Snow Storm

Well, the big snow storm that I wrote about in the last entry didn't happen. At least it didn't happen like we expected it too. It snowed on Wednesday night and off and on on Thursday. Thursday night was supposed to be the big snow, but we woke up on Christmas morning to RAIN - yuck! So our big snow storm has turned into one big crunchy mess. Our driveway is extremely slippery and the roads are so noisy as you drive around town on all the slush that is now ice. It really isn't that much fun.

The kids had a great Christmas - they got what they wanted and are happy! I'm looking forward to having a week off without school and activities. We're heading to central WI to see hubby's nephew and his family on New Years weekend - they have a 3 year old and an infant, so it should be fun!

Three Days Until Christmas!

I think everything is ready - the tree is up, the gifts are purchased, wrapped and under the tree. The kids have their Christmas parties at school today and then they're off until January 4th. I'm looking forward to the break.

We're supposed to get a snowstorm on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so my mom and sister may not be coming to visit. They only live an hour away but if the roads are bad they'll probably stay home. My mom is 81 and she doesn't like driving (or riding) on bad roads. Oh well - we'll see what happens.

We might go skiing this weekend - if we get snow on Thursday and Friday we'll definitely have enough snow to have a good time skiing.

Gifts for Husbands

Why are some people so hard to buy for? My husband is one of them! He doesn't really need anything. He wants things, but everything he wants it too expensive (which is similar to everything *I* want LOL). But back to the things I can afford - he just doesn't really need anything that he uses on a regular basis. Take workout clothes - he's a workoutaholic, but he doesn't need another workout shirt. I can't buy him new running shoes because he's very particular about what he buys.

So far I've bought him the two things he's asked for - a new pair of jeans and some aftershave. That seems kind of wimpy. What should I do?????

Break the Cycle of Failed New Year's Resolutions with New Book, Achieve Anything in Just One Year

This is a sponsored guest post written by Jason Harvey on behalf of Achieve Anything In Just One Year. Post powered by Sponzai.

On January 1, more than 100 million Americans will make a New Year’s resolution, according to a University of Washington survey. By March, however, most resolution-makers will already have broken their newly minted promises. 

In his new book, Achieve Anything in Just One Year: Be Inspired Daily to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals (Amazing Life Press, $29.95, http://www.amazinglifepress.com/), Jason Harvey provides a blueprint for personal success that can make 2010 the year that resolutions become reality. 

Most resolutions fail because people try to change too fast and accomplish too much all at once,” said Harvey, a Certified Life Coach. “My book is about learning how to make small daily changes and be your own personal life coach.”

The most common resolutions - to quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more, spend more quality time with family, etc. - are also the easiest to break. “The truth is, we set ourselves up to fail by making resolutions that are sweeping and unrealistic,” explained Harvey. 

The resulting cycle of making and breaking promises is self-defeating - so how can individuals make resolutions stick? Achieve Anything in Just One Year equips readers with the tools to: 

• Be truly committed.Don’t just go through the motions - act like you’re making a promise to your company, or to your best friend. 


• Be specific. A resolution like “I want to lose weight” is easier to ignore than “I want to lose five pounds by March.” 


• Set a deadline. A timeframe equals commitment and helps quantify success. 


• Avoid overwhelming yourself. You may want to lose weight, quit smoking, achieve moderation with martinis and cut up your credit cards all at once, but let’s get real. Focus on a limited set of goals and plan on taking stock mid-year. 


• Change one thing at a time. Recognize that change is hard. Wait to achieve one goal before starting on the next. 


• Be realistic. Taking charge of a fitness regimen is a realistic goal, while exercising seven days a week may not be. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment with lofty goals. 

The idea is to take daily action that creates a ripple effect in your life,” said Harvey. “By transforming your life with small steps, you can stay motivated, focused and balanced. Best of all, you’ll feel happier about pursuing your personal success.” 

Achieve Anything in Just One Year is available to BUY NOW at Amazon.com.

Bad Hair Day

Yesterday was a REALLY bad hair day. I was in a hurry to get ready - of course I had been talking to a friend on the phone before getting ready and didn't get in the shower in time. I rushed to shower and then barely blow dried my hair. I immediately tried to curl it and that's when things went bad! I have naturally curly hair, and after curling it, I usually just run my fingers through it and then use hair spray. But when I ran my fingers through it yesterday, it just flopped all over - ugh!! It was UGLY. But I didn't have time to fix it. I was tempted to put a baseball cap on, since I'm usually the only one in my office, but thought better of it. Good thing I didn't, because a client who I wasn't expecting came in! I should have just let it air dry and had the curly look yesterday - it would have been much better than what I ended up with!

Adoption

Some of you know that I work at an adoption agency. Things have really changed in the nine years I've been working here, and have changed even more since we adopted Buddy in 1997. I remember when we started the adoption process, there were about 23 different countries that were placing kids for adoption internationally. We weren't eligible for all of those programs based on age, etc., but there were that many programs out there. Now there are a handful of programs at best. The most popular programs right now are Ethiopia, China, Colombia, Nepal and Philippines. It's very interesting to see the statistics of international adoption on the State Department website.

It makes me sad that there are so many kids who need homes who are going to grow up in orphanages because the country isn't open to placing those children in other countries.

Talking to Teenagers

Buddy and I went to the Minnesota Timberwolves game tonight. Our friend has season tickets and couldn't attend tonight, so he offered the tickets to us. It was a lot of fun and a very close game, but the Timberwolves pulled it out in the end and won - yeah! (I'm not a huge Wolves fan, but it's nice to see the hometown team win!)

Buddy hardly said a word the entire game. He probably knew that I couldn't answer any questions he had and he probably didn't think anything else was that important to talk about. It seems like teenagers don't have anything to say to you or they ask dumb questions all day long (i.e., "Does the dog have ears?) It's very strange but I'm sure I was the same way when I was a teenager!