Wrapping up the year

Ok, so I admit, I'm maybe not so good at keeping up with this blog thing. I do keep trying, so here I am, trying to keep up. Again.

It's hard to believe that we are about to bid farewell to yet another year, and ring in a new year; the year 2012. Crazy stuff. I remember all the uncertainty and uproar leading up to the arrival of the new millenium. All that Y2K publicity and hype was NUTS, and yet the world did not END. In fact, the new year arrived almost disappointingly quiet and boring. As we head into the year 2012, we are "apparently" facing our very last New Years Eve - because you know - people are all over the fact that the Mayan calendar ends this year. People have hopped onto the crazy train and feel that it means the world is about to end. I wonder if they ever gave any thought to the poor schmuck that made the calendar in the first place - maybe he just got tired of writing?!

Anyway, the year 2011 has been a very good year for our family. After struggling with various aspects of it, I gave up daycare in June, a decision I should have made long before I did. After spending weeks cleaning, organzing and reclaiming my home, our family embarked into a great summer of camping, a trip out east, and just hanging out.

In the fall, the kids all headed back to school. Teen into 10th grade; Imp into 3rd grade and Banshee into 2nd grade. AND . . . to add to the excitment, *I* returned to school as well. Imp will tell you that I'm in grade 25 (ahem, he's such a drama king), but he's definitely a little 'off' with that number. The transition back into school was easy-peasy, in fact, everything and everyone fell into place and adapted easily. I've already completed my first semester (with a 98% average - yes, I'm a geek thanks-so-much), and am eager to face the new semester head on (again, I admit it - I'm a geek). Once I got into the groove of things with school, I used my day 'off' to volunteer at the kids school - a gig that I LOVE - and will be able to carry on with next semester.

Banshee has had a GREAT year health-wise. We hadn't been to the ER with her for an asthma crisis in a over a year - although she shot that all to hell the other night when we had to take her in for some respiratory issues. A little funny about that . . . they pumped her full of steroids, breathing treatments and epinepherine which totally spun her out - she was cuckoo-ca-choo - bouncing off the walls for hours!! It wasn't so funny later when she crashed - but she had a solid night sleep and is doing great today. It's incredible how much she can be struggling, but once you get the proper meds on board it completely fixes things. NUTS!

Speaking of nuts (get your mind out of the gutter . . . I'm talking about the 'crazy' kind of nuts), Imp is doing pretty well. He is definitely all boy, and definitely keeps us hopping, but it's all good. He's a busy kid, but when we 'channel' that busy-ness into activities, he does really well. We've discovered that basketball, skiing and running are his 'thing'.

Teen is definitely, well, all teen. Hormonally challenged and sometimes unbalanced girl teen. Some days are fantastic; some not so much. But on the 'not so much' days, it's all fine; that's what wine, other wobbly beverages and vallium were created for, right? The truth is, we're pretty lucky with teen to date . . . while she does some undoubtedly strange and even stupid things at times, she's a good kid for the most part. She had her braces removed this summer, and holy schmoly - we're thinking that we need to ugly her up some - just to keep the creeps away!!!

Christmas was a HUGE success for our little family. It was a green Christmas, which is NOT common for these areas, so that was a little different, but mother nature has since walloped us - giving us a crapload of snow, and then 'iced' the winter cake with a layer of ice from freezing rain last night (I'm being hounded every few minutes from Banshee about a prize for being brave at the hospital the other night - but she doesn't get that it's going to take FOREVER to get into the cars in the first place, and then if we succeed with getting INTO the car, chances are we'll die on the roads. That said, maybe I could strap on some skates and skate to the mall - all the way into town; up the hill and all. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. NOT!). Anyway, back to Christmas. We did lots of visiting; opened some gifts; had some quiet family time; had a whole lot of delicious foods and drinks. Really, it was a great holiday. The kids were in school right up until December 23, so that meant that Christmas came quickly in the break, and left 2 full weeks off for vacation. We talked about going somewhere hot and tropical, but decided against it, then thought about Myrtle Beach, but the temperatures there aren't much warmer than what we had leading up to Christmas - so not really worthwhile. SO . . . we've just decided to stay put - for this year anyway.

Anyway, as we gear up to say a fond farewell to 2011 (actually, there won't be much in terms of a farewell for us . . . Banshee is still worn out and on the edge of asthma problems still, so we'll stay home and lay low. Shocking isn't it? The upswing? We won't wake with hangovers or need to wait hours to catch a cab tonight), we have a lot to be thankful for and lots to reflect on. I've had great times on all my girls and scrapbooking weekends; gatherings with friends and family; time spent with my little family; the ability to go to school (and having a supportive husband that whole-heartedly embraced and encouraged my crazy and life-changing ideas); happiness; health (although I'll be happier when they finally fix my back and knee - it's infringing on some of my 'health' - dampering my ability to work out, etc). We're excited to see what 2012 brings. I don't like to be 'forced' into things (I like to call it independent; others call it stubborn or pig-headed), so I don't make New Years resolutions, I like to make decisions on my own accord . . . not because the calendar told me so, I'm heading into 2012 with no pressure. Here's to a FANTASTIC New Year!!! Have a great NYE - and play safe!!!

From our home to yours . . . HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

AND . . . I hope to be a little better at keeping up with this blog. I've got a head full of shit to share - and have missed this outlet. Until next time . . .