1. Continue to lose weight. Lose 10-15 lbs. by June.
Well, the good news is that I haven't gained any weight. Or at least if I have, I'm preferring to remain ignorant. I'm actually trying to do a few things though. The first is to start taking supplements to help my skin and my joints. The second is to go on a diet in May. Plus, as soon as it's warm out, I'm going to get to riding my Christmas bike! Plus, A.P. is going to get a bike and we're getting a new rack for Susan (that's our car, but go back and re-read that sentence for full appreciation of its dirtiness : ) ). So, I think by next check-in, this goal will be slightly more met.
2. Have a planned date night at least once a month.
We haven't been terrible at this, but we've been relying on events to fulfill it (e.g. Valentine's Day, birthdays, etc.), so it would be nice to have the date be for no good reason. But I have something up my sleeve to help. More on that later this week!
3. Go on at least two vacations, not including planned trips (e.g. visiting family, weddings, etc.). One can be long, one can be short.
Does Milwaukee count? If so, then check. If not, we have other trips coming up. One is for a wedding, but we're working on how to make it a wedding/vacation.
4. Make and mail one card a month.
Sooooo haven't done this at all. Oops. What's funny is that I bought some card making kits, but I haven't done it at all. Oh well. It's only April.
5. Take a sewing course, or two.
Haven't done this yet, but have a Groupon for it. I actually went to go sign up and they weren't currently offering any beginner courses, so really, I'm just waiting for them to do so so I can cash that bad boy in and make some bad house pants or some crap I won't wear. : )
6. Complete at least two photography projects.
I have a great idea for a photography project. But I needed to do it in winter, specifically when it was very, very cold out. Sadly, it never did get cold enough, so I've put that on the back burner. I'm working on what do next. Really, though, I just need to push myself to be more adventurous.
7. Train Ollie to do one rad trick.
Before I can do this, I need to teach him the basics. So far he's mastered "sit," is pretty good at "down," "stay," and is working on "come here." Once he is a beast at those skills, I'll work on the teaching him something rad. The book I'm using is great. Awesome pictures, clear instructions, and a TON of neat tricks. I'm thinking something useful, like bring me my slippers. Or maybe something funny. Not sure. But I will say this, he's a really smart dog and if I worked harder on training him, he'd be awesome. As is, he's pretty good, but we only work on it hardcore 1-2 a week (simple commands that he's good at now, we do all the time).
8. Learn to play one song really well.
I've picked my song. I like it a lot, but when I sang it for my mother she asked me to do it again and told me it was a very good song for my voice. Perhaps once I've mastered it I will post a video. I have to think about being that brave. I've really sung for anyone, but lately since I do these performances for class, I've gotten a bit braver.
9. Write a book.
So my book was supposed to be about work. I was keeping a work journal to write it, but somewhere in February, I stopped. It's around the same time I started to feel really overwhelmed by everything (and a few weeks before I stopped blogging). So, I'm hoping to put some things together again soon. I was hoping that with notes a central theme would emerge, but I'm thinking more that it might help to come up with the theme first. I'm also debating starting a blog about my job. It would be a somewhat scary thing to do, but I think I could do it. Needless to say I haven't decided quite yet.
10. Get our wedding album done. (And our guestbook. And our engagement shoot. And our prints ordered.)
I started thinking about this again a couple of weeks ago. It's going to take me ages to do this, but I basically have until July 5th, when my Groupon expires. And I'm waiting on A.P. to approve post-engagement photos for prints.
11. Buy a house.
Totally working on this. We are in serious mode. We've been contributing big time to our savings and have been making a list of what we want. We were talking last night about what our next steps are going to be, which include finding a realtor. Yay and yay!
12. Read 2 books a month: one classic, one other.
January was a success. February was a bomb. March was decent (more on that soon). April is shaping up nicely.
13. Use the crap out of my Christmas present: bike 2-3 times a week this summer.
Well, it's not summer yet. So, we shall see!
