Goal update...

There is a crazy ice storm today.  Isaac had an early dismissal.  I made it home from school and the babysitter without too much trouble.  Ryan's commute ended up being three times as long as usual as he white knuckled his way home from Reading.  

I googled some March blogging prompts and found this list.   The first prompt asks how you are doing on your New Year's Resolutions.  Probably a topic that is not of interest to anyone but me, but I do like to take stock of where I am on my goals on my 101 in 1001 list.  I have made some progress on a few things.

Here are some things I am doing well on so far in 2015

1.  So I have been trying to make more of an effort as far as my appearance.  It's so easy to just throw my hair in a ponytail and mindlessly throw on one of the same boring outfits I have been wearing since I ended maternity leave.  I went shopping over the weekend and finally bought all new bras, underwear and pajamas.  Mine were literally falling apart at the seams, overstretched elastic, the whole nine yards.  I also got a few new outfits and a haircut (can you tell we just got our tax refund?) I've been blow drying and brushing my hair and wearing makeup most days.  It's a process, and sometimes it's easier to just not care, but I think I am doing better.

2.  Preparing things the night before.  I have been really good about signing the homework book, packing the lunches and Hannah's bag the night before.  It's actually one of the first things I do when I get home from work, is pack lunches for the next day. It makes things so much easier in the mornings.  

3. Money stuff.  Ryan is making a lot of more money at his new job, so that certainly helps to have more money to work with.  We have been doing well communicating about bills and expenses and getting on top of things.  Not that we are perfect by any means, but I think we are on a good path.  It's amazing how much stress is out of my life now that things are improving in this area.

4. Staying on top of the everyday stuff.  I am doing better staying on top of the dishes and the laundry (well, the washing and drying part, not so much the folding and putting away part).  

5. Reading.  I have actually finished a few books and have been doing better at keeping a book in the car or my purse for those times when I am waiting on someone and have a little bit of time.  I need to read more at night before bed and not just flip through facebook.

Here are some things I could improve on:

1.  Drinking more water.  I'm horrible about it.  Lunch rolls around and I realize I haven't had anything to drink all morning at work.   It's like, the easiest thing you can do to improve your health and I am so bad about it.

2. Making better use of my morning time.  I pick up Hannah almost as soon as I am allowed to leave work, and she has to tag along for any potential errands to be run after school.  More often or not Isaac has an evening activity.  Ryan usually gets home around bed time.  Our weeknights are full.  There isn't much room for "me time" on weekday evenings.  But Ryan gets the kids up and out the door in the mornings long after I have left for work.  Once in a while I will run an errand or something on my way to work, but that would be the perfect time for me to go to the gym or go for a walk, or get to school early to get stuff organized.  I think one morning a week would be a realistic goal to start.  I will try for March.

3. Getting to the less essential cleaning (bathrooms, floors, dusting).  It's not fun, so it gets put off and put off.

So I want to work on that stuff.  Other goals for March:

1. Date with Ryan-- no kids allowed!

2. Finish Mercy and start another book.

3.  Get my clearances in order for work (they need to be updated to stay at my current job and definitely need to be updated if I am going to get serious about applying elsewhere).

4. Get one more letter of recommendation together.  I have two that I have collected but I need one more.

5. Figure our renewing our family membership at the Y.  

6 More Weeks of Winter

* January was a long month for us.  Ryan was traveling for 3 weeks.  I did better than I thought getting by without him, but it does make me more grateful for all of the work he does around the house and helping with the kids, especially Hannah. Sadly, he came home Friday and then woke up Saturday feeling horrible.  It seems that he has the flu (again) or some sort of icky virus-- high fever, lots of chest congestion.  Monday was supposed to be his first "official" non-training day of his new job and he is still as sick as a dog.  I tried to get him to take a sick day but he won't take a sick day on a normal day, let alone his first day.  Of course they sent him home though, to his great disappointment.  Tuesday he got into the doctor and ended up getting sent to the hospital for a chest X-ray.  It looks like his "bad cold" may be pnuemonia!

* Sunday night we did watch the Super Bowl.  Ryan typically likes to make a big to-do out of it, but since he was stuck under a blanket on the couch drinking gatorade and sucking on cough drops, it was pretty low-key this year.  Hannah got really into the half time show though.  Her dancing was intense and adorable.  Neither one of us made it to the end though.  We both fell asleep on the coach together sometime during the 3rd quarter.  I should start watching football the nights I suffer from insomnia.  It puts me to sleep every time.

