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Saturday, December 31

Stuff I really did do in 2011.

Looking at my 35 things list from last year
my first thought is...


What in the hell was I thinking?
What is wrong with the chick who wrote this?!?!?

Seriously.
I seriously need to start living in reality.
{At least partially.}
and here's why:


1. Have a baby.
And the list should stop right there. 

Okay, maybe include one more:
2. Try to survive.

but no.
I casually included
and "hike with my boys" in the same breath.
whaaaaa?!?!?

as if having a baby and going on a hike are in the same realm.
as if adding another human being to the planet
would not turn our entire known world upside down in the best possible way

and also. I'll let you in on a little secret:
I'm not even a hiker.
I wouldn't even know where to go if I wanted to go.
which I don't. want to go hiking.
because I'm not a hiker.

I love the idea of me saying
"Come on two month old baby and 
extremely bitter, barely potty trained, 3 year old"
"Let's go hiking!" 
But reality?
uh uh.

So, I'm not going to beat myself up about all of the hikes I didn't take.
Or apple picking excursions we didn't go on.

I'm simply going to create a new list.
A list to celebrate the things I did do.
And then I'm gonna say
Wow.
Yay me. 

35 Things {I actually did do} in 2011

1. Have a baby.
STOP.
{yes, I'm yelling at you.
jumping up and down, with my hands waving}
That can fill up all 35 spaces right there.
Let us pause for a moment to acknowledge this big deal.

Okay let's go...

2. Survived.
hooray.
We made it through the first 6 months with baby #2.

3.Worked full time through pregnancy.
{and I did a damn good job.
of course it helps that I have the best job ever.}

4. Potty trained a very strong-willed child.

5. Took a liking to turquoise and orange.
hmmm.

6. Was a vendor at the Queen Bee market.

8. Made and gave Chex Mix to my neighbors!

10. Started preschool.
Okay, not me.
But it felt like it was me,
 so I'm proud of myself.

11. Threw away all of my maternity clothes.
{Yahoo!}

12. Became addicted to Pinterest.

13. Received a commission from Sharp Hospital
for original art work, which made me feel like a real artist.

14. Decided {once and for all}
I hate doing them in the worst possible way.
And I will never put myself through that again.

15. Gave up trying to figure out Photoshop &
discovered my beloved Picnik.

16. Fell in love. Again.

17. I had my lettering exemplar published
in Somerset.

18. Found a great counselor.
{Hallelujah}

19. Helped orphans.
{As part of a fundraiser for the
Sparrow Fund and little Sergey & Xander.}

21. Learned a ton about how to run
my etsy shop from their online labs videos.

22. Bought this book and read it cover to cover because I so admire her work.

23. My Christmas Angels were published in
Cloth Paper Scissors for the first time
{so, so exciting}

24. Got a king sized bed.
{heaven}

25. Got to be a part of Creative Book Club.

26. Played hours of cars and trains and concert shows.

27. Survived hours of Yo Gabba Gabba.

28. Painted.

I can't think of any more right now,
but I know there's more.

The point is
even though I didn't go hiking,
I did a lot of stuff this in 2011.
So I'm going to celebrate the stuff I did do.
The life I did live.
and not get all grumpy and hard on
myself about the silly stuff I didn't do.

I think you should do the same.
I hope you do.
I hope you take a little time to celebrate the
life you've chosen to live this year.
Let me know if you do and I'll link you up.
Happy, happy new year to you, my friend.

Photobucket

7 comments:

  1. I LOVE this post! Thank you for being so honest and real. Truly.

    Happy New Year, sweet Erin. You are amazing!

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  2. You made me smile...and remember that I should be happy with what I DID DO, too. Hey, each and every day, didn't we always do our best? Happy New Year, Erin! Kathy

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  3. I also had a baby in 2011 (and have survived the first seven weeks), worked full-time through my pregnancy, became addicted to Pinterest and potty-trained my toddler.

    I did not, however, get a heavenly king-sized bed or spend a weekend away with the boy. Maybe in 2012?

    Happy New Year.

    Sarah

    PS - You are SO totally a *real* artist. I love your work and plan to purchase something just as soon as I get back to work and start making some dough :-D

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  4. Ohhhhhhhhhhh... be still my heart. thanks guys. thank you sweet mary & lisa & kathy & sarah. Sarah, i think we live parallel lives. Hang in there mama. i think I remember 6 months being a turning point. I'm hoping & praying for sleep for us both. xo, e

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  5. Erin, that was an awesome post! I had to comment on this one because it just made me smile so big. I love your sensible approach of making a list at the end of the year of all that you DID do. Hey, at least your original list "looks" really cute. That counts for something! You did "a kick butt" job of getting through this year and achieving some amazing things in addition to the "Joshy meet Jack" undertaking. Let's hear it for sleep in 2012.

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  6. You are a hoot! You crack me up....soooooo true! I can relate. I get swept up in all that I'm going to do and really should give myself a break. (I'm a 'to do' list person.) I had to stop myself from giggling when I read your post...the kids are sleeping and I do not want to jinx that! You're awesome. Thanks for your honesty!

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  7. Hi Erin,
    Stopping by to have a peek at your blog. Are you me? Because I feel like you are.
    Babies who won't sleep. Surviving hours of Yo Gabba Gabba. Annnnd getting addicted to pinterest.

    oy.
    S.

    ReplyDelete