A Final Re-Cap of 2013 & My Word for 2014

My Word for 2014: BALANCE
Today I unrolled my yoga mat and did a series of poses. Just kinda went with it and as I was practicing familiar poses to my brain, yet somewhat unfamiliar to my body (as I haven't practiced regularly in 8 or more years), I came to some pretty interesting thoughts. And I decided that I need yoga again. I need BALANCE and that is something pretty difficult to achieve in our world. As soon as we accomplish one goal, we are setting another...pushing farther and harder. But we need time to just be without all the  grasping for more, more, more. And the truth is that if we can find an inner stillness, we can see things so much more clearly. We can see that the path we are on and that we are on that path for a reason. Sometimes it is hard to see why we are on a particular path, but if we are able to see it a bit more clearly, we can have fun and be adventurous and embrace the path and thereby gaining more happiness to spread into the world. Ahhh yoga. And the bonus of feeling better physically is worth it. The mind body balance. So perhaps you have guessed my word for 2014...BALANCE. It only took me one month to find that word!

I have decided that I still really enjoy blogging. I love reading others blogs and I love to share my perspective on things...my writer side, if you will. So I AM BACK to BLOGGING and you will see more posts from me. I am still trying to find my authentic voice in blogging. So this will be another exploration this year. As a mom, so many things are changing at warp speed. Things that I thought were far off in the future are right here, right now. Things like college visits. For my girl who never left my side for 3 years and would just hug my leg and never let go. She would grab my face and kiss my cheek for as long as she could. That girl is ready to explore colleges in different states and areas that are fairly far from home to see what they have to offer her. It kinda hit me hard when I realized that most of her college visits need to be scheduled in the next 3 months...so we have a calendar filled with dates and times of visits...probably around 10 colleges. And I am trying to catch my head up with my heart. And so far, I am doing ok. I am sure the watery eyes I have had this week are from a head cold and {not} the emotions of letting go of that sweet 3 year old hugging my leg.

It has been bitterly cold here in Ohio. The changing temps have left me with a cold this week. The kids had 5 days in a row off due to our winter weather. It all went well when I put things in perspective and let the kids sleep in every day. I realized that this was an opportunity to be together without the added pressure of homework. We didn't do anything that was super fun or  blogworthy. We just hung out and tried to keep warm. I think they needed the extra rest and relaxation time. We celebrated hubby's birthday with some shopping & good food. We ate out. One got a haircut.  We kept an appointment for the son with the broken arm. We all went together. Nothing spectacular, but perhaps that is what we needed to make it through January this year.

Summer 2013
So let's take a look back at summer in 2013. I am a summer girl and I love the sun and the heat. Summer always goes too fast for me. We had an awesome summer despite all of the rainy weather. Of course we had a lot of TOW...Time on the Water...which as a newer slalom skier, I love. It is a pure adrenaline rush for me and I always feel fantastic after a ski run around the lake.

The kids rarely tube but when they do, it is always interesting to see how they jockey for the best part on the tube:

This is Ana having fun on her wakeboard after a new trick:

And at the end of a great lap around the lake:

My hubby, Rich, tried a new sport this year...I may have influenced him just a little with my enthusiasm:

As either my hubby or I am driving the boat, we hand the camera off to one of the kids and they still haven't figured out how to capture us just at the right time...but we will take whatever pics we can get from them and we have something to work toward next summer.

Marissa is improving so much with her skiing that she will be on the slalom ski soon. I wish I had learned to slalom earlier! Here she is enjoying herself on the lake after overcoming fear issues of other boats and going around the island. So proud of her!

Foster is always having fun on the water and trying new things from surfing to new tricks on the wakeboard. He has always loved the water. I didn't do a good job of photographing him this year as I have (like many) relied on my iPhone way too much. Here are a few shots of him having fun:

Wakeskating...no bindings to hold your feet onto the board:

 Wakeskating...look ma, one foot, one hand:

 He totally rips on the slalom ski...I think this could be his sport but he just gets on the ski a few times a summer and rips through a lap and is done all the while making it look easy:

And a wakeboard photo from early in the summer...he was using his Dad's board (which was too big) and was just having fun:

The kids have permission from this dock owner to use the dock if they knock on the door and let the owner know they are jumping off...it is cute to watch them run up the sidewalk and knock on the door and then run back to the dock to jump off...again and again...while we wait in the boat and take pictures (mostly for Instagram posts)
Sisterly love...

