the butt.
    

    Source: Flickr user Fluid Forms

How about you guys? Any trends you especially hope go away in the coming year?

Source: Flickr user Hicham Souilmi

Happy New Year! May 2012 find you healthy, wealthy, and wise!

Several years ago, I read a blog post where the blogger explained that a friend of hers preferred to give herself gifts for the coming year rather than making resolutions. The end result is essentially the same, but reframing your goals in this way is altogether more pleasant in my experience. I took her idea and have been doing the same thing ever since. It’s been a bit hard for me this year to think of gifts that I want and am capable of giving myself. I normally have this list down several days in advance, and yet here it is January 2 and I’m still trying to figure it out. I guess I feel like my goals aren’t really very different, that life isn’t very different, than they have been in the past few years. And then other goals that I might have, ones that cost money, are goals I’m hesitant to make for this year. Maybe that’s okay? Regardless, this is about all I have that I want and that I think I can achieve in 2012:

• The gift of a stronger, healthier body. I made progress on this in 2011, but I am by no means finished – probably ever, really. In 2012, I want to continue running – and I want to get faster. I also want to continue walking. I want to continue journaling my food most days. And I want to add a wee bit of strength training to the mix.
• The gift of an organized home and life. Because I failed miserably at this last year, I may just have to redouble my efforts. We live in a condo, and we’re not likely to be able to move out of it any time soon. We have a lot of stuff, especially books. I desperately need to purge, declutter, and organize so that we can more easily find and store the stuff we actually want to keep. This one will be hard, though – as much as I want the end result, I dread the process with every fiber of my being.
• The gift of more sleep. I don’t think I get enough sleep for me. I get enough sleep for someone else, I’m sure – at least 7 hours most nights – but my body does better with more sleep than that. I’ve been thinking about moving the bedtime routine up by about 30 minutes. I think I’m ready to try that, at least for a little while, in 2012.

So that’s about it – that’s all I’ve got right now for this year. Looking back on it, it’s kind of a lame list, but these are all things I really want, and I can’t think of anything else that is important to me in the same way. How about you? Do you make any big, year-long goals? What do you think of the “gift” list instead of the traditional resolutions?