2011 Resolutions

I guess it's that time again: New Year's resolution time. I haven't looked back at my 2010 resolutions, but I'm pretty sure I didn't accomplish them. Not many, anyway, although 2010 was filled with so many amazing, perfect happenings it's hard to care. Regardless, I hope to step it up a little this year.

1. Do one completely random act of kindness for a stranger every month.

2. Apply for teaching positions - and get one!

3. Start working out again. Daily.

4. Pay off all my store credit cards, cancel them, and cut them into pieces.

5. Be patient.

6. Stop feeling guilty. That's all I'll say.

7. Cross at least three more items off my bucket list.

8. Cook more often. Get better at at.

9. Save some money.

10. Compromise more, trust more, worry less.

Imagine

Just now, Mason was eating a piece of cheese. Yellow American, if it matters. All of a sudden, the cheese was being pushed across the living room floor.

Me: "Whatcha doing with that cheese, Mase?"
Mason: "Not cheese! It's a vacuum!" [followed by what I can only infer were vacuum noises]

After every bite taken, the cheese turned into something new: a bulldozer, a dinosaur, a cheeseburger (??), and a pig, all complete with sound effects (even the cheeseburger).

Imagination. I love it. We still have it as adults: we look for shapes in the clouds or we wish on shooting stars or we dream of what we'd do if we stumbled upon a million dollars lying in the street or if there were world peace. We're just not allowed to use our imaginations like we used to. One can only wish it was still socially acceptable, at twenty-five years old, to turn your mashed potatoes into a fortress full of green bean men at the dinner table.

Or maybe that's just me.

Non-Christmas Cards

Being so busy with school resulted in a lack of time to make and/or send Christmas cards this year - so New Year's cards it is!

Not only are these pretty cute, but think of all the stamp money I'll save, since I can just throw my thank you notes for Christmas gifts in with these. Genius, if I do say so myself.

Artsy

Mason's third favorite thing (after his Thomas the Trains and his puzzles) is art. Paint, PlayDoh, crayons, markers, pens... he loves it all. This inspired my Christmas gift to him and I can't wait to see how much he loves it, but more on that later. For now, here's some pictures of Picasso a few weeks ago (and it was about 6pm and yes, he's still in his pajamas. Hey, it was a Sunday and I had to make literature circle folders for 95 kids).






Oh, then he helped me with my lit circles:

A Holiday Jingle

Thanksgiving

For some reason, my pictures jump from Halloween to Thanksgiving. I assure you, things happened in between. I'm just having trouble remembering exactly what those things were. Anyway...

This year, I decided to cook Thanksgiving dinner for just Mason and I. Maybe I was up for the challenge. Maybe I was feeling anti-social. Maybe I was just out of my mind. In any case, I set out to make (almost) everything from scratch and cook my first turkey. I called my mom about seventeen times and had to borrow a turkey thermometer, a pie pan, condensed milk, butter, cinnamon, and half a loaf of bread. I Googled incessantly.






Thanksgiving dinner prep is HARD. Don't ever let anyone tell you it isn't. It took me about four hours in the kitchen, and it took Mason and I about fifteen minutes to eat it all.

It was worth it though.

It Only Took 7.5 years...

The past four months were the longest, hardest, busiest, fastest months of my life. I missed my kid, I missed having a clean house and remembering when to pay the bills, I missed sitting down and watching mindless television and blogging. I drank more coffee than water, I fed Mason a disgusting amount of hot dogs for dinner and began considering peanut butter as a vegetable, I took a few naps on the side of the interstate, and one time I actually got half way to school before I realized I still had pajama pants on.

But I did it. I'm done. Soon, I'll have a piece of paper that says I accomplished something. Hopefully that piece of paper will come in handy in the very near future. We'll see.

And now, it will most likely take me another month to catch up on Mason's life. A lot has happened in four months. The kid can SPELL HIS NAME, for god's sake.

Mason Map

Whether he knows it or not, Mason comes to school with me every single day. Most days, I can't get through a period without mentioning him at least once and my kids love hearing about all the funny things he does.

Yesterday, I had them doing character maps of each other. They had to explain their partner's character traits, actions, and motives. I like to always give them an example of what I want them to do, so I character mapped Mason:


Aside from being an incredibly life-like depiction of my kid, my eighth-graders thought it was hilarious. "He eats Play-Doh?!!" "Awesome!"

Yeah. He is pretty awesome.

Goats and an Embarrassing Target Moment

I don't know how I almost forgot this. At the pumpkin patch, there were these goats. I didn't get a picture of them, but here's one from last year. Same goat, I'm sure.

Anyway, while Mase and I were at the pumpkin patch, we watched that goat for awhile.

Afterward, we went to Target to grab a few things. I'm pushing Mason around in the cart, looking for some combat boots for my other Halloween costume (Marla from Fight Club, in case you're wondering) when Mason starts staring over my shoulder, pointing, and yelling, "goat! gooooooaaaaat! BAHHH!"

Obviously, I have no idea what I'm about to see, but I turn around anyway. Maybe you see where this is going.


I'm sorry if you're reading this and you know this guy. I'm especially sorry if you're reading this and you ARE this guy. But, oh man. It took every ounce of self-control I have not to laugh.

I can't even begin to imagine how red by face was when I turned around and saw him (with Mason STILL yelling). I must have gotten over it though, because I proceeded to follow him around until I could manage to elusively snap his picture in the shampoo aisle.

I can't really blame Mason, either. I can totally see the similarities.

Sweatin' to the Halloween Oldies

I love Halloween. Apparently, so do Richard Simmons and Jane Fonda.







Mason ended up defeated, turkey sandwich in hand, despite the sugar rush. All that trick-or-treating really wears a kid out.

Pumpkin's Pumpkin

Yesterday was completely gorgeous. Perfect, perfect fall weather. It was almost seventy degrees and sunny; Mason and I took full advantage by carving our pumpkins outside.










Alright, I know they're a little on the amateur side, but you try keeping a two-year-old's hand out of a pumpkin while simultaneously stabbing a knife into it. Anyways, Mason thinks they're beautiful.

Pumpkins, Ice Cream, and Some Really Tall Cornstalks

This weekend, I decided that I wasn't doing anything but spending time with my baby. No homework until Sunday night, no stressing about school, nothing. So that's exactly what I did. Mason and I had an amazing weekend. That little kid is such a complete joy to be around. I know it sounds completely corny but it's true. He's always laughing and his new favorite thing is to run around and "hide" (usually standing out in the open beside the wall or looking at me from beside the refrigerator) and ask me to find him. He's a crappy hider, but he's so, so funny.

Anyway, on Saturday we went to the pumpkin patch. Last year we'd gone with Aimee and Mads and the corn maze was a huge hit, so I thought Mason would really love it this year. Not so. Maybe the corn was just too tall.


Or maybe this guy had something to do with it.


But in any case, the kid was not amused,


insisted on being carried,



and wouldn't use his own legs or crack a smile until we were within arms length of the exit.



Fortunately, the wagon-pulling, the ice cream-eating, the cider-drinking, the pumpkin-picking, and even the picture-taking were all successful.