Monthly Goal Check-In (May)

Summer is almost here which is both daunting and exciting to me. Daunting because Molly will be out of school and hanging out. Exciting because summer vacations, time at the pool and lazy relaxation! And of course, goals! Here is how I did on my 2018 goals this month. I'm making progress here! 

2018 Goals

1. Workout 218 times in 2018 - I worked out 24 times in May. My goal was 22 times which I'm happy to have surpassed. I'm at 106 workouts for the year with 112 to go!
2. Go Skiing 
3. Complete "The Artist's Way"
4. Learn Hand Lettering - I worked on this goal a bit. I got a book and started practicing which is fun!  
5. Paint the Bathroom - This goal is waiting until late Summer/Early Fall due to our basement construction. 
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 is half done! When I was having some other shrubs pruned, I decided to have the guys rip out the sad Rhododendron. Be gone, sad plant! 
8. Build (or buy) a trellis for my vegetable garden 
9. Buy a new dishwasher 
10. Embrace Minimalism by doing the Minimalist Game for an entire month 
11. Reduce our food bill and food waste - Constant battle on this! 
12. Read War and Peace, Moby Dick, A Tale of Two Cities and The Grapes of Wrath - This goal has been hard for me. I love to read but hard books are hard because my kids have sucked away my brain. However, I plan to keep plugging away. 
13. Read the Bible - I'm not quite caught up but I'm almost there. I need to get back in the daily habit of reading instead of trying to do large chunks of reading. 
14. Knit Nanoo - Nanoo! I'm still working on this. Working, working!
15. Knit 12 hats for charity - I completed May's hat even though it is really ugly! I ran out of yarn and slapped some green on to finish it and whoa! ugly but warm! Photo below. 
16. Repeat Goal: Complete TKGA Master Knitting Level I - I'm still thinking about this goal and what to do with it. 
17. Repeat Goal: Finish my Miter Square Blanket  - My goal for May was to do 4 miters and I did. Slowly chipping away at this blanket. 
18. Repeat Goal: Catch up on my yearly photo books of the girls - Making slow but steady progress!

The world's ugliest but still super warm hat!

San Diego Dreaming

A few months ago, I took the girls to San Diego to visit a friend. We had literally returned 5 days before from our big trip to Sydney, Australia but with mid-winter break bearing down upon us, I knew we needed to get out of dodge again. Additionally, I had planned our San Diego trip before finding out about our opportunity to visit Australia. I packed up the girls and myself and we set off for San Diego and left Scott to hold down the home front.

After an airport adventure where we literally ran through the airport for our flight and landed in our seats with sweat pouring down our faces, we were off! Well, almost. As I got everyone settled and buckled in, the first officer came on over the speaker and said our flight would be delayed due to an injury suffered by our pilot as he entered the plane. Our plane was actually quite awkward to board so I wasn't surprised that someone had gotten hurt but could not believe it was our pilot who was injured. Our gate had been transformed from one gate into three which meant we had to walk down a ramp out of the airport to a maze of stairs, through two tunnels and then back up these skinny stairs to our plane. All of this was incredibly awkward as I juggled luggage and two kids. I stupidly decided not to check our luggage on the way to San Diego but rectified that on the way home. I decided it wasn't worth saving $25 in order to strain my body, lugging luggage and kids through the airport. Also my friend, Meg told me not to be so cheap so I listened to her.

San Diego's car rental services have vastly improved since I was there last which was wonderful. They now have a central reservation building which is accessed by shuttle bus. We took the shuttle bus over with each kid being in charge of a suitcase or bag. I had the huge carseat bag on my back and was thankful that Scott is usually the one carrying the carseat. After renting a car, we headed to my friend's place. The girls were both unhappy that I had gotten neither a mini-van or an orange car. I was pleased to have an easy to drive car that fit the three of us nicely with room for our luggage for a not too unreasonable price.

Upon arrival, we all decided we were starving and headed to Liberty Station and enjoyed delicious poke at Poke 1*2*3. The staff was impressed with how much poke my kids packed away. After that we headed to the grocery store to stock up on snacks before heading to my friend's house. 

We spent the next few days hitting the beach and hanging out with my friend. My kids adore her and her kids so we had a great time. My kids also spent an absurdly amount of time in her backyard soaking up the sunshine. Molly spent a lot of time reading to my friend's baby and "taking" care of her. It was so sweet to see her taking on a protector role. 

I made time to take the kids to Old Town in San Diego even though my friend is completely over the area. The girls had a great time checking out the area and I loved the photo opportunities. 

We also visited Communal Coffee which was amazing and again, full of great photo opportunities. I love a great wall with text and pretty plants. 

We spent an afternoon driving around and hitting up beaches. My favorite is up in La Jolla and the girls had the best time running around, chasing the birds. 

The highlight of our trip was a visit to Legoland. We did it in one day and that felt just perfect. The girls had the best time riding rides and building with legos. They also liked that I let them each bring home a lego set. 

