99 Red Balloons (plus 2) 101 in 1001 - A Year Without A New Year Resolution

I am a list person, and I had a very specific New Year's Resolution, or more of a goal, in mind for 2018. I've been setting monthly distance running goals for two months now and have successfully completed both, including running over 64 miles in the month of December.  I wanted to set a goal for running for 2018, to run 800 miles total for the year, which I'm still going to do, but I want it to be a part of something even bigger and a lot more fun.

Today I read  an article about creating a 101 in 1001 list instead of a traditional New Year's resolution list.  Basically it's a combination of 101 goals and bucket list items to be completed in 1001 days (so around two and three quarter years).  Since I'm about to celebrate a major milestone in 2018 (the big 40) I thought it would be very timely and more fun than a resolution list.

I am well aware that it's very unlikely that I get to knock every item off of this list, but it will be fun getting there.  I will add check marks when I complete something and enter the date that I complete it, and write some entries on some of them as well.  Here we go! This list is in no particular order.  I hope I inspire others towards not just meeting goals, but sharing things and pursuing some dreams!

Cheers to the things I'll complete before September 28, 2020!

1. Run 800 miles in a single year
   (Progress: ran 75.44 miles in January 2018, ran 75.76 miles in February 2018, Ran 58.01 miles in March 2018, ran 59.94 miles in April 2018, ran 60.93 miles in May, ran 45.91 miles in June)
2. Write a children's story about and for Molly & Jack
3. Take the kids to Disney✔ Completed March 2018
4. Donate blood
5. Successfully complete the license plate game on a road trip (got 48 states on July 2018 road trip)
6. Indulge in a scalp massage✔ On February 2, 2018 I had this and it worked wonders on my laptop neck!
7. Run 1000 miles in a single year
8. Have a pay per view article go viral (and earn me the freelance white whale of $1000)✔ on January 31st, 2018 I broke this record and have received over 2 million hits for this article
9. Run an 8KM race
10. Run a 10KM race
11. Have a big 40th birthday bash✔
12. Learn how to better use photo shop
13. Grow my business by 20 percent in one year
14. Go hiking in the Catskill Mountains✔ Completed on July 12, 2018
15. Read the entire Harry Potter series with Molly and Jack (read book one with Molly and half of book 2)
16. Be able to complete a 3 minute plank
17. Learn to do a Kart Wheel
18. Be able to do a headstand (I was able to do these thanks to a regular Hatha Yoga Class in my 20's but have lost it over the years)
19. Go horseback riding with Molly and Jack✔ Completed August 10, 2018
20. Take a nature survivalist class
    
    
    

    

    
    

21. Get professional family photos that I love
22. Take an archery class
23. Swim at the bottom of a waterfall
24. Make a balloon payment on our mortgage
25. Send a message in a bottle (with the kids)
26. Paint a painting✔ See my blog entry on this here
27. Attend a blogger conference
28. Create a strategic business plan
29. Read Anne of Green Gables with Molly✔
30. Visit 5 new MLB stadiums for games (with Chris)✔ PNC Park July 2018
31. Get a professional biography photo I love
32. Run a 5KM colour run
33. Go to the outdoor movies in the summer for a picnic✔ August 13, 2018 - Before Sunrise in Christie Pitts Park
34. 10 pieces of mail for a friend in one month to show them I'm thinking of them (one per year)
35. Go on a special family vacation to celebrate my 40th
36. Get an article or short story published in a prominent magazine
37. Frame and hang my Alice in Wonderland prints
38. Write a fictional short story
39. Write a fictional novella
40. Grow my business by 25 percent in a year
41. Clean out the spare room closet✔
42. Use my office as an office to better divide freelance life and home life
43. Indulge in a professional cleaner for our house (just once)
44. Get published in a prominent newspaper (article or short story)
45. Participate in philanthropy that is Molly and Jack's selection
46. Complete 31 days to Building a Better Blog (not necessarily in 31 consecutive days)
47. See But I'm A Cheerleader on Broadway
48. Go on a date to see classical music in the Casa Loma Garden✔
49. Run a 12.5 minute mile✔ Completed on February 20, 2018 during mile 3 of a 5 mile run
50. Walk along the ocean in Myrtle Beach✔ Completed on March 26, 2018
51. Annual girls spa weekend to reconnect with friends✔
52. Finish Jack's baby book ✔ Completed February 24, 2018
53. Create a 3-7 year old photo album for both Molly and Jack
54. Get a croquet set and play croquet with the kids✔  Given to me by my parents on August 10th, 2018, played with M& J on August 14, 2018
55. Save up $1000 in coins and spend it on something indulgent for me
56. Run a 12 minute mile✔
57. Invest in a good camera✔
58. Learn to grow my brand/business using Instagram✔
59. Have my blog reach a million hits
60. Go on a winery tour/tasting with friends
61. Buy the perfect little black dress
62. Go Geocaching with the kids
63. Save up $1000 in coins and spend it on something indulgent for the family
64. Take a photo of the same view in all four seasons
65. Teach the kids how to tie their shoelaces
66. Celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary with something special
67. Visit Central America with the kids
68. Teach the kids how to fish (take them fishing) - Molly has been taught by Chris
69. Get eyelash extensions for a special event✔
70. Get more photos of the kids with their grandparents (Trip to Disney March 2018 some)
71. Run a 11.5 minute mile
    
