Today for you. Tomorrow for ME!

The only catch about my title is tomorrow never comes.

I recently got together with a few friends of mind for a scrumptious dinner. Afterwards, we started reminiscing about how 2009 had treated us. All three of us are currently single. All three of us had numerous dating horror stories from 2009. It was at that moment we proclaimed that 2010 was going to be the year of the good men.

I don't even know if it's physically possible to dedicate an entire year to good men...so it got me thinking. What could I dedicate 2010 to? And then it hit me like a freight train...

I am going to dedicate 2010 to ME!

Yeah, yeah, yeah...it sounds selfish, I know. You see, I think it's high time I deserve some good, old fashioned quality "me" time. A treat here. Kicking my feet up there. Patting myself on the back here. Taking a vacation there.

In 26.5 years of life, I've never had the gall to proclaim I was actually going to take care of me. Look out for me. And be my own awesome self advocate. I don't know why...I've always thought about being a self advocate..but thinking and doing are two totally different things.

The Plan:
Dedicate 2010 to me.

The Action:
Start the year out right by scheduling a hair cut between today, and January 1st. (CHECK)

Go to see a movie in the Theater that isn't a kids movie. (CHECK...Little man is lined up to have a sleepover with his cousin AT his cousin's house the night of the first)

Go to the spa. (CHECK. I have an appointment for the morning of January 2nd)

Get in shape. (CHECK. I've started daily workouts...I'll post more on this in a week or two...)

Take one candle lit bubble bath a week...(CHECK. And let me tell you, what a GREAT way to unwind and clear your head!!)

Take a vacation. (CHECK. My trip is booked for the beginning of March...I'M SO EXCITED!!)

I think I'm off to a brilliant start. Did I mention that I'm roughly three laundry loads away from being COMPLETELY CAUGHT UP ON MY LAUNDRY TOO!?!?! Yup. 2010 is starting off on the right foot, so help me God!

Do you have any other suggestions for me? Are you making any resolutions or dedications for 2010?

The Loot.

When I was young, I would immediately get on the phone following Xmas and compare what presents we got from our parents.

It was a completely juvenile trivial discussion...and at some points turned into a small competition with which nobody was in control...but it's what we did, and we did it well.

Looking back at those days, I can't believe I actually spent my time bragging about the gifts I received....kids!

This year people were very generous to both myself and little man. From coworkers to my own parents. I wish I had unlimited resources to shower those around me with gifts of gratitude...but I don't. All I have is my actual gratitude...and a phone for me to dial them and thank them non-stop.

I hope you were spoiled this holiday season...be it with love, friendship, family or fun little surprises!

Christmas and Colds.

The holidays were fine in my hood....but I'm not here to give you a holiday recap..I'm here to tell you a story, and ask for your feedback.

Lets rewind to last Wednesday. I was set to have people from both my mom and dad's side of the family over for the second annual family festivus christmas party. I graciously began hosting this event because my family had stopped getting together...I digress.

I had invited my niece to spend the night since she and her mother would be attending a low key Christmas eve dinner the following evening (for those of you unaware, the Midwest was set to get get a monstrous blizzard the 23rd through 25th last week).

When the kids saw each other, they began shrieking in joy. They were running around, playing happily...and then my niece started gagging. She looked as if she was going to throw up, so I cupped her mouth and rushed her to the bathroom. She said she wasn't feeling well from being around cigarettes a few days before (they were visiting friends who were smokers). I was slightly concerned, but blew it off, thinking I'd address it further if her symptoms grew worse.

We had a great night, followed by a fun morning. My niece's mom was let out of work early due to the weather, so she came to my house to hang out. I informed her of the gagging incident from the night before, and my niece's mom responded with "Oh yeah...she was probably gagging from drainage because she has been sick."

WHAT?!

Yeah, you read that right. My niece's mom sent her to my house (a NOW HEALTHY HOUSE) sick. I was furious.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my niece...but when you have a sick kid, you keep her home...you don't send her into a perfectly healthy household to infect EVERYONE ELSE! I don't care if it's Christmas. I don't care if it's Hanukkah. You keep a sick kid home because that's where sick kids belong. Period, the end. Am I wrong to think that this woman has ZERO common sense?!?!?!

So, today I write this post with a cold...because OF COURSE I caught the nasty little bug from her.

I wonder if I should send her the doctor bill for when little man comes down with an ear infection in a weeks time from said cold? I am completely tempted to do so. Seriously.


