2009- It Hasn't All Been Bad

2009 is wrapping up and everywhere I look there is an article or recap about how sucktastic this past year has been.  Truthfully, there has been a lot of sadness, worry, woe and hard times for so many.  The media, left and right, loves to report on all of it every milisecond too.  It is hard to see or remember the good that has happened.

- In January we were all about hope and change. We elected our first African-American President.  A truly historic moment that revitalized the nation.  We need to remember that feeling, regardless of who you voted for, you cannot deny the air did feel electrifying and full of possibilities. 

- Data and news in the fine print shows that the Dow is up, real estate sales are climbing, the economy is coming back and unemployment is down.  We are coming back. Slowly, but we are coming back. We dug ourselves in real deep and it will take a while to come back, but we are getting there.  Have patience. Be strong and keep up the good work.  Good things are happening. 

- We are learning to save again. 

-Lady Gaga had a break out year.  Enough said.

- Bloggers accomplished great things this year too.  The Shredheads proved that losing weight is fun and easier when done in a group.  Jillian Michaels approves and we accomplished goals we never thought possible.  Kristen from Motherhood Uncensored published her first book, The Mominatrix.  Blog with Integrity was created.  Blogher 2009 was HUGE.  Confessions of a Pioneer Woman made Time's 'Best Blogs of 2009' list.



-Social media went beserk with Twitter actually accomplishing more than us letting the "world" know what our cat is doing right. this. very. minute. 

-This guy's had a particularly good year.  He played Jacob on Lost, had roles in The Mentalist, Supernatural and CSI too. He's like the Jude Law of small part actors. He's everywhere.

-The Comedian turned one.  She's practically running now and saying her first word, "Uh-oh."  Seeing milestones like those or TD learning to write her name makes 2009 all the better.

2010 is just around the corner.  We're all on pins and needles and full of hope that it will be better than '09.  "It has to be!" I keep hearing and all the while I am thinking, "Well, a large part of that is on us as individuals  now isn't it?"  It's a new decade.  Let's attack it like we do a bag of chips!  Heh.
 

I'm All About Trying to be Better and Stuff

Because I don't even want to get into how many times I was up last night, discovering busted breast pump pieces at 3 a.m. or the tantrum that occurred in our house in the middle of the night that wasn't by one of the people possessing the XX chromosomes in our house- I give you this- 2009- The Year of the Mom.




Feel free to print that zen-like button out and stick it somewhere - like your bosses head- or your car. Everyone in the carpool line will think you are like, totally in the know and they aren't, despite your Mom jeans. I kid. But not about the Mom jeans. Seriously. Don't even donate those suckers. Just light them on fire and buy yourself something from 2009.

If 2008 was the year that women went nuts for a teenage vampire and a whiny girl who has no apparent appeal whatsoever, except yeah- to some guy whose been dead about 93 years, go figure- then 2009 is going to be all about-

-Training for my first 5K

-Hitting up BlogHer one more year

-Being a more patient mother. Less JC, more inside voice coming from my larynx.

-Sticking to the idea of date night once a week with H. Even if it's only turning off the TV and talking for thirty minutes before our eyes glaze over, our brains shut down and we fall asleep. At least we'll probably fall asleep holding hands or touching, which is more than I can say about us on most days with a couch that seats nine.

-Saving more, buying less. I do this already but it feels so good and I just need to stay on task and not let that scary little monster of consumerism get a death grip on my wallet and let me free fall into mass materialism again. My little monster looks a lot like the orange Weight Watcher one- only mine is purplicious.

And really? That's all. I'm not going to try and consume less SBUX or organize more. That's all stuff that keeps me sane and happy. I'm just going to try and take it slow and focus on these things. I'm sure there will be days where I'll be running amok with a masque on my face and bitchin' about hangers but I'm only human.

Oh and one more thing. Maybe I'll scrap the idea of filming Dash Two dancing to the Humpty Dance and throwing it up on YouTube. It never fails to make me laugh so why not others, right? OK... I won't do it, I promise.