Happy (belated) New Year!

Why yes, that is a martini glass on my son's bib.
And yes, I'm that kind of mom.

Since I gotta start somewhere, I might as well start with January! I celebrated my first parental New Year's Eve this year, which I found to be very different than those sans children. No going out to clubs, no drunken taxi rides home, no scrambling to decide who to kiss at the countdown. It might sound a little dull, but I thought it was quite relaxing!

We started the evening by going out to a tiny family-friendly restaurant. They make their own pasta and offer a salad as big as a serving platter, so it satisfied both Charles and I. The three of us had dressed up for this rare outing, and the owner/hostess/waitress (like I said, tiny restaurant) asked us where we were going to celebrate the evening. I laughed and said "Here! Being at a place with tablecloths and real glassware is a celebration for us these days!" I was pleased to know we looked festive enough to be seen at a *real* party.

After dinner we went home and drank wine til we were schnokered. To placate my superstitious earthy side we lit a candle and wrote down anything we wanted to leave behind from the past year, then burnt the little paper bits. I don't care if it's psychosomatic; it makes me feel better to perform these little rituals, and Charles was nice enough to play along.

We also made a New Year's video to post to YouTube, with the lofty goal of alerting all of our friends back home so they could watch it a la Wine and PJ's Party. Alas, that did not happen, but I saved the video so I could post it after the fact. (edit: No, we did not let Rowan flop around like that all night! He fell asleep as we were setting up the camera, and after we finished he was put to sleep. I mean laid in bed. You know what I mean!)

I don't remember what time we finally went to bed, but I recall feeling satisfied with the way the evening went. No drama, no headaches- just being with my little family and kissing the two most important men in my life. (Yeah, I'm being mushy. Cue the sappy music.)

So, from the frozen tundra of Michigan, we wish you a Happy New Year, a little late!