So...back to the part where I ask for your opinion...

Would you send a sick kid to someone's house? (Christmas or no Christmas...and for that matter, does it even matter if it's a holiday?)

Rent.

Growing up, I was never/rarely exposed to musical theater. Granted, we had tickets to the Children's Theater (and don't get me wrong, the kids who put on those productions work really really hard), but I think it was a way for my parents to get me and my brother to sit still without fighting for a couple hours every month than to really expose me to the world of theater.

It wasn't until post high school where I learned or Rent, and explored Broadway (I use the term "explore" very loosely, as I've really only seen one Broadway show, Hairspray, and locally seen Rent a few times).

The first time I saw Rent I was utterly disappointed. The sound techs had effed everything up, so it was very difficult to follow. The second time I saw Rent, I cried.

Where am I going with all of this? Well, I'll tell ya! I've got most of the soundtrack of Rent burned onto a (rather) large MP3 disk...and I play it in my car quite often...with little man sitting in the back seat.

This weekend, he actually started singing lyrics to some of the songs*. He seems to enjoy them (almost) as much as I do...but then I have to stop myself and think: Am I a horrible parent for allowing my near four year old to listen to music that makes drug and sexual references? As selfish as this might sound, listening to the Rent soundtrack really cheers me up...and I think little man feeds off of me being excited about the songs....so for now, I think I'll still listen to Rent, with little man in tote...but maybe not quite as often as this past weekend.

*I busted him singing "honest living, honest living, honest living" from the Christmas Bells song...as well as "Follow the man, follow the man..with his pockets full of the jam."

Christmas Bells Are Ringing.

I love Christmas. I really really do.

Being the single mom that I am, and having a child who is just under the age of caring what I buy at the store...90% of my Christmas shopping was completed with little man in tote. I doubt he'll really realize, but to be safe I managed to take a solo trip to Target last night and buy some Lightning McQueen wrapping paper, cool bows, some candy canes and a special ornament for myself and little man...to make the morning a little more special. I truly hope he is surprised, and cannot wait to see the look on his face on Christmas morning.

In the next five days, I will be hosting two family Christmas parties, making a boat-load of chicken wings, and putting on my first Christmas Eve dinner. There's so much to be done, but this time of year I hardly mind.

I don't know what it is, but Christmas is magical to me. A time to get together, laugh, eat and be merry. A time where, with a little bit of work and an insane amount of creativity, I can make little man's tangible dreams come true.

I'm TOO EXCITED TO SLEEP!

Same and Different.

Physically I am in the same place today as I was a year ago..but something is different.

I still work for the same company today as I did a year ago, but again, something is different.

I still live in the same place today as I did a year ago, and (surprise) something is different.

I can't quite put my finger on it. I just have my "hasn't failed me yet" mom-gut feeling that something is different.

I'm pretty sure I was happy a year ago...but I feel VERY happy today.
I'm pretty sure I was in control of life a year ago...but I feel more in control today.

Maybe adding another year of life to my belt has left me with a tinge more confidence(?).

Maybe deciding to do things that make me happy instead of waiting for others to invite me is helping me feel refreshed(?).

I am still the same person today as I was last year...but I'm also different...and I'm very happy to admit that.

Travel Bug

Since booking my vacay...all I can think about is traveling. I have traveled more than some, but very little compared to others. I haven't really thought about this for a while, but here are the places I would LOVE to visit before I die (in no particular order):

1. Backpacking through Europe. Nothing fancy..just going across the ocean, getting on a train, spending a few days in each country/city I visit, and soaking up the rich history and/or culture.

2. Taking little man to "Mickey Mouse's House" (or as rest of you know as Disneyland). I can't wait to see the look on his face when we go to Disneyland. It won't happen for a couple of years, but I'm really looking forward to it!!!

3. South Africa. An amazing country.

4. The Grand Canyon.

5. Alaska.

6. Hawaii.

7. South America. I haven't decided which country, but I think it would be fun to see and experience the culture of our neighbors to the south.

8. Yellowstone National Park.

9. Niagara Falls.

10. Australia.

And an extra place for good measure...Las Vegas. Yeah yeah yeah...I'm getting closer to age 30 by the day and I STILL haven't been to Vegas. I'll get there...eventually!!!

While some of my top-10 list is easy to achieve...others will take a bit more planning. I can't wait for the day I have everything crossed off...can you imagine the stories I'll have?