And then before we were quite ready, it was time to come home. I read an entire book on our ride home and the girls watched more shows on their kindles than I thought possible. Our annual girl's trip was fun and we are thinking of taking another trip to San Diego later this year. We all miss my friend! 

After we came home, I wrote up a travel guide to San Diego for Seattle Refined - San Diego Travel Guide: The Do's and Don'ts

Week(s) in Review - 5.19.18 and 5.26.18

Somehow last week slipped away and I neglected to post anything here. I'm catching up this week and making progress. I am feeling a bit more on top of my game though not all the time. I was actually able to keep my house pretty clean and submitted an essay from a recent workshop to a publication I really hope picks it up. I'm really proud of it so if they reject it, I know it will have a home somewhere. 

Exercise

I worked it these last two weeks. Having monthly workout goals has really helped me stay on track. I did three boot camps, a City Cycle class and a barre3 class last week. I did three boot camps and two barre3 classes this week along with a fun family bike ride on a LimeBike. Molly is getting so fast, it was hard to keep up with her! I'm at 21 workouts for the month with one more to hit my goal of 22!

Food

I've gotten off track on making healthy, homemade food so I've been focusing on that again. I did a long over-due Costco trip and am really excited about some new offerings from Acme Farms + Kitchen. They have a new Kid's Chef Prep Box which is blowing our minds over here. This coming week's offerings are Tofu Fried Rice with Carrots + Edamame, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Housemade Ranch, Celery with Peanut Butter, Carrots, Snap Peas, Apples, Tangelos, Cherry Tomatoes, Mini Muffins which I think will be a hit with kids. If not, I'll have it because it looks delicious! 

The Girls

Molly has been struggling a bit with the end of school. The hard part for me is we still have a month to go so I'm worried she'll be anxious about this for awhile. She's nervous about a new teacher and classmates for first grade and super worried about the camps I signed her up for. I think she'll be fine. I've signed her up for camps with friends and they look super fun! This is also our first summer without preschool so it will be a learning experience for us. I have some fun things planned and we'll use the summer to figure out what works and what doesn't. 

Maggie has been quite the spitfire these last few weeks. She's a wild, feral child who needs to run free while looking fabulous. It is complicated for her. She has been working really hard at speech even though she intensely dislikes that she needs it. 

Other Goings On

I got my garden planted and part of the deck power washed. I added a new garden bed for the kids. The one I made last year was falling apart which was not unexpected. I did a quick job on it so it was not sturdy. I've been weeding like mad and still need to finish up the side yard. It's been a lot of work and I've been sidetracked by the piles of dirt in my yard from the remodel. I did have the trees and shrubs pruned so the yard is getting into tip-top shape! 

Speaking of the remodel, things are progressing quickly and I'll have an update next week. The walls are being drywalled and mudded, the electrical is almost done and soon the bathroom will be tiled and fixtures installed. I keep getting excited that the remodel is almost done and then I remember that my part will be next. I'll need to get all the stuff back from storage and purge more. Then I need to paint and figure out how to decorate and, and, and! 

Stories Published

Seattle Refined: Georgetown's newest doughnuts shop uses spent grain from beer
Seattle Refined: No need to buy expensive camping gear - this local company lets you rent it

Week in Review 5.12.18

This week was punctuated with a massive amount of yard work, construction and writing. I had a long list of deadlines and cranked through them while being super happy that Scott was back home. I'm getting hopeful that the two big piles of dirt in my yard will be leaving soon. 

Exercise

I rocked my workouts this week! I did three boot camps and two barre3 classes. It was a bit rough going back to 6 a.m. workouts after sleeping in last week but I also liked getting them out of the way. I'm at 9 workouts for the month. 

Food

I'm doing a story on a new doughnut shop so Maggie and I headed down to check them out on Friday morning. They are delicious and I wish I had gotten two dozen instead of one. 

I also did a story on a new service called MealPal. It is a subscription service where you buy a set number of lunches for $5.99 each at the beginning of the month. Then you are able to select a meal from over 150 restaurants for lunch each day. My only complaint is that they are only in the downtown/SLU neighborhoods so while I LOVE them, I won't be using them until they expand further north. I do understand start-ups and starting out with a limited location for best results. I've had some delicious salads and poke bowls this week which is aces. 

The Girls

The girls got new bikes this week and have been insane riding them. Their old bikes were way too small and rusted. I did have to take the bikes to a shop to get their brakes fixed up but otherwise the new bikes are working out really well. 

They also finished up this session of swim lessons and did awesome. Molly had some private lessons which she loved and I hope to do more of later. They are pricey so I don't see us doing them regularly. Both girls are really advancing in their swim abilities. 

Other Goings On

The basement is zooming along and I am experiencing decision fatigue. I thought we had made all the decisions but it appears there are more to be made and more springing up every day. The basement is looking amazing though and I'm getting excited about the space. 

