Everybody’s doing it: the year-in-review questionnaire!
Links to other bloggers who have inspired this post: A’Dell, Jennie, and Lauren.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Quit a full-time job without plans to find another full-time job.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did a post on my To Do List from 2011. I’m planning on organizing a To Do List for 2012 at some point.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
 I did, Sandra, Olga, my friend Rebecca, and half LS’s playgroup. Everyone is having second children. But I beat most of them too it with my children who are one day short of 16 months apart. Yay me.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
 We weren’t personally close, but Christian’s paternal grandmother died the day that Little Lady was born. We were not able to travel to her funeral in Arkansas due to the birth of Little Lady. I am sad about that and I feel like it was my fault even though I was unable to control the fact that I went into labor.

Also our cat died, which is in no way similar to a grandparent dying but it was sad and I am sorry she was in so much pain and we did not know how to help her.

5. What countries did you visit?
 With two children under the age of 2? Are you freaking kidding?

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
 More sleep. Yes, that would be the most awesome thing ever.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
 My daughter’s birth. Cause you just don’t go around forgetting unmedicated childbirth.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Keeping two children alive on my own during the day. I kind of think I should get some kind of prize for how much laundry I do as well.

9. What was your biggest failure?
 Not realizing that our lease was unbreakable before we bought this house.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
 Not really. I am thankful for that!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
 A house.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
 Our Secret Santas. Thank you.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
 The highly-paid, giant children we call our political figures.

14. Where did most of your money go?
 This house, our former landlord, and the new renter to get out of this lease.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Um? I don’t get all that excited about things.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory” because the ladies at BlogHer 2011 did a flash mob to it!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder? Probably happier overall, striving to work on contentment.
b) Thinner or fatter? Thinner. But not on purpose. I need to gain muscle mass and lose the pooch.
c) Richer or poorer? Poorer. Oh dear, sooooo much poorer. But still happy, SO THERE!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Sleep, work out, read. These are unrealistic wishes because my kids don’t let me do any of these things. But still, I can wish!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Freakin’ laundry. But since we cloth diaper it’s kind of a given, so I realize that is unrealistic.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
With my little family, here in our new house. Then we hosted both sides of our family and some extended family for post-Christmas get-togethers. At one point 10 adults and 3 kids ate here, and we had 3 adults and 1 child overnight. It was so awesome to be able to fit that many people comfortably in our house!

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
With my new Little Lady!

22. What was your favorite TV program?
We started watching Parks and Recreation on NetFlix and we really love it! I think we like it more than Community now. We are fickle that way.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don’t really hate people, it’s not in my nature. I do get really annoyed at the behavior of certain people, but I don’t take it personally. I got really annoyed at the landlord situation. There is one other person I have been annoyed with off and on, but if it goes further I will talk to that person directly.

24. What was the best book you read?
I haven’t had the chance to read much but I did get to read Water For Elephants and I really enjoyed it. Also, Tina Fey’s book Bossypants. That was the funniest book!

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
That I no longer have the time or ability to listen to music. I only bought one album and I don’t even think I listened to the whole thing. I listen to nothing but children’s music in the car and I can’t listen to music anywhere outside the car.

26. What did you want and get?
A peaceful birth and a place to live that has more room for the kids.

27. What did you want and not get?
I would have loved to have some dates with my husband without the kids this year, but babysitters are so expensive. Oh well. Maybe we will have a few in 2012.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I have only seen 2 movies in the theater since my children were born (babysitters being so expensive…) but we saw lots of things on NetFlix. I can’t remember if there were any that were particularly great.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 33. I can’t remember what we did, I was 9 months pregnant. I had Little Lady one week later.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I had been able to take care of myself more – had more than one pedicure, kept up with waxing, etc.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
1. Pregnant. Again.
2. Post-pregnant
3. Having lost too much weight so that nothing fits but too broke to buy new clothes.

32. What kept you sane?
Probably my husband and God, because it’s definitely a fine line sometimes!

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don’t really follow celebrities and I definitely don’t get crushes on them.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
I was glad that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed, and also that we are out of Iraq. I really never thought we would end that war.

35. Who did you miss?
I guess I missed our cat somewhat.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
The two new families in our community group and a friend of a friend I met at a playdate.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
Money or lack of money does not provide security or take it away.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
“Itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out!
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
and the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.”
(see #25… this is Little Sir’s favorite song besides “The Rainbow Connection”)