Or some throw in a dock flip:

We love it when my sister and her girls come to visit...it may involve a little arm wrestling:

Or some time on the boat:

Or all of the girls just spending time on the deck and chilling:

The best part of being at the lake is spending time with loved ones.

Our youngest, Marissa, had her 11th birthday which we celebrated in style, here with a rare parent picture:

And with her sister and brother:

She had an awesome birthday with family and friends. Part of her present included a Carly Rae Jepsen concert which was really good. Me with my two girls:

Fall 2013
Summer seems to morph into fall so quickly. We had two in high school sports and one playing travel soccer. I don't know how we made it through the grueling schedule, but we did and I was super grateful to have Ana help with the driving to/from all the sporting events.

This was Ana's third year of tennis. We have an awesome team and our school has made many trips to the state playoffs. Ana played both Junior Varsity and Varsity. She got in a ton of playing time and really progressed with her game this year. I was frequently bopping from tennis, to high school soccer to my other daughter's soccer practices and games. I did not get one single photo of Ana on my real camera. This photo is courtesy of another tennis mom...I love this:

Our girls placed 3rd in the Ohio State Coaches Tennis Tournament...Ana (in purple hat....it was so cold that day in October!) did not play in this match but she was there to support her team. She did play in a match earlier in the season to help advance her team. I am proud of what a team player she is and how she has grown in her tennis skills. She is lucky to have these girls as friends and teammates. I know that when she is older she will be able to draw on a lot of lessons learned through high school tennis. I hope she will continue to play beyond high school for fun, social, and fitness.

High School soccer started for my son on the last day of 8th grade. The team had open field all summer long and my son was at every one that he could possibly make. Our school fielded a 100% freshman team, a junior varsity team and a Varsity team. We are a smaller district and it was awesome to have the opportunity for my son and other freshman to play on the same team. Some of the freshman players were also asked to play up for JV and Varsity, as the coaches requested them. This was a bit of a different season for my son as he has played goalie almost 100% of the time in the past 7 years. This year he was on the field and played forward and midfielder. Most of the teams we played were a mix of older (and much bigger) players and in fact we did not play one team that was purely compromised of freshman like our team. The one time that my son did play goalie, he was kicked in the head (when he had possession of the ball and a penalty should have been called, but it was not), which resulted in a very scary 24 hours of watching him and a dr. visit...and that is how the season ended. I am proud of him for taking on new positions and putting forth an awesome effort and being a team player. This pics is of him entering the game when his name was caled by the announcer. I must say it was nice for all of the parents to hear all of the boys names announced before the game and during the game.

This is Marissa playing soccer..she is in the white jersey with the long blonde ponytail. She played on two travel teams in the fall. Our travel is different than some other areas. We are pretty far from the other teams that we compete against and usually have to travel 45 minutes up to 1.5 hours each way. I have some thoughts on that but will save them for another day. Marissa is a developing player and has amazed me with some of her soccer skills. If she continues to develop skills at her current rate, I think she will be a tough competitor. I will say that sometimes I am disappointed at the poor sportsmanship and overly aggressive play by some teams at this level (she plays on the U12 team, but is a true U11 player due to her bday so she can play on both teams) I am thankful that she is on a team that emphasizes skill rather than brute force. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut when I see the blatant pushing, shoving, and tripping. I am working on being less vocal in 2014.

You may have noticed that I updated a few pics along the sidebar. We skipped family pictures this year and instead I hired a talented photographer to take pictures of the kids. It was very low key and I am glad that I went that route. Here is one my favorite photos by Aemee Ellis

Ana went to two homecomings this year. This was the first one...we opted for a long dress as this school had a lot of rules about the dress and I thought it would be really hard to find a dress that met the length requirements with her long legs. I ordered it online and then she had to scurry to get it approved by the school and thankfully it passed! Rich and I were headed to an Ohio State game.

