Sunday, March 17, 2013

Reflection 2012

apple juice toast
midnight 2012-13
[I wrote this in early January and forgot about it!]

It’s time for my second annual reflection based on Simple Mom’s “20 Questions for a New Year’s Reflection”. I copied the exact questions here, but go get the free printable from Simple Mom.


These are all answered from my perspective, but I made Matthieu jump in on questions 5, 6, and 7.


1.    What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
telling my husband that I am pregnant

2.    What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
financial fall-out as a result of moving and under-employment

3.    What was an unexpected joy this past year?
forming new friendships, growing others, and reuniting with old friends

4.    What was an unexpected obstacle?
hormonal imbalance causing months of emotional and physical challenges

5.    Pick three words to describe this past year.
Anna: transitions, toddler, compromise
Matthieu:transition, toddler, poor
(Uncanny!)

6.    Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your past year—don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you. (If you’re not married, have fun guessing the answers from other friends and family, or just skip this question.)
Anna: I think Matthieu would describe my 2012 as: fun, discouraging, changes
Matthieu: I think Anna would describe my 2012 as:graduation, career, sexy

7.    Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their past year—again, without asking.
Anna: I think Matthieu would describe his 2012 as: exhausting, exciting, milestones
Matthieu: I think Anna would describe her 2012 as:bootylicious,difficult, delayed

8. What were the best books you read this year?
The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne (translated into Finnish), Scripture Stories for Children (LDS from the early 90s), Ten Little Goblins by Pamela Jane Manning, The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, Bossypants by Tina Fey, Grandpa Green by Lane Smith, Jade by Taru Mäkinen

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
I don’t like to name friends for fear of leaving someone out, but my Utah County girls know who they are. I always value my relationships with my parents and brothers and sister and all my in-laws. My husband and daughter are sacred to me, and I spent more time (quantity and quality) with Alexandra than anyone this year, lucky me.

10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
I started reading more.

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
I became more empathetic in some ways.

12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
I allowed myself to self-evaluate my spiritual state candidly.

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?
I grew an avocado-sized baby!

14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
I got two more nieces; yay!

15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
I learned a lot about editing, writing, networking, and blogging, and about my strengths/areas needing improvement in my freelance editing/writing/translating work. I get satisfaction out of organizing my home.

16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
I would like to work more (work with more clients and write a good, monetized blog), but my progress is slow and I feel frustrated. I resent, procrastinate, and feel guilty about procrastinating housework.

17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
Lazy escapism via the interweb.

18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
reading to Alexandra

19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
You can feel joy and sorrow at the same time, and probably will the rest of your life. Fight for the joy to dominate.

20. Create a phrase or statement that describes this past year for you.
The ebbs and flows are frustrating, but the river is still moving forward.

I made up an abbreviated version for Alexandra and answered on her behalf.


1. What skills did you practice most this year?
complex sentences, vocabulary, and narration; praying; climbing; hurrying; group play; persuasion; eating with fork and spoon and drinking from regular cups; dressing and undressing self (with a little assistance); all pottying skills (but refusing to use it); beautiful singing voice; memorizing songs and books and sayings; making up words, copying/being copied, tickling and other silliness for humor

2. How big are you?
36” [91.4 cm] (tall enough to ride some “real” rides at the Mall of America amusement park); 30 pounds [13.6 kgs]; hair halfway down back

3. In what ways are you more mature emotionally?
participatory (social) play; expressing frustration, sadness, anticipation, regret, and gratitude; empathy and comforting others; taking/giving/waiting for turns

4. What did you enjoy most about daily life?
reading; watching shows; going to the playground; playing with grandparents, aunts/uncles/relatives, peer-friends and cousin-friends

5. What was most challenging about daily life?
when mom is on the computer for long stretches of time and when dad is at work/school for long hours; trying really hard to do something but not mastering it quickly enough for own high standards

6. What are your catch phrases?
“I’m Woody!” “I’m a princess!” “Give me [  ].” “Can you read it, please?” “I want to [whatever someone else just mentioned]!”and endless talking about anything from goats to commanding dogs to colors to categories of vehicles, etc.


April 2012:

moving out of our apartment of 3 years (we were sad)
October 2012:
Matthieu's 30th birthday party (Big Bang Theory theme)

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