Choose Your Own Adventure

 

March's theme was RELATIONSHIPS.

 

One of my goals was to make a conscience effort to do things with the family.  Which I think I did ok with.  We took the kids to the Badger Hockey Game and then went to see K's play together. Last week, I also managed to do quite a bit of dog walking.  Now to keep it up.

 

Now getting closer with the pillow....I was doing ok for a bit.  Then needless to say things had to get done and my extra 1/2 hour with my fluffy love slipped away.

 

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Aprils theme is FINANCES.

 

And my goals....

1.  Save an extra $200 this month
2. Stick to only my scheduled events this month (unless the Badgers beat Kentucky...then it is game on for the finals)
3. Not on the list no Buy
4. Let the wish list chill for a month aka...don't buy anything from that list (unless I need to make free shipping on an amazon order)

And there you have...notice how I got a few disclaimers in there.  That should surely equate to a win.

 

Right Mr. Goat...say goodbye now.



 

Choose Your Own Adventure Goal Challenge: December Simplify Results and January Hopes

Now December's theme was SIMPLIFY.  My Goals were:

1. Utensil Simplification: Also known as there is way to much shit in this drawer it won't close, why do we need 10 spoons, 2 can openers etc. Our mission will be to pull everything out, what we use gets to go back to the drawer.

WIN -

First, I pulled everything out. We seriously discovered a few items that we never knew we had.

These are the first round of goodbyes.

Love items or items that we can not live without went back to the drawer.  The others in a Tupperware tub.  If we looked or used them, then we put back in the drawer

And here is the drawer as of yesterday.  Even though it is not super pretty...I can find most of my stuff and easily shut or open the drawer.  Now one of these days I will break down and get an organizer.

2. Planner Simplification: Basically I was using way to many calendars or places for notes between work and home.  This year it will be funneled into one maybe two locations.  I am seriously freaking out about this also...since I will be working with a whole new planner with a different style. -

BASIC WIN - The original planner I was going to use kind of turned into a fail.  Maybe because I am kind of set in my ways.   The original planner will become at work planner and then there will be one home planner.  Stay tuned for a more detailed post on the planners.


3. Weekly Simplification:   To make my week simpler, work hard to get everything (clothes, food etc) together and ready to go on Sunday.

WIN - This has been going fantastical for me.  I love that I am not standing in front of my closet every morning with a dazed look on my face about what to wear nor carrying a lunch bag everyday.  This prep seriously saved about 10-15 minutes for me every morning.

Very simply every Sunday night when I put away the wash, I pick out my clothes for the week and hang them on the towel bar in the bathroom.  Then I just toss everything in the gym bag in the morning.

 

For once I feel like I kicked some butt in this months challenge.

 

Now onto next month....which theme is COMPLETE.

 

What I will be completing, will be:

1. A book - Hoping if I put this on here it will happen since I appear to be slacking in the reading department

2. Arizona Vacation Collage

3. Yearly Photo Books - These so have to get done.  2013 is close and 2014 is not even started.  Now mind you that in 2015 I intend to give attention to my book monthly and not the wholly shit it is the end of the year I need to get a photo book done.

 

There you have...now hop on over to Steph's blog and join in.

 

Where we came and what to do with this year...

As the credits roll on another year of moments, it can be rather bittersweet.  Bittersweet are the goodbyes yet what we gained has only created a more whole individual of ourselves.

I have seen quite a bit come of my family over the last year.  Watched the littles become potty trained, more confident in the water, and of course, their own personalities shine thru even more. While the little brother, I have seen find a sense of comfortableness in being on his own after coming out of a long term relationship.   The hubbie has discovered a comfort level within his job.  Our teens have had huge gains thru the year.  Forest has gotten a license, a job, went to a summer camp, and experienced his first break up.  The steppie has taken on the world of high school and all the experiences it has to offer.   It is amazing where everyone has went, what they have done and the discoveries that they had made of themselves.  I love being privileged enough to view this.

My own portion of the year of my moments could be summed up in one word: Strength.  It came to me one day while I was running, of course.   The amount of strength I have had over this year.   I traveled on my own for the first time.  During these travels experienced delays and the whole deal and still made it...on my own.  I finished a marathon...holler.  That taught me so much about myself and overcoming myself.  I have had some great adventures.  It will be sad to see 2014 go, but I can be sure I will be taking the strength that I learned with me.

There is the blank page that comes ahead awaiting us to grab the crayons and markers and draw upon what we want this to become.  What we want to become of ourselves in the new year. Without further hesitation, let's bring on our new year goals and memories to be made...

Little Man - To not shit in the house : no more eating walls, couch cushions or the littles toys
Bullet - Catch the UPS man and mail man
Forest - Run 1/2 and full marathon : no late or missing assignments
Hubbie - Finish the basement
Steppie - No more retakes : Get some muscle
Charlie - Take over the world and expand his business
Myself - Try and take a new fitness class : Run a 1/2 and full marathon : Backpack a new place : No more nail polish : Read 2 more books : Travel to a new destination : Better organize the house : Random good moment everyday : Ensure we celebrate and have family time : Try some new restaurants

Now to get started...that is half battle.  Wish us luck as we conquer our goals and make some awesome memories for the year.  And to my readers, may you achieve everything you hoped for and more in the coming year.

Mayhem

Mayhem aka chaos.  That was exactly how I felt about the month of April.  For some reason I  was totally completely off track. It was in enough areas to make me want to pull my hair out and just stay in a perpetual fishy face...

Seriously when everything seems to be going a little nuts there is nothing that makes one feel better then a fish face.  Sooner or later you have to stop because otherwise, like mom and dad say, "keep making that face and it'll get stuck like that."  Meals from a straw, I don't think so.  Keep the fish making faces to a minimum, got it.

To prevent mayhem from spilling over into May, I decided it was time to put some goals out there or aka shit I would like to accomplish this month.   As everyone knows when they are tossed on the blog it holds one majorly accountable.  Of course so does putting money on the subject, but with the shitastic job I did on the wallet watch...I be a broke girl with cool things currently.

MAY GOALS

Getting the Booty in Shape

1. Run once more per week aka Saturday long runs
2. Walk the pudgie puppies 3x's a week
3. Finish the #1800 minute daily challenge

Feeding the Machine

1. Less carbs more veggies
2. Try a new grill recipe (also known as find recipe give to the grill master aka hubbie to cook)
3. Alcohol one day a week  (yes, you read that correctly)
4. Little to no Sweets

Happy Home

1. Get Morgan and Coopers picture changed out aka make the yearly collage of the goobers
2. Kick ass on the house to do list (one project a week minimum) Note to the Wisconsin weather...please cooperate

Cyberworld

1. Refresh the blog
2. Celebrate our Blogversary

 Spirit

1. 100 Days of Happy challenge - Click on one of those little social media icons to follow along.

Show me the Money

1.  Do over on the little wallet watch
• No outing that is not budgeted for.
• No items not budgeted for. Above and beyond the everyday
• No unnecessary purchases. Not on the preplanned list. No buy.
• Stay within the house, grocery and personal item budget.

And there you have it...now that those goals are set we can bring on May and the warm weather that best come along with it.  Boom we will be getting on track and kicking some arse.