Week in Review 4.28.18

I spent the first half of the week away in Vancouver on a press trip which was absolutely wonderful. I stayed in an amazing hotel, ordered room service for breakfast and had an absolute blast. When I returned, Scott got ready and left for Australia. We were like two ships passing in the night. While I miss Scott, I am so grateful that he was able to arrange his schedule to take care of the kids so I could go on this trip. 

Exercise

I concentrated hard on getting my workouts in this week. I got in 7 workouts this week! I did one boot camp, one City Cycle class, two amazing walks in Vancouver and three barre3 classes. I am at 17 workouts for the month which means I am so close to my 18 workout goal for April. Sometimes I find my workout goals to be silly but this week I was so glad to have it as it made me focus on getting my workouts in and not slacking off when I really wanted to just say, ehhhhh. 

Food

Food was out of this world this week and I worked really hard at not over indulging. It was really hard when faced with the most delicious cookies ever upon check-in at my hotel and then when presented with amazing bites at the reception we were taken to along with the amazing at Honey Salt. I did also take time to enjoy an Earl Grey donut from Cartems Donuts. 

In between, I did munch on salads and drank lots of water. I'm trying to really concentrate on my water intake which is honestly quite hard for me. I tend to have a coffee in the morning and then wait until I'm parched in the afternoon to gulp down some water. Not really the best way to hydrate my busy lifestyle. So I'm working on it! 

The Girls

The girls had quite the week and are slowly recovering this weekend. They were super anxious when I was gone and really missed me which was super sweet. I didn't realize how much they would miss me. Scott travels quite a bit and they usually just flow with it. They  might mention that they miss Daddy but they are usually ok with his trips. Not so with mine. This wasn't my first trip away from them at all but I realized it was my first trip away during the week which was different. On Tuesday, Molly's t-ball game timing got screwed up which didn't help matters so they ended up eating dinner quite late and not getting to bed on time. By the time I got home on Wednesday, they were a mess and I've been working to get them back on track. Scott told me that they were just so sad everyday that I was gone. 

Saturday was a busy day with them going to b3 childcare and then out to Duvall to visit Molly's teacher's parent's farm in the pouring rain. It was a fun but exhausting day. We got to pet goats, chase chickens and do a maypole! 

Other Goings On

The basement is cruising along. We are now at the insulation point of the game with sheetrock in view! I'm getting excited and a bit nervous about the finishing touches. Once the construction is done, that is when my work will pick-up. There will be painting, decorating and lots of other fun things to do! 

We also had the upstairs toilet repaired this week. It was leaking which I'm so glad Jeremy, the construction worker caught since finding out after sheetrock and everything else was installed would have been terrible! 

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Week in Review 4.21.18

We hit re-entry hard and fast! I had a bunch of work due this week, a lot of catch-up at home and so many questions about the remodel. We desperately missed the sun and easy days of our Hawaiian spring break. I met a baby pony who decided to hug me which was a bit shocking but still cute. 

I ordered a salmon share from Drifter's Fish this week and I'm so excited. We won't get it until October but this is fresh salmon direct from the source. 

Exercise

I somehow got in 5 workouts this week - three boot camps and two barre3 classes. I have a goal of getting in 18 exercise sessions this month and I'm currently at 10 workouts with 10 days left in the month. It's going to be close especially as I'm traveling the early part of next week and then Scott leaves for a long business trip. I'm going to make it happen though!  

Food

The girls started making dinner again this week. We had fallen off and I'm determined for them to learn important life skills. Molly made Macaroni and Cheese while Maggie tackled Chicken Noodle Soup. Molly was able to do most of the work herself with some guidance from me. For Maggie, I prepped all the ingredients and then had her put them in the pot and stir, etc. They were both so proud of themselves and I'm looking forward to this becoming a more regular thing. It is definitely more work for me but I'm hoping that by the time they are 10 and 12, they will be making me dinner without any help. I have dreams!

Maggie and I tried a new sushi restaurant this week, called Sushi Naomi. I had high hopes and while the sushi was delicious, it was quite pricey and the atmosphere left much to be desired. Oh well! There are other sushi restaurants to explore. 

The Girls

Molly had a fun field trip to the Zoo this week which started out a bit dramatic. I had planned for Maggie to stay at school late that day so I could chaperone the field trip (younger siblings were not allowed). Then the preschool's boiler burned out and the school was closed on that day. I emailed Molly's teacher and it turned out, I wasn't the only parent in this situation so I was allowed to still chaperone and Maggie joined the field trip. In the end, it all worked out well and everyone had a blast! 

The girls are both loving their swim lessons and Molly is obsessed with t-ball. She insisted that I buy her a glove and a bat. Now she is asking for balls but I'm feeling a bit more hesitant about making that purchase.  