Stories Published

Seattle Refined: ClassPass founder brings new lunch subscription service to Seattle
Seattle Refined: The Nordic Museum opens new, fancy-schmancy Ballard location

May Goals

I really liked having set goals for April and while I may not have accomplished all of them, they gave me great direction and helped me focus especially while on Spring Break and then catching up from a week of pure relaxation. 

Here is how I did on my April goals:

1. Exercise 18 times - I got in 19 workouts! Having this goal really helped keep me on track after barely exercising while in Hawaii on Spring Break. 
2. Buy a trellis for my garden - I purchased this on April 30th at Swansons in the nick of time. It's a great addition to my garden and will hopefully be a benefit for my peas. 
3. Catch up on the Bible - I'm getting there but am not completely caught up. 
4. Read Moby Dick - I'm still working on this. It is such a slow read for me. 
5. Knit Nanoo - I need to devote some time to knitting on this but end up so tired at night after the kids are in bed. 
6. Knit my April Hat for charity - Done! It's a mish-mash of yarns but it is warm and cozy. 
7. Work on the Girl's 1-and 2-year-old photo books - Ehhh, I didn't do very well on this goal.
8. Deep Clean the Dining Room and Den - I deep cleaned the den but need to do it again. I never got to the Dining Room. Part of my issue is that I'm storing stuff from the basement in my dining room and when I look around at the clutter, I freeze up. 
9. Update Ravelry with my Yarn Stash - I did not get this done at all. 

Here are my goals for May! These include some 2018 goals and some specific goals for May. 

May Goals

1. Exercise 22 times  
2. Catch up on the Bible
3. Read Moby Dick
4. Knit Nanoo
5. Knit my May Hat for charity 
6. Work on the Girl's 1-and 2-year-old photo books 
7. Deep Clean the Dining Room and Kitchen 
8. Update Ravelry with my Yarn Stash
9. Work on Hand Lettering
10. Knit 4 miter squares for my blanket

Week in Review 5.5.2018

It was a long week. Scott was in Sydney and I had the kids 24/7. I did start out the week with a babysitter and some CityCycle which was fantastic. I also got in some really amazing workouts (that I'm still sore from) and got my work life more organized. 

Exercise

This week may not have had the same quantity of workouts as last week but I did have some serious quality in my workouts. I got in two boot camps, one Studio 45 class, a CityCycle class and did major yard work twice. I was seriously sore from Studio 45 for days. 

Food

I kept things simple with Scott gone. The kids devoured the salmon dish I made one night and asked for thirds. I always forget just how much they love fish. We also went out for sushi one day for lunch. 

The Girls

The girls got in some serious playtime with their friend, Lucy. Her Mom was also solo parenting this week so we hired a babysitter one day and I picked her up from school another day. The kids LOVED playing with her and I was glad for the distraction for them. 

We spent Saturday working on a Mother's Day present and eating sushi at UVillage. They also helped me a lot in the yard this week. Spring has really sprung in our yard and I had a lot of weeding to do. I still have a lot of weeding to do. 

Other Goings On

In all the chaos of last week, the basement work continued with the window wells being installed and sheetrock going up on the walls. There is still much to do but it is coming along! I also discovered The Letdown this week and spent many hours laughing at the show!

Monthly Goal Check-In (April)

April flew by fast! I went on two trips which slowed down some of my goal achievement but I still crossed a few more items off my 18 in 2018!

2018 Goals

1. Workout 218 times in 2018 - I worked out 19 times in April. My goal was 19 times and I wasnt' sure if I'd get it done but I did. I'm at and I did it! I'm at 79 workouts for the year. 
2. Go Skiing 
3. Complete "The Artist's Way"
4. Learn Hand Lettering - This goal is still waiting for me to tackle.   
5. Paint the Bathroom - I think I'm going to take on this goal when the construction is done in my basement. There is just too much going on right now and too much dust in the air. Also we are down to one bathroom which means painting it might get tricky.   
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 - I got this done on the last day of April, barely slipping in. I like it and think it will be good for my peas, should they ever grow. I found a wonderful trellis at Swansons and picked it up for a surprisingly good price. 
9. Buy a new dishwasher 
10. Embrace Minimalism by doing the Minimalist Game for an entire month 
11. Reduce our food bill and food waste - I continued to work hard at this goal but only did ok. Traveling really messes up keeping one's food bill down.  
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 feel dreadfully behind on this goal. My plan is to read War and Peace all summer which leaves the fall for A Tale of Two Cities and The Grapes of Wrath. I really need to finish up Moby Dick.
13. Read the Bible - I'm not quite caught up but I'm almost there. I need to get back in the daily habit of reading instead of trying to do large chunks of reading. 
14. Knit Nanoo - Nanoo! I'm still working on this. Working, working!
15. Knit 12 hats for charity - I finished my April hat and it is a mish-mash of yarns but makes a very warm hat. 
16. Repeat Goal: Complete TKGA Master Knitting Level I - I'm still thinking about this goal and what to do with it. 
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!