14. Expand NTMK the way I want to and start my other blog project.
My other blog project is still not underway, though a lot of legwork has been done. I'm currently thinking about redesign on this blog and that one. So, we'll see. You'll know soon enough.
15. Blog on our family blog at least once a week.
Well, I've barely been blogging here, so you figure this one out. : )
16. Archive all our photos.
This is totally happening. It is just taking FOREVER. I'm going way back and I still actively take photos and don't upload those. I may as well just shoot myself in the foot. What the hell is wrong with me????
17. Make meal plans and stick to them (also helps to curb money we spend on food).
This I have done! Faithfully!!! Every week I make a meal plan, make a grocery list and go to the grocery store. And now I coupon. I've blogged about it here and here. Yay!
18. Create a cleaning system and stick to it.
Unless by cleaning system I meant systematically throw shit everywhere, I haven't done this at all. Another reason we need to move. PURGE!!!
19. Keep a work journal.
So as I said I did this up until February. So that's half done. I need to pick it up again. It's just...hard. I was doing it as a way to vent and write material for a possible book, but then I just needed to not dwell on work anymore. Maybe if I tied it into my work day somehow? I don't know. We'll just have to see with this one.
20. Floss every day.
If only my dentist really knew how sporadic my flossing habit was. He'd give me a good scolding.
21. Watch AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies of All Time.
This is obviously an ongoing process. You can track my progress here.
22. Learn how to take better care of my skin.
As you know, last year one of my goals was to get my skin clear once and for all. I crossed it off my list because I'd found this product that seemed to keep my skin clear. It was a Benzoyl Peroxide product, though. I didn't use a ton, but I did use some every day. Anyway, one of A.P.'s gifts to me for my birthday was a spa day, including a facial. The whole gift was a bit of nuttiness (some day I'll have to share the story of how I was forgotten in a tent for an hour on my birthday), but the woman who gave me the facial lectured me about using that product. Not that her facial was so special...I broke out after as I feared I would. But it made me realize it probably isn't great to continue using that product for the long term. So, I've started to tweak my routine, trying to use more products that are just all around gentler and more natural. I'll keep you posted on my progress!
23. Get better at putting on makeup.
When I started reading my friend Mariella's beauty blog, I was inspired. I am still not anywhere near her skill level, but I am learning more and more every day. Besides her blog, I love The Beauty Department and just googling around to find good tutorials. My attitude about spending money on makeup hasn't changed, but I try harder to find good, inexpensive products. And most of all, I try new things. What can I say? The girl is inspiring!
24. Wear my hair in a pretty style at least once a week.
I still can't seem to find the time to do this, but I'm trying to teach myself new hairstyles. Again, I love The Beauty Department's tutorials (see link above). They do a good job of explaining things and have nice step-by-step photos. I learned how to do a fishtail braid from their site and its clear instructions and great tricks! So, maybe I'll get it together soon and start doing this once a week.
25. Use less plastic bags! Ziplocs are one thing (though that could be reduced, too), but plastic bags from produce or trips to the store could greatly be reduced.
Done and done! In addition to meal planning, I am using ZERO plastic bags if I can help it. I now consistently use reusable grocery bags. I also stopped using plastic bags for produce. I bought these produce bags on Avon and love them! Because I meal plan now I rarely need more than five bags. I also love that they're easy to clean by hand. And...less plastic bag usage! You're welcome, Earth.
26. Compost, compost, compost.
So, my worm compost bin was a bust. The worms are alive, but I'm not doing them any favors right now. I seriously need to get my shit together with those poor wormies. But Lord knows the lack of progress on this goal is not for lack of trying.
27. Eat pizza only 10 times this year.
So messed this up already. BUT...I have been eating pizza WAY, WAY less. It's just so hard with A.P. He can't control himself a lot of times and I get lazy. Still, putting my foot down about it made it appear a lot less on my plate. I wonder what else I could my foot down about...
28. Try not to use our credit card.
We were actually doing great with this until this month. We didn't put anything on it except the occasional grocery trip towards the end of the month for January, February, and March! Then this month, the car needed some fixing, so we have a larger bill for April. It's still under $1000 total, so that's good. And that also means we're able to save more for our house. I'll cross this off when we consistently pay lesson than $150 each.