Other Goings On

The highlight of my week was meeting Baby Zara at the MI Funny Farm. She's a fell pony and just the cutest thing ever. I spent of lot of this week running around like a chicken with its' head cut off. I'm excited for next week though. I have a press trip and the weather is promising some nice days which will be beneficial since I need to get out in the backyard and spruce it up. 

Week in Review 4.14.18

We spent this week in Maui, Hawaii on Spring Break. It was a wonderfully relaxing time where we slept a ton, played in the pool and explored the Road to Hana. The girls loved splashing at the Pirate Pool before discovering that the big pool had a slide which led them to ditch the Pirate Pool. 

Exercise

I somehow got in 3 workouts this week. I went swimming twice and did a hike on the Road to Hana. It was nice to really be on vacation though and just chill out. I'm not very good at chilling out but this week I really did. 

Food

Food was amazing this week! Maui has some of the freshest and most delicious food which I enjoyed to my fullest. I had amazing seared ahi tacos, korean beef tater tots, hula pie and more. It was so good. We also ate many meals in our condo and had an old fashioned lunch of PB&J with apples and chips on the Road to Hana. I think the kids liked that meal the best. 

The Girls

The girls were in heaven this week. They got to swim all they wanted, watch all the tv they wanted and eat all the food we normally limit. They got a little sunburned, a little over sugared and had a whole lot of fun! 

All in all, it was a nice relaxing week without much to report on. I'll share our trip up the Road to Hana soon. 

Week in Review 4.7.18

The week before vacation is always filled with the humdrum of getting ready to leave. I did lots of laundry, cleaned a bunch, packed, packed and packed some more and ordered a bunch of things in a panic. All in all, I got it done. 

Exercise

I only got in 2 workouts this week. I did two boot camp classes and I decided that was ok. Even though I'm probably not going to get any workouts in next week, I just don't care right now. I may have pushed it too hard last week. Oops! 

Food

I visited the Seattle Biscuit Company this week for a piece I'm working on it and it was amazing! I ordered a ton of food and took some home for our construction guy. Delicious! Seriously, these biscuits are like heaven! 

The Girls

The girls started swim again this week. It's a crunch to get Molly from school at 2:20 pm and to the pool for her 2:30 pm lesson but we made it work. 

Other Goings On

I started my 100 Day Project this week. I'm already having so much fun with my Instax and figuring out how to take the best photos with it. I'm being conservative because film is expensive! You can follow my progress on Instagram with the hashtag #100daysofreebeckiinstax.

April Goals

I really liked having set goals for March and while I may not have accomplished all of them, they gave me great direction and helped me focus. 

Here is how I did on my March goals:

1. Exercise 20 times - I worked out 22 times! 
2. Complete "The Artist's Way" - Finished this up! 
3. Embrace Minimalism by doing the Minimalist Game - Follow along on Instagram at ReeBeckiMinimalistGame - I did this and purged more than 450 items from my house!
4. Read Moby Dick - I started but did not finish this book. 
5. Catch up on my reading of the Bible - I'm nearly caught up! 
6. Knit Nanoo - Still working on this.
7. Knit my March Hat for charity - DONE! 
8.  Complete TKGA Master Knitting Level I  - I'm thinking about tossing this goal aside. 
9. Deep Clean and Purge the Living Room, Bathroom and my Bedroom - I did everything but clean the Living Room windows. 
10. Inventory and Purge my Yarn Stash - I did a good purge but now need to organize my yarn into Ravelry. 

With that in mind, here are my goals for April! These include some 2018 goals and some specific goals for April. 

April Goals

1. Exercise 18 times (Spring Break might hinder some of my workouts) 
2. Buy a trellis for my garden
3. Catch up on the Bible
4. Read Moby Dick
5. Knit Nanoo
6. Knit my April Hat for charity 
7. Work on the Girl's 1-and 2-year-old photo books 
8. Deep Clean the Dining Room and Den 
9. Update Ravelry with my Yarn Stash

Float On...

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to check out Urban Float and try out floating for myself. I am not somebody who can relax easily and usually has a million things going on so I was intrigued by the concept of floating in salt water for an hour. 

I arrived at Urban Float and was led back to my float room. There was a large pod in the center of the room and I was told about the lights, how the lid worked and what to do if I got salt water in my ears or eyes. I quickly disrobed and hopped on into the water. I decided to wear a swimsuit because I wasn't sure if you floated naked or not. I'm kinda glad I wore a suit but know if you decide to wear one that you need to really rinse it out once you are done. I did a preliminary rinse but needed to wash and soak my suit later that night. 

I slid into the water and adjusted my body to a nice floating positing. I opt'd to leave the lights on but closed the lid. You can either leave it open or close it. They recommend closing it to keep your body warm. I ended up having to crack the lid when I got too steamy about 20 minutes in. I honestly had a hard time relaxing and while there was lovely music playing, got completely bored about 40 minutes into the float. I feel like 30 minutes would have been plenty for me. I tried to hang out but after 45 minutes got out and took a long shower in the provided showers. The salt water quickly started to dry on my skin and took some effort to wash off.