* I finally finished I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb, the 800+ page book I have been lugging around since summer.  It was well written and I am glad I eventually powered through it, but I am looking forward to reading something a little lighter next.  It put me a bit behind on my reading goals, if I am going to hit 50 books by October.  We'll see.

* I would like to get a few fun things on the calendar for the kids.  I would love to take Isaac and Ryan's kids snow tubing.  I would love for us to spend a Saturday at a museum.  I would love for Ryan and I to go for a real date sans Hannah (something we haven't done since last February!).   The winter seems so long and dreary.  We need some fun things on the calendar to look forward to.

And it's January...

Well I don't even know if this blog has any readers anymore (besides my mom-- HI MOM!) but I am going to try to write more regularly again.  Having a baby really put me into survival mode for a year and I feel like I am just starting to come out of the fog. The usual steamroller that is back to school and then the holiday insanity is amplified by dealing with a very mobile and destructive curious toddler.  Add in the fact that my caseload this year at school is especially large, more responsibilities that used to the job of other people has now been shifted onto the special ed teacher and it left little time for blogging.  Or vacuuming. Or sending our Christmas cards. Or sleep.

Many bloggers start off the new year with a look at last year and a post detailing new resolutions.   I have my long terms goals listed as a document on my blog.  It is finally the last year for them, with the deadline being October of this year.  I am going to keep working away at those.  As far as other goals, I need to be more organized in general (really, that is the overarching theme/struggle of my life) and to make better use of our family together time.  Ryan has just started a new job which should allow us a little more financial breathing room and also the luxury of a fixed schedule.  Knowing his schedule ahead of time will hopefully allow us to plan more family experiences and see more of his kids.  Working opposite shifts has it's pros (he is home with Hannah during the day) and cons (we never see each other, I have to handle all of the evening chaos alone).  While that won't be changing, knowing Ryan's schedule for the whole entire year will really help us make the most of the times we are both home.

Aside from being more organized and planning more family time, another goal is sort of get back to myself. Being pregnant and then being broke for a year, it has been a while since I bought any new clothes, or really, anything that wasn't an absolute necessity.  I want to figure out my sense of style as a 30 something adult-- something beyond my uniform of black trousers and button downs for work and yoga pants and scoop neck t-shirts for home.  I got a compliment the other day on a coat, and I realized that I have had that coat since college, which was over ten years ago.  It must be that my clothes are so old they are coming back into style. Same for my hairstyle/color, the same since high school.  It's time for an update.

Another goal of mine is to find more time to reconnect with things I love doing.  It worked out over winter break for me to get out to a cardmaking workshop, something I used to do regularly but haven't done much the past two years.  I had such a nice time and it made me feel bad about all of the stamps and craft supplies that sit dormant and unloved in my living room closet. I would really like to carve out a little bit of time every other month or so, to get out to a workshop or get together with friends and allow myself to be creative again.

In the same vein, I also want to get off my phone and pick up more books.  I used to read almost every night before bed and now sit in the dark refreshing Facebook and playing Trivia Crack.  I have been slogging through Wally Lamb's beast of a book I Know This Much is True.  While I am enjoying it, is nearly 900 pages of heavy, emotional drama.  I have come too far to quit, but I may alternate reading it with something a little more light and fluffy.

Over Christmas break Ryan and I watched It's a Wonderful Life.  I had never seen it before, but it is one of Ryan's favorite movies ever.  I felt so bad for poor George, but I like it.  It was also one of the things on my 101 in 1001 goal list.

call me julia

One of the things on my goal list was to take a cooking class with Ryan.  I signed us up for a French cooking class as a Christmas present but we waited until now because I was anxious about leaving the baby.  It actually worked out since it fell only a few days after our wedding anniversary so it was nice to have a real date.  The class was at Sur La Table in the Court at King of Prussia. All of the other participants were older women and of course they all loved Ryan.

We made a frisée salad with poached eggs and lardons which was salad of somewhat bitter greens with a hot bacon vinaigrette.  So basically bacon and eggs on a salad.  Neither Ryan nor I had ever poached an egg before.  The salad was amazing and really not hard at all to make.