29. Begin saving towards retirement.
Still haven't started doing this. I finally decided that I need to get this house saving over and done with before I begin thinking about retirement in a more committed way than my company's pension program, for which I now qualify. I know that's not the best idea ever, but in some ways a home is a form of retirement savings. And we are being really, really smart about what price range we look in, so that we can continue to save aggressively, but for our retirement instead. So, it will come, and it will come soon, it just hasn't come yet.
So, many of these have seen some progress, and a couple have even been completed, but I've still got a lot of work to do! I better get my ass in gear already, huh?
6. Complete at least two photography projects.
I have a great idea for a photography project. But I needed to do it in winter, specifically when it was very, very cold out. Sadly, it never did get cold enough, so I've put that on the back burner. I'm working on what do next. Really, though, I just need to push myself to be more adventurous.
7. Train Ollie to do one rad trick.
Before I can do this, I need to teach him the basics. So far he's mastered "sit," is pretty good at "down," "stay," and is working on "come here." Once he is a beast at those skills, I'll work on the teaching him something rad. The book I'm using is great. Awesome pictures, clear instructions, and a TON of neat tricks. I'm thinking something useful, like bring me my slippers. Or maybe something funny. Not sure. But I will say this, he's a really smart dog and if I worked harder on training him, he'd be awesome. As is, he's pretty good, but we only work on it hardcore 1-2 a week (simple commands that he's good at now, we do all the time).
8. Learn to play one song really well.
I've picked my song. I like it a lot, but when I sang it for my mother she asked me to do it again and told me it was a very good song for my voice. Perhaps once I've mastered it I will post a video. I have to think about being that brave. I've really sung for anyone, but lately since I do these performances for class, I've gotten a bit braver.
9. Write a book.
So my book was supposed to be about work. I was keeping a work journal to write it, but somewhere in February, I stopped. It's around the same time I started to feel really overwhelmed by everything (and a few weeks before I stopped blogging). So, I'm hoping to put some things together again soon. I was hoping that with notes a central theme would emerge, but I'm thinking more that it might help to come up with the theme first. I'm also debating starting a blog about my job. It would be a somewhat scary thing to do, but I think I could do it. Needless to say I haven't decided quite yet.
10. Get our wedding album done. (And our guestbook. And our engagement shoot. And our prints ordered.)
I started thinking about this again a couple of weeks ago. It's going to take me ages to do this, but I basically have until July 5th, when my Groupon expires. And I'm waiting on A.P. to approve post-engagement photos for prints.
11. Buy a house.
Totally working on this. We are in serious mode. We've been contributing big time to our savings and have been making a list of what we want. We were talking last night about what our next steps are going to be, which include finding a realtor. Yay and yay!
12. Read 2 books a month: one classic, one other.
January was a success. February was a bomb. March was decent (more on that soon). April is shaping up nicely.
13. Use the crap out of my Christmas present: bike 2-3 times a week this summer.
Well, it's not summer yet. So, we shall see!
14. Expand NTMK the way I want to and start my other blog project.
My other blog project is still not underway, though a lot of legwork has been done. I'm currently thinking about redesign on this blog and that one. So, we'll see. You'll know soon enough.
15. Blog on our family blog at least once a week.
Well, I've barely been blogging here, so you figure this one out. : )
16. Archive all our photos.
This is totally happening. It is just taking FOREVER. I'm going way back and I still actively take photos and don't upload those. I may as well just shoot myself in the foot. What the hell is wrong with me????
This I have done! Faithfully!!! Every week I make a meal plan, make a grocery list and go to the grocery store. And now I coupon. I've blogged about it here and here. Yay!
18. Create a cleaning system and stick to it.
Unless by cleaning system I meant systematically throw shit everywhere, I haven't done this at all. Another reason we need to move. PURGE!!!
