Happy New Year!

Right now, I'm exactly one hour and 29 minutes away from 2015! *executes awkward happy dance* *accidentally knocks over a lamp*

I love holidays in general, but New Year's Day is one of my favorites. Except last year. Last year I was four days shy of going into labor. Last year sucked.

Generally, though, I love the fresh start and the rush of energy that comes with the calendar change. I actually feel motivated to do things like reorganize kitchen drawers and clean coat closets and get dead bugs out of light fixtures. Right now, there are 9 (NINE!) trash bags full of stuff sitting by my door bound for a thrift shop. I don't know if I should be proud or ashamed.

This year is particularly special because I'm here. I made it through a pretty epic shit storm and I am proud I did. Are things perfect? Nope. Do I have it all together? Definitely not. But I'm still here! I can still spend too much at Target and procrastinate housework and knock over lamps and be perfectly imperfect and okay with that.

Instead of drowning myself in resolutions like I usually do, all I'm going to try to do this year is enjoy life. LIVE. Relish.

And also eat more relish ... and chocolate cake. 

Not together, though. I swear.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

Simplify Your Life in Just 763 Easy Steps!

Every year at this time I feel the need to simplify. Cut the crap. Pare down. Let it gooooooo. Not just the nine thousand Happy Meal toys that have taken refuge in my couch, either. Mental crap. Emotional crap. Other assorted crap.

It could be rebellion against the inherent craziness of this season. Or maybe my inner organizer is trying to get ready to jump into a new year without tons of baggage.

Usually, even thinking about simplification completely overwhelms me and I end up spending the whole month of December in pajamas staring at my half-assed Christmas decor.

But this year is different. This year, I have a plan! With seven hundred sixty three steps! I shall not be defeated!

(But my Christmas decor will probably still be half-assed.)

Kid Art Bookmarks

Hullo peeps,

It's that time of year again. The time of year when I suddenly forget all the great gift ideas that popped into my head after the last "that time of year."

Luckily, my oldest two little minions can now create adorable masterpieces and I am SO TOTALLY using their talent.

We made some bookmarks out of aforementioned masterpieces for Grover's birthday last month. They're easy and fun and cost-effective and your kids can do that thing where they only put three dots on seventeen different pieces of paper but that's okay because art.

They would make great gifts for grandparents, friends, your sister-in-law's twice removed cousin whose name you can never remember, et cetera.