The main dish was Coq au Vin which was basically chicken and vegetables cooked in a red wine sauce in a Dutch oven.  The side was Haricot Vert (French green beans) with grainy mustard sauce.  Both of these foods were AMAZING.  

We forgot to take a picture of dessert which was an apple clafouti.  It was sort of a cross between an apple crepe and an apple custard.  That was Ryan's favorite part of the meal and he is so not a dessert person.  I will definitely make the dessert again.

It was a fun date night and a chance to try some foods we might not have tried before.  

MOMA

So Ryan had put together a fun overnight trip for my birthday back in November.  Due to a bunch of crazy circumstances, we never ended up going.  Well Ryan realized his hotel points would be expiring soon and, even though I was quite reluctant, he was determined for us to get away for a night.  I was nervous to take such a big trip when even going to the grocery store feels overwhelming but Ryan insisted and ultimately it was nice to get out of the house and go somewhere I have always wanted to go.

Friday night Hannah and I dropped Isaac at his dad's house, picked Ryan up at work and then headed to the Big Apple.  Hannah was a great traveler: she slept the whole way.  

We just kept her with us in the big king sized bed all night and she did great. The next morning we put her in the Moby wrap for breakfast and checking out the hotel.  

Then we bundled her up and headed into Manhatten to go to the Museum of Modern Art. 

Hannah slept most of the day but she did wake up to pose in a few pictures.

Sleeping away.  See the floppy arm?2

The museum had a free audio tour on iPods which was really great.  You could even take pictures and email them to yourself.  

Hannah drank her bottle on a bench across from this Jackson Pollack painting.

Me and Frida, no big deal...

We finished the day up with a freezing cold walk through Times Square and dinner at Ruby Tuesdays before we headed back home.

Another check for my goal list

101 in 1001

So it's January and I am a little late in doing the whole goals thing but I was going through my 101 in 1001 and I realized there were quite a few things to catch up on.

Here is what I've done.

21.  Turn the front room into a nursery.

Checkety check.  This was a lot harder than I anticipated.  The front room was sort of a catch all space for everything we need to use on occasion but not everyday.  It has been hard to figure out what to do with everything that had to come out so that the baby stuff could go in.  There is still a random pile in the hallway of stuff that we have not yet found a home for.  But the office is basically a nursery.  We painted it pink and got a cute rug.  We still need to get the curtain and mini blinds up and finish up a few final touches.  It is just a storage room for baby stuff at this point anyways.  As long as Hannah is waking up multiple times a night she is going to sleep in our room. 

28. Organize and display Ryan's memorabilia.

Disclaimer: I use the term "memorabilia" very loosely.  This shelf came out of the front room and found a new home in our bedroom displaying Ryan's *coughcough* collectibles.  It was organized more nicely but at least his special souvenirs are on display where they can be enjoyed instead of in bins in the garage.-

48.  Give away at least 20 homemade blank cards as gifts. 

This one is partially complete.  I gave my Secret Santa at work three Christmas cards that I made.  They were variations of this card:

72. Attend 5 plays or musicals. 

We have two more additions to this one.  First, my parents invited us to join them for the Christmas Show at the American Music Theater in Lancaster.  We also took the kids to see the holiday panto at People's Light and Theater Company.  You can read about that here.

93.  Watch 5 football games with Ryan without complaining.  

One random game a few weeks ago with Ryan.  I forgot I record the date and details but it happened!  I also watched the NFC championship game with Ryan. I am not developing a love of the game, despite what Ryan had hoped.  But I think he appreciates me spending time with him and at least attempting to take an effort.  Plus Isaac is a huge football fan so it is good family time.

100.  Find a way to volunteer in Isaac's school/classroom.

The last day of school before Christmas break and my maternity leave I had a early dismissal but Isaac had a full day.  His teacher asked for a few parents to come in and help with their classroom party and I jumped at the chance. I took a half personal day once in kindergarten to be a mystery reader and that has been the only time I have been able to volunteer in Isaac's entire school career.  I ended up manning the craft table making penguin Christmas ornaments.  Isaac seemed really excited to have me there and it was  fun to see him interact in his classroom.

