100 Goals for 2011. That is NOT a Type-o. December 5, 2010

In my last post, I mentioned that I would be making 100 goals for the coming year. Yep- ONE HUNDRED. Big and small.
These are going to be typed in no particular order, as they come to me.

1. Get rid of plastic cups/bowls/utensils and trade for glass & stainless steel.
2. Switch from Teflon to Stainless cookware.
3. Get a new toaster oven. Thanks for the free one Sis, but it’s on its last… piece of toast.
4. Replace body care products with all-natural and organic products as the products we currently have run out (because we’re too poor and I’m too frugal to throw the ones I have out!).
5. Make my own homemade cleaning supplies.
6. Buy some plants that suck up VOCs in the air. See more about this here.
7. Learn to sew. I bought a machine and I’m gonna use it!!!
8. Finish learning to crochet.
9. Lose 20 lbs.
10. Switch from Bare Minerals foundation to EcoGlo Minerals foundation.
11. Switch mascara to something much better for my body than my current mascara. Have you heard of Skin Deep? It’s a database of cosmetics and their safety ratings. Pretty awesome.
12. Figure out some kind of system for the paperwork that floats around the house. Suggestions anyone?
13. Acquire enough cloth diapers to be able to skip a day between washings. ah, to dream…*
14. Purchase essential oils.
15. Try Spirulina. I purchased some powder and have yet to try it. Read more about this superfood here.
16. Organize and go through upstairs storage room.
17. Replace at least 2 windows in the house.
18. Volunteer 12 hours minimum. One hour a month. That doesn’t seem overwhelming and seems like a good start.
19. STOP BITING MY NAILS. Again.
20. Push judgments of people out of my head. I shouldn’t even be entertaining those negative thoughts.
21. Keep all dirty laundry in laundry baskets. This has a lot to do with getting my HUSBAND to do so as well
22. Finally paint the 2 doors in my bedroom. The only 2 brown doors in the house.
23. Go to the dentist. We’ll see about this one… My phobia always gets the best of me.
24. Start using cloth wipes exclusively for Cohen, at least when at home.
25. Find a talent/hobby that can bring in some money.
26. Save money.
27. Pay off all credit cards. Hopefully with taxes.
28. Get adjusted @ the Chiropractor.
29. Install reverse osmosis water filter, at least on the kitchen tap.
30. Get chlorine filter for shower.
31. Switch to BPA-free toothbrushes
32. Eat my favorite food…pizza…only *crying a little bit* once a month. *crying a little bit more*
33. Detox from refined sugars. So addicted it’s not funny.
34. Redecorate Hailey’s room. At least revamp it a bit.
35. Find shelves and put them up in living room. At least revamp it a little.
36. Read 10 books front to back without skipping boring parts. I tend to lose interest easily, so this will take some effort. I’m not too much into fiction, so I sometimes skip the boring parts of educational/parenting books, etc.
37. Finish Cohen’s scrapbook.
38. Write one thing about Cohen, Hailey and our family life a day for a year.
39. Actually use my reusable shopping bags for shopping.
40. Take my pile of plastic bags to be recycled.
41. Cover my laptop in stickers. Black is boring.
42. Paint wooden letter blocks for Cohen’s name.
43. Look into homeschooling and decide if I’m going to pursue it or not.
44. Have Hailey join some type of social group (she wants to try Girl Scouts).
45. Convince Evan to get rid of the TV in the bedroom. We don’t ever use it, anyhow.
46. Meal plan every single week.
47. Donate money every single month.
48. Donate goods to homeless shelters, women’s shelters, etc. instead of Goodwill. Goodwill is a great organization, but I’ve paid many-a-salary with how much I donate to them. Some things are put to better use elsewhere.
49. Send random thank you cards to people and organizations who have made a difference in my life.
50. Have more patience with people I don’t know.
51. Have more patience with people I do know.
52. Spend more time with my outside family.
53. Make someone feel special just because.
54. Get together with a Mama group or form my own in my town.
55. Go to more community functions and events.
56. Find a church to go to.
57. Promote breastfeeding to the community and local businesses.
58. Make my own natural chapstick, lotion, and/or soaps.
59. Spend a few extra bucks buying something from a WAHM that I would normally buy elsewhere.
60. Shop locally and support small businesses as much as I can.
61. Encourage others to shop locally and support small businesses as much as they can.
62. Make homemade granola.
63. Start taking a better multi-vitamin.
64. Have Hailey start taking a better multi-vitamin.
65. Bake cookies for a neighbor.
66. Smile at people at times when I usually wouldn’t (when appropriate, of course!)
67. Buy purple converse. My hot pink ones are living their last days, I think.
68. Try 5 healthy foods I would never normally initiate trying.
69. Get rid of the clothes I keep that I will never wear…
70. Find better cloth diaper detergent. I’ve heard great things about Rockin’ Green.
71. Make living room feel more like home. It’s a little bare and not very inviting.
72. Talk Hailey into getting a hair cut.
73. Get  my hair cut.
74. Take more pictures of everything/everybody.
75. Get CD player for Cohen’s room and lots of music for us to sing and dance to.
76. Visit my last employer before Cohen turns one.
77. Shop second hand as much as possible. I already shop second hand a lot of the time, but there are times when I could buy used and don’t, usually out of convenience.
78. Paint frames that have been sitting upstairs for a year, put pictures in them and hang them downstairs.
79. Find a place for a bookshelf and fill it with books!
80. Be more careful when recycling: labels, lids, etc.
81. Find 5 new (to me) bands/artists to listen to.
82. Take Miyah on more walks.
83. Be more physically active, myself. Walks, yoga, etc.
84. Remember everyday how short life is and how I must take everything in and appreciate it while I am being given the chance to.
85. Cut out coffee except for a few times a year. Right now I have decaf a few times a month.
86. Make at least one craft with Hailey each Holiday.
87. Work with Hailey on her math skills more.
88. Sweep daily- I need to get into this habit now since we have pets and hardwood and Cohen will be scootin’ and crawlin’ before I know it.
89. Make a food stockpile so we aren’t continually having to go to the store for things we should have on hand.
90. Use less paper.
91. Clean oven. I’ve never done this since we bought it… 2 years ago? I tried, but smoke filled the house
92. Gather blankets the whole year and donate them to the homeless in December 2011.
93. Look into eco-friendly mattresses for all of us. Expensive, but our health is worth it.
94. Spend less time on the computer.
95. Watch a sunset with the family.
96. Take a vacation- even if it’s just for an afternoon.
97. Travel somewhere in Oregon or Washington where I have never been.
98. Get a juicer and use it every day.
99. Talk to my Husband when things are on my mind.
100. Remember to love myself for who I am and who I want to be. Not hate myself for who I’ve been or who I wasn’t before.