Foster celebrated his 15th birthday with an unofficial concussion and cherry pie. And an annual pic with his Mom & Dad:

One thing I have found out the hard way is that when there are special events like birthdays or homecomings, you have to make an effort to get a picture with your child or in this case children. These pictures are the most important to me, but I haven't always gotten them due to distraction. This is Ana's junior year of homecoming (only one more year!) and Foster's freshman year.

My brother and his wife were here for the Homecoming festivities, and also to celebrate a birthday. This is Marissa helping Uncle Dan with his birthday cake. Who do you think is more excited about the birthday?

Hubby and I dress in black tie twice a year for a club that we belong to. I had a hard time finding something this year, but it was comfortable. And we had a good time out on the town: cocktails, dinner, and dancing!

Thanksgiving 2013
We changed things up a bit for Thanksgiving this year. Since our youngest is now over her fear of elevators, we thought it was a great opportunity to head to Chicago. We had a blast and thanks to the CityPass we were able to see everything on our list and more. This is one of my favorite memories while on our way to the Field Museum. We had awesome weather, pizza every night, incredible shopping, sightseeing, cab rides, views of Lake Michigan, and lots of good memories!

Another of my fave Chicago pics was of the kids just before we left. This was taken outside at Pizano's Pizza....yummy...love the red checked table cloths!

Christmas 2013
I missed taking our picture on Christmas Eve, so instead I created a collage of what we were doing that week. Ana is now a ski instructor, the kids with their new Christmas ski gear, hubby and I on the lift and Marissa taking a ski break in the lodge:

And that is the end of the picture Re-Cap 2013. I hope to be more of a frequent blogger so that these mega posts are few and far between. Also if you want to follow me on Instagram, you can find me at cathymskier

My words for 2013: Small Changes
I loved my words for 2013... I was able to make a lot of small changes that added up to a whole lot of big changes. Organized areas of my home including drawers and closets. What an awesome feeling to make small changes, and to feel progress!!! I blogged about my choice of words here and then went on to make to outline my goals here. I stayed active with tennis, skiing, water skiing, training with a personal trainer, and barre classes.

I will blog soon about BALANCE. Until then.
hugs,
Cathy

Recap 2013, Part 2 and the Lull

I love this time of year...the little lull between Christmas and New Year's. It is when we can nap most easily and yet we are getting motivated for a new year, with the flip of the calendar.  A bit of relaxation mingled with a bit of excitement. And as I reflect on 2013, I can honestly say it was one of my very best years. Certainly there were new challenges in every facet of my life, but it was all tempered by a stronger and deeper faith in God. A God who is faithful and loving and will direct us where we are needed. Wow. Amazing to realize that I am finally letting go of some control in my life. Letting go and letting God work. I am looking forward to 2014 and seeing where God leads me, in my faith journey and how that will be exemplified in my life.

In my last post I found I had nothing to blog about and then 3 months of thoughts and pictures spilled out onto the blog. I enjoyed going back through my pictures and really thinking about those memories. I know these type of posts can get a little long winded, so I really appreciate you letting me pour it all out on this little old blog!

TSwift
The girls got a wonderful Christmas present but had to wait an agonizing 4+ months to get their gift. We went with friends to the Taylor Swift concert. Wow. She was simply amazing. A phenomenal artist! Worth every penny of the tickets and the months of waiting until she came to town!

Wedding
We haven't been to a wedding in a few years. This was one of the sweetest weddings I have ever been to. The bride was gorgeous and we had a blast!

Hoop

And we finally installed a new basketball hoop...this is my little nerd who was dressed up for Nerd Day at school...trying out the new hoop before school:

Friend Time
A friend hosted a very sweet luncheon at the end of the school year. Me with two of my closest friends:

Father's Day
I love Father's Day because it is such fun to celebrate those that you love when it is warm and sunny weather. We celebrated with my hubby on the lake (for the record I took a pic of my kids and hubby, but the sun was so bright we couldn't get a pic of everyone with their eyes open! So I am posting this one, so I don't embarrass the ones that can't keep their eyes open) Just a little blurry:

And with my Dad (and Mom) and kids, a week after the designated day with a cake at the lake.:

I am lucky to have such great parents. Here is a post I wrote about my Dad, a few years ago: Why Valentine's Day is Special To Me.