42. Take a cooking class with Ryan.

This is a partial complete.  I signed us up for a class at Sur La Table in February as a Christmas present. I thought it would make a fun date night and I was hoping by the end of February I would feel okay leaving Hannah with a sitter.

 33. Read 50 books. 

I blogged recently that Isaac had commented that I used to read books but now I don't.  This made me feel awful, even though it was true.  So I picked up Gone Girl (just okay) and finished it up and then moved on to Paper Towns (also just okay).  Now I am moving onto Brain on Fire.  

How are you doimg with your goals?

101 in 1001

I finally remembered the other day that I can add another checkmark to my little list of goals.  You can click here to see how I am doing.

65.   Finish elementary ed certification  - DONE!

It has been a crazy road, but due to a kind hearted professor who wouldn't stop hounding me and a series of fortunate events I was able to finish this and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recognizes me as a certified elementary teacher.  (Previously, I was a highly qualified as an elementary teacher with only a special education certificate.)

Goals in progress
19.   Get an allowance/chore chart system together and actually stick with it for at least a year.

Ryan, Isaac and I finally came up with a system that seems to be working.  We implemented it a few weeks before school started which kept it from feeling overwhelming when we all got back into school mode.  Isaac likes having a chance to earn an allowance and I love that he is initiating helping out around here without me having to nag, negotiate, bribe, remind and beg.  He has also surprised me by saving his allowance up so far. I expected it to burn a hole in his pocket.  

How are you doing with your goals?

New York, New York

Saturday Ryan and I both randomly ended up off of work and we decided to take a somewhat spur of the moment trip up to New York City. This was exciting because it actuually crosses TWO things off of my 101 in 1001 list.: take the kids to New York City and see a live taping of a TV show.

We headed out early in the morning and began our day in Rockefeller Plaza for a shooting of the Today Show.  The Today Show is one of Ryan's favorite show.





That's me in the purple.  Proof I was actually there since I didn't make it in any other pictures.
 



This is Ryan with Lester... somebody... Ryan's favorite anchor.  It's now replaced a picture of he and I on our honeymoon as his Facebook profile picture.

 

It was somewhat rainy but we still enjoyed ourselves.

 

 

The anchors were all friendly and nice and hung around after tapings the segments to take pictures and talk to the audience. 

 

 

 

After the taping was over, we checked out the NBC Studio store. 

 

Isaac's favorite part was pressing the button to light up the giant X from the X Factor.  We have really enjoyed watching that show as a family, so we had to check out where it was filmed.



 





 

The next stop was Times Square.  We checked out a lot of the big stores, but our favorite was the M&M store.  It was there where we took the least flattering picture of me ever.

 



After a quick lunch in Times Square it was back to NBC Studios for the tour.  I had taken it before, but Isaac and Ryan really liked it.  Ryan was chosen to be a practice newcaster.  We saw the studio where Jimmy Fallon hosts his show, the studio where they do Saturday Night Live, control rooms, the set of the Nightly News. 

When we left the tour the sun was finally shining.  We decided to make our next stop Central Park.  We took a liesurely walk through the park, people watching and stopping to watch a softball game.  We heard some music playing and it turned out to be this free gospel concert.  We stayed and listened for an hour or so.

It was really my first foray into live Gospel music.  There were people clapping and dancing and so caught up in the Spirit of the Lord that they were weeping and fainting.

After we left the concert, we got some dinner at the world's most expensive Times Square TGIFridays and then headed him.  It was such a nice day. 

 

 

A hundred times have I thought New York is a catastrophe, and fifty times: It is a beautiful catastrophe. --Le Corbusier

101 in 1001 update

So it's been a while since I blogged about my 101 in 1001 progress.  I have crossed a few things off the list.

50. Seriously try to bite my nails less.

So, I have bitten my nails for as long as I can remember.  Like, bitten them down to tiny stubs, till they were painful and bled.  One perk of pregnancy (or maybe taking prenatal vitamins?) is my hair and nails and growing like crazy.  I noticed that even with my biting they were longer than usual, so I decided to do my best to stop biting them.   It was really, REALLY hard, especially the first two weeks.  Biting my nails has been a way to release stress and anxiety since I was probably three or four.    Even now that it has been probably six weeks, the temptation to bite them is still there but it reinforced my decision to stop as I saw my nails getting longer and more pretty.   I realize they are probably still short and stubby by other people's standards, but it was real progress for me.