19. Keep a work journal.
So as I said I did this up until February. So that's half done. I need to pick it up again. It's just...hard. I was doing it as a way to vent and write material for a possible book, but then I just needed to not dwell on work anymore. Maybe if I tied it into my work day somehow? I don't know. We'll just have to see with this one.
20. Floss every day.
If only my dentist really knew how sporadic my flossing habit was. He'd give me a good scolding.
21. Watch AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies of All Time.
This is obviously an ongoing process. You can track my progress here.
22. Learn how to take better care of my skin.
As you know, last year one of my goals was to get my skin clear once and for all. I crossed it off my list because I'd found this product that seemed to keep my skin clear. It was a Benzoyl Peroxide product, though. I didn't use a ton, but I did use some every day. Anyway, one of A.P.'s gifts to me for my birthday was a spa day, including a facial. The whole gift was a bit of nuttiness (some day I'll have to share the story of how I was forgotten in a tent for an hour on my birthday), but the woman who gave me the facial lectured me about using that product. Not that her facial was so special...I broke out after as I feared I would. But it made me realize it probably isn't great to continue using that product for the long term. So, I've started to tweak my routine, trying to use more products that are just all around gentler and more natural. I'll keep you posted on my progress!
23. Get better at putting on makeup.
When I started reading my friend Mariella's beauty blog, I was inspired. I am still not anywhere near her skill level, but I am learning more and more every day. Besides her blog, I love The Beauty Department and just googling around to find good tutorials. My attitude about spending money on makeup hasn't changed, but I try harder to find good, inexpensive products. And most of all, I try new things. What can I say? The girl is inspiring!
24. Wear my hair in a pretty style at least once a week.
I still can't seem to find the time to do this, but I'm trying to teach myself new hairstyles. Again, I love The Beauty Department's tutorials (see link above). They do a good job of explaining things and have nice step-by-step photos. I learned how to do a fishtail braid from their site and its clear instructions and great tricks! So, maybe I'll get it together soon and start doing this once a week.
Done and done! In addition to meal planning, I am using ZERO plastic bags if I can help it. I now consistently use reusable grocery bags. I also stopped using plastic bags for produce. I bought these produce bags on Avon and love them! Because I meal plan now I rarely need more than five bags. I also love that they're easy to clean by hand. And...less plastic bag usage! You're welcome, Earth.
26. Compost, compost, compost.
So, my worm compost bin was a bust. The worms are alive, but I'm not doing them any favors right now. I seriously need to get my shit together with those poor wormies. But Lord knows the lack of progress on this goal is not for lack of trying.
27. Eat pizza only 10 times this year.
So messed this up already. BUT...I have been eating pizza WAY, WAY less. It's just so hard with A.P. He can't control himself a lot of times and I get lazy. Still, putting my foot down about it made it appear a lot less on my plate. I wonder what else I could my foot down about...
28. Try not to use our credit card.
We were actually doing great with this until this month. We didn't put anything on it except the occasional grocery trip towards the end of the month for January, February, and March! Then this month, the car needed some fixing, so we have a larger bill for April. It's still under $1000 total, so that's good. And that also means we're able to save more for our house. I'll cross this off when we consistently pay lesson than $150 each.
29. Begin saving towards retirement.
Still haven't started doing this. I finally decided that I need to get this house saving over and done with before I begin thinking about retirement in a more committed way than my company's pension program, for which I now qualify. I know that's not the best idea ever, but in some ways a home is a form of retirement savings. And we are being really, really smart about what price range we look in, so that we can continue to save aggressively, but for our retirement instead. So, it will come, and it will come soon, it just hasn't come yet.
So, many of these have seen some progress, and a couple have even been completed, but I've still got a lot of work to do! I better get my ass in gear already, huh?
aww I'm proud of you and your makeup :-)) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHahahaha. A new rack for Susan. Ironically, I just assumed Susan was your car (we name all our 'things' too-- Our cars are Stella and Lewis; our internet is Madeline; our iPods are Victoria and Serena, etc. etc.) but that sentence WAS hilariously dirty when I went back to read it a second time. :P
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you're making really good progress on a lot of this! Hooray!