    
    

    

    
    

72. Get more photos of Chris and I with our parents
73. Learn how to curl my hair with my straightening iron✔ achieved September 14, 2018
74. Go to a class to learn something new with the kids
75. Celebrate a friend with a really expensive bottle of sparkling wine
76. Run a 11 minute mile
77. See Vampire Weekend in concert  June 5, 2019✔
78. Join and play in an co-ed fun sports league
79. Treat the family to a special meal of cornish game hens
80. Find the perfect meal of beef wellington
81. No take out or fast food for a month ✔ Completed on February 28, 2018
82. Go on an annual date day with each kid one on one
83. Read Lemony Snicket Series to/with the kids (Book 1 - February 3, 2018, Book 2 - February 23, 2018 Book 3 - March 24, 2018, Book 4 May 10, 2018), 
84. Go out west to visit Chris's grandmother
85. Visit Redwood forest
86. Save $1000 in coins and spend it all on charity
87. Redo the basement bathroom
88. Visit The Thousand Islands
89. Go snowshoeing ✔ Completed January 19, 2019 
90. Go ice fishing
91. Take Chris to try Korean BBQ✔ Completed on February 24, 2018
92. Hike the Elora Gorge Trail✔ Hiked May 26, 2018
93. Donate and reduce 2 garbage bags of clutter each month for a year ✔  (done more in a big chunk thanks to Marie Kondo
94. Run a trail race
95. Treat my family to a themed dinner and a movie (at least one per year)
96. Get myself professionally measured for a bra
97. Go on a family vacation with my cousin and her girlfriend
98. Run a 10 minute mile
99. Stay overnight at the ice hotel in Quebec
100. Write 200 blog entries about my life with the kids
101. Teach the kids to ride their bikes

Anything you'd add?  Did I inspire you to write a list?  Let me know, I'd love to hear it.  

Revolution (Resolution)

Before Chris and I headed to bed on New Year's Eve we talked about our resolutions for the upcoming year.  I have been thinking a lot about aligning my priorities with my time and finding ways to give things that are important to me more energy and attention and in turn let go of some commitments and obligations that aren't worth the stress.  This will be a major focus for my 2015 resolutions.

Cheers to wine in a can (circa 2009) - Cause I'm classy like that!

I thought I'd share some of my resolutions with you as this is going to influence my blog content and fodder for the year.  Like 2014, I plan to check in every three months to discuss where I'm succeeding and areas of the report card that "need improvement".

1. I want to make more memories with Molly and Jack and write about these experiences.  Molly and Jack are very often the muses for my writing and I really hope to harness some of my writing to help create some great stories, memories and family traditions this year.  This also includes Chris and I each booking a one on one activity "date" a month with Molly or Jack (we'll likely alternate who gets a date with mom or dad each month).
2. Although I read 20 books for me in 2014, I want to read more this year.  Although I doubt I'll get back to my before kids one book a week, I'd like to read at least 30 books in 2015.  I also want to read at least five "Classics" that I've never read before as a part of my 30.  If anyone has any recommendations, classics or otherwise, I'd love to hear them.   
3. Promote my writing and get myself out there.  I would like to push myself and see my work published in seven new places in 2015.  Again, if anyone knows any websites, blogs or magazines where my writing would be a good fit, please let me know.  
4. While I think that Chris and I have made some progress with making couple time in 2014, we can do better. I'd like to book two dedicated date nights every month with Chris this year. 
5. I want to make health a priority this year.  This is similar to last year, in the way that I want to make "me" time but applying this to things that I love to do but don't make time for whether it's going on that hike with the kids, doing that exercise DVD, booking a massage or trying out more healthy recipes.  I love cooking and want to share this passion with the kids and Chris more. Molly and Jack love helping out in the kitchen or dancing around the house with us while we blast music.  I'd like to see more of that in our lives.  I want to exercise three times a week and include the kids when I can and I want to try one new, healthy, recipe each week. 
6. Focus my energy on the most important people in my life by making more time to listen to them, lend an ear and lend a hand because they always do that for me.
7. Finally, stop complaining and take action.  Far too often I know what is making me unhappy or causing me stress and I wallow in it rather than making an active, positive change.

Wow, now that I'm looking at this I can see it's a pretty meaty list to sink my teeth into....Thank you all for your support as we make our way into another awesome year!

What are you going to do to make 2015 better than 2014?