Tennis
I am rather new to tennis and have only played sporadically. But in the spring of 2013, I was invited to play on a league. We were all new to league play, so we had a lot to learn in our first few matches. In the end, the other teams learned that we were the nicest and most gracious hosts. It ended up being a really great experience. I am not sure if we will play in the league in 2014, but it was a great experience trying something that is so far out of my comfort zone! I am in the back row in the middle in white shirt/skirt. I remember it was super hot that night and I thought I was going to die, but was glad that I had my Frog Tog to keep me cool:

Another tennis photo of a "bloody match" that was played with my daughter,(in pink) sis in law(in yellow) and bro in law(only brave guy around to take us on!)...so much fun! Part of our family reunion fun in Florida:

Our family reunion (on my husband's side) in Florida involved a photo shoot of all the families...16 grandkids under the age of 16...I snapped this pic as they were positioning the kids...this was so much fun to watch...and we were awaiting one more little one in this photo...love the behind the scenes photos! And by the way there are 11 girls to 5 boys! Girls rule:

And another one for fun, with the two youngest cousins, who are sisters, kissing...so so sweet:

And then one of my bro in laws snapped this for us outside by the water with an iPhone:

16...
Nothing prepares you for when your oldest turns 16...it is just so shocking that it has gone by so quickly...but we still had a blast celebrating from the moment she woke up until she went to sleep:

If you haven't noticed that most of my pictures involve family and friends. But in between these fun photos there is a lot of work that goes on. The mundane duties like laundry and driving to/from kid's commitments for lessons and practices. There are a lot of grocery store trips and cleaning of the house. Lots of bill paying and balancing of the checkbook. Honestly, I am a little behind on the tasks that keep the house running smoothly. So I am going to take care of those duties and I will come back with a final recap of 2013 and some thoughts about 2014. See you soon.
hugs,
Cathy

Small Changes, Update #1

As I look at the calendar, I am surprised that it is already mid-March. 2013 is moving at a fast clip for me! I have been working really hard at my Small Changes. Some areas where I wanted to focus, I have completely abandoned! Other areas, I have been much more successful. I am sticking to small changes though and I am seeing some progress. I like that word, progress!

Healthy Eating

I have gone back to tracking my calories on livestrong.com and have been making very good healthy choices for meals and snacks. I have lost about 6 or 7 pounds with modifying my eating, tracking my calories and working out. Tracking calories can be difficult, but I love knowing that I am making better choices daily and that by doing so, I am also seeing a difference in my weight. Also, it is important for me to track my sodium intake, as I want to avoid developing kidney stones. {High sodium intake is associated with kidney stones}. 

Coffee Addiction

At the beginning of the 2013 (and for many years!!!)  I was addicted to coffee. The two biggest reasons for my coffee addiction are it gives me an energy boost {temporarily} and it keeps me warm during the chilly midwest winters. Are you ready for this small change? I have cut down to 1 cup a day. 1 cup, just one and no more!!! And I feel much better!! I am sleeping better and I have more energy throughout the day. I also get up more easily.

I also, have cut out diet soda (easy for me to do in the winter, not so easy in the heat of summer). If I feel the desire for another cup of coffee or a diet pop, I have something better instead....water or a hot green tea.

Spirituality

This is a very private subject for me. However, I am at a new point in my life with my relationship with God. And it is wonderful. I have a long way to go with my knowledge of the Bible, but I am eagerly seeking His word on a daily basis. I am trusting. It isn't easy for me, as I like to have a lot of control over a lot of things. I am learning to really believe, and it is so freeing. We changed churches and religions about 1.5 years ago and it was the very best decision for our family. We are now part of an awesome "Life Group" where we meet and pray for each other's children. {WOW!} Our attendance at church has  increased greatly. And we are just enjoying our spiritual journey as a family. And as a couple. I picked up this book last week and my husband and I are enjoying reading this together. Amazing book. Go get it and share it with someone you love! 