When we were on our cruise I decided to reward myself for my efforts and I got my first manicure.  I have had acrylic nails on tons of times, but I have never had a manicure on my natural nails and actually, in my whole adult life I have never even worn nail polish on my hands.  I was a teeny bit disappointed because the girl only offered me about 10 colors to choose from and that included yellow, green, black and gray which were obviously not going to be choices.  I went with a cherry red. 

 

I am going to do my best to keep them up and to resist the temptation to chomp on them!!

 

29. Get a grill. 

 

I should have snapped a picture, or better yet, before and after pictures.  Ryan found a grill on Craig'slist for 20 bucks.  I was skeptical when he told me about it and even more skeptical when he brought it home.  It looked... really dirty and gross.  He got a special cleaner from Lowe's and spent a whole afternoon cleaning it up though, and I have to admit, he totally transformed it.  It looks great.

 

33. Read 50 books

 

For my reading on the airplane and cruise I chose Always and Forever by Cathy Kelly.

 

It was on the buy one get one free table of my local used bookstore and looked like a fluffy vacation type book.  I really enjoyed it.  It was like several short stories that all ended up weaving together in the end.  It is a light read and somewhat predictable but interesting and engrossing.  I would definitely read something else by that author.

 

How are you doing with your new years goals?

 

Have a great weekend!

oops

I fell asleep before I could post yesterday.  Ryan came home from work a little before ten and found me asleep in bed with all of the lights on and my laptop in my lap.  Which ruins my 30 day streak.  Booooo.  Hiss....  I am going to post twice today and call it good. 

Update to 101 in 1001

9. Try 50 New Recipes

• Secret fruit salad - I ended up accidently hosting a Mary Kay party (long story) and I made this for the girls to eat.  I am not a fan of fruit salad, but it got rave reviews from everyone who tried it.  This recipe is making it's way all over Pinterest.  The recipe says it serves 3-4 but I think it makes WAY more than that. 
• Chicken enchilada pasta - This recipe was from Mel's blog which is a great one for easy family friendly recipes.  This was SO DELICIOUS and it will definitely be becoming a part of our regular dinner rotation.  I did skip the olives though (blech!). 
• Taco Casserole - was from this blog.  Ryan randomly requested a taco casserole and this was one of the first hits Pinterest yielded.  It was very easy to make, but it almost seemed like an appetizer more so than a main course.  We all liked it though, so I will probably make again.
• Breakfast pancake - This was one of those dead pinterest pins with the recipe in the description and no link.  I made it on a random Saturday morning for breakfast when we had Ryan's sister Katherine staying with us.  At first I thought I must have done something wrong because it looked like this when we pulled it out of the oven:

          but it was actually delicious!  It is kind of a cross between French toast and pancakes. 

33. Read 50 Books

• I brought Jodi Piccoult's Lone Wolf to take along with me to Florida.  It was just okay.  I enjoy her as an author, but this was my fourth book in a row by her and they are  all pretty much the same.  Her characters have some sort of unsolvable dilemma which culminates in a court case where a big secret is revealed. I think I need to move onto a different author for a while.

Ten on Tuesday: Back from Florida Edition

 

 

1. I am finally adjusting back to post-Orlando vacation life.  I will blog lots more about my trip later, but for now I will say, that was the first time I have driven to Orlando (from the Philadelphia area) and it will absolutely be my last.  I am not someone who is cut out for long car rides.

2. My allergies are horrible lately.  My students had a field trip to the pool today and I had to carry around a box of tissues with me all day.  My nose won't stop running, my eyes won't stop watering, and Ryan just informed me that my face "looks like it was stung by, like, six bees." I feel so attractive.

3. Right before we left for Florida, my brother got married!  I will write more about that later, but my sister snapped this picture of us at the rehearsal dinner and I think it is my new favorite picture of our little family.

 

4. It is so, so close to the end of the school year.  On the one hand, I am so pumped for summer break.  But on the other hand, I have sooooooooooooooooo much to do before the end of the year, it's stressing me out. 

 

5.. I know I am a few days late, but I am going to finish up this challenge:

 

 

and add a few more days so I can blog 30 days in a row.  That would knock another item off of my 101 in 1001.  I have been rather absent from the blog lately, but I have a lot I could write about.

