the best I can do today

I feel like there is nothing much going on that is blog worthy.  I've been busy just trying to keep family life going.  I get up, have some Bible time, exercise, home school Kirby, go to school/tutoring for myself, spend the afternoon studying/doing stuff at home/running errands, cook dinner, put the boys to bed and then collapse in bed.  And that collapse takes place at about 7:30.  Next day, repeat.  It's just the nature of the season we are in.  I mean there are fun things mixed in there.  And I must admit that I have started only cooking dinner three times a week.  The other two nights during the week we eat out.  Eating out is cheaper than cooking, usually.  Not to mention it's nice not to have to plan and shop for those meals.

A couple of new things going on during the past week...

-The boys have been sleeping until like 8, or as in the case of this morning 8:45.  If they wake up they don't make a peep and just snuggle down deeper in their covers.  It's been cold.  Freezing most nights, which is much warmer than it's been in most areas of the States, but factor in just a small space heater instead of central heat and you have a family of bed bugs that don't want to be disturbed.
-It's been super hard for me to want to get out of bed too, but I've still tried to be consistent.  However, my 5:30 wake up time has been extended to 6:30.  I'm really hoping when we get back from Thailand it will be significantly warmer in the mornings.
-Oh yeah, we leave for Thailand in 11 days.  And we will be gone three weeks.  It's a workation but considering I've become wimpy when it comes to cold weather (apparently turning 30 has made me more cold natured in comparison to the sweaty mess I was for 29 years) I'm so glad to get to go somewhere warm.  And it will be a nice break from the norm.
-We totally changed up Kirby's home school for reading.  I loved what we chose but it got to be so challenging to the point of both student and teacher frustration.  I decided all parties involved almost reaching the point of tears on a daily basis was not what we were going for.  So we changed it up for a time.  Part of our trip will be a conference with other home schooling moms/students/consultants so I'm looking forward to soaking in some great knowledge.
-Wow, I had way more to say than I originally thought.

I'll end it here.  I can't imagine that the next 11 days will be more exciting than the past 11.  I'll be digging out sunscreen/bating suits/summer clothes (three cheers for my capris of yester year fitting!), making sure we have all appropriate toiletries in convenient travel sizes and getting it all packed in as few bags as possible so that my pack mule husband won't curse me and all my stuff.  Not to mention trying to figure out what randome meals I can put together with what we have hanging out in the fridge and pantry. 

Did I mention that it's freezing cold?  Oh, maybe I did.  What I didn't tell you is it's cold enough to see our breath.  Inside our house.  And we had hail this afternoon and the boys thought it was snow.  Poor boys.  Now, let me get back to preparing the best tomato soup ever! 

that was fast

And just like that...it's 2011.

We had a wonderful Christmas.  Lots of great family time.  Time with friends on Christmas Eve and Christmas evening.  And a special week with my mom and Larry.  Seriously I think the gift of time was the best thing I got this year.  Even though they came to Bangkok when Judah was born, I was quite consumed with my last few days of pregnancy, delivery and that first newborn week when life is nothing but a fog of sweet baby moments.  So this was the first time I really had with them in 2 1/2 years.  It was a quick week but nice.  Some showing them around and some just sitting around and being together.  Perfect.  Hopefully Larry got some good shots of all of us cause Stan got a bunch of us walking around, including a lot with a view of my butt.  I'm not in to posting my butt on the internet.  So I'm hoping Larry got a few with smiling faces.

Anyway, with this new year starting, so many people talk about their resolutions.  I tend not to like to make resolutions, cause those get broken.  Especially since 2011 already has quite a lot on the calendar.  I do, however, have a few major goals for 2011.  I'll list them, but only because I know it would stress you out not to know.  I'm a good friend like that.

~ Get this last 8 to 10 kilos off.  I like using kilos cause it's less.  Yes, I do understand it's not really less.  I have a range because during times of weight maintenance I flucutuate so much.  I've decided that 8 more is the high end of where I want to be...make sense?

~ Get to the level of language where I need to be.  This is major and in some ways could determine the exact timing of when we will get to go back to the States.  Yes, I feel the pressure.

~ Finish Kindergarten with Kirby feeling that he is truly ready for 1st grade.  Not to mention take time while in the States to do a little more research about curriculum direction for the rest of his elementary years.  We get to go to a home school conference in Thailand in February, so that should help out as well.

~ Spend more time on my marriage.  Stan and I tend to neglect each other when we are in seasons of life that are super busy.  It happens before we even know it.  The best part about anticipating a busy season of life is to be able to head off this slippery slope.  Since each month will be scheduled around a big event (or two) for most of the year, we can go ahead and schedule in those date nights, or afternoons out, to begin with.  And when we are in the States we are pretty certain that any and all grandparents will be happy to take the boys off our hands. :)

So TWENTY ELEVEN is the year of: getting back my figure (and possibly my groove), speaking another laguage well(ish), making progress on figuring out this teaching my children thing and loving my husband better.

What are your goals for 2011?