Twenty Eleven

Oh 2011… you SHOULD be great for us.  

 

The Gilmores are planners. If you ask Brian or I, we pretty much have our whole life planned out.   I feel like we have spent all of 2010 getting to where we need to be to reach so many of our goals and dreams, and we are finally *almost* ready to take those next steps.

 

Career Goals:

·         Get established and comfortable in my new job. I hate feeling so unsure that I am doing things correctly, and needing to rely on others so much. I look forward to working efficiently and knowing that I am doing things correctly!

·         Find the perfect work/life balance… hopefully start working from home 2 days a week.

·         Pass 1 exam and receive credit for VEE – Finance.   This is totally attainable.  I am not setting myself up for failure.   I do however hope it means passing MLC because I will have MFE already behind me… but either is acceptable.  

 

Family Goals:

·         Put our house on the market and hope it sells sometime in 2011.  We are OK if it takes a while… more time to save… but we are ready to begin the move to Rockwood School District! (I won't say Fenton… in case we end up in Wildwood or something… and I am OK with that too.)

·         Grow even more as a family and enjoy every second as a family of 3! Get more active; enjoy all the FREE and amazing activities St. Louis has to offer, like the Zoo, Science Center, Magic House, Grants Farm, Bike trails, baseball games… Leah will be older and ready to have some fun!!

·         Baby # 2! … and that is all I am going to say about that…. Ideally (you know we have this planned out) baby #2 will not be born until 2012 though…

 

Personal:

·         Find a real hobby.  Maybe photography if I ever get my fancy camera. Or learn to sew? Just become more crafty in general…

·         Find time to do new hobby.

·         Not get so stressed out… easier said than done….

 

 

Like I said, it should be a BIG year, hopefully with lots of amazing memories.   I can't wait to get started!

 

2010 in Review

It seems to be that time of the year again.... time to look back on an eventful year and set goals for the next...

Luckily, so that I could hold myself accountable, I blogged about my hopes and dreams for 2010.... lets review...

1.Learn to live stress free with a baby. I want to be able to do it all and not feel overwhelmed... I want to get into a comfortable routine as a working mom, so that I am not tired, stressed, or scatter-brained! I know it will be hard, and it will take a while, but hopefully by the end of the year, things will atleast start to get easier.  I am 11 months into the working mom gig, and I feel like I finally have it undercontrol... sort of... it is OK if the house is a wreck... it can be picked up quickly, and can returned to the orginal state of messiness in a blink of an eye... I have learned to sleep less... coffee is my friend, and so are frozen foods... We eat dinner as a family EVERY NIGHTand that is what matters more than a freshly cooked meal right now...  Hopefully 2011 gets even easier... I did discover the secret to balanancing work and mommyhood... its called working from home!



2.Begin working as an actuary. I HOPE this one will get crossed off quickly, and I get my new position when I return to work next month (oh, so sad... next month! :( )  It took 11 months, but I am FINALLY working as an actuary!!!  And I love it more than I could have ever imagined! I enjoy going to work... I enjoy the work... I look forward to my future career and the things will bring.  I really believe that things are supposed to happen for a reason... it might have taken a little while, but this is the job I am supposed to have.


3.Pass 2 exams... whether is MFE that I have to take again, and MLC...or MLC and exam 4 (I cant remember what exam 4 is!) Well.... I am very sad to say that I I did not fulfill this goal... I failed in May... and I am still waiting to hear back from my exam in Nov.   Lets just say 2011 will be THE year!!


4.Take my lunch to work more often... and make Brian as well. I started off great.... slacked... slacked even more.... but have picked it back up! My mom bought me a new lunch box for christmas... I currently want to use it!! I think that is the key.


5.Start saving more money for my next car... this will be difficult with all the next expenses of a baby... but hopefully my #2 will help this!.. and #4. ha  Saving has occured... not as much as we hoped.... but we are foregoing the car idea and shooting for a new house! We are just dreaming bigger!