 

 

6.  We got our wedding pictures back from the photographer.  I will be featuring them on the blog in the future, but if you would like to take a peek at some of them, click here.  Randomly, the most commented and liked photo is one of my mom and her sister. 

 

7. Quote of a lifetime by Isaac "Who would say that their indie record was cooler than Taylor Swift's?  That is ridiculous."

 

8. My sweet sister in law Deb is expecting a baby in January.  I am SO excited to have a niece or a nephew.  Also, she asked me and Ryan to be the godparents.  We were so honored.

 

9. Isaac lost another tooth yesterday.  This time I remember to go and get some cash to put under his pillow.  Last time, I accidently forgot and it was tragic.  Ryan and I had to make up a lame story about how the toothfairy couldn't come because it was raining.  So I think I redeemed myself this time.  Whew!

 

10. This is so true.

Happy Tuesday!

Update on 101 in 1001

I haven't forgotten about my 101 goals.  I have even managed to make a little progress on them and even cross a few off. 

14. Buy a car that fits all of the kids - DONE!!!!

I still can't park it well but my little sedan was traded in for a big ol' mini-van.  I am still getting used to it.  The other day I left cub scouts at the church and was temporarily unable to locate my mini-van amongst a sea of other navy vans.  I guess these are the problems of the middle aged.  Read all about the purchase of the van HERE.

77.  Take the kids to the Baltimore Aquarium - DONE!
I am counting this one, even though we only took Isaac and not the whole gang.  I hadn't been to the Baltimore Aquarium in ages and it was really fun.  We decided to go the same day we bought the mini-van to do a test run for a roadtrip.  Read all about it HERE. 

Other progress....

9. Try 50 new recipes
I tried this one - Red Lobster biscuit knockoff.  I thought they were just okay.  I have never been to Red Lobster, so I can't verify how authentic they taste.  We had lots of leftovers that never really got eaten, so I don't think I will make them again.  I also tried a cornbread recipe from the back of the cornmeal box that turned out TERRIBLE.  Usually I buy the little Jiffy cornbread-- so cheap and easy, but I didn't have any on hand.  I did have a random box of cornmeal so I found a recipe on the back of the box and tried to follow it.  Sadly, they were awful.  They had the consistency of yellow fudge, which is NOT how I like my cornbread.  Lastly, I made my own flour tortillas. 

43. Take a self defense class - scheduled
My Relief Society is offering one in May, so I am all set to attend.

Winterize it!

Happy Thursday!

 

 

Hello-- today I am linking up with Bri for the Third Thursday Threads.  

 

 

Her challenge this month was to winterize a summer piece.  I loved the idea of this challenge, because I feel like I have been wearing the same black and gray trousers and buttondowns to work every day, so it was exciting to reach for something on the summer side of my closet.  This butterfly sundress from Target didn't feel too summery.  So I paired it some Target leggings, some boots from Amazon, and a black cardigan from Old Navy.  The bracelet was a gift from my sister and the scarf was a gift from my grandmother. 

 

When I walked out of the house this morning, I felt vaguely maternity-esque with the babydoll waistline of the dress combined with the leggings.  Evidently I wasn't the only one who thought this look read "maternity" because the cleaning lady at school commented that I was really starting to "pop".  I must have looked confused and then I had to clarify that, no, I am not actually expecting, I am just chubby.   Two whomps. This was followed up by me walking to my car parked on the street and getting cornered by a huge SUV driven by one of my student's parents who basically wanted an impromptu conference about their child's progress on the street corner.  Just when you think you've seen it all. 

 

In other news, I have added two books onto my 101 in 1001.  Sybil Exposed was sitting in the clearance bin at Barnes and Noble.  It caught my eye, so I sat down in a comfy chair in a patch of sunlight and thirty pages later I decided I wasn't leaving without it.  I'm a psychology nerd, what can I say?  I also discovered randomly at the library one day that there was a Jennifer Weiner book I had somehow overlooked.  Then Came You was an easy read that I enjoyed.  I have been choosing my reading material from the large print section of the library to avoid the waiting list.  I grow closer to being a full blown senior citizen every passing day.

 

Have a great day!

goal update

Here is another update on my 101 in 1001.  I'm making pretty good progress I think.