Letters from the heart.

Dear Minnesota,
I don't mind that you 're cold for six months out of the year. I don't mind that you dump white snow that turns to brown nasty mush either. What I do mind are the idiot drivers you allow to dwell in your state. Could ya do something about that? Thanks.


Dear Idiot Drivers,
I'm sure you're thinking "Who are you calling an idiot driver?! Wasn't it YOU who almost got into two spin outs/accidents in the past 24-hours???"....I will not allow you to group me with you. Nice try.
Do me a favor and move to Wisconsin. We don't need your kind around here...especially between the hours of 7am and Midnight.
Thanks.

Living for Today.

January 1st is right around the corner. The first day of a new year. A time where most people set goals for the upcoming year. A time where most people reflect on their accomplishments to date, their failures. A time to process where you are at in life.

This year, I've decided to look at the new year with a different perspective. With the road bumps, extreme highs and extreme lows the past has brought me, I've realized that focusing on things I can't change or predict is a waste of time. Sure, I think it's a good idea to have long term goals in mind...but I feel that setting too many goals clouds your vision of the now.

Maybe I'm not making a lick of sense. I just feel like the volatile state of the economy, and life in general, is too great to devote copious amounts of time worrying about what could've been or what can be.

Every day I wake up is a good day. Life is as simple as that.

Will Work For Food?

I don't get it. I don't get people who feel so low and desperate to earn a buck that they need to sit at the corner of freeway off ramps with a sign stating how much help they need.

I've been the good Samaritan and given money, or ran through a drive-thru and bought them breakfast...only to be scorned by friends and family after.

Today, however, I am annoyed by these people..even though my heart still goes out to them. Has life really gotten THAT BAD that they feel the need to beg on the corner to score their next meal? I'll be the first to tell you, although I've experienced MANY setbacks, life has never gotten that bad for me. Maybe that's something I should be thankful for.

Are these people who REALLY need help, or are they just scamming for a free ticket?

What are your thoughts on panhandlers/beggars/"will work for food" (but really want you to throw them a 20 and be on with your day) folks on the corner?

P.S. "Will work for food" does not mean sit on a corner with your dog, looking dirty and sad. Will work for food entails cleaning up, and applying yourself, be it through assistance or WHATEVER (there are many programs peeps...many many programs). (insert where I sound like an arse here).

This Just In...

I DID IT!

What did I do?

I booked a VACATION! YAHOOOOOO!!!!!!

This might not seem like big news to most...but to me, I am soo excited.

I haven't been on a true and tried vacation since BEFORE I was preggo with little man.

This will be a vacation of firsts:
First trip on an airplane for little man.
First time I'll be renting a car.
First time I'll be footing two hotel rooms (we're staying inland for half the trip and on the beach the second half of the trip).
First time little man will see the ocean.
First adult "tropical" vacation that I've planned....And yes, I live in Minnesota and consider Fort Myers FL to be a tropical place.

I'm extremely tempted to print out all of the directions to places I want to go to and see this VERY MOMENT...but I will refrain from doing so for a few weeks. Maybe.

Snow Bird.

I've been at a loss for words lately....and I can't seem to figure out why.

Life is as good as it's going to get.

Little man never fails to crack me up and boil my blood in the same breath of air.

The holidays are here and I couldn't me more excited or more terrified.

Oh!

Here's something that's kinda-sorta new. I want to go somewhere where the sun is shining over the winter!! Any inexpensive travel suggestions?

My budget is virtually non-existent, and where ever I end up has to be toddler-friendly, as little man will be tagging along on this adventure.

Flight and Hotel Ideal Budget: $600 total (for airfare and hotel for BOTH myself and little man)

Entertainment/Food: $200-ish (?) ...I don't know if that's too much or too little for entertainment/food...Honestly peeps, I haven't traveled ANYWHERE for leisure since BEFORE I WAS PREGGO. In a nutshell, that means I haven't gone ANYWHERE for over four years.

I'm tracking a couple of different flights around the middle of February. If the price of the airfare drops below 200 per ticket I will GLADLY book...but I think I'm hoping and praying for a miracle.

I'd totally be down for taking a cruise too...but I need to stay within the US, as filling out the paper work to get a passport for both myself AND little man seems a bit annoying to me at the moment.

What do y'all think?

Do you have any travel plans lined up for this coming winter?

If so...are you willing to let myself and a toddler sneak into your suitcase?? hehehe.