6.Lose the rest of my baby weight! 18 lbs.. blah! .... preferably by Jan 25th, so that I fit into all of my work clothes and dont have to buy new ones!  Lost as of March.... I havent weighted myself since about May... I think I am about the same size, but maybe about 5 lbs more at the moment... since my grandma passed, I can tell I have been eating my feelings a bit....
 
7.Take more weekend trips... especially to KC to visit my brother and Sarah... and the new WATERPARK!!! I cant wait!!! Uhhh we took ONE... but it was to KC to visit my brother, and we did go to the new waterpark... that counts.


8.Monthly dates for Brian and I so that we can make sure our marriage can stay happy and healthy after a baby.... plus it gives grandparents a chance to babysit!  Monthly dates have not exactly been a success... hopefully that will change as we just received 55.00 in movie giftcards! Wait... that is only like 3 movie dates though huh? ... as for our marraige, it has been a definite growing year.   Having a baby changes things alot... we have had to learned to compromise more, listen, and just ask for help.  Overall I feel even more secure in my marriage as I have realized that Brian and I really are a team, a partner in life, best friends, and have that unconditional love that marriage needs.

Overall, I think it has been a really great year.  

Stay tuned for my hopes and dreams for 2011!  I think it will be a BIG year in the Gilmore household!

Christmas 2010

I have to say, Christmas 2010 was pretty wonderful.   We had another white Christmas.   Leah is getting pretty spoiled, and has had 2 in a row!!

I did not get very many pictures because my camera died, which I am a little bummed about...

Leah's favorite present was definitely her Little Tike's Cozy Coupe that Santa brought her. It was almost a disaster as it was a pain in the butt to put together. We even got to a point where we thought about returning it because we could not get a piece to snap together... but I finally made the winning decision of biting the plastic peice to make it fit better! It worked!! We quickly forgot about how long it took us to put it together when Leah woke up from a nap, saw it, and instantly was in love! She even skipped her afternoon nap because she just refused to get out of it!

A while back I mentioned making a gift for Brian.... and here it is!   It turned out great. I love that it really shows Leah's personality!  It is actually pretty large, since I made the actual photo collage a 8x10.  Brian is unsure if he wants to take this one to his work since it is so large... Brian has a super itty bitty cube!   ... I might print off a smaller version for him to take, and we can keep this one in the house! 

I am still waiting on my present from Brian... He ordered it late.   It's a stackable ring with Leah's birthstone. I am pretty excited about it!! When we have future children, I will get additional rings to add to the stack.  Hopefully it will be in sometime this week!!

Merry Christmas!!

Thanks to Shutterfly and their blogger giveaway for their amazing christmas cards!!

Obsessed!

When my neighbor Stacey told me she was starting to sell Uppercase Living I was so excited to start ordering stuff!

I have always loved the look of words and lettering on walls... I just never bought anything... add in the fact that it is completely temporary and can easily peel off without hurting the walls, or poking any wholes, Brian was interested too!  Plus it is all priced really reasonably!!!

Because I have absolutely zero patience, I receied myself tonight and already put it all up and now I have to share!!

I had this blank tray that I really never  used... I always loved pretty trays on coffee tables.....

So I added a little something! .... Now I just need a coffee table! ... really I have a coffee table, but its in the basement and I never go down there... my husband is kind of a coffee table hater! ugg...

This one is a little hard to see since its light blue.... but it says "Life is Beautiful" ... I love it!

Now I just want to add stuff all over the house!!   You can buy some stuff from Stacey (because shes awesome!) by contacting her thru her website!  

WAH part 2

I decided to give the working from home gig another try... much earlier than I planned... but it definitely had a different outcome.

Sunday I knew a cold was coming on... as the day progressed I started feeling worse and worse... I was asleep by 815, but that only teased my body, because I was up most of the night... unable to breath, my throat itched, I couldnt get comfortable, my face hurt... I think I might have gotten about 4 hours of sleep.

When it was no surprise that I woke up and still felt like crap, I made the executive decision to work from home! (Have a told you I love my job?)

