Friday, January 02, 2009

Happy New Year, Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Miss Finally Three

In the last few days we've had an orgy of gift giving. Yes, we have an unseemly number of birthdays in the week after Christmas - Miss Finally Three on 31 December (born at 11.09pm) and Me on 1st January. I have moaned about the nearness of my birthday to Christmas pretty much since I got my first combined present at the age of five.

Of course for I have endlessly blamed my mother for this lack of planning. So, you can imagine her response when I phoned on 31 December 2005 at around 6am to tell her I was in labour. Actually, she didn't believe me, as Miss Finally Three's pregnancy was fraught with Braxton Hicks contractions towards the end. But I knew. The Universe was laughing at me again. When I arrived at the hospital at around 4pm that afternoon the obstetrician gave me a choice, we could hurry the labour along by breaking the waters and the baby would arrive on the 31st or leave things be and she'd arrive on the 1st. I chose the 31st so she wouldn't have to share a birthday with me, and she made it with only 40minutes to spare.

So, Happy New Year to all and sundry. In the Caitlyn Nicholas household 2009 has been dubbed The Year of Change (with apologies to Barack Obama). Yesterday afternoon I discovered that I'd spent the day with my underpants on inside out, so I'm thinking that things are only going to improve from that point.

I've made about a thousand resolutions. I kid you not. I got an Alphasmart for my birthday and I've been filling up the To Do list on it. I'm a Capricorn and I like lists and order so its not surprising really.

On the whole the resolutions point to one thing, that at my house we need to make some permanent changes. Both hubby and I are over-weight. Each year we resolve to lose weight, and each year we end up just a little bit porkier than the last. Given my family history of heart-disease at a young age and Hubby's family history of diabetes we need to get the whole weight thing under control. I've had success with weight-watchers in the past so we're planning to follow that regime.

I'm in two minds whether to blog about it. Part of me says to stop thinking about it because I blog about everything so its going to pop up here anyway, part of me says blog about it a lot so that I have motivation to stick with it. The last part of me says not to blog about it because I'll probably fail and then everyone will know and I'll end up resolving to lose weight on 1/1/2010. Just like the last four years. Which I know is a totally shit attitude, but I'm just so over trying and failing to lose weight. Its a journey I perpetually seem to be at the start of, never in the middle, never nearly at the end, just always starting out. Good lord, I can write 90,000 word books, why can I not stick to a diet??

Aside from the whole, endless weight thing we want to spend less, consume less, garden more and sleep more. So, expect many blog posts about the vegie patch - we've got grand plans for putting in fruit trees and even an avocado.

Writing wise I've got several goals, to get The Bunker ready to face the world by March, I'm writing a short story for a special ops romance anthology which is due in June, and I'd like to write either Boys of Summer or Fat Chance by 2010. And of course Secret Intentions is out in paperback mid 2009.

But really all this will take a back seat to the kids. Its our last proper year at home together. Next year Miss 4.5 is off to school and Miss Finally Three will be at pre-school four days a week. So I want to make 2009 a joyful, fulfilling year of home and family. I want to enjoy our last year of playgroup and mid-week trips to the beach. I'm looking forward to it.

1 people love me:

Sami Lee said...

Best of luck with all your goals Cait. I so hear you on the weight thing. I need to take care of that this year too, ho hum. The same family history issues abound, however, so yes it must be done. All this after I had fish and chips for lunch today, yikes.

Enjoy the kidlets. This is the last year before my eldest goes to school too, God they grow up fast. I sound 85 when I say that but it's true. Can't wait to spend the year with you.