Overall, I'd say the experience was good. I still have a few more floats available for use but I'm not sure if I'll use them or not. The whole experience took about an hour and a half which is a lot for my schedule. However,  I could really see the benefits of relaxing and floating. It would be really good for injury healing. 

Urban Float - Capitol Hill

1121 E Union Street, Seattle, WA 98122, USA

(206) 257-4333

Monthly Goal Check-in (March)

2018 Goals

1. Workout 218 times in 2018 - I worked out 22 times in March. My goal was 20 times and I did it! I'm at 60 workouts for the year. 
2. Go Skiing 
3. Complete "The Artist's Way" - I didn't do this perfectly but I did it. I'm so happy I did it again and I'm thrilled to be done. I abandoned the morning pages in February and tried to do them a few times but honestly mornings are already perfect and early for me so I wasn't interested in getting up earlier to write. The tasks were good and I'm DONE! 
4. Learn Hand Lettering - This goal is still waiting for me to tackle.   
5. Paint the Bathroom - I think I'm going to tackle this goal in May. 
6. Find a picture for the oval frame in my bedroom 
7. Replace the sad Rhododendron plant with a Dwarf Japanese Maple (or another plant) - This goal needs to wait until late summer or fall.
8. Build (or buy) a trellis for my vegetable garden - This is a May goal.  Buy a new dishwasher 
9. Buy a new dishwasher 
10. Embrace Minimalism by doing the Minimalist Game for an entire month - This was a hairy, beast of a goal but I did it! It felt good to get rid of so much stuff. I cleared out long ignored drawers, emptied closets and just go rid of stuff. You can see everything I purged on Instagram at ReeBeckiMinimalistGame
11. Reduce our food bill and food waste - I continued to work hard at this goal and did fairly well.  
12. Read War and Peace, Moby Dick, A Tale of Two Cities and The Grapes of Wrath - I am still reading Moby Dick but it is a slooooooow read. I love it but I need brain power and quiet to read which is hard to find around here. 
13. Read the Bible - I'm not quite caught up but I'm almost there. I'm still enjoying this goal and will be totally caught up in April.  
14. Knit Nanoo - Nanoo! I emailed back and forth with the designer and figured out my issue. I didn't finish this though as I needed to finish another sweater for Maggie and a baby hat for a friend.  
15. Knit 12 hats for charity - I finished my March hat and am ready to tackle my April Hat. 
16. Repeat Goal: Complete TKGA Master Knitting Level I - I started to work on this but then felt a bit of dread. I'm actually thinking of tossing this goal aside. 
17. Repeat Goal: Finish my Miter Square Blanket  - Plugging away
18. Repeat Goal: Catch up on my yearly photo books of the girls - Making slow but steady progress!

Week in Review 3.31.18

I spent a lot of this week focusing on getting shit done! I ordered a ton of stuff for the basement from lighting fixtures to plumbing pieces and more. Soon I'll get to focus on the fun stuff but for now, it's mostly functional items. I also tackled my huge to-do list and crossed things off. 

Exercise

I got in 6 workouts this week! I did three boot camp classes, two barre3 classes and a city cycle class. It was honestly a lot of working out but I felt strong and wanted to tackle the 7-day barre3 Ballard challenge in my own way. While I didn't get in 7 workouts, I feel great with the six workouts I crushed. 

Food

Molly and I took a cooking class on Saturday night which was a lot of fun and reminded me that I need to get Molly in the kitchen cooking with me more often. I need to forget about the mess and teach her how to feed herself. Maggie and I also made some cookies this week which the girls consumed in about 3 minutes. They were good and had cadbury easter eggs in them. 

The Girls

I went on a field trip with Maggie's preschool class on Tuesday to see Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed and it was amazing! The kids in her class were still singing the song when I picked Maggie up on Thursday. It was such a good show.

Molly started T-Ball this week and loves it. I signed her up at the spur of the moment because one of her classmates was doing it. Fingers crossed it continues to go well! 

Other Goings On

I announced my 100 Day Project this week. I'm going to take 100 Instax photos starting April 3rd. You can follow my progress on Instagram with the hashtag #100daysofreebeckiinstax. I'm very excited about this project! I always love the 100 Day Project but have to be careful not to bite off more than I can chew. 

I finished the Minimalist Game on Friday and am so pleased with myself. I got rid of over 450 items and cleared a lot of clutter. I plan to do this again later in the year, after our stuff comes back from storage. I know i put stuff in storage that can be PURGED! I won't have a dumpster then which will be the sad part. Two things that worked really well for me were having access to a dumpster to just trash some things right away and weekly Goodwill runs. I'd fill my trunk and then at the end of the week, stop at the Goodwill truck at the end of my block to offload my donations. I didn't really try to sell much because it felt like a burden and I really just wanted stuff out. 

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