I worked... hard.... in my PJs, with hot tea, and tissues by my side, and a kitty in my lap... not worrying about annoying anyone when I need to clear my throat every other minute, or blow my nose like a fog horn.

It was lovely, besides the feeling crappy thing... I didnt have any of the issues I faced when I previously worked from home... I guess it was the complete exhaustion and not wanting to do a whole lot of anything.  I did not clean a single thing.  I stayed on track. I did alot of work... and by 330, I threw in the towel and went and laid in bed.

I can get used to this working from home thing!

13 Months

Out of no where, Leah turned 13 months this weekend...

She is truely becoming quite the little girl....

She also discovered her nose, and her nostrils... and then started screaming when she shoved her finger way too far up there! Lets hope she learned her lesson!

WAH = Working At Home

Last night St. Louis received a nice sheet of ice. As a result I got the chance to try out one of the perks of my new job… working from home!!!


As great as it was not getting in an accident when attempting the 30+ mile drive to the office, I am not 100% for working from home. (I know, I maybe crazy for saying that and may get slapped!)

The Cons:

· Since I am using my house computer and connecting to my work computer… it’s slow…. And I have issues with waiting…

· The usefulness of a variety of office supplies is not available…

· Time seems to crawl by!

· My household is tempting me… I want to vacuum, mop, clean bathrooms, lay in bed! Hello? When have I gotten this much alone time recently? I must remember WORK!

· There is no one to talk to…. No one for me to say “Hey! I just had this really random thought, wanna hear?!” I miss people!

· I think I almost did more today than most days… I am tired!



The Pros:

· No 30+ mile drive!!

· I am still in my PJs, even wore a robe for part of the day because I was chilly.

· I think I finally found the key to being a working mom with a clean house…. Work from home!! I did some laundry while waiting for Excel to calculate and I picked up Leah’s room while waiting for a conference call.
· I am being paid to sit at my kitchen table!

` I worked with a kitty cuddled in my lap.

I am not eager to stay home again tomorrow.... maybe someday.... but I think I will prefer heading to the office, for now atleast.

Another Lesson Learned

Last night Leah somehow got a hold of Brian's keys and would hold them up to the doorknobs as if she was trying to unlock the door.   Brian and I both watched her and commented on how smart she was… not even thinking how we needed to pay attention to where she put the keys when she was done playing. 
 
This morning I left for work around 6:30 (gag!) and left Brian to get Leah up and out the door around 7.  As a way to help Brian out, I put Leah's school bag in his car on my way out.   With the left over snow on the roads, I did not arrive to work until 7:30.  When I got up to my desk I looked at my phone (because I was a good girl and did not mess with my phone in the car!) and I had an email from Brian…
 
"Kim, you have my keys! And my phone is dead!"  Ironically he attempted to plug in his phone this morning but I had packed it up to take to work with me.  I told him he could charge his in the car, and then at work on his charger… oops.
 
I quickly checked my purse.  I have been known to have his wallet in my purse and forget to give it back to him… but no keys.   I wrote him back…
 
"You have them there… Leah was playing with them last night. They are somewhere."
 
He quickly wrote back:
 
"No I have checked everywhere!   Call my parents and see if my dad will come give us a ride!"
 
Now I know Brian is the worst looker/seeker ever… Just yesterday he searched the house looking for screw drivers, cursing up a storm… I finally gave in and tried to help him and I find them in 2.8 seconds in a drawer… "Oh! I even put them in there!" he said as I pulled them out.   As for the keys, after calling his parents, I emailed him back with my first logical guess as to where the missing keys were….
 
"Did you check Leah's school bag that I put in the car?  She kept putting my bracelets in there last night" … her bag usually hangs on the doorknob to the garage door… where Leah happened to be pretending "to unlock the door" as well.  And yes, she was also putting my jewelry in this bag last night… this child likes to hide things! I am not sure if I ever mentioned how she would hide her Halloween candy in the couch cushions. 
 
About an hour later I received a phone call from Brian…. Keys exactly where I suggested… in her bag, in the car…
 
He also mentioned how the house is now a wreck because he tore the house apart looking for his keys! I can imagine the mess he has made!
 