Home Organization

Nada. Nothing. Not happening here. Not yet. Maybe soon? Ski season just ended so there is some HOPE that something in the near future will be organized! Last week as I was hunting for a picture to send my mom for her 70th birthday, I had a mini panic attack as I realized that I haven't organized photos in photo boxes, nor the computer that holds upward of 9 years photos. Closets are bursting and drawers are disheveled. I am going to write "Home Organization" on sticky notes and place them throughout the house...maybe little reminders will get me going? Maybe as I see the sticky reminders all over the house I will feel the more motivated. I hope so.

Miscellaneous

When I was in the bookstore last week (a rather rare occasion now that I have a Kindle) I found this super cute series of books, Cupcake Diaries, for my little baker who is 10 years old. She hadn't been reading very much and I thought this might do the trick. Yep, she is on the second book and she is hooked on them! This would be a great gift in an Easter basket!!

How are you doing on your goals for 2013? I hope to hear from you. And if you live where spring has already sprung, go ahead an torture me with your warm temps and sunny pictures! 

Also, if you want to stay in touch, follow me on Instagram at cathymskier And we won't talk about my Instagram addiction, ok?

Hugs, 

Cathy

Small Changes for 2013, Part 2

So some of you have had more time to find your word for 2013 or make some resolutions. In my last post I said I was making small changes in 2013 and some wondered what they might be. 

I read somewhere that the #1 resolution by Americans was to lose weight. I love to eat! Over the holidays as more and more treats came into our home, I would snack on the high calorie treats that adorned our counters. Thus a little weight gain. 

Track Calories

My small change in this area is to be more active and to eat mindfully, which is a lot easier said than done. So the first small change I have made is to track my calories again. I am choosing foods that are higher in protein, less processed/packaged foods. I am also making an effort to have fresh veggies and fruits ready to be eaten. It seems when I want a snack, I don't want to take time to prepare it, so it really helps having the veggies washed, cut and ready to be eaten. My favorite go to snack is greek yogurt. If you haven't tried it, you should! It is a great source of protein and really delicious. Be sure to read the label as there are now a lot of varieties, with some containing too many calories. These are previous posts that I have written about healthy eating: here and here.

Be Active

The midwest winter months can really drag on, as those who live in the midwest know, all too well. I am aiming at being more active. I continue to ski with my family on the weekends. I have also gone back to tennis one day/week. I committed to working with a personal trainer in a group setting in February. I am using the rest of January to get ready for this huge challenge. I already logged the training dates into my calendar and I am committed to being in the gym at a minimum of two days per week.  I am also hoping to make a reacquaintance with my treadmill! 

Home Organization

Another small change I have made is in the area of organization. I am following A Bowl Full of Lemons, New Year's Home Revolution which is a 14 week home organization challenge. If you are interested in checking it out, go here. What I like about this challenge is that it can be as little or as much organization as that space needs that week. I figure even if  I clean a drawer a week in the space that they suggest, I will end up with a minimum of 14 clean drawers!! A small change that will lead to a bigger change! 

Before I started the New Year's Home Revolution "Organization Challenge"  I cleaned and organized my laundry/mud room. I am not quite done renovating this space, as I need to have a new faucet and sink installed and need new artwork above the coat hooks. I also need to find a way to hide the electrical cords from the washer and dryer, below the cabinets. I hope to dedicate one full blog post to this room, as it is a big part of the functioning of our family! Here is a peek at the progress so far from last spring: 

If you want to see what my laundry room looked like "BEFORE" go here and here.

A have a few more small changes for 2013 that I will share with you in another post. And to leave you on a note of other things happening at our house...a scheduled surgery for my son Foster, to repair an "acute ulnar collateral ligament"or thumb ligament, after he suffered a ski injury dubbed as Skier's Thumb...a similar injury his father also had as an 8th grader. Like father, like son.

Xray at orthopedic surgeon's office:

My kids love playing with the fun stuff at the orthopedic surgeon and using instagram:

I hope that your 2013 is off to a great start and that you are still enthused about the possibilities of great things to come in the new year! 

hugs, 

Cathy