There you have it. 100 goals, big and small for 2011.

Inconvenient Preferences and 30 goals down, 70 to go! December 3, 2010

In the last few days, Cohen has decided that he doesn’t enjoy the car for more than a few minutes at a time unless he’s asleep. This is pretty inconvenient, as I drive Hailey 15+ minutes each way to school every weekday. There was a rattle in the car and I figured out that sometimes, if I shake and swirl it just the right way, he will be quiet and fall asleep. I’m sure I look completely ridiculous driving down the road shaking a baby rattle. It’s over-sized and bright red/purple too, so you really can’t miss it. Lets hope this phase doesn’t last long.

Today, he was having one of his usual ‘I’m so tired but I don’t wanna go to sleep and I just don’t know what to do with myself’ meltdowns. I could only console him for a couple of minutes at a time. He was sooo tired- I’m talking rubbing his sleepy red eyes on my chest and can hardly keep his eyes open tired. So, I go to Youtube and search for ‘white noise baby’ and clicked on the first video- the sound of falling rain. This was right after reading this blog post about white noise saving a Mama’s sanity. Instantly, he’s quiet. Within 20-30 seconds, he was asleep and stayed that way for around an hour. Miracle. Needless to say, I bookmarked the white noise Youtube videos and I am thinking about buying this 60 Minute white noise MP3 from Amazon.

Last but not least, an update on my 100 goals for next yer. I’ve gotten 30 listed. Still need to come up with 70 more. It’s hard! I thought to myself ‘Eh, 100 goals… I’ll just include all of the little stuff I want/need to do and I’ll be done in no time!’

WRONG. In bold and italicized.

But, they’re on their way to being posted. I’ll just procrastinate a little longer… I’m hoping to have the list done by Sunday.

 

Procrastination is a Big, Fat B! And I'm Damn Good at it. December 2, 2010

My 100 goals, which I said I would start today (yesterday, technically), will be available for your viewing pleasure tomorrow. Are you jumping up and down with excitement?

Baby Giggles Make Everything Better… December 1, 2010

Some days I don’t get to shower. Some days I feel like a milk machine. Some days I cry because our breastfeeding relationship is still something to be worked on. Some days I forget deodorant or throw my hair up in a bun without brushing it. And leave it that way the whole day. But you know what? You know what makes driving down the road while shaking a rattle so your baby will stop crying for 20 minutes all worth it? Smiles. Giggles. Beautiful (blue, by the way! like Daddy!) eyes gazing with wonderment into mine. The response I get when I massage him with lotion. The conversations that we have. He has so much to tell me. I just can’t wait to hear more.

Cohen laughed at his Sister today in the car on our way to drop her off at school. She was just talking to him and loving him as usual and apparently today, it was funny. It was the longest giggle yet. Music to Mama’s ears!

Aside from lovin’ both of my honey bunches and spending time with my Husband, I’ve been working on figuring out some needed changes in my life. I know I’ve talked about goals before, but I have no idea what they were! …so typical of me 🙂 But for real. Things need to change. I feel this person inside of me that needs to emerge. I’ve changed so much over the last year… it’s pretty incredible looking back. I’m almost a different person, it seems. So a friend of mine said on Facebook that her church was talking about goals and that everyone there should set 100 goals to accomplish in the next year. Now, these don’t have to be extreme goals, just goals and things to strive for. There are many small steps leading up to big goals and those small steps can be goals too. So, I’m going to write my list. Probably tomorrow. I told myself I would be asleep an hour ago.

What else have I been up to? Stressing about money and our house. Trying to remember that no matter how much money we have or where we live, our family will always be together. We will work something out. Just not sure how things are going to go. We are waiting to hear back from the mortgage company again… The approved a forbearance for the last 4 months and we were paying half of our mortgage. Now, they want us to pay everything that we owe from not making full payments for the last 4 months in full. Um… huh? You cut our payment in half because we can’t afford it, and now you think we can magically pull money out of our asses to pay you $3,000 all at once? You’re idiots.

On a lighter note, we got rid of cable and I don’t miss it. At all. Also, I got a sewing machine for $20 off Craigslist, and it’s been sitting in my living room for a week. I have big plans- sewing my own cloth diapers, cloth wipes, blankets, curtains… Did I mention I have never used a sewing machine?

I suppose that’s all for now. Sleep calls my name ever so enticingly…