Today's lesson… watch Leah better… that girl is sneaky and can cause some trouble!!

Let the festivities begin!

Yesterday was full of Holiday cheer.   We had our first visit with Santa... which went almost exactly as I hoped... Leah hated it and we got an awesome picture to remember forever!

Then we headed to my parent house for a bit to just visit.... I absolutely LOVE my parents house at christmas time. I love how my mom decroates, it just feels like HOME to me! We got some great photos....

Then it was time for the Gilmore/Staelens Christmas party... The family is definitely grown in the past few years, and it was great to visit with everyone... and get all 4 baby girls together!!!

It was definitely hard to get them all to sit still and look....



Now we are sitting at home, having a nice cozy morning with SNOW on the ground and falling.... Great weekend.

Miss Temper Tantrum Queen!

Leah has seriously been testing our patience lately!   She has become an amazing temper-tantrum thrower!   I think Brian and I are in for a rough next few years! She seriously just wants things her way!!... add in the fact that her molars are still working their way out (2 have popped thru, 2 more to go) and one less nap at daycare, she is CRAAAAAAA-BEEEEEE!

A funny story though....

Brian has a change jar in our bedroom for all  his loose change... Leah has discovered it and LOVES to play with the coins and drop them in the jar.   Last night I left Brian, Leah, and the jar to go make dinner.   The next thing I know they are in the family room and Brian tells me:

"Leah tried to drink the coin jar.... so I paniced and dumped the jar in her face."

I laughed my butt off when he said that... and multiple times today I thought about it, and laughed some more!   Ba-hahaha!   Sometimes Brian says the funniest things! And can you just picture the look on Leah's face when coins came flying out of the jar at her!? haha!

I believe...

... my new job is PERFECT! It is totally the ideal job, and I am so glad I did not give up on the actuary path. 

... that my grandmother was about the most perfect grandmother that anyone could have.   I hate that I did not realize this when she was still alive, but looking back, I could not have asked for anything more.   Every time I see a brownish Ford Taurus my heart aches, and it will take a long time to stop that.

... that I have AMAZING friends.   I may not see or talk to Ashley and Kate as much as I would like, but they defined true friendship when they showed up for my grandma's funeral and where there to hold my hand.  I am so lucky to have such amazing people in my life.

... I have a pretty perfect life at the moment.   I am so blessed for everything we have right now.  

... life is good.

A New Tradition

This year the girls of the family headed to the Tea House for lunch.   It definitely put me in a festive mood! 

Leah is totally saying "I am NOT looking!"

I am so glad my family and Brian's family get along! It makes life so much easier, and fun!!   I cant wait for next year's outing when Miss Jenna can join us... and hopefully some more little girls in the future!

current addiction

Carmel Hershey Kisses!!

I must stop eating them!!!   You would think the individual wrapper would slow me down, but NO!  

I NEED to know how to make these! They look amazing!

I just LOVE Hershey kisses... and I must buy and eat them at Christmas time.   

When I was a kid my mom would always buy them and use them to fill a glass christmas tree jar... and then I would eat them all. 

I blame this addiction on my mother.

way too funny

Leah received an incident report (she was injured, and daycare is telling us about it) because she was bit again.

According to the report :

"Describe how incident occured - Leah and a friend were playing when her friend accidently fell on her and bit her back."

This makes me laugh hysterically!   How on earth!? I wish I could have seen it!

I know... I am one of those horrible people that laughs when someone gets hurt or falls in front of me.  I cant help it if its funny, and I am sure this was sort of funny!!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Yep,.... for my daughter, the 1 year old.

It went pretty well.   She had a great report... she is doing well.... the teachers love her, think she dresses super cute, makes tons of funny faces, will just pass out on the mat in the morning to give herself a little morning nap, loves art and music, and is beginning to try to climb everything!

The only negative is that she is a little behind in the language department... she really does not say much... atleast that you can understand. We think she has started saying "this" and "Whats this?" but who knows!   I am not too concerned... she is awesome in all other areas.

I love that little one!