Best of 2011 List

Although it's just the middle of January and I should be focusing on my NY's resolutions to floss my teeth and squeegee the shower, I'm already bored with it.

I KNOW!!!  How can I already give up on the excitement of two fantastic resolutions??

Well, I haven't given up on the resolutions, but I am going to challenge myself to find even cooler things to get into this year.  AND I also want to work on making 2012 even better than 2011 (which will be difficult), so I'm going to go back and meditate on what was so great about last year.  We'll call this list . . .

THE BEST OF 2011 LIST


So here we go . . .

1.  I started jogging a little.  Favorite Pandora Station for Jogging:  The Killers station.  Mumford and Sons is a close second.  I think I've actually jogged more since NYE than I did the entire year last year (go me).

2.  Clint and I were able to attend some really cool concerts.  Best Concert of the Year:  David Gray.  Hands down.  I sat on the edge of my seat and swayed and sang along and came really close to being that girl and screaming, "I love you, David!!"  Oh, swoon.  

3.  I made time to read a little.  Best Book I Read This Year:  Loving the Little Years:  Motherhood in the Trenches by Rachel Jankovic.  Changed.  My.  Life.  If you're a mom, buy it and read it.  And highlight it.  And read it again.

4.  We learned how to function with energetic kids in the winter.  Favorite Playspace:  Pickles Cafe.  Ahhh-mazing.  Much better than any of the others on the north side of the city.  It's big but not too big.  They play cool music for the parents.  Their sandwiches are awesome.  They have a toddler slide and rock-climbing wall.  AND it even has a salon with cool chairs and small TVs with cartoons.  Fantastic.

5.  Mimi started taking some classes.  Best Way to Burn off Toddler Energy in the Winter:  Lil' Kickers Soccer.  They run and run and run and run and kick and kick and run and, whew, and run some more.  AND the coaches are so cute that Mimi has mini crushes on them.  I'm not even kidding.

6.  We discovered really great local pizza.  Best Pizza:  Pequod's.  If you're a visitor and want to try one of the popular pizza places, let me suggest a local place called Pequod's first.  We usually order regular crust, but if you want to try deep-dish their crust is caramelized and not too gooey or doughy like some of the others.

7. We learned how to eat a great dinner while I was a working mom.  Best Chinese Delivery (I didn't say healthy):  Yen's.  And order the Crabmeat Wonton with Cheese.  Don't call it anything different or they get mad.  We also discovered Big Boy Gyros, which is just as awesome as its name.

8.  I learned how to dress my children in clothes that aren't smocked.  People just don't do that here, and I was happy to find something new.  It also pushed me to sew more for Mimi, which has been so fun.  My favorite local store:  Little Threads (they are about to turn the back of the store into a Tea store -- hooray!!).

9. Favorite Old TV Series to Watch on Netflix:  Friday Night Lights.  Thank you, Lacy Finkle.  Wow, Clint and I were just a little obsessed with this one.  A small, southern town whose drama is centered around a high school sports team.  Isn't this how most of us grew up?

10. Best, Yet Most Difficult, Decision I Made this Year:  Going back to work and then realizing I needed to stay at home.  Now I know what it's like on both sides of the fence, and I can say this -- they're both really, really hard.

11. I learned to enjoy my children as individuals.  Favorite Thing to Do with Mimi:  Go on a walk.  It's a little stressful because she stops and touches and wants to talk about EVERYTHING (even dog poo), but it forces me to slow down and really talk to her.  Because she asks a million questions (even about dog poo).
Favorite Thing to Do with Mack:  Read.  If things get quiet in the den I know where to find him:  in Mimi's room pulling books off her shelves.  He will push me down, shove a book at me (sometimes leaving bruises), stick his little booty in my face, and plop down in my lap.  He loves a lap and a book.  And I do, too.

12. 2nd Favorite Morning Drink:  Coffee is a given, but it sometimes it turns me into a spaz way too early in the day.  So my new second favorite is (not bloody Marys or mimosas -- don't want to go to playgroup tipsy, now do I?) is Chai Tea.  It smells good and is easier to make than coffee.  And it's one of those things that makes me feel all Zen-like.

13. Best Lesson I Learned:  To love my life right now.  To stop being jealous of my mid-twenties single, care-free life or to stop saying, "I can't wait until the kids are older and . . .".  My life right now is pretty awesome just the way it is right now.  Sure, my floors are sticky, I rarely shower daily, and I can't sit on the couch for longer than 5 minutes 1 minute at a time, BUT I have two of the cutest and funniest little monkeys to hang out with all day.  My twenty-four-year-old self would be pretty jealous of all the love I get from them. :)