Last January, I wrote out a full page of goals for 2013, which I haven't looked at for, oh...362 days? I just went back to read my list today. Some of them I succeeded at (going for two massages! yes!) Some of them were partly successful - I read seven books, not 12. And some were complete fails: I didn't run my longest run to date or redo our little bathroom. But I definitely made some positive changes in 2013 that I'm proud of, so rather than focusing on the misses, let's highlight the good things. 

1. L'Oreal Youth Code BB Cream covers flaws, moisturizes, and provides SPF all in one product. It doesn't get any easier than that.



2. LUSH Santa Baby Lip Tint is super concentrated, but you can apply just a little for a sheer tint of colour or layer it on for a party look. It also works as a cheek tint too. (I have been using only three products on vacation this year: BB cream, this tint, and black mascara. So easy.)



3. Black leggings have been my holiday staple so far, as I refuse to wear "real pants" when I'm on vacation. I have been pairing them with tunics, sweater dresses, chambray shirts and today, an oversized plaid shirt. Comfort & joy.

5. Quesadillas are so easy and quick to whip up for dinner and a nice alternative when you're sick of turkey, gravy, and stuffing. I often just root through the fridge and throw in a bunch of cheese and random produce - avocados, peppers, mushrooms, anything goes - but if you're feeling slightly less lazy these grilled chicken and pineapple quesadillas from the Pioneer Woman are my favourites.



Hope you're having a merry and lazy holiday!

I ran four miles on the treadmill at lunch yesterday and logged them on DailyMile, checked my stats and realized that run brings me to 1,000 miles on the nose for 2013, with just shy of two weeks to go before the year is over.

Running this year has been a love/hate relationship. I completed one of my goals (to finish three races in 2013), but failed at my secret goal (to go for my longest run ever to date). I didn't go on any runs longer than 12 miles in 2013, and that one was a disaster. My races were a 10K, a 6K Mud Hero, and the 7K Lucky 7 Relay - all shorter distances than last year's BlueNose half. I feel like I got a little speedier, but lost a lot of endurance. It was an injury-free year, which, after 2012's IT band debacle, was a blessing. I struggled to get long runs in and was mostly miserable during them. Goals that used to seem attainable in terms of distance seem very daunting now. I had toyed with the idea of running a full marathon this fall, and now, that feels downright impossible. There were ups and downs is what I'm saying.


On the bright side, it was a fun year. I didn't kill myself training or force myself to run if I truly wasn't feeling it. I enjoyed each of my three races and didn't go nuts training for them. I also started doing strength training a lot more regularly, and even though I'm not breaking any records for mileage, I like feeling more balanced in terms of weight training + 'other' cardio + running.

I don't have any goals for running or fitness for 2014 yet. I would like to build up more endurance again and do another half-marathon, or longer. But I also don't enjoy my life revolving around making sure I get my long runs in. Lately the only goals I've been setting are to make it past 10:00 a.m. without eating a Christmas cookie (rarely happens). In two weeks, when I no longer fit into any of my pants, I'll have some fitness goals to share. For now? Just trying to get to the gym amidst all the merrymaking of the holiday season and not gain an obscene amount of shortbread poundage. And pretty happy with my 1,000 miles two years in a row.

It snowed last night. Just a light dusting, enough to make the ground white and turn our quiet street into a Christmas-card scene. The kind of fresh, early-December snow that makes you think, maybe, just maybe, you could learn to be a winter person after all.

After dinner, we all bundled up to take a walk around our street to look at Christmas lights. Being out at night, when he's usually home getting ready for bed, seems to be a major adventure for Eli, and he makes a big deal about the rare occasion when he's outside after dark. He loved seeing the lights on our neighbours' houses, pointing out a snowman here or a reindeer there, and kept saying, "I'm walking in the snow! I'm kicking the snow!" Something Pete and I have done tens of thousands of times, but for Eli, it was such a huge deal.

It really was a magical little outing. Trudging along looking at the holiday lights, holding the wee man's hand, and listening to him chirp with so much wonder and excitement was pretty special. Seeing things through Eli's eyes - the holidays or the first snowfall - is one of my favourite things about being a mom. Noticing things I would overlook otherwise. Thank you, Eli, for reminding me to get excited about the little things and to appreciate the beauty around us every day.

Doesn't it feel like Christmas is being such a sneaky dickens this year, creeping up out of nowhere? Christmas Eve is three weeks from today - THREE WEEKS. How is that possible? Where did that come from? I love Christmas, but I definitely set my holiday expectations way too high and inevitably end up somewhere north of disappointed and just barely south of full-on basket case. Last year, Christmas was a disaster. We were struck by the plague at our house - three weeks of just feeling like absolute ass which peaked the week of Christmas through New Year's. It was awful. I rarely get sick, and never for more than a day or two. My mom pointed out that sometimes, trying to do too much and not getting enough rest takes its toll on your immune system, and while I just snapped some snotty response at her, I think she was right. I crammed my plate last December and skipped things like sleeping and eating well, and paid the price. Lesson learned.

This year, I'm scaling back, just a wee bit. I won't be hand-crafting cards and making six flavours of fudge every weekend. I want to have a fun holiday with my family - but I don't want to kill myself doing it. That's the goal. Holiday cheer sans hospitalization. Shooting for the stars in 2013!

Some people say you start making new traditions when you have kids of your own, but I disagree. I was as single as single gets when I started watching the SNL Christmas special every year, and the fact that I was watching and laughing at it by myself (while drinking a shit ton of Baileys that I didn't have to share) made it no less enjoyable for me. Peter and I were shacked up but not married when we started spending Christmas Eve making obscene amounts of nachos and watching A Christmas Story and It's a Wonderful Life (which we've never managed to stay awake for, probably thanks to all the nachos). What I'm saying is, regardless of your family situation or marital status, Christmas can be a special time.

This year, I'm looking forward to lots of things with Pete and Eli. Eli is two now so Christmas is pretty new to him. His first Christmas, he was a blatting lump, and last year, he was one, so he was kiiiiiind of taking it in, but also pretty neutral about the festivities. This year is different. He loves seeing Christmas lights. He's afraid of Santa. He's feeling the feels, good and bad. And it's so much fun to see the holidays through his eyes!

I'm super excited to bake cookies with Eli and let him decorate his own little gingerbread man. To witness his momentous freakout at the mall when we take him to see Santa. To watch him help his dad put up Christmas lights outside, and to decorate the tree with him. I'm excited to spend time with our families and friends, and even to make merry with my coworkers at our office party. And I'm pumped to sit by the tree by myself, just enjoying a little downtime and unwinding from 2013.

Above is a list of some of the things I'm looking forward to over the next couple of weeks - carried out in a very relaxed fashion, of course. What's on your must-do list for December?