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New Year's Day

Over the holidays we had a lot of time with the minions.  It was great, but challenging.  With really cold weather and the ice storm brewing, we were housebound and stir crazy from the lack of fresh air and caged pens.  Chris and I had all of these grandiose ideas of the things we'd check off our "To Do" lists over the holidays.  There were six items on the list, two of them got done.  Although I may curse it a little bit when our January weekends and evenings fill up with our Honey Do lists, I won't regret the extra, uninterrupted time we got with Molly and Jack.  On Christmas Eve day I read them nine books, back to back, because that is what they wanted to do.  We enjoyed waffles for breakfast, later bed times and them pushing the boundaries on nap time.*

I've never been big on resolutions, but being forced to slow down the past two weeks really got me thinking about some goals and how I want to spend my time with Molly and Jack in 2014 and beyond.  I thought I'd share.

1. I want to read more stories to Molly and Jack.  We generally end up reading bed time stories five days a week.  We try for seven but rarely score a perfect week. Sometimes they get cut when we've been out, someone is melting down, no one is paying attention or mom and dad are exhausted.  I want to enjoy more story time with them any time, not just as a precursor to bedtime.
2.  I spend a lot of time reading: for work, online courses for my post grad certificate, and researching the latest head scratcher of bizarre toddler behaviour, but not a lot of reading just for me.  I added it up and I read about 10 books last year.  I used to read at least a book a week BK (Before Kids) and even in my first year as a parent I managed to read two books a month.  I got a lot of great books for Christmas and my birthday that I haven't cracked the spines on yet**, so I'm going to make it a priority to read more for me, even if it's just for 15 minutes a day on the subway.  
3. It's easy to complain about the lack of time you have as a couple once you have kids, it's harder and more rewarding to do something about it.  We've slacked and let life get in the way lately, but we're actually doing something about it.  Chris and I are determined to have more date nights in 2014, even if it's just re-activating our dinner and a movie date night at home some weeks.
4. It bugs me how much Molly loves TV.  We get such little time with the kids when we're working that weeknights and weekends seem precious and I resent losing her attention to TV land.  We limit TV time to half an hour a day and allow for a little more on weekends.  Sometimes, on a rainy (or snowy) Saturday afternoon, all I feel like is curling up and watching a couple of movies. I should allow Molly the same pleasure, within reason.  When Chris and I discover a new TV series we love, we go into marathon mode. I need to lighten up a little and stop the double standard.   We can use the time she's watching TV to read, get chores done, or spend more one on one time with Jack.
5. I am starting to book time for myself (I really focused on this more in the end of 2013), whether it's for a haircut, a coffee or walk with a friend. I'm going to be better about treating time I need to feel balanced more like regular appointments to avoid the martyr trap.

What are you doing to make 2014 a better year for your family?

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*Okay, no one but Molly and Jack were happy about the disruption to their nap routine.
**Someone gave me Coreyography that's right Corey Feldman's biography.  Sure, the life of Fel-dog isn't Shakespeare but biographies (both inspiring and trashy) are a guilty pleasure that I love.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

This month, after my second diagnosis with strep throat in under 3 weeks and Jack back in fever town,  it's hard not to recognize that our life lately slightly resembles a never ending Family Circus cartoon, but worse and EVEN I didn't think that was possible.

 

Comic strip courtesy of Family Circus *

We are trying to move forward, be positive and plan ahead.  This means that Christmas shopping, particularly online, which has been a nice distraction. In the spirit of planning ahead I started to think about New Year's and New Year's resolutions, thought of our lives lately and recognized that in terms of resolutions Chris and I are already in mid-January and ahead of the curve - so take that 2013!  Here's how we've been tackling our resolutions 6 weeks early:

Resolution 1 - Meet New People 

• Last week we met a weird junky with no prescription who was trying to scam some methadone from our pharmacist, Matthew, while Chris waited for Molly's prescription antibiotics.
• We now know our pharmacist, Matthew, by name.

Resolution 2 - Read More Often

• This Sunday story time happened at Shoppers Drug Mart while we awaited my prescription.
• Borrowed books aren't just at the library anymore, they're by the magazines and the perfume gift sets, and without late fees, but now stacked with tons of germs from me and my family.**

Resolution 3 - Eat Better/ Be Healthy

• My antibiotics can't be absorbed properly if I eat dairy. There is this weird math equation on the notes that talks about no dairy 4 hours before or 8 hours after I take my medication and something else about antacids and multivitamins. Why eat cheese if you can't have wine anyway?***
• This medication is making me really thirsty.  Get 8 glasses of water each day, no problem - how about 12, 13?
• This medication causes diarrhea. I'm living the poor man's juice cleanse, but with significantly more throat pain.

Resolution 4 - Learn New Things

• This medication may cause vaginitis? Okay, so maybe I'm not ready for resolution #4 yet. I don't know what that is and I refuse to look it up.  Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

*Yeah a mother with 4 children under 6 is wearing a bikini at the beach.  I know, I'm begrudging the body of  a cartoon character, she didn't really get stretch marks.  However, if you're really trying to appeal to moms why not put her in a modest one piece?  Just saying.
**Don't buy your children books from Shoppers - they're likely covered with the plague.
***Someone hired a psychic to come to my sister's wedding shower.  The main thing the psychic told her was that she ate too much cheese.  It's really accurate, but has always struck me as a bizarre thing for a psychic to say.