With just one more day of 2011 left I felt I couldn`t leave my last blog post up about our Christmas activities without at least touching on our actual Christmas. Although last year I also didn`t get to recap our Christmas or last weeks in Australia because I came back and Shion arrived early. That seems like so long ago now- he will be 1 next week! My last post of 2010 was about Noah turning 1 and my first post of 2011 was about Shion being born….
I cooked Christmas Eve and had a couple friends over as well as MIL & FIL. I think the food went down well- most of us ate seconds. Plus I made my first ever baked cheesecake with hints from both Mel & Khea and it turned out great. Definitely something I will be making again! Having Sam and her family for Christmas Eve dinner was great and her son and our boys had fun playing together. I spent most of the 23rd and 24th in the kitchen but it was worth it!!!
Christmas Day was a quiet one- we opened presents with my mum on Skype then spent the day at home eating leftovers, listening to carols and playing with the things the boys got. Lovely and quiet family day. The boys got totally spoilt of course- all of their presents from Santa were joint presents then from us they got some things for just them as well as a bunch of stocking stuffers. Plus things from my brother, mum, some friends & my in-laws {although they got their Christmas presents from the in-laws early!}. It was all about the kids!!!
My computer is on its last legs I think and so while I uploaded some photos to facebook I haven`t uploaded them to flickr in order to put them up on here.
This past week since Christmas has been pretty quiet as well- lots of play at the park and with friends although I had a 24 hour bug or something a couple of days ago which knocked me around for a bit.
I also went to the movies today for the first time in 2.5 years. I was nearly 30 weeks pregnant with Noah last time I went to the cinema. Had a lovely lunch, walk around the shops, coffee and then watching the movie with a friend. Great day out!
Blogging has hit the back burner lately for me- I am reading less and less and commenting even LESS than that so for 2012 I will try to be a better blogger. Not only with writing but also reading and commenting. While I love blogging and the interaction it gives me with so many wonderful people I do not want it to become a chore. That said- I also do not want to give it up!
The first half of 2011 was a rough one- Shion coming early, living at the in-laws then back at the apartment and then the earthquake and tsunami. Also moving house. The second half was a lot calmer, for us at least, although I will be glad to see the start of 2012.
Resolutions? Well pretty sure one of my resolutions for 2011 was to be better with money and save a certain amount- almost definitely failed at that. Next year….lets see…
-Be a better blogger
- Lose 5kg {or at least try to exercise 3 times a week. Need to find something to do at home. Maybe once we are in the new house and have more space I will start hooping again! I lost a ton of weight after Shion was born and then more with the stress, breastfeeding and then earthquake but I have put it all back on…and a bit more}
- Be better with money {than I was in 2011} and decide on a certain amount to save each month and stick to it
- Try to reduce our food bill {Including nappies and formula it is about 90,000yen a month so there must be SOMEWAY to bring that down}
-Find at least 5 more hours of work a month {which would take me up to about 10 hours a month- luckily I look to be able to do this from February}
- Stop buying children`s books but continue to read 10 or more books with the boys each day
- Work on Shion`s scrapbook and get it up done up until he is 1 {so far behind with this}
- Take the boys to Disneyland.
- Have a three date nights with Shun
Finally, my main resolution is to be a better mother and strive to be the best mother I can be. I need to work on this more- I love my kids and while I am not a bad mother there are definitely areas that I can improve!
So, there you go, 10 resolutions for 2012! We have a trip planned to Australia in March and then hopefully again for Christmas if we can swing it {although it might not happen} plus we are moving into our BRAND NEW HOUSE so 2012 will be exciting one way or an other.
Maybe I will start another 101 things in 1001 days- will have to think about it.
What are your resolutions? Do you have any? Did you meet your 2011 resolutions?
Happy New Year everyone!
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I am just a twenty something Aussie girl living in Chiba, Japan with my Japanese husband trying to make sense of the crazy Japanese world we live in! We welcomed our first son in December 2009 (Noah) and a second son in January 2011, 2 months premature (Shion). I am working hard at raising them to be confident, bilingual, happy kids!
I have been thinking of mine over the past few weeks. Last years I got maybe 3 out of 6 done so I hope to do more this year.
Here are mine:
*Stay within my budget and save a bit each month from it. (This will be hard since my regular supermarket will be closed and they had the best price for everyday things.)
*Study more Japanese(I say this every year)
*Get fit. I’m not worried about an amount but I just want to tone up my legs, tummy, and arms,etc.
*Be a better housewife and keep things clean and organize. I come from a hoarders house so its easy to fall back into bad habits.
*Cook more yummy foods.
*Organize more learning activities for shu-kun.
*Be able to handle everyday with 2 lil ones.
I even have some for Shu-kun-
*Have him potty trained by the end of the year.
*Get him to know his ABC and 123′s.
*Do the baby reading program I brought from home last year.
I hope to get everything accoumplished but I know things will turn upside down once baby 2 is here.
Great list Kim! I also want to have Noah potty trained by the end of summer but we have not started yet. Plan is to start as soon as we are in the new house because I didn`t want to stop and start before going to Australia {as there is no way the three of us could fit in one of those plane loos!}
You will get a handle on being a mum to two in no time- just don`t put much pressure on yourself the first couple of months and then you will find your feet and probably be more organized than you were before {because you will have to be!}- I found that after Shion came and after we moved to here. The last six months have been a lot better for us all!
Happy New Years beautiful. I hope 2012 is a great year for you xx
Thanks Tamsyn! A happy new year to you, Max & DH as well! Hope 2012 is fantastic! xo
I like your list, but I have to ask what areas of motherhood are you looking to improve? From what I can see, you are a great Mum! Having two small children so close in age is really tough, and I know from experience! I already think you are above and beyond the realms of a good mother! x