1DoH: Staycation

Happy New Year!

This post closes out the 100 Days of Holidays. What an amazing holiday season it has been, and what a relaxing way to close out the year. I took the week between Christmas and New Year's off from work, not to go anywhere or do anything in particular, but just to stay home and enjoy ten days of family time!

My parents stayed with us through the weekend following Christmas, but these past five days when I ordinarily would have been at work (well, except New Year's Day, which we had off anyway) have been a nice "staycation" to use that recession-chic term :0) We had already paid for day care this week, so I wanted to use it at least a little. The point of staying home was to spend time with Kate, though, so I had to figure out what childless activities would be worth that sacrifice!

96) Monday 12/28: Matt and I have only seen one or two movies in the theatre since Kate was born, so a lunch date and matinee was a perfect way to spend a few hours "alone." We had lunch at Olive Garden (I had the soup, salad, and breadsticks lunch--yum) and then saw "It's Complicated." Four awesome actors and a humorous premise made for an enjoyable film.
97) Tuesday 12/29: The only other thing I could think of that I wanted to do without Kate was spend some time at St. Arbucks. (When she was little and would sleep or sit contentedly in her car seat, we could grab a latte easily, but now she'd be climbing on strangers' laps and pulling tumblers off the display shelves!) So, I spent some time reading and sipping at Starbucks (like the color trend in my books? I was also wearing a lime green shirt and scarf!) and quickly perusing the mall for bargains (I found some summer shorts for Kate at Old Navy for 47 cents!)
98) Wednesday 12/30: Kate usually goes to day care Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to do without her, so we made Tuesday her last day (we're switching to a new center this Monday, so it really was "goodbye" to her old teachers!). We spent Wednesday just puttering around the house, then had Granna and Opa over for dinner. They like to see Kate at least once a week, and hadn't seen her since Christmas Eve!

99) Thursday 12/31: More puttering! I worked on a few crafty projects, got new tires put on my car, etc. We didn't have any plans for the big night, so just made a nice dinner at home and spent time together. (Given that I usually go to bed around 9:30, those extra three hours were really something!) I got sad before putting Kate to bed, since 2009 was such a special year with her, and while 2010 and beyond will be even more fun, it was still sad to see her first year tick away!

100) Friday 1/1/2010!!! Happy New Year from Kate! (She yanks headbands off pretty quickly now, so I usually only force one upon her on holidays.) It's cliche to say, but I seriously can't believe how quickly 2009 went by. The summer, especially, is just a blur in my memory. It was such a special year. In 2010, Kate will learn to talk, make new friends, and become an even more active bundle of energy!
Whew! This "100 Day" endeavor was a challenge. Now I know I don't have the stamina for "Project 365." It will take a few days before I stop thinking "wait! I need a picture of this for 100 Days of Holidays!" (like the baby shower I'm going to today... maybe I'll still take my camera anyway.)

Even though I won't be posting a highlight from every day any more, I do think this prolonged exercise will help me see the special details in every day, and remember the little things that otherwise might pass unnoticed. As the prolific writer Anonymous said "One day we'll look back on the little things and realize they were the big things."

I wish you many special "little things" in 2010.