What I love about 2009(thus far)

There's 3 things really:

#1) Cooper - this kid is freaking hilarious. He speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently and just runs around the house saying tons of stuff we can't understand. Beyond the Chinese there are some words sprinkled in, "UH-OH", which we seem to hear pretty often, "ByeBye", "Oh", and our favorites, "momma" & "dada". Cooper has also acquired some very interesting skills, he just started saying "MWAH" as he gives kisses, so if you say "MMMMWAH", he will run over to you and give you a kiss, at least that is what Jeff thought would happen as he was playing with Cooper and started making the MMMM sound. Cooper quickly scampered over to his daddy and slapped him right across the face. We are raising a comedian, I tell you, his timing is terrific!

#2) Mothers & More - I can not tell you what a blessing the GB Mothers & More group has been for me. If you are a GB mom and haven't checked out this group -- it is worth it, great support, fun events, playgroups for the kids, I could list about 100 things I have gained after becoming a member, join sooner rather than later, you won't be sorry. This is how I explain it to Jeff, "imagine you are a rookie in the NFL and you get to consult Brett Favre, John Elway, and Mike Ditka about your personal challenges any time you need something. Any question I have about parenting provides an instant 20 responses from ladies who have been through it before. LOVE IT!!!! It is a national group, so for my readers far and wide, google them in your area.

#3) Meditation, my new hobby, as inspired by reading "Eat, Pray, Love", I sleep better, I am able to relax in tough situations, I am able to zone out in boring situations, who knew I would EVER be meditating, and I am doing it everyday!

I hope 2009 is being as fabulous to you as it is to me - CHEERS!

One more thing I LOVE to do

How could I possibly forget my love of organizing things? I would like to also resolve to reorganize as many things as possible. I am sure this makes some people(like my mom) sick to their stomachs, but there is nothing like a project involving sorting, reorganizing and making things more efficient that makes me HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!

Today I reorganized the magnets & photos on our fridge - that thing was a MESS! And we are in the midst of toy swapping and reorganizing all over the house. It is FUN!

For the moms out there, I also got a great tip I wanted to share that we just started using. Organize all of those storybooks into different baskets for each room. This way the books are where they belong and you have a nice place to quickly get them back into when it is clean-up time. Super obvious, but still wonderful and helping my house look a lot nicer than it did with 300 books everywhere. Also, less tripping, stubbing your toe, and accidentally sliding across the floor on a book opportunities.

The Theme for 2009

I decided I needed a theme for 2009, especially after last night when Angie put us on the spot at her New Years Eve Party and had us sum up 2008 and say what we hoped for in 2009. I literally had NOTHING to say. And as we all know when I have nothing to say I usually say something dumb. So Ang, if you are reading this, please delete the video I made. And a HUGE thank you to Mike & Ang for hosting Jeff, CJ & I for a fabulous NYE celebration filled with scrumptious Chinese takeout, rockband and Barb's delicious pistachio cupcakes.

So, back to the theme, I may also need a theme song, (remember Ally McBeal?), but first I will start with a theme. I think I will go with Re-dedication to the things I LOVE doing besides being a wife and mommy. I don't want anyone to think I am going to stop changing diapers and making Jeff chicken potpie, but hey a sister needs to recharge the creative juices once in awhile. Here are the things I need to do more of:

#1)Workout

#2)Cook

#3)Blog(how lucky are you?!?!?)

#4)Craft

#5)Organize a girls weekend away for my other pals that need to recharge.(if you have ideas on this, email me!)

I am happy to report I spent a giant part of today cooking, first I made a cookies and cream cake spur of the moment, literally saw the picture in one of our cookbooks, and started baking. Totally worth it, Jeff declares it a potential birthday cake contender. Second I made a home made chicken club pizza with bacon, tomatoes, onions, chicken & Cheese, the sauce was literally just a smidge of mayo with lemon zest - SO GOOD!

Happy 2009 to you all!