Goals:

31. Find a great shade of red lipstick and feel confident wearing it.  - in progress

I bought this tube of red Cover Girl lipstick on a whim at Walgreens one day. I slapped it on casually one evening to try it out and it wasn't exactly met with rave reviews.  Isaac and Ryan both had reactions that can only be described as "disturbed", which certainly didn't make me feel confident about wearing it.  They both seemed genuinely upset by the color. I thought it was a bit too orange but not THAT bad.

  I went to take it off but found that I couldn't. It must be a long wearing formula because it would. not. come. off. Even the next morning it was still quite visible on my lips. I ended up taking a makeup removing wipe and aggressively scraping it off my lips. My friend Diana sells Mary Kay and gave me a ton of samples of lip stuff so the search continues.

61.  Get a physical.  Completed 1/21/2013  Not too much to report.  It was fine.  It has been a while. 

93.     Watch 5 football games with Ryan without complaining.

• Superbowl 47 - 2/3/2012  - I wasn't too impressed (aside from Beyonce's half time show-- LOVED that).  I mostly browsed blogs and surfed the net, but Ryan seemed genuinely excited that I was watching with him.  It occured to me that he often does things with me that aren't of much interest to him, for the sake of spending time with me, but very rarely do I do him the same favor. 
 

Goal Check Up

So I have started in on my 101 in 1001.

9.  Try 50 new recipes. 

When Isaac was home "sick" the other day, I made copycat Starbucks Lemon Pound cake.  Ryan loves all things lemon and had specifically requested a lemon pound cake.  I found this recipe when I perusing Pinterest and it got rave reviews.  It is moist and sweet. I don't think her blog permits me to post her pictures here, and I didn't take any of my own, but check out her post.  It's fool proof! The icing didn't turn out as pretty as hers did, but this recipe was definitely a success.  I only have one loaf pan, so I used my jumbo muffin tin for the other half of the batter and they turned out great as muffins too. 

62. Go to the eye doctor. 

While this is relatively dull to blog about, I thought it would be an easy one to cross off the list and get the ball rolling, so I called and made an appointement to knock this one out over Christmas break.  I hadn't been to the eye doctor in years.  Fortunately, everything is great.  My vision is good and my eyes are healthy.  Apparently my over the top obsessiveness with wearing sunglasses has paid off.    One item down, 100 more to go!

81. Visit 10 museums. 

Ever since Ryan and I met each other, he had talked about how much fun it would do some of the touristy things in Philadelphia-- he specifically wanted to go to the National Constitution Center. So we finally carved out some time yesterday and headed into the city.  It was a bright sunny and warm day (for January) and we really enjoyed ourselves.

As usual, there was a protest going on outside the Constitution Visitor's Center.  I love a good rally and Ryan humored me and let me hang around for a while, and sport my sticker.

First we hit up the Liberty Bell, which I don't think I had visited since probably middle school.  They have totally renovated the little building that houses the bell, and it was interested to read all about it.  I always think of the Liberty Bell being a symbol of freedom during the revolutionary war, but it was interesting to read how the abolitionists used the bell in their campaign against slavery and how it became a symbol of civil rights.  Visiting the Liberty Bell is also totally free. 

From there it was a short walk to the National Constitution Center, a huge white building with the words "We the people..." written across the facade.  Ryan and I found all of the exhibits to be so uplifting and inspirational.

 

It really made the whole Constitution come alive.  Our favorite exhibit was all about prohibition and the roaring 20's.  It was really well done.  Here I am campaigning for women's right to vote. 

And getting booked with some notorious gangsters...

New year, new goals

So with the new year, I have been thinking of what goals and tasks I have accomplished last year, and where I would like the see myself in the years that are coming up.

I have seen this floating around the blog-o-sphere and I decided, in the spirit of goal-setting, to write my own.  This isn't a "bucket list" of major things to accomplish before I die, but I thoughtful list of things I can change, and habits I can form in the next few years that would improve my life.

There are more details on this website.  Here is a little bit about the project from their website:

The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

              

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.

