Happy Birthday to Me and Random Thoughts

This is how G spent my birthday party/Christmas Eve

I turned 35.  It was the worst birthday I've ever had.  I'm not trying to be dramatic, I'm just explaining it how it was.  Considering I've been royally spoiled on 34 other birthdays, I guess I was due for a lame one.  Here are a few reasons it wasn't fun.  I've been annoyed about getting older.  I embraced 30.  35 has been a downer, though.  First of all, it's the last big milestone before "over the hill."  Plus medically it's a biggie too.  Life insurance premiums increase after 35.  Thank goodness I got some at age 34.9.  And fertility decreases.  Since I have no fertility in the first place, this frustrates me.  a lot.  My hair is going gray which is SO ANNOYING too.  And don't even get me started on hormones and muffin tops.  TMI all the way around. 

The other reason my birthday wasn't fun was because I spent the previous several days with a cold and was up all night the night before my birthday with a screaming sinus headache.  We were staying in a hotel in Reno, and the sound of G sleeping was making my headache hurt worse.  I didn't have anywhere to go being in a hotel and all, so I got up and moved to Sambo's bed where I endured him kicking me in the kidneys all night.

By the time morning came, we were all exhausted.  Nobody had slept.  G went down to the hotel's breakfast and brought me a bagel in bed.  The day went south from there.  G suddenly came down with stomach flu and everyone knows the stomach flu trumps all other viruses and birthdays.  So I was up a creek, so to speak.  All birthday plans canceled (including my MUCH anticipated lunch to Grimaldis).  Laying in bed all day canceled.  Taking a day off from being in charge of the kids canceled. 

So although I was feeling like death, I showered and vacated the hotel room so G could be sick in peace.  I wasn't in any state to do anything fun or travel too far, so I took the boys over to Del Taco, which was just outside the door of the hotel.  During lunch Buddy remarked, "This is just a little worse than Taco Bell."  "A lot worse," I corrected.  It tasted awful.  (As a side note, it was so awful, I can also no longer eat Taco Bell, which used to be my favorite.)

We then went to McDonalds to pick up a sprite for G and to buy some more advil for my head.  We returned to the room to drop off the sprite and to pick up some reading material.  The boys and I then sat in the hotel lobby for the next 90 minutes giving G more time to get all his sick out.  Thank heavens the boys were cooperative and quiet.  And even better was the fact that the hotel was a ghost town, it being Christmas Eve and all. 

By then I was overdue for a nap, so we went back to the room and put the kids back in front of the TV.  Sometime during that nap G's sister awesomely came and picked the boys up from the hotel and took them over to their house to eat dinner and play.  I woke up feeling a bit better, so I had a lovely birthday dinner at McDonalds.  Eventually we headed over to the house to spend a little time celebrating Christmas Eve and eating chocolate birthday cake.

I'm sure you feel so sorry for me.

You don't really need to.  It wasn't that bad.  (At least I didn't have the stomach flu.)

I'm working on composing some posts to talk about Buddy's baptism and to share some Christmas pictures.  But before I do that, here's a few other not-interesting things that have been happening.

I can't stand that school started up again.  I REALLY WISH IT WAS STILL CHRISTMAS BREAK.  School started yesterday.

Sambo called me stupid today.  It's amazing how much less stuff like that bothers me with my second child.

Speaking of Sambo... each day that passes he gets more and more of a handful.  He used to be so easy.  It's so weird how his personality has totally blossomed in the last few months.  I still ADORE him, though.  Even if he thinks I'm stupid, I think he's hilarious and clever.  It's really interesting because four years old was Buddy's easiest age and it's turning out to be Sambo's hardest by a long shot.  These kids couldn't be more different.

I have one more party (a dinner for all the primary presidents in the stake) at my house next week and then I'm closing my door and not allowing anyone to enter for three months.  Just kidding... but it's tempting.  I'm really tired of parties. 

I have done very little this week and it's been fantastic.  I took two naps on Monday.  On Tuesday I did a bunch of laundry and folded it all and put it away that day.  That has literally never happened since I've lived in this house.  I went to the gym three days in a row and worked myself hard all three times.  I had to take today off because I am so awesomely sore.  I love, love, love pilates and my weights class.  If I didn't have them I'd have to be heavily medicated.  Oh, speaking of which.  G's work is no longer paying for half of our gym membership.  I'm disappointed, but I'm willing to pay the full amount because I love/need it.  I've spent the rest of the week laying around, sitting around, staring at the wall, watching TV, reading, catching up on blogs, and surfing the Internet.  Do you do Pinterest yet?  What about GoodreadsAhhhh.  I think I'm going to spend 2012 lazy.

Which leads me to my next point.  I have never in my life made a New Year's Resolution.  But I did this year.  Drumroll.... I'm going to find the best pizza in Portland.  Did you expect me to have a worthy goal?  Why would I when I just decided I'm going to spend 2012 lazy. 

Buddy started piano lessons on Tuesday.  He has impressed me and warmed my heart on multiple occasions in his little life, but that first lesson rose up near the top of times I've loved him a lot.  He was incredibly focused and took it super seriously.  And he has a natural talent I can tell already.  Reading the music seemed second nature.  A-DORABLE.  I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch, but he is loving practicing so far (twice).   His teacher is fantastic.  She is one of my favorite ward members, so I'm thrilled she's his teacher.  I'm not sure how old she is, but she got married in 1944.  So if she married at 20, then she'd be pushing 88 years old.  She's been teaching piano for 60 years! 

I instituted a new procedure for Buddy after school.  I make him a list of things I'd like him to accomplish that day and then I also list possible privileges he might earn if he finishes his entire list (watch a movie, make cookies, do a science experiment).  He can do the list or not, it's his choice.  I hate begging him or negotiating with him and with the added responsibilities of scouts and piano and soon track plus the usual chores, homework, and reading -- I can't micromanage his after school routine. Plus I'm working on being lazy.  So far (twice) it's worked brilliantly.