 

Start date: January 6, 2013

 

End Date: October 4, 2015

 

DOMESTIC GODDESS

1.       Sew a baby quilt

2.       Can something

3.       Cook a turkey

4.       Purchase art from a local artist

5.       Compile favorite recipes into a book or binder

6.       Update 72 hour kits

7.       At least once a month cook a nice Sunday dinner.

8.       Host a holiday meal for family.

9.       Try 50 new recipes.

10.   Keep re-useable grocery bags in my trunk and use them for a month straight.

11.   Learn to eat with chopsticks.

12.   Get a professional family portrait taken.

13.   Start an herb garden.

14.   Buy a car that can fit all of the kids.

15.   Befriend the neighbors.  Be more social with people who live near us.

16.   Have a dinner party with friends.

17.   Learn to make some freezer meals.

18.   Use organic/natural/homemade cleaning products in my home.

19.   Get an allowance/chore chart system together and actually stick with it for at least a year.

HOUSE

20.   Repaint the powder room

21.   Turn the front bedroom into a nursery

22.   Put a ceiling fan in Isaac’s room

23.   Finish basement

24.   Paint and decorate the master  bedroom

25.   Pour a patio out back.

26.   Get/make an outdoor firepit.

27.   Have carpets professionally steam cleaned.

28.   Organize and display Ryan’s memorabilia.

29.   Get a grill.

30.   Get a stand alone freezer for the garage.

PERSONAL

31.   Find a great shade of red lipstick and feel confident wearing it.

32.   Invest in great fitting undergarments.

33.   Read 50 books

34.   Read Les Miserables (can count for 32)

35.   Blow dry my hair every day for a week

36.   Go totally blond again (for a short time, not necessarily indefinitely)

37.   Try being a redhead.

38.   Pay off all credit card debt

39.   Get an “emergency fund” together (amount to be determined later).

40.   Blog every day for a month

41.   Movie theater marathon: three movies in one day

42.   Take a cooking class with Ryan

43.   Take a self defense class

44.   Send a secret to PostSecret

45.   Unsubscribe myself from all e-mails that clutter my inbox and blogs that clutter my reader

46.   Learn how to tie a tie.

47.   Take a picture in the same place in all four seasons.

48.   Give away at least 20 cards as gifts.

49.   Purchase a web domain for my blog/cards.

50.   Seriously try to bite my nails less.

51.   Watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Ryan.

FITNESS/HEALTH

52.   Try a spin class.

53.   Give up soda for a month

54.   Log my food intake for 30 straight days.

55.   For a week eat all of the recommended servings of vegetables.

56.   Do a family fitness class at the YMCA.

57.   Ride my bike to work at least 1 time.

58.   Try a pilates class.

59.   Try a hydro-aerobics class.

60.   Stay up to date with dermatologist appointments.

61.   Get a physical.

62.   Go to the eye doctor.

63.   Spend a weekend “unplugged”

PROFESSIONAL

64.   Get level 2 certificate

65.   Finish elementary ed certification

66.   Finish REAP application

TRAVEL/CULTURE

67.   Renew my passport

68.   Go on Steel Force with Ryan

69.   Visit the MOMA in New York

70.   Take the kids camping at least 3 times

71.   Go to a drive in theater

72.   Attend 5 plays or musicals

73.   Take a trip to California

74.   Go to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

75.   Go to the Storming of the Bastille in Philly

76.   Do a Ride the Ducks tour in Philadelphia

77.   Take the kids to the Baltimore Aquarium

78.   Take the kids to New York City

79.   Go to Niagara Falls

80.   Go to the Smithsonian 3 times

81.   Visit ten other museums

82.   Try White Castle

83.   Try Brunish’s

84.   Go to a rally or protest in DC.

85.   Send postcards to friends/family from our travels.

86.   Go to a drag show.

87.   Attend a film festival in Philly.

88.    Go to a mudsale in Lancaster.

89.   Go to the auction with Selena.

90.   Go to Longwood Gardens

91.   Go to a live taping of a TV show.

92.   Take the kids snow tubing.

93.   Watch 5 football games with Ryan without complaining.

LOOKING OUTWARD

94.   Pay for the person in the car behind me at Dunkin Donuts

95.   Leave a 100% tip

96.   Send at least 50 cards to friends and family

97.   Do something for a charity as a family

98.   Do a Clusters meal

99.   Participate in a benefit walk/run

100.    Find a way to volunteer in Isaac’s school/classroom

101.    Send my mother and mother in law flowers for no particular reason.


I will be updating this page (see my sidebar) and blogging about things along the